A/N: So this chapter picks up a few months after the last one. We're in March now and last chapter was, I believe, January. We left with the entire Riley and Zay mess and Topanga helping them out. This chapter won't pick up right after as some time has passed, but you'll get an insight into Riley's and Zay's current relationship. There's also some cute Joshaya in this chapter which we haven't seen in a while.
Frey: Yes, Riley was acting the way she was because she wanted to hurt Lucas. Little did she know she was acting just like him. And the story doesn't feel like it's ending until the last chapter. That's sort of where everything happens.
Hey: It's so important to have these discussions and I agree with you a hundred percent. Everybody should be treated fairly and the color of your skin should not have anything to do with it. The All Lives Matter movement was created to thwart the Black Lives Matter movement and we can't let that happen. Not every race is oppressed the way black people are which is why the All Lives Matter movement is redundant.
Wtf: The thing is Riley doesn't know this was Lucas' doing. That's why she's still with him, Zay didn't sell him out. He blamed the bruising on his face on a dirt bike accident.
Guest: I noticed. There was another concept that was going to be explored, but I took it out last minute to highlight our current political climate. I guess I forgot about the last part with Topanga.
KillEmWithKindness02: Thank you so much, it means a lot.
Enjoy!
Chapter 21
Lose You to Love Me
ooo
March 14, 2021
Lucas had never felt the effect of the seasons change unlike the one he currently felt.
As the snow began to melt and the sun began to shine onto Spring, his relationship with Riley took a turn unlike anything he's ever seen before. February passed and every second of it was like medicine to their ailing relationship.
What was once screaming and arguing at each other had become hugging and kissing. They were no longer trying to hurt each other's feelings or get under each other's skin, but to make each other happy like they used to.
Lucas liked to believe that they'd been on good terms because he told Zay to stay away from Riley. He'd been aware of Zay's feelings for the longest time and the thought of him dating her only made him jealous. Eliminating him from the equation was the only way to fix the things that were threatening his relationship with Riley and it seemed to be working.
Unbeknownest to Lucas, Riley had been so overwhelmed with what she'd done to Zay that she didn't want that guilt to carry onto her relationship with the guy she truly loved. She couldn't tolerate being under the pressure of another argument so she didn't add any salt to open wounds whenever she felt she and Lucas were heading down a broken path, she jumped at the chance to fix everything and Lucas caught onto it as well.
He didn't like when they fought and kept their distance so they worked their problems out the moment they took notice of it. This had been a repetitive cycle for the past three months and it was completely different from their previously established behaviors.
And he loved every second of it.
As he stared at the brunette sleeping in his arms in the early morning, he couldn't help but smile. They spent the entire night stargazing and looking at constellations that they didn't realize it had been four in the morning when Riley told him it was time they head home.
Since Lucas wanted to spend more time with her, he convinced her to stay awhile longer, but they had fallen asleep. Now he needed to wake her up so that her parents wouldn't notice she was gone, even though he wanted to appreciate the moment a little longer.
She looked beautiful with the morning sun shining down on her skin, it was as if the sun existed only for her.
It reminded him of their previous date.
"A pet shop?" Riley asked. "I don't get it, what are we doing here?"
"Do you remember that book on animals you gave me for my birthday?"
She nodded, eyeing the little bird on the window. "Yeah, what about it?"
"We're about to graduate soon and I want to be a veterinarian in the future, so I've been reading a chapter a day for the past week and c'mon...I wanna show you something."
She felt him pull her in towards the shop, "What? What are you doing?"
"C'mon," he gestured.
"Lucas..."
"Drake," he called out the second they stepped inside, "just the man I wanted to see. You got the...?"
"Out back," he answered.
"My man, I owe you one. Big time."
"Where are we going?" Riley asked, she was confused as to what that conversation was about. Lucas had told her they were just going for a walk around town, but now she was being led to the back of a pet shop. "I thought..."
"I didn't want to ruin the surprise."
"What...?" the words rolled out her tongue before she could finish her sentence. She wasn't expecting to see the sight in front of her and it only stunned her. "Lucas did you do this?"
"All for you," he said.
Riley turned to look at the cage full of puppies. They were the most adorable thing she had ever seen in her life and she was tempted to run towards them, but she wasn't sure she was allowed to.
"Go ahead," he gestured, noticing her movements. "They're for us to play with."
"I still can't believe you did this. How did you do this?" she questioned.
