Anon Requested: A meaningful walk—Rucas.

A Walk to Remember

Lucas was taking a sip of his beer as he looked around the gallery, he was sick of coming to these things, but he couldn't find a way to tell Maya. No she'd grown dependent on him showing up, pretending he liked the work of whatever new artist she discovered, when really he would much rather look at a purple cat painted with happy fingers.

Damn her, why did she always find her way into his mind?

She was thousands of miles away that had always been the biggest surprise to them all. She was the one who left for college and never came back.

Part of Lucas was sure he would recognize her the moment his eyes drifted near her if he was ever blessed with the chance to see her again, but another part of him was terrified she could be standing right next to him and he wouldn't realize it was her.

A chill washed over him, he spun around he wasn't sure why as his eyes fell on the door as it opened. His pulse quickened, his palms grew sweaty, his feet started to itch as his breath caught in his chest as she stepped into the gallery.

He recognized her, even though yes she looked so very different. Her hair was in a short chin length bob, much like her Halloween costume from eighth grade, she wore jeans that were tucked into her cowboy boots yes she was wearing cowboy boots. She had a tight black t-shirt on, with a loose cardigan hanging over it.

Bracing himself he kept waiting for a guy to come in behind her, to take her hand, kiss her cheek do something, anything that would let the world know she was taken.

No other man came.

Lucas wanted to move towards her, but his feet seemed glued to the floor. He could only stare, waiting for her glance to fall on him. Maybe then he could move.

"She's single." Maya crossed her arms over her chest as she moved towards Lucas, she knew exactly where his gaze was, "She's moving back to town, last time I checked you were single."

He rolled his eyes but still couldn't take them off of her, "Why aren't you bothering your husband, I'm sure Charlie would love the attention right now."

Maya smirked, "She looks good, but you know that already since you can't seem to take your eyes off of her. Good luck Doc."


She was sure her whole body was shaking moments before she entered the gallery. When she slipped through the door, she felt the tingling sensation throughout her entire body, one she hadn't felt in God how many years. When was the last time she'd been in New York? No she hadn't felt it at Christmas no she hadn't felt it since—Lucas. She could see him out of the corner of her eye it was his gaze on her. Is this what it had always felt like? Thirteen years and she hadn't felt it, and right now she realized how much she missed it.

"Someone is staring at you." Zay came up and hugged here, "He's single."

Riley playfully slapped him away, "Oh Zay, it's good to see you."

"So I hear you're back."

"Kind of yeah" She blushed, looking towards the bar, "I got offered a great job here I'm staying with my parents until next week. I found a great apartment actually a few blocks from them it's right over a pediatrician's office."

Zay smiled, "Oh yeah, the one with the purple cat on the door?"

"Yeah, it kind of drew me towards the building. It's silly I know." She waved it off like it was nothing, biting her lip, "Think I should go say hi?"

"I think you'd be an idiot for not going to say hi." Zay was about to push her towards Lucas, "Wait Sugar, are you wearing red cowboy boots?"

Riley smiled, "Yeah, I'm pulling them off, don't you think?"

"Only you Sugar, only you" Zay shook his head as he walked away.

"I'm going to get a drink, I'll catch you later Zay." Riley moved towards the bar, getting a beer before she looked around, still feeling his eyes on her. It was now or never; turn around and for the first time in thirteen years see those green eyes boring into her.

She counted to ten first before she finally turned, her breath catching in her throat, her fingers shaking as she held the beer bottle tightly in her hands. A part of her wanted to race across the gallery, to run to him and feel his arms wrap around her, his lips crash down on hers, his fingers tangle in her new short hair.

Riley took everything about him in that she could from the distance, his soft smile, the slightly nervous wave he gave her with his own beer bottle. He had on jeans, nice dress shoes, a purple button down, a nice blazer over it. His hair still short and he had a beard, clean and well maintained though.

Waving back with her own beer she nervously took a few steps towards him, seeing him walk towards her as well.

Each moment her heartbeat grew louder in her ears, her throat was dry and she found herself taking a sip of her beer before she found herself close enough to launch herself into his arms. "Hi."

"Hey."

"Hi." She smiled, "You look the same and different."

Lucas smiled, "So do you."

"Do you need air, I could use some air."

"There is a little patio this way" he guides her to the set of French doors to a patio in the back that's lit with white fairy lights, "Best place to get air, something about these gallery shows, always stuffy, I think it's the New York Elite trying to act like they care about the art, when it's really all about being there for the latest up and coming artist, just so they can say they were."

Riley couldn't help but smile, "It's like that at all galleries, even in a small town. Trust me; I went to enough of these things in Durango to know."

"So Durango, that's where you live now" He was amazed he was even getting words out as he looked at her, thirteen years, how had he survived all the time, he hadn't felt this alive until now.

"No" She took a sip of her beer as she looked out at the garden next to the patio, "I um, I live with my parents, in my old room."

"So you're back?" he bit his lip trying to keep from smiling the biggest, most hopeful smile possible.

