Super excited for this chapter. Not only do Zay and Riley finally talk, but there's some Rucas fluff.

Chapter Ten

While Josh and Lucas were out at the batting cages, Riley and Zay were hanging out at the bakery. They would've opted to go to the movies, but it wasn't an ideal place to talk. And Riley knew that Zay had a lot to say to her. And she had a lot to say to him, too.

"I'm honestly a little surprised you wanted to hang out with me," Riley said nonchalantly as she sipped from one of the two smoothies her mother had served her and Zay. Riley wasn't trying to come off as rude, she was far from it. She genuinely was taken aback when Zay had offered the hang out.

"And why is that?" Zay replied. He knew the answer, but he wanted to hear her say it.

"You're not exactly my biggest fan, Zay," Riley sighed. She looked at up, but he was more interested in staring down at his hands. "Why'd you really ask me to hang out with you?"

"Oh, so I can't hang out with one of my good friends without having a reason?" Zay countered. He put a hand to his chest, pretending to be offended. He looked at her with a shocked expression on his face.

Riley cocked a brow and gave him an unamused look. They both knew he wasn't fooling anyone with his false ignorance. Zay sighed and caved. He took a deep breath before confessing, "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"There it is," Riley muttered, placing her smoothie back on the table. She crossed her arms over her chest. She rolled her eyes. "You couldn't talk about it in front of our friends?"

"It's not something I'd want to talk about in front of them," Zay replied. "Maybe in front of Lucas, but definitely not in front of the others." He paused, then sighed. "Sorry, I know I should've said something sooner but you seemed very stand-offish after that night."

"Well, can you blame me?"

"No, I can't," Zay shook his head. "I figured I'd just wait until you calmed down about it. And you seem pretty calm now."

"It's alright, I get it," Riley shrugged. "I probably wouldn't have agreed to listen to you anyway if you came to me right away."

"Good thing I waited then," Zay said sheepishly with a half-smile. He gestured to his smoothie that rested on the table in front of them. "Wouldn't want you pouring a smoothie over my head."

"Yeah. Good thing I'm not Maya," Riley offered a genuine smile. "What did you want to talk about?"

"You," Zay admitted. "And Lucas. And my feelings about the whole thing."

"Well, that's pretty obvious, Zay," Riley titled her head. "We all know that Lucas is your best friend. And we also know that you don't approve of him having feelings for me because you don't like me."

"I never said that," Zay shook his head.

"It was implied," Riley huffed.

"That's the thing," Zay sighed. "All those comments about you. I didn't realize how much it actually hurt you."

"Of course those comments hurt, Zay!" Riley threw her arms in the air for emphasis. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was Zay so oblivious that he had no idea how Riley reacted to his impolite comments? "I try so hard to make you like me. I know Lucas probably doesn't care whether you like me or not, but I care. I don't want to be the reason why you and Lucas stop being friends."

"I do like you, Riley," Zay admitted. "Granted, you ate my cookie—but that's beside the point! The point is, I was totally out of line to always be making those comments. I'll tell you what I told Lucas. When I first met you, I didn't think you were right for him. But my opinion of mine quickly changed when I got to know you… I realized that you are perfect for him. And I also realized the reason why I didn't think you two would make a good match at first was because he wasn't the same Lucas I knew back in Texas. New York changed him. He's a better person now. And the effect you have on him is incredible.

"I know you think I try to come in between you two, but I don't think I ever could. The boy's absolutely crazy about you. And even when I realized you were good for him, I just continued my act so I wouldn't seem like an idiot. That didn't work out too well, huh? Also, I guess I was jealous of the relationship you two had. When I first moved here and reconnected with Lucas, I thought we were going to pick things up where we left off, like they were in Texas.

"But like I said, Lucas changed. I'm sure I've changed, too. It just wasn't the same. We were still friends, and he and the rest of you welcomed me into your little group with open arms, but it wasn't the same. I was never the first person he would come to whenever he was having a bad day or when he had exciting news to share. That person was you, Riley. And I was always the last person to know what was going on in his life.