"It wasn't easy I'll be honest. I just needed to keep bugging Drake till he finally let me."
The brunette stepped inside the cage and sat down, letting the puppies jump and walk all over her. "This one is so adorable," she said before taking hold of a cavalier king. "And he has a name...Milo. He's so cute."
"Yeah, a lot of them are named already," Lucas joined her. "Look, this one over here is named...Maya."
Riley chuckled, "Omg, hand her over I need to send a picture to her. She's gonna love it." A few minutes passed and Riley had never been so happy, she enjoyed being surrounded by something so adorable and she wasn't sure she would ever want to leave. "You mentioned earlier that you've been reading the book I gave you. Does that mean your ready to tell your parents about your career change?"
"They know already," he revealed so nonchalant, bringing a golden retriever to his face.
"They do? When did you tell them?"
"I think it was a month ago - "
"And you're barely telling me now?" Riley wasn't sure he understood the severity of the answer. This was something huge for him to do and she couldn't believe she was finding out a month later. "Well, what did they say?"
"They were a little shocked and my dad was a little disappointed at first, but he came around. I guess they finally realized that becoming a veterinarian was more likely than playing professional football. They're happy for me."
"Wow," she said with complete excitement. "Lucas, this is amazing. I'm proud of you."
"You don't gotta do that, Riley," he added, his cheeks turning pink. When he realized that Riley had noticed this, he used to puppy to cover himself.
"I'm so proud of you. And I love you."
"You're just saying that because you're in a room full of puppies."
"We could be in a desert and I'd still say it. I'm serious, Lucas," she nudged him. "These past months you've been incredible. You've been raising your grades, you've been learning about your career, you've been so sweet, I'm so proud of you."
He pecked the brunette's lips. "Thank you, baby. So...which one do you like?"
She turned to look at the puppy she was holding, he was so small and cute burrowing himself on her shoulder. "I like Milo."
"Hey, Riley?" he asked. His eyes looked up to meet hers and in that moment he thought about everything they had been through. They survived so many arguments, so much pain and so many tears in the past year that he can't even believe they went through that when he looked back at every single one of them. If they could recover from all those bumps and bruises then they could recover from anything. "I'm really glad you're in my life."
She smiled, "Where's this coming from?"
"Nowhere," he shook his head but took hold of her hand, "I've just been really happy these past few months and it's because of you. Just wanted to thank you."
She felt her heart flutter, "You don't need to thank me."
"Did you make up your mind already?" asked Drake as he walked inside the room they were in. He was holding a few chew toys in his hand that we was getting ready to dispose of.
"Yeah," Lucas answered, "We'll take Milo."
The brunette's jaw dropped in astonishment, "Lucas...no. Are you serious?"
"Yes, I'm serious. He'll be like our little son that we both look out after."
"I can't believe you," she looked down at the little puppy in her hands, not being able to believe that they were going to take him home. "You're the only person I know would do something like this, why am I surprised?"
He chuckled, "I'll do anything for us."
"Riley," Lucas gently shrugged his sleeping girlfriend. "Hey, Riley."
Her mouth was slightly open, emitting soft snores. She had taken both blankets for herself over night and she looked very peaceful and extremely beautiful.
He kissed her forehead not entirely ready to take her home. He was tired from the day before and he was still immersed in his own thoughts. Riley was the only person in his life that loved him unconditionally, she loved his imperfections and that meant the world to him. He was only eighteen, but he was certain he had found his soulmate. He could see himself marrying her and moving in with her after college. In a way Lucas always felt like Riley was his one true love. The woman he was destined to.
Since they were kids, people in their grade knew they were going to date at some point in their lives. Their attraction for each other was clear at a young age and people around them constantly wanted them to be together. All of that had brought them closer to each other and even though it took a few tries, they had finally fallen in love.
Riley had spoken very highly of her parents' relationship before and even though they weren't the next Cory and Topanga, they still cared about each other just as deeply.
"Good morning, beautiful." Lucas said as her eyes opened.
Riley smiled and muttered a 'morning' before letting out a yawn. "Did we fall asleep?" She asked.
"Yeah, we did. It's six in the morning, I should get you home before your parents find out you're with me."
She stretched out her arms and nodded, "How long have you been awake for?"
"Only a few minutes." Lucas replied. "How'd you sleep?"
"Good." She rubbed her eyes, "And you?"
"Better, thanks to you."
"We really talked about stars all night, that's insane."