Riley nodded, "Yeah, I got a great job here in the city. I actually found an apartment this afternoon, move in next week."

"Well if you need help, let me know." He couldn't take his eyes off of her, "I'm still strong as a horse."

She blushed, she didn't know why, "You want to go for a walk? I only came by to shut Maya up. She wouldn't stop texting me until I agreed, and to be honest it's still really weird to me that she and Charlie got married."

Lucas took her beer bottle from her, "I'd love a walk, and confession, we all think it's weird she married Charlie to."


Zay shook his head, "I told you as soon as they could they were going to ditch this place."

Maya shrugged, "Think they're going back to his apartment for a little sexual reunion, or just going to sit in a coffee shop all night talking?"

"They're going for a walk." Farkle chimed in from behind them, "They'll talk they'll avoid certain topics, like how many people besides each other they've slept with by the way, three for each of them."

"How do you know that?" Maya glared at Farkle, "I don't even know that about Riley."

"For Riley, she dated six guys since Lucas, she's not one to jump into bed, and three of those guys lasted less than two months. The others were all about a year or so." Farkle shrugged, "As for Lucas, I know he slept with Claudia freshmen year trying to get Riley out of his head, didn't work, then he dated Lillian for a year and a half, and then there was Sofia a few years ago. So that makes three."

Zay smirked, "I hate it when he makes sense, damn genius."

Maya drummed her fingers on her arm as she watched Riley and Lucas moving towards the exit, "Okay boys, what are we betting?"

"They'll be back together by breakfast." Zay insisted.

"Engaged by breakfast" Farkle insisted.

"I'm with Zay, they'll be back together, but not engaged they'll play chicken with each other on the forever topic first." Maya saw the blush form on her oldest friend's cheeks, "They'll be married by Thanksgiving, but they won't tell us. They'll sneak off to Las Vegas one weekend when we're all distracted."


10:24pm

"So for some reason all the girls in my hall, we were just like obsessed with this show." Riley giggled at the memory as they walked down the street, "And my friend Amber had a date that was supposed to pick her up after the show was on. We're all in my room, and all the guys in the hall, well like our group of friends anyways were all hanging out, outside my room. They all knew you didn't interrupt us during the show. Well Amber's date come in, and there is like five minutes left in the episode and it's like mid-season finale or something. We're on the edge of our seats, waiting to see what the cliffhanger is going to be, and he starts knocking on the door."

Riley stopped to turn to Lucas as she walked backwards, "and we're ignoring it, and turning the TV volume up. We can hear the guys outside the door and they were all, 'Dude you are so not getting anything tonight', and we get the cliffhanger, we're watching our favorite character flat lining, screaming no and Amber throws open the door and goes, 'You're early, I told you not until after eight, we almost missed the cliffhanger, date cancelled' then slammed it in his face."

11:15pm

"So here I am in this elevator, this woman is in labor, and next thing I know I'm helping her deliver, and I have this baby in my hands. That's when I realized that medicine really is my calling." Lucas explained as they sat on a park bench, "So thankfully it was freshmen year, so I could easily switch majors, and when I did my internship I realized pediatrics is where I wanted to be."

Riley rested her head on her hand as she looked at him, "I bet you're an awesome doctor, all the kids probably love you and I'm sure some of the moms, maybe a few of the dads are crushing on you."

He laughed, "I don't know about that Riles."

"So what hospital are you at?"

"Actually, I have a private practice I got lucky and was able to rent space for my practice in the same building I live in."

"That's wonderful."

12:01am

"So he tries to slip his hand under my swimsuit, so I pushed him off the bridge and I yell out, 'Next time I'll break your arm' he landed in the water, he was fine but he learned his lesson." She smiled, "Is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid still your favorite movie?"

"Yeah it is, why?"

"The bridge I pushed this guy off of, that's the one that Paul Newman and Robert Redford jumped off of in the movie."

He cocked his head and looked at her curiously, "No way."

"Yes way, they filmed a lot of the movie in the area."

"I wish I had known, it would've been the perfect excuse to visit Durango."

Riley looked away feeling her heart skip a beat "You could've always come to visit me."

"Could I have?" His tone was serious, as his fingers traced over the top of her hand.

She just nodded, feeling her heart pick up speed, "Yeah, I wished you had."

"Why haven't we talked or seen each other for thirteen years?" He moved closer to her, taking her hand in his.

"Maybe because we both knew that the moment we locked eyes we wouldn't be able to look away from each other."

"No one I've dated over these thirteen years has come close to what I've always felt for you." He brought her hand to his lips, "No one has made me think about a future with them the way you did."

"Lucas" She breathed, "Let's keep talking let's keep walking."

1:37am

"So I walk into my apartment, and this girl took down all my pictures; gone was the graduation picture of all of us from high school, gone was the picture from after I rode Tombstone, she had redecorated while I was in class. I look at her and go, 'Hey Claudia, what are you doing here and how did you get in?' because I hadn't given her a key."

"She sounds crazy, why did you date her?"

"Honest answer?" Lucas asked as they entered the coffee shop.