"I resented you in a way. Because I felt that you were stealing my best friend away from me. I know it sounds childish, but it's true. So I apologize. You didn't deserve how I treated you." Zay released a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He felt relieved to have finally come clean with Riley.

Riley looked stunned at Zay's confession. She looked at him with sad eyes. Although she had no idea what he was feeling, she did know that she would probably feel the same way if someone else were to spend more time with Maya than her. Riley understood, the comments was just his defense mechanism. And being the nice person she was, she forgave him.

"Now I don't appreciate your way of dealing with your personal issues," Riley began. "But I forgive you."

"Really?" Zay asked with hopeful eyes. He wanted nothing more than to make things right with Riley. He owed that much to her, to Lucas, to himself.

"You know I'm a forgiving person," Riley softly smiled. "Why is that so surprising?"

"Because I was a jerk," Zay sighed. "I didn't think you'd forgive me."

"I totally get it," Riley assured him. "I'd be scared too if I felt like someone was taking Maya away from me." She put a hand on his shoulder. "I don't blame you for doing what you did. Do I wish that you would've been a bit nicer to me? Sure, but that's okay. Besides, I kind of got my revenge by eating your cookie."

"You said it was an accident!" Zay shrieked.

Riley shrugged and playfully winked at him, "That was my way of dealing with my issues I had with you."

"Fair enough," Zay replied. "Does this mean we can actually be friends now?"

"Does this mean you like me now?" Riley returned the question with a friendly smile.

As soon as Riley got home from Topanga's, she checked the time. It was almost eight o'clock so she figured Lucas and Josh would be done their little date by then. She decided to give him a call.

"Hi," she said, satisfied when he picked up. She plopped down onto her bed and pulled the covers over her. She liked to be comfortable when she talked to him on the phone.

"Hey," the smile in his voice was evident.

"Hi," Riley breathed. She couldn't quite explain it, but their little greeting made her the happiest girl in the world. They hadn't even been on the phone for more than thirty seconds and her night was already made just by hearing him say that one syllable. "How was your date?"

Lucas chuckled at her wording and shook his head, "It wasn't a date." Lucas sat upright in his bed with his free arm resting on the back of his head. The batting cage really tired him out. "It was fine."

"Fine?" Riley raised her brows. She frowned, "Oh no, did Uncle Josh scare you off again?"

"Quite the opposite, actually," Lucas assured her. "Surprisingly, we got along. Granted, he started warming up to me only after I hit more balls than him in a minute."

"Boys," Riley muttered. "I'll never understand them."

"Sorry, what was that?" Lucas teased.

"Nothing," Riley replied. "Did you get his approval?"

"Of course!" Lucas said. "You think I'd put myself through all that torture and have him not approve of me? I got his approval, and then some."

"What do you mean?" Riley asked.

"I found out something about Josh that you don't know," Lucas responded triumphantly.

"Actually?!" Riley's voice was a bit louder than she had anticipated. As much as she believed in Lucas, she was kind of shocked that he had found out something about Josh that she didn't already know.

"Yeah," Lucas replied proudly. "Our blossoming friendship is off to such a great start that not only did he tell me something you don't know, but he also took me out for dinner."

"So…" Riley's voice trailed off. "Are you going to tell me what it is?"

"Hey, a secret is a secret," Lucas said. "I don't care that he's your uncle."

"You're really milking the fact that Uncle Josh likes you now, huh?" Riley asked with a smile.

"Of course!" Lucas answered. He yawned. "Look, Ri, the batting cages really tired me out. I know it's only eight but I wanna get in some extra hours of sleep. Is that okay with you?"

Riley closed her eyes and released a sigh. She loved that whenever he wanted to get off the phone earlier than usual, he'd always ask if it was okay with her first. Of course it was okay, but it made her happy that he cared enough to ask.

"Yeah," Riley said. "Get some rest. We'll talk tomorrow."

"Good," Lucas replied. "Then you can tell me what happened with you and Zay."

"Goodnight, Luke," Riley smiled.

"Goodnight, Ri," Lucas smiled before ending the call. He got ready for bed and quickly drifted to sleep with the brunette on his mind.