When they first got to their location, Lucas pointed them out for the first time. They started having a full blown conversation on various unknown topics to them like faith, second chances, religion, miracles, and coincidences. By the time Riley said they should head home, she realized it had already been hours since they last left her home. And if she was honest, she didn't mind a few more.
They ended up falling asleep and now they were awake, in his truck, the next day.
"What's insane is your lack of knowledge on astrology. How did you not know you were a Sagittarius? Even I knew that."
"I told you I don't pay attention to that. I didn't even know that was such a big deal to most people. Didn't you tell me you were a...what was it? I already forgot."
"Capricorn."
"Yeah, that. That's insane, we sound like mystical creatures."
He chuckled. Only Riley would think that.
"We should head back, don't you think?" she began to push the back seat up and move the pillows and blankets to the trunk.
He stopped her, bringing her back to their embrace. "Let's just wait a half hour." He told her.
"No, we should definitely start heading back. If my parents find out I won't be allowed to see you. And my dad already thinks you're the perfect guy."
"C'mon," he begged.
"Ten minutes."
"Ten minutes," she emphasized. "Then you take me home, okay?"
"Yes, ma'am."
She leaned her head back on his chest and smiled. She didn't think the perfect boyfriend existed, but Lucas came pretty close. As her hand traced the collar of his shirt and down to his chest, Riley couldn't help but think about the Friday before. Something unexpected happened to them and they hadn't really spoken about it.
March 12th, 2021
Lucas barged into Riley's room with excitement framing his every features. His run from his car to her room had winded him and he took a moment to collect himself. "Please tell me you got it too?" he heaved, his every attempt for air hurting his lungs.
"I got it!" Riley yelled excitedly. In her hands was a manilla envelope inches from her face. He took a second to adjust to it before reading the bold lettering.
New York University Office of Graduate Admissions
"YES!" Lucas cheered, before taking Riley in his arms and twirling around. "You didn't open it, right?"
"No, I wanted to wait and do it with you."
She looked down at his envelope and squealed. During summer, the year before, they applied to the same colleges and they were finally receiving their admissions letter. "You ready?" she asked anxiously. It was crazy to her that they were only a tear away from finding out their future.
"Ready."
Riley began to shakily open the contents in the envelope and Lucas did the same. When the letter was fully out, she unfolded it and began to read.
"Dear, Ms. Matthews," Riley read out loud. "Congratulations and welcome to the class of 2025! It gives us great pleasure to say you have been accepted to New York University (NYU) for the fall 2021 semester."
She released her sigh and smiled, nearly jumping up and down. "Oh my God, I'm in! I'm in! Oh my God!" When she looked up, she noticed that Lucas had been reading his still.
Dear Mr. Friar,
Thank you for your interest in New York University…
Lucas didn't need to read anymore. He'd been rejected. He looked up at his girlfriend who beamed a smile in his direction he'd never seen so hopeful, with a single gesture that smiled had faded and turned into sadness.
"Oh. Lucas, I'm so sorry..."
"It's not your fault," he said as he locked eyes with the floor, this time.
"It's okay," she tried her best to be helpful to him. He seemed upset and she didn't want him to be. "Let's just wait for your other admissions letters. NYU isn't the only good school you applied to, we should be patient."
"It's cool, Riley," his voice was calm and unaffected, but Riley could tell he was pretending. Deep down she knew he was hurt. "I think I'm gonna go home."
"Lucas, it's really not that big of a deal." Riley stated.
"Not that big of a deal?" he responded, his voice louder than he intended it to."We're not that big of a deal?!" he asked, gesturing to the space between himself and her.
"What? No, of course we are!" Riley exclaimed. "We are. It's just…"
"Babe, we had this whole thing planned out, you know? We were going to NYU. That was the mission. It's the only school we both applied to and I fucked it up…"
"Hey," she made him look at her, "You didn't. This is not your fault, plans can always change. Now we just need to figure out how we're gonna make this work out."
They were silent for a moment and all Lucas could think about what his next move. He settled with the idea of attending NYU because he knew he would go there with Riley and now that he wasn't, he was starting to recognize the fear teenagers faced when they were applying to college. He didn't want to go to any school without her.
He knew this wasn't going to be a decision made overnight, he was going to have to think about it for a long time and alone. "I'll see you tomorrow." he finally spoke up.
"Lucas," she called out, but he had already left her room and closed the door behind him. She didn't want him to leave but she was left with no other choice. He needed to be alone and she knew it. She didn't want to make this harder for him than it already was.
