Going into the new year, Riley Matthews has decided one thing—this is going to be her year.

She figures it's about time. After the whirlwind that was her first couple of calendar years out of higher education and in the real world while scrambling to find a job and maintain her sanity and more or less learn how to "adult," Riley thinks she deserves a year where things just seem to click into place. Where the energy she gets back is just as positive and well-intentioned as what she puts into it, and where the rest of her life begins to lay out a path in front of her. It doesn't have to be predictable, it doesn't have to be perfect—if she's learned anything over the last few years, it's that she's never going to achieve perfection—she just wants the feeling that regardless of whatever else, the universe is looking out for her. She's going to do good. She's going to do more, and that's already better than the past.

Mostly, she's going to be herself. More fiercely and unapologetically than ever before. And she knows good things are going to happen because of it.

Of course, this is going to require some concerted effort on her part. If she wants to experience more, she's going to have to push herself to be a little more fearless than she usually is. If she wants to find her path, she's going to have to put a little more work into carving opportunities for herself. If she wants to love herself, unapologetically so, then she's going to have to stop correcting herself and second guessing herself and apologizing for breathing.

It's work, and it's hard work, that's going to take a lot of concentration and time. But she's willing to do it. She has the drive to do it, and she's looking towards the coming year with bright eyes and a whole lot of enthusiasm.

All this considered, the last thing she's focused on is finding a boyfriend. So when their New Year's Eve celebration ends up turning into a thinly-veiled attempt to set her up by her well-meaning but misguided friends, she can't help but feel a little bit miffed.

Naturally, no one is outright saying the shindig is an experiment in matchmaking. Oh no, her roommate Maya and the rest of her friends in the building are relatively good at pretending this party is just business as usual. It's tradition for Riley and Maya to throw a building-wide gathering to ring in the New Year with whoever is around to join—well, a tradition they're trying to kick-start with the support of their landlord—so in theory this should be the perfect place to execute such a tactic. Who's going to notice a little pairing up going on in the midst of the usual cheer?

Only Riley does notice. Riley notices, because she's nothing if not observant, and her apartment is suddenly packed with many people she has never once seen before in her long tenure in New York. Whereas the faces are usually familiar, this year's party delivers plenty of brand new guests and it doesn't take her long to put the puzzle together and realize exactly what's going on.

That, and Riley overheard Maya's phone call with Zay earlier in the month where they essentially outlined the plan in full. They're both happily in relationships, Zay with Vanessa and Maya with her girlfriend Chai, so they've decided that it's about time all of their single friends find the same happiness. Out of the goodness of their hearts, of course.

So a couple weeks later and one stressed glass of champagne later, Riley finds herself more frantic than usual on New Year's Eve as she keeps things up and running as hostess and introduces herself to more people than she can conceivably remember in the morning. She's checking that plates are filled and smiles on, that her own friendly grin remains perfectly intact—old habits die hard—and very purposefully avoiding the name Charlie.

Maya had been adamant on her phone call that Riley needed a fraction of the love she so consistently puts out, and the name Charlie had been uttered in conversation related to her too many times to be a coincidence. While the sentiment of her friend is nice, the notion of being set up makes her sick to her stomach and casts a shadow over the entire party.

It kind of feels like a horror movie. Knowing the monster is in the room. Not knowing their hair color or gender or any possible warning signs, but knowing every single person in this room has a monster assigned to them, and this one is waiting specifically for you.

Every time she introduces herself to someone new, it's a relief when the name Charlie doesn't come out of their mouth. It allows her smile to be a little more natural, at least.

She's just escaping one such greeting when she bumps right into her friends, Maya reaching out to stabilize her and offering a laugh.

"Riles, jeez," she says. "You're running a mile a minute around here. Would you relax?"

"Yes, Riley, you're looking quite vexed," Isadora Smackle points out, arms linked with her boyfriend Farkle—the other happily engaged couple in on the matchmaking scheme. "Certainly if the apartment were on fire, we'd know about it."

Riley makes a face, straightening up and smoothing out her dress. "Very funny. Sorry that I'm just trying to be a good hostess."

"Riles, every single year you play perfect hostess," Maya states, reaching up to take her shoulders. She rubs them in an effort to be soothing. "How about this year, you let me handle the pseudo-waitressing. Enjoy the party! Have some champagne! Get ready to ring in the year of you or whatever."

"Yeah, because I want everyone to end up accidentally poisoned."