"So, I still know something you don't know," Lucas said in a sing song tone the following Monday morning. He had just arrived at school and obviously met up with Riley at her locker. Their morning meetings had become sort of a habit now; which Riley of course didn't mind. She enjoyed the company in the morning. It was better than her scrolling through her phone for an hour before the first bell rang.

"Oh?" Riley raised her eyebrows and a playful smile appeared on her face. "Still about Josh?"

"Mhm," Lucas nodded proudly, rocking on the balls of his feet. He was extremely proud of himself for the task he had completed last night. It was one of the hardest, in his opinion.

"Can you tell me?" Riley asked as she batted her eyelashes.

"Nope," Lucas replied, popping the 'p.'

"Oh, come on," Riley closed her locker before turning to Lucas. She pouted and gave him her infamous puppy dog eyes. Lucas bit his lip as he tried to avoid her gaze. He knew that one look into her big brown eyes and he would cave. But it wasn't fair to Josh. It was Josh's information to share, not Lucas's. And Lucas wasn't about to betray Josh's trust either, especially when they just established a friendship.

Riley huffed when she realized she wasn't getting to him. She narrowed her eyes instead and kissed her teeth, "Damn it. I thought for sure that it would work." She pressed her back to the lockers and slid down until her butt touched the floor. Lucas sat down in front of her.

"You're adorable, you know that?" Lucas smiled as he reached out to tuck a piece of Riley's hair behind her ear. Riley felt a shiver down her spine when his fingers grazed her cheek. "But I'm still not going to tell you."

"And why not?" Riley scrunched her forehead. Her response reminded Lucas of a very cute five-year-old who wasn't getting what they wanted.

"I can't tell you," Lucas said in a hushed tone. He pressed his index finger to his mouth. "It's a secret."

"You're so childish, Lucas," Riley rolled her eyes with a smile. "Fine. I'll let you and Josh play out this bromance. But just know, sooner or later, I will get it out of you if Josh won't tell me."

"I'd like to see you try," Lucas teased. He took her hands and began to play with them absentmindedly. Riley didn't seem to mind. "So, you and Zay. How'd that go?"

"We just had smoothies at the bakery," Riley replied, her gaze on their intertwined hands. She knew her father would kill Lucas if he suddenly spotted them from down the hallway, but she didn't care. Their actions couldn't be any more innocent. "He told me everything."

"About you stealing me from him?"

"His fear of that, yeah," Riley confirmed with a nod.

"So you two are good now then?" Lucas assumed.

"Yep," Riley smiled. "I get that it's his defense mechanism but I really don't want him to keep making those comments about us. About me."

"Don't worry about it," Lucas lightly squeezed her hands. "He won't say anything again. But I'm glad you two worked things out. His comments were really getting out of hand. You know Zay, him and his big mouth."

"Yeah, that's true," Riley agreed with a shrug. Her face suddenly lit up and she released Lucas's hands to grab her backpack beside her and dug through it. Lucas frowned at the separation of their hands and watched her as she frantically searched her backpack.

"Uh, Ri, you okay?" Lucas asked with a worried expression.

"I'm totally fine," Riley assured him. She finally got a hold of the item she had been looking for. A white diary that had gold polka dots all over it. On the front of the book in Riley's dainty handwriting, it read: Riley Matthews' Super-Secret Diary. She held it up in front of Lucas with a grin.

"Your diary?" Lucas tilted his head.

Riley nodded and held it out to him. Confused, Lucas reluctantly took it from her. He read the cover and smirked, "Super-secret, huh?"

"Don't get too excited, you basically know me," Riley waved him off. "There's nothing in this that I'm hiding."

"Okay…" Lucas's voice trailed off. "So why are you willingly giving me your diary? To prove that you're an open book? Because if so, that's pretty clever."

"No, you dumbass," Riley replied, rolling her eyes amusingly at him. "It's on the list. Number seven."

Lucas frowned, "Oh, you were serious about that?"

"So serious," Riley confirmed with a sly smile.

I doubt anyone is going to guess this next task. It's very unique and has nothing to do with any of Riley's friends or family. Thanks for reading, as always. Let me know what you think!