Everytime she tried to talk to him he tried to avoid it, but she wasn't gonna let him this time. "So...about Friday."
His face fell. "Can we please not waste a perfectly good ten minutes talking about this?"
"It's important, Lucas. You know it is."
"What's important are these ten minutes."
"And so is our future."
He turned to her. When he realized she wasn't gonna let it go, he sighed, "Community college," he answered. "Preferably the closest to NYU to be near you. I'm gonna look for a job, I don't know maybe somewhere with animals, umm...depending on our schedules we'll try to find days we can see each other. Okay? We'll figure out the rest when the time comes."
"Do you know what community college?"
"I was accepted into Guttman Community College so...that's probably where I'll go."
"Oohhh," she cooed, "The new one. Very nice."
"Now can you come back to laying down on my chest, that felt nice."
She chuckled, "Sure."
Now that Riley knew where he was heading she felt much better. His school ws less than fifteen minutes away and she was glad that they could still see each other after.
ooo
Later that night, Maya Hart stood on a centered stage along with side other teenage artists. She was nicely dressed and had the biggest smile on her lips. Even more so when Mitchel began to speak.
"Hi and welcome to the annual GoldLight Gallery art show. This year sixteen artists in the making have been chosen to be apart of today's gallery, they are standing here beside me," Michel gestured to every single one of them, the crowd beginning to applaud. "Every artist tonight has their own talent and technique that we, the board, were drawn to. As you take a look around and feel inspired by their pieces of work, feel free to acknowledge all the work that went into it and support the artist who made it. Thank you, and thank you all for coming."
Maya searched the crowd for her friends, a smile framing the ends of her lips when she saw that they were all there. Riley and Lucas were standing on one side while Isadora and Farkle stood at the other. And in the center, just below the steps, stood her proud mother with glistening eyes.
Katy was her biggest supporter and she loved her mother for it. She always congratulated her on every piece she made and it only encouraged her to move forward.
"The show is amazing, Maya," her mother commented before bringing her in for a big hug, "I'm so happy for you."
She smiled broadly. Tonight, this was her world, her sparking event, and she was grateful for the opportunity. Her blonde locks were grouped into the perfect bun as she wore a light gold dress to match the color scheme the gallery had going on. She always believed she had the potential to become a fashionista if she was honest.
"Did you have fun?"
"Yeah, I did, mom. A lot."
"Great, that's perfect hon."
A man in a suit approached the two, staring at the both of them before setting his eyes on a particular blonde. "You're Maya Hart right, you're painting was next to the statue, right?"
"Yes," she said excitedly. "That's mine."
"My name is Alan Blanchard, I'm the owner of Blanchard Antiques, I wanted to discuss your panting a little more in-depth. I'm very interested in it, but before I buy it, I wanted to get the artists perfective on it."
"Oh yeah, of course," she said turning to her mom who was right beside her. This had been the first person that had ever approached her with such an offer, "Thank you so much for your interest..."
When the crowd began to roam the gallery, Riley turned to Lucas and fixed his tie. She loved the way he looked in a suit and she could never get tired of it, he looked like a spy in an action movie after a bad guy who was about to put many people in harm's way. "I've never stepped foot in here, it's so pretty."
"Tell me about it, everybody here looks like they're somebody."
"Oh my God, are those actual diamonds?" the brunette asked Lucas, staring at the woman who walked passed them. She had a necklace with a rock the size of a quarter.
"Yeah, damn. They definitely look real."
"How much do you think that guy over there is worth," she asked, pointing to an older guy who stood on the opposite side of the gallery. He wore a suit and a gold watch on his left wrist.
"A million, easy."
"And the woman over there?"
His eyes squinted, studying her appearance. "She has to be at least ten million. That's Versace, she's rich."
They shared a good laugh after realizing what they were doing, "We're so stupid. Why are we like this?"
"Because we don't belong here. Around these kinds of people, we're eighteen not old."
"You're right," she agreed. They were young and free to be reckless and to act out, but the people they were surrounded by were older and wiser; judgemental at that. "Wait, where'd she go?" Riley asked, searching around the crowd for the artist herself.
"It looks like Maya's a little busy talking to potential buyers right now. Lets just take a look around and catch up with her later?"
"Okay," she reached for his arm.
"C'mon."
Riley kept her arm loosely wounded through his as he led her through the main exhibition room. Paintings were covering the walls and sculptures were littering the floor in what seemed to be a strategic placement. Almost everybody was engaged in a conversation, but others were eyeing the work in front of them.