"Or have the apartment actually get set on fire," Farkle adds teasingly.

"Or God forbid, we run out of drinks," Zay exhales dramatically.

"Blah, blah, blah. Your point has been made." Maya rolls her eyes, before turning her bright gaze over Riley's shoulder. Her eyes widen slightly, and a smirk blooms onto her lips as an idea strikes her.

All the sudden, Riley's fight or flight instincts start tingling.

"Actually, I'm glad you stumbled your way over here. There's someone I wanted you to—,"

"I think I should go check the roof," she stammers, already making a beeline for the doorway. "Make sure all the guests are enjoying themselves out in the cold."

Maya doesn't get the chance to grab her before she's pulling on her coat. "Riley—!"

"Be back in a bit!" she shouts over her shoulder, heading out the door right as a new guest is making their way in. She rams right into them, jamming her shoulder against the door frame. "Ouch—,"

"Shit—,"

She feels a strong grip on her elbow keep her from falling over entirely, allowing her the chance to stabilize herself. She exhales a nervous laugh, brushing her hair out of her face and making eye contact with her latest victim. "Sorry—,"

They beat her to it, offering an apology at the same time. Just as she's remembering she's supposed to be apologizing less. "My bad. Are you okay?"

If she remembers any face tonight, she's suddenly struck with the certainty it'll be this one. Mainly because he's pointedly good-looking, the kind of attractive that makes you do a double take in a crowded room even when you're desperately trying to escape it. But also because his eyes are the prettiest shade of green she thinks she's ever seen, and effortlessly kind. Inviting without having to say any words at all.

"I'm fine, thanks," she says gratefully, gently pulling her arm from his grasp. She doesn't have time to wait around, considering Maya is likely coming after her with her match made in heaven any second. "Welcome to my party. Try the cinnamon bread, it's delicious."

With that, she doesn't allow herself another word. She turns away from those beautiful eyes and desperately heads for the stairs to the rooftop, inhaling the fresh air as she steps out in the bitter cold as if it's the first oxygen she's absorbed in decades.

For what it's worth, she finds the sanctity of the rooftop to be much more welcoming than her apartment. It seems as though all of her familiar faces took refuge up here just like her, avoiding the singles mixer that has developed below. Considering many of them are either already in relationships or not particularly looking, the migration makes a lot of sense.

Dave, her friend from college and loud and proud asexual, is one such obvious example. He grins at her as she meanders her way further onto the rooftop, leaning his elbow on the barricade. "Hey, Riley, you okay? You're looking stressed."

"Oh, does it show?" She exhales, coming over to join him and Jade Beamon at the building edge. "Tell me you're at least enjoying yourselves."

"Of course, always do," Jade assures her.

"Crazy how packed it is this year though. You invite all those people?"

Riley shakes her head. "Maya did. With help from Zay."

"Insanity. How come?"

Jade glares at her best friend, elbowing him in the ribs. "What do you mean how come? They're obviously just trying to be nice. The more people you invite, the less people are sitting at home alone on New Year's with no one to share it with."

"That's one take," Riley concedes. She crosses her arms, feeling the chill despite her coat. She can't help but dread what cleaning up is going to be like tomorrow morning, spending an hour trudging around in the icy air to pick up cups and bottles all by herself. "The other is that my giving roommate and her friend have decided that they're so happily in relationships, they want everyone else they know to be too."

Dave cracks up, Jade grimacing at the notion. Certainly a lot less idealistic than she originally thought.

"Good intentions, but not necessarily wanted."

"Yeah, no kidding." Dave shrugs, reaching out and nudging her arm. "But who knows, stranger things have happened. The one could be in this very building, and you don't even know it. Just be careful where you're standing come midnight."

Jade rolls her eyes. "Not this again."

"What do you mean?"

"You've never heard the old adage?" Dave's eyes have a twinkle to them, but Riley can't figure out if they're sparkling with wonder or mischief. Perhaps a bit of both. "Word on the street is that whoever you're standing next to on New Year's Eve when the ball drops at midnight, that's who you'll be spending the coming year with. No exceptions, returns, or exchanges."

Although she's convinced herself not to care, such a concept claws at her natural inclination towards anxiety. The romanticized trap waiting for her downstairs suddenly seems even more dangerous. Riley decides she can brave the chilling temperatures for the rest of the night.

"So, case in point, get as far away from Dave as possible in the next thirty or so minutes."

"Hey, screw you."