"Honest answer." She smiled, bracing herself for the answer.

"She was the exact opposite of you I thought if I dated her, could fall for her, I would get over you."

"How did that work out?"

"Awful, she was crazy, and I didn't get over you."

2:43am

"It was so embarrassing" Riley covered her face with her hands for a moment, "Here we were in this first class car, riding the train up to Silverton, with his parents, he'd down on one knee proposing. We had been dating a couple of months. I hadn't even slept with him at this point I knew I wasn't in love with him, so I was honest, I said no."

Lucas boiled with jealousy at the thought of another man proposing to Riley, the only thing that kept him calm was that she'd said no, "Wait what did you do for the rest of the train ride?"

Riley sighed, "Thankfully the car attendant that day was a friend I got to hide in the galley with her on the ride back."

3:07am

"So Zay gets mouthy at the Knicks game, you would've been proud, actually scratch that, if you had been there the two of you would've both been thrown out. He starts waving his arm about and I swear he channeled you, it was little terrifying, 'If you're at the Garden you've got to support the Knicks' I was like whoa."

4:44am

Riley nudged Lucas as they walked down the street, "Do you remember our first date?"

"The subway, you in that purple dress, you took my seventh grade breath away Riley." He smiled to her as they paused at the street corner, neither really sure where they were walking.

She reached out to him, "You remember what color dress I wore?"

"I remember everything about that wonderful, very short date." He smirked.

5:35am

"So, Dr. Friar, why are you still single?" Riley asked knowing the evening was about to come to an end, they were just a couple of blocks from her parents building.

Lucas sighed before sitting down on the steps of a building, "Well Riley, I've tried to find someone, but I think I've made it clear tonight that none of those other woman were you. I compare every single woman I go out with, to you."

She sat next to him, just now realizing they were on the steps of the building she was moving into in less than a week, "Oh, you kind of have." She felt his hand wrap around hers and she looked over to him.

"So Riley, why are you still single?"

"Because none of the guys I've dated come close to you." She confessed, "I can't feel their eyes on me the way I felt yours tonight before I even saw you, I haven't been able to talk to anyone the way I've spoken to you."

Neither said anything for a moment before Riley sighed, "You know it's funny we ended up here, sitting on these steps of this building."

Lucas smiled, "Why is that?"

She leaned in close, "This is the building I'm moving into on Saturday."

Lucas chuckled, "You're kidding, right?"

"No, why, what's so funny?"

He took her hand in his and pulled her to her feet, "Why this building?"

"Don't laugh okay, please." She took him to the side of the steps, "See the purple cat on that door, I saw it and was like this is the building for me."

Lucas stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her, feeling her relax against him, "Riley, did you happen to notice the name on the door or window?"

"No, I didn't." She looked up seeing a glimmer of mischief in his eyes.

"Look at the name." He encouraged, his lips near her ear.

She rolled her eyes before she focused in the early morning light, "Pediatrician … Dr. Lucas Friar, M.D."

"Yeah, I guess we'll be neighbors." He felt her turn around, "In fact, I'm betting next door neighbors."

"You think?"

"I think we could both use breakfast. I'll make you some."

Riley couldn't help but smile, "Oh you cook now?"

"I've picked up a few things over the years" his fingers played with the ends of her hair, "Maybe as we get to know each other again I'll pick some up from you and you'll pick some up from me, what do you say?"

"I love it" Escaped her lips before they melted down on his, finally tasting him again after thirteen long years, her arms snaking around him, urging him closer.

7:21am

Lucas smiled as he placed the plate of pancakes down in front of her.

"What?" She looked up at him, her fingers running through her damp hair.

He sat next to her, "I'm just thinking how good you look in my old t-shirt, fresh out of the shower I could get used to having you here like this."

"Well I will be right next door, maybe I'll just steal this shirt, and pop in every morning for breakfast if you cook like this every morning."

He leaned close to her, "I usually have a bagel and cream cheese before I rush down to the office."

She draped her arms around his neck, "That's a shame Dr. Friar, a real shame I guess I'll just have to have breakfast at my place."

"I can at least promise you a great breakfast every Saturday morning."

"Well that's a good start." She felt him pull her into his lap, her legs on either side as his hands ran under the shirt.

9:02am

TEXT FROM PEACHES
So what happened after you and Huckleberry left the gallery?

Riley, where are you?

Why does your bed look like you didn't sleep in it, yes I crawled in through the bay window.

RILEY! WHERE! ARE! YOU!

Lucas looked over Riley's shoulder as she read the text messages, "What are you going to tell her?"

Riley looked back to him, "I think I'm just going to tell her we went for a walk."

"Good answer" Lucas started kissing her neck, "Can I convince you to join me back in the bedroom?"

"Oh, maybe, just maybe" Riley gasped as his lips met her earlobe as she tried to type a text reply. She sent it before tossing the phone back on the couch as he picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder. "Lucas Friar, what do you think you're doing?"

"I think I'm going to take you into the bedroom and make love to you again."

She giggled, "Sounds perfect."