They wove through the crowd and Lucas caught a glimpse of their reflection in the tall window. The glare from the night sky helped erase the rest of the gallery, and it is just the two of them in the glass. For a moment he is pleased by the glamorous reflection staring back at him.
"Look at this one," Riley advised her finger pointing to a standard still life. She found herself staring at a vase of flowers with a twisted branch, and a seashell arranged on a crumpled green cloth.
Lucas glanced subtly at some of the other paintings and jokingly judged this one not much more than marginally better. He leans in close to Riley's ear, "In my opinion, not my favorite."
"Really?" she said catching on, "How so?"
"Well, for starters, the brushwork is clumsy, the shadows incomplete, and there's something subtly off with the perspective. You know? They fail to immaculate the intended response. Don't even get me started on the color palette, it's just...horrendous," he joked, acting like a well-known artist and professional critic.
"Well, if I may," she played along. "I like the painting. It's a perfect representation of mundane, but a peaceful kind of mundane."
Although her perspective sounded off to him, he could see where she was coming from. Aside from the image itself, the colors were dark and heavy which made it easier to understand her.
When they moved on to the next painting, a waiter passed by, plucked a flute of champagne from the tray and presented it to him with an exchanged looks for a second before he took the glass from the waiter's hand, "Thank you." When he was finally gone, he turned to Riley, "He thinks I'm twenty-one."
"I can't believe you took the glass."
"Well, he offered. I didn't want to be rude and say no."
"That doesn't mean you should take it either way. What if someone asks for your ID."
"Who here is gonna ask? The people who are on their fifth glass?"
"You're ridiculous," she chuckled.
He drank the champagne in less than five gulps and set it down near the rest of the empty drinks, "If he offers me again, I'm gonna take it."
"Okay, whatever. Here, I want to show you one of Maya's."
He allowed her to lead the way, her eyes shining as she gripped his sleeve a little tighter to point out another detail. The hallway was stunning, it was just the way he imagined any kind of gallery to look like. The walls her filled with paintings and statues of marble, there were gold-colored designs on the walls with fancy displays all throughout.
"This is Maya's," she informed. "It's my favorite, it's so beautiful. She painted it on a Sunday night and we literally talked the entire time. Took her twelve hours. I even spoon-fed her cereal. And it's crazy, she just saw a picture of Josh and felt inspired. Didn't even sit down to sketch it out. She just knew what she wanted."
"That's insane."
"It's their silhouette out on a romantic walk. If you look close enough you start to notice that the trees take the appearance of large flowers. Tulips to be exact. They're the first-ever flowers he gave her."
"She's really talented."
"That's Maya for ya."
When they were ready to move on from it, they entered another exhibition, on a different side of the gallery. Immediately Riley began to notice that the paintings changed in contrast the more they continued. A painting on the wall caught her eye. It was bright and eye-grabbing, but there was a touch of sadness to it that tugged at the back of her mind. She'd seen this painting before, but this time it had made her feel something. "This one is absolutely breathtaking."
"How?"
In order to tell him the real meaning behind the painting, she needed to guide him through it instead. "What do you see on your first glance?" she asked.
He sighed and squinted, "Just a whole bunch of colored squares."
"Well, yeah, but keep looking. There's a bigger picture."
His green eyes followed the image from corner to corner. He could only see the colors, but just then he took notice of it. "Hang on, it's a bridge."
"Yes," she smiled, "Now tilt your head to the side."
His head turned, "Is that...it kind of looks like a person?"
"It is. It's the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. A lot of people have killed themselves there."
"You mean like they threw themselves off? Like...jumped?"
She nodded. "I like this painting because, at your first glance, it's just a whole bunch of colored squares. But the second you get closer and stare at it, it has a deeper meaning."
"That's so interesting."
"It's the beauty of art. You wanna keep going?" He extended his arm for her to lace her fingers with his, once they were intact, they continued their walk. "You know when I was younger, probably in the fourth grade, I used to spend hours and hours trying to be an artist. Maya was always so good at it and I wanted to be just as good as her, but I could never get it right. Mine were always ugly. So in art class, she'd help me paint step by step. Until my paintings were even tolerable to look at. One day, in particular, you walked into our class to deliver a candy gram to Silvia Paxton. I don't know what was going on between you guys at the time, but the entire class oohed and I was extremely jealous."