Riley laughs along with them, warmly touching Jade's arm as she moves to step around them. Even with how overwhelming this evening has already been, she's grateful that it brings the friends she does have together before a whole new year. "Have fun guys. And don't leave without saying goodbye."

"You know we won't!"

Riley gives them a bright beam, leaving them behind as she makes her way across the rest of the rooftop. She comes to a stop at the edge, leaning forward on her palms against the concrete rail and exhaling a breath. Finally feeling like she's isolated enough from company to get the chance to breathe.

She's glad she had to escape up here. She's always loved the view from their rooftop, but on a night like this when the city is so electric and the landscape is alive with color and light and the excitement of anticipation, it's unbeatable. If running from Maya's maneuvers means having to stare at this view, then she figures it's not the worst way to spend an evening.

"Incredible view, huh?"

The voice is male and unfamiliar, and Riley can't help but think her supposed soulmate has found her. Maya set the hound on her, and he's zeroed in on her scent and cornered her before she can make another dastardly escape.

She's buzzing with what theatrics she might have to pull to thwart this conversation as she turns around, surprised by the face she finds standing there instead.

Green eyes.

"Undoubtedly so," she says with a smile, stepping back a bit to allow him the space to step forward and join her. She may be cautious to trust his existence on her rooftop, but she's not going to be impolite. "One of the few charms New York can boast to someone born and bred here."

He returns the smile lightly, easing forward towards the edge. "Oh, no kidding."

She watches him curiously as he glances over the edge of the building, looking down at the crowd of spectators still trickling their way towards Time Square. The city always feel more populated than ever on New Year's, like everyone feels the need to make their presence known on the streets. So high above it, Riley has never minded it so much.

She's more interested in examining him. Now that she's not making a dramatic exit, she takes the time to actually get a good look and confirm whether her offhanded decision that he was worth remembering holds any water. He's all broad shoulders and defined jaw, but his facial features are decidedly soft. She can't say what makes her say so—it would take more observation to figure that instinct out—but she has to concur with herself from ten minutes ago.

Particularly when he lets his gaze drift back to her, offering her a shy smile. Yeah, she's certain she'll remember those eyes.

Given that he was entering the apartment as soon as she was running from being paired off, she has to assume he's not the man Maya and Zay intended for her to meet. Still, she feels the need to cover her bases.

"Sorry if this is a weird question," she asks, twisting her fingers together. "But you're not Charlie, are you?"

He hesitates, obviously trying to suss out what answer he thinks she wants to hear. "No. Sorry to disappoint. If that's who you were expecting—,"

"No, no," she says, her relief palatable from the exhale she releases. She can't help but laugh, waving off his useless apologies. "No, believe me, that's perfectly fine."

"Let me guess." He turns to face her fully and leans against the guardrail, raising an eyebrow. "You're avoiding your potential soulmate."

Riley's eyes widen. "Oh my God, yes. How did you know that? Am I—am I being like totally obvious?"

"Not at all. Just recognize the sentiment. If Zay had told me that he was planning to pair up all his single friends at this shindig, I honestly don't know if I would've shown up. But then, I guess, that's exactly why he didn't tell me."

She can vaguely remember Zay mentioning that one of his friends from his hometown in Texas was going to be coming in for the holidays. She remembers odd offhand things about this best friend from home—that he's spent the last couple years in graduate school for something scientific, that he loves baseball and The Beatles, that he lives almost exclusively in the color blue. Considering the dark blue sweater she can see peeking out from underneath his winter coat, she has to assume this is him in the flesh.

She finds herself giggling again. She can't tell if it's because of the ridiculousness of the situation, or some odd power he carried into the conversation. "Another matchmaking survivor, then?"

"Oh, yeah. Zay has been trying to get me paired off basically since high school." He swipes at his lip absentmindedly, shrugging. "I don't know, though. I don't really believe in this sort of thing."

"What? You don't think your friends have the magical power to know better who you'd be best suited to amongst their narrow pool of friends and co-workers than you would?"

His turn to laugh. It's pleasant, pointedly warm and a little muted. It starts off louder then pulls back considerably, as if he's trained himself to rein in it. She finds herself wondering where he learned that, before realizing it's a silly thing to try and deconstruct a stranger she just met. She should probably focus on what he's actually saying.

"I'm more of a when-you-know-you-know kind of guy. Think I trust myself to figure out when there might be something really worth exploring." He pauses, simply smiling at her for a long moment before clearing his throat. He licks his lips, stuffing his hand into his coat pocket. "I don't believe in coincidence for the same reason. I'm sorry, this is a pretty abstract conversation to have with someone you just met."