Lucas smiled. He remembered dating her in the past even though he and Riley still had their unofficial thing going on. "I was depressed the entire day and opted for dark colors. Maya was so upset because I wasn't following her directions and I was upset because we only had a 57 percent chance of being together. You should've been there. I was so hurt that day, but now all I can do is laugh. I guess part of me hoped I painted something good out of it."
"What are you talking about? What do you mean about 57 percent chance of us being together? How'd you get that number?"
"What?" she asked him, almost as if she was trying to act like she didn't know what she was talking about.
"You just said 57 percent? What do you mean by that?"
"Oh my gosh," she lamented, feeling her face go crimson.
"Hang on, hang on," he chuckled. "Did you enter our names into a love calculator or something?" She tried to deny it, but he knew she was lying. He let out a snort before taking notice of the rosy hue that's begun filling her cheeks. "You totally did."
"I might've done it on one or two occasions," she confessed and like the mature adult she was, she covered her face with her hands and let out a groan, wondering if it's possible to die of humiliation.
He let out a boisterous peal of laughter. "Riley…"
"Stop laughing," she advised, noticing that a few people had turned to stare at them. "Okay, okay, it's not that funny."
"It's hilarious," he said, pulling her in for a hug. He found the idea of Riley turning to a love calculator for confirmation on their relationship cute. "I love you so much, you know that right?"
"Yeah, yeah. I know."
"And this time you don't need to ask a calculator. My love for you is at a hundred percent."
The brunette felt a smile frame the ends of her lips, "We're never circling back to this conversation again. Okay? Got it? Is that clear?"
"Got it. Crystal clear."
She turned to look away from him, but stopped in front of a painting and let out a little breath, clearly enraptured. "Hey, don't you think the guy in this painting kinda looks like you?"
"What?" he asked and turned to her curiously.
"Look," she pointed. "That one there, he looks like you."
Intrigued, Lucas stared at the painting in question to search for any resemblances. He found himself looking at a painting of what seemed to be the profile of a young blonde man staring into complete darkness. While the painting was simple, the contrast between his skin tone and darkness made for an interesting concept.
"It actually kinda does. That's so cool. What do you think it means?" he asked.
The brunette shrugged, "Don't know. He's just staring into nothing."
When Lucas turned to it once again, he studied the details in the painting. This time he wanted to make his own interpretation of the painting like Riley did with the one before. The only thought that came to his mind was that the guy in the painting didn't know where he was heading, he didn't know what his future entailed and he was walking on an empty path towards something he didn't know the outcome of.
In a way, he felt like he could actually relate to it because he'd been there before.
Many, many times before.
ooo
When the night came to an end, Maya walked into her room and picked up her phone. She was home just in time to call Josh and she was happy to tell him about her day. Even though she felt like her art could use some improvement, she was proud of the progress she had made over the years. And more importantly, she was proud of herself for participating in her first art show and braving the public's criticism.
She was also delighted to have already talked to five potential buyers. The night was going perfectly, somehow even better than she ever could have hoped, and now Josh was going to complete her night.
"Hey," he answered. "How'd it go? I saw your Snaps."
"Josh, it was incredible," she laid on her bed and smiled, "Everybody I spoke to that night had good things so say about my work. And guess what. You're not gonna believe me, but guess what."
"What?"
"Five," she squealed. "Five potential buyers and their prices all range from five to ten grand."
"That's insane. For real?"
"Yes. And that number is normal to them. They said it like it didn't hurt them. I'm just so starstruck. My art is finally getting recognized and I think I already know who I'm gonna give it to."
"Who?"
"Sean Mitchel. He's the PR manager for a magazine company and he feels like the perfect place to frame my painting is in one of their meeting rooms. I can just imagine them turning to look at it for inspiration."
"What do you plan on doing with the money?" he asked. "Do you have anything in mind?"
"Yeah, there are a few things. But I'm just gonna sit down one day to think everything out. I think maybe then is when I'll decide what I want to do with it. "
"That's great."
"But enough about me... what'd you do today? You haven't texted me at all."
"Well, Maya Hart, that's because I've been super busy today...booking an internship..."
"Josh, really?!" she squealed, "That's so great. How?"
"My teacher recommended me. Do you want to know where it's at?"
"Where?"
"New York," he answered. "I'm gonna be there for the entire summer."
The blonde wanted to scream in excitement. Josh was coming home soon and she couldn't wait to see him. It was as if everything in her life was finally changing, it had been good before but now things were taking a turn for the better.
ooo
There he was, Riley thought.