Riley shakes her head, highly aware of how she hasn't been able to stop grinning since they got to chatting. "No, it's all good. I don't mind at all. So did you actually meet your soulmate-to-be, or did you successfully dodge them?"

"Oh, no, I wasn't nearly so lucky." He smirks through a grimace, exhaling a chuckle as he gazes out towards the city. "Zay basically dragged me over the moment we got through saying hello. And it's a shame, I mean—Missy seems nice and everything. Very pretty. I'm sure she'll make someone quite happy, someday."

She tilts her head. "But not you?"

He makes a face, chewing his lip. Then he shifts his gaze back to her, hesitating.

"I don't think it's gonna work out."

Riley doesn't get the chance to humor the possibilities behind the statement, well paired with the way he's looking at her. They get distracted in the hubbub of the coming new year, her friend from high school Nick Yogi darting up the stairs and declaring with gusto that the countdown has begun. Everyone immediately succumbs to the hype, the noise level rising on the rooftop and the countdown absorbing all of her potential brain power.

As they shout off the last ten seconds, Riley glances at the new acquaintance next to her. Enjoying the revelry, mirroring the collective excitement, before he inevitably locks eyes with her again.

Somehow, she doesn't think spending the next year with him would be so bad.

Explosions seem to erupt around them throughout the city, cheers flowing from Times Square and mixing with their own applause and merriment. Fireworks light up the sky, dazzlingly bright and shading them in beautiful hues of blue and purple and fuchsia.

As "Auld Lang Syne" floats over them seemingly from every direction, he leans closer so that they can hear each other over the chaos. She feels him lightly touch her elbow. "Happy New Year."

She gives him an effortless grin, nodding eagerly. "You too."

There are a million questions she suddenly wants to ask him. How long he's in the city, what he does, what his deepest aspirations are—but Dave shocks her with a jostling hug and shouts well wishes for the new year in her ear. Jade accosts her as well, demanding all of her attention for a few solid minutes as the excitement dies down and returns to the normal pitch it will hover around for the other 364 days of the year.

That is all the time it takes for him to disappear. When she's finally free and swivels back to keep up their conversation, she finds that he's already gone. Like a mirage, shimmering out of existence in the blink of an eye. With a sinking feeling, she realizes she didn't even get his name.

Looks like Dave's mythic promise is far from accurate.

When daybreak rolls around and all the revelry has faded into the overcast grey of a morning in New York, Riley has already gone through the five stages of grief about her mystery man.

She hardly knew him anyway. All she had were the scraps of knowledge Zay shared with her over the years and the fact that he doesn't believe in coincidence. And this year was supposed to be about her, so perhaps him stepping out of her life as suddenly as he stepped into it is just the universe doing her a favor. Whatever her romantic brain has convinced her she's lost, she doesn't see how she could lose it when she definitely never had it in the first place.

But then she thinks about those green eyes, and the subtle ache in her chest is difficult to ignore.

It's what she's thinking about as she's freezing her ass off in the pre-afternoon chill, painstakingly cleaning up the aftermath of their party. Every year she's amazed at how Maya always manages to come up with a viable excuse as to why she needs to handle the living room area, leaving Riley to trudge up to the rooftop with a trash bag and her best pair of sweats to brave the winter temperatures for the sake of maintaining their good graces with the landlord. Every time she picks up a plastic cup and crushes it in her hands, she likes to imagine she's crushing a negative or disappointing thought with it.

He's probably already on his way back to Texas. Crunch. She'll never see him again. Crunch. Maya really should be out here helping, but she's her best friend and she doesn't want to push her best friend. Crunch.

Even with the time she's spent cleaning up, whipping around and seeing the entire other half of the rooftop still waiting to be cleaned feels like particularly harsh punishment that she did nothing to earn. Day one, and it's far from feeling like her year.

Crunch.

"Riley?"

At first she thinks she's hallucinating. She's finally gone full-tilt into Rileytown, as her friends call it, and him standing there in the doorway to the roof like the mirage he is is all her imagination. She blinks, resisting the urge to dramatically rub her eyes and test if he'll still be there when she opens them again.

The couple of blinks don't make him go away, so she has to believe she hasn't completely lost her mind. But it's hard to wrap her mind around the fact that he's back in front of her after she had convinced herself she would never see those green eyes again.