Even through dimmed lights and loud music, Riley could see Zay standing on the other side of the house. He was talking to two of his friends while she sat in the living room staring at him. He seemed different, almost careless in the way he carried himself and all Riley could do was think about how distant they've become.
She used to talk to him every time he felt lost and now she couldn't even do that. Riley didn't know how long she'd been staring at him because he seemed to take notice and occasionally stare at her too. For a moment they made eye contact, but he was the first to break it.
When he walked away and into a separate room, Riley jumped at the chance to do so. "Hey, I'll be right back."
"Where are you going?" Lucas asked.
"Just..the bathroom. I won't be gone for long."
"Hurry up, girl. Or I'm gonna finish your drink," a half-drunken Maya commented.
"Sober up," she laughed, the way she was leaning on Farkle only made her laugh. "I'm gonna bring you water, someone needs to help you out."
"Don't be a buzz kill."
"I'm bringing you water."
"Boo," she whined, elongating the word.
When Riley walked away from them, she followed the steps Zay had taken. She walked passed the kitchen and onto the hallway and the only available door was the one that led towards the outside.
She walked through it and immediately spotted him. He was using his phone, but the second their eyes met, he ended the call. "Riley, what are you doing here?" he questioned.
"I wanted to talk to you."
"There's nothing to talk about."
"Yeah, there is. I just need two minutes, okay? That's all I need. Please, Zay."
When she stepped closer to him, he took a step back. "Riley..."
"I didn't mean for things to go the way they did that night," she confessed. "I was hurt because I thought you were abandoning me when I needed you the most and I'm sorry. It's just... I was going through a lot and I couldn't think logically. I'm really sorry."
"Look, Riley, I'm gonna be straight with you. As long as your dating Lucas you're always gonna have problems. No matter how good you think everything is going, you're bound to find something out eventually. It's something that you're not gonna like and something you're gonna be upset about. I know this more than everybody I was his friend a lot longer than you were his girlfriend."
"What don't I know?" she asked. Zay was the second person who had ever hinted at something Lucas has done in the past that she wasn't aware of. The first person being Charlie.
He shook his head, "I'm not getting involved. 'Cause when he finds out, and he will, it's gonna be all bad. Again."
She furrowed her brows, she wished she understood everything, but there was also apart of her that didn't want to know. She loved Lucas and although she knew he wasn't perfect, she wasn't sure she could tolerate learning more things about him that would only cloud his image.
He turned to walk away from her, but she stopped him. "Just know that I'm sorry. And I never meant for you to get arrested."
He clenched his jaw and when they're eyes met, his expression lightened. "Thank your mom for me."
Going through with her original excuse, Riley decided to use the bathroom. She needed time to think and a place to be alone, but as soon as she got there, she realized she wasn't.
She could hear the retching the second she stepped inside.
"Hey, are you okay?" she called out, but the retches continued. "Hello? I can get you a water if you'd like."
Another retch.
She decided to step inside to help the girl who was throwing up. When she got to the door for the toilet, she knocked once again. "Hey, is everything okay?"
The retching stopped and the toilet flushed. She could hear the girl inside adjusting her dress before opening the door, revealing herself to be Missy. Riley could practically feel her eyes roll. She didn't get along with Missy and she realized she had been trying to comfort the wrong person.
"What bitch?" the sassy teen questioned, walking towards the sink to wash her mouth, "Fix your dumbass face. But I'll take that water."
"Girl, what you need is a mint."
She stepped out of the bathroom and sighed. Everything about tonight was not working out for her and she needed to go home. From Zay not wanting to talk to her after four months and Missy being rude to her she decided to call it a night.
She handed the water to the half-drunken blonde and gestured to Lucas that she wanted to go. When he stood up, he reached for her hand and he drove her home.
ooo
March 24, 2021
A week after Maya's art show, a very excited Josh arrived in New York after completing his freshman year of college.
They saw each other for the first time since at Topanga's and spoke for hours. They caught each other up on their lives even though they basically spoke the entire time they were apart and knew everything going on in each other's lives.
To kick off the hundred and fifty-four days they were given together, they spend the entire day walking around New York visiting all of their favorite places. And since they hadn't been on an official date for the longest time, Josh decided it would be a good idea to go on one.
Which is why Riley was doing her best friend's makeup that night, "Maya stop it, you aren't letting me finish."