She opens her mouth, words taking longer to form than usual. "What are you doing here?"

"I stayed with Zay last night. Cheaper that way. I figured I'd come get one more look at the view." She tries to ignore the way her heart skips a beat at their shared appreciation of the scenery. She's had a surprisingly tough time finding others who like to take the time to enjoy the little things. "What are you doing?"

Riley lifts the trash bag indicatively, figuring that says it all.

He steps further out onto the rooftop, letting the door drift closed behind him. He raises his eyebrows. "All by yourself?"

"Trust me, this is a typical Riley Matthews post-New Year's morning. Glamorous, I know."

He doesn't waste a second. "Do you want help?"

There's no way he should waste his precious time in one of the best cities in the world traipsing around the roof to help clean up her mess. There's no point in spending more time with him when she knows he's just destined to evaporate out of her life again. Why should she bother allowing his assistance, when she's done this job on her own for however many years now just fine?

Then again, she can't believe he's even here at all. She knows she'd be a fool to let him drift away by her own dismissal.

"If you insist," she says, allowing him the window to ditch if he deems to change his mind. He doesn't seem set on it, instantly beginning to pick up trash around his feet and working his way towards the center of the rooftop.

They work in silence for a minute or so, Riley buzzing with all of the things she wants to say to him. Things that had been burning her tongue as she frantically searched the party for him last night, always missing him and letting the hope drain out of her bit by bit.

"Sorry about last night," he murmurs, breaking the silence. As if he can read her mind. "Zay came up to grab me just as your friends came over, and he basically dragged me out of there. You know how Zay can get—when he gets an idea in his head—,"

"Oh, definitely," she assures him. "But what are you still… I mean, how are you here? Don't you have to go back to Texas?"

"Well, actually, flights are cheaper a few days after the holiday anyway. Flying back today would've been brutal on my bank account. And it's suffering enough as it is." He pauses when she laughs, glancing at her and sharing that easy smile. "But I'm actually taking a little time up here to scope it out. Staying with Zay for a couple weeks, getting a feel for it."

She tries not to let her heart or mind seize on the possibilities. "Oh?"

"Yeah. I was offered a job up here that pays pretty well, especially considering it would be an awesome opportunity. Getting to participate in a veterinary practice with the hopes of opening one of my own someday, well, it's nice to be taken seriously after so much time in school."

He's found his way back to her, meeting her in the middle of the rooftop to dump the trash into her bag. He crouches down to start picking up around them and Riley follows his lead, dropping down to her knees and plopping the garbage in between them.

She still has tons of questions, even more so now that she knows he's staying. He's likely to become a permanent resident of her everyday life, and she finds herself starkly okay with that possibility. Although she still intends to make this year her own, she's starting to wonder if maybe sharing it with someone so lovely would be so terrible. Their meeting couldn't have been coincidence, after all.

All things considered, she decides the first question she's desperate to know.

"Well, now that I've basically got your life story," she prefaces cheekily, tossing another cup into the bag. "I don't think I actually caught your name."

He hesitates, absorbing the truth of this statement before bursting into laughter. It still has that restrained quality to it, but she can't help but think it's loosened up a bit the longer they've gotten to talk. With time, she imagines, she could earn the full, uninhibited version of it. She wants to hear it more than anything.

Also, somehow, it feels familiar. Like she would recognize it anywhere.

He locks eyes with her, and aside from the usual allure of green she's suddenly memorizing all of the little qualities she believes make him seem so soft—the gentle intensity of his gaze, the well-groomed yet subtly untidy quality of his hair, the delicate quality of his eyelashes.

Then he smiles again, and something inside of her melts.

"I'm Lucas."

She doesn't believe in coincidence either. The universe is looking out for her here, giving her more than ample opportunity to see this through and see where things may go. She can see a path laid out in front of her, all the ways this blossoming relationship will give back all of the positive and well-intentioned energy she puts into it.

It won't be predictable, and she's certain it won't be perfect. But this year is going to be her year, and it's already offering her much more than the past.

"Lucas," she repeats, trying out the sound of it on her lips. Loving it instantly, like a puzzle piece clicking into place.

After a moment, she returns his smile.

"I love it."

A/N: Almost a year, huh... no kidding. The good news is I have an update, and it's not depressing like the last couple of chapters have been. The bad news is I started this chapter like six months ago and just finally finished it, so I guess we're celebrating New Year's in June.

Happy 2019, then! Auld Lang Syne, and all that jazz.