"You haven't finished?" she complained, adjusting herself on her chair in front of the vanity.
"Just give me one more minute. I'm about to add the finishing touch. Stay still, please."
Maya sat perfectly still, but she felt kind of stupid. She'd never done this for anybody before and she was unsure if things we're gonna work out the way they planned.
"Okay, we're done. Come take a look."
Maya turned towards the mirror by Riley's door. Her blonde hair fell on waves around her face, framing it perfectly. Her features were enhanced with black eyeliner, eyeshadow, and mascara. Her usually pale cheeks had been lightly dusted in pink and her lips looked fuller with the pale shade of lipstick on.
"You look beautiful," she complimented.
"I know. You did a great job. I just gotta be honest I feel weird."
"I'm literally making you look pretty for my uncle, this feels weird on my end too," the brunette joked but noticed Maya's hesitation. "What is there to be weirded out about? It's Josh."
"Exactly," she exclaimed. "It's Josh. My Josh. We don't do these kinds of things."
"It's just a date."
"Yeah, our first one In like a year."
"What? That can't be right," the brunette said before turning back to organize the makeup she had used on her friend. "What would you guys do when he came to visit?"
"We'd just hang out."
"Well think of that as a date and you pretty much have it under control."
"It's kinda hard to do that when those "dates" were just us cuddling and watching TV," she air quoted. "Josh and I don't do official dates like going out for a romantic dinner or a walk in Central Park. We just play video games, get drunk, and have sex."
"Okay ill," Riley commented, feeling the need to remind the blonde that Josh was her uncle. "And you literally have nothing to worry about. He loves you too much. Things could never get awkward and weird between you guys."
"I'm really hoping you're right. I guess I'm just nervous it's been a while since we've done this. I can't be playful around him on an official date."
"He just wants to spend time with you, Maya. That's all that matters. By the way, this look," she wove a makeup brush to her face, "...really suits you. Let's get you in the dress."
"I already told you it's not a dress." She protested.
The blonde walked into the bathroom and jumped into her black, plunging neckline cutout jumpsuit with a long nude leather duster coat on top.
"All done." She said turning to the full-length mirror. She had to admit, she looked different; beautiful. "Good job, Riles."
"Thank you. I'll send you the bill."
"Haha," the blonde mimicked, "Wish me luck."
"Not like you need it or anything, but good luck."
When the blonde walked down the steps, Josh had already been there engaging in a conversation with his older brother. He looked handsome as ever in his suit and slicked-back hair. She had already seen him in one before, but that was a long, long time ago. If she were honest she didn't really remember it exactly, but this time around everything was black, and it suited him perfectly. He was incredibly handsome.
Josh, on the other hand, was really looking at her, totally engrossed in the sight before him. He had been left speechless.
"Mhh-mhh." Cory had to clear her throat so that both of them could fall back down to planet Earth. "You guys are still here."
"Oh, go grade your kid's homework," Maya taunted, playfully gesturing for him to walk away.
Once he was gone, Josh spoke. "I… " he chuckled, "Sorry. I brought you flowers; I know it's not your thing, but I wanted to give it a try."
"They're beautiful, thank you."
She received the white lilies and set them down on the table beside the couch. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah."
"See ya later Matthews. Your daughter said I could spend the night."
By the time the door was closing, Maya could hear Cory's playful remark, "Quick, Topanga go change the knobs."
Josh opened his car door and offered his hand to help her inside. Once they had made it to the restaurant, Maya was left staring at the lavish decorations: there were flowers everywhere and glistening chandeliers; it looked more like a castle.
"Right this way." The hostess smiled before taking them to a secluded balcony.
"Mr. Matthews, your waiter will be here in a minute."
"Thank you." As soon as she was gonna, Josh helped Maya out of her coat and into her chair.
Maya could only bring herself to admire the place, it was impressive and it looked expensive. She had also caught onto his gesture. "You don't have to do that, Josh."
"I want to. And as long as I'm your boyfriend I'm going to continue doing it." They stared into each other's eyes and all he could bring himself to say was, "You look so beautiful."
She looked at him and saw an obvious devotion in his eyes. "I know I do," she pushed her hair behind her shoulder, feigning confidence.
He only kept on grinning. He reached out and placed his hand over hers. "I can't believe I finally get to see you, in person. I get to touch you, be near you, love you… this feels amazing."
"I love you so much, Josh."
By the time they left the restaurant, Maya thought their date was coming to an end. He was a block away from Riley's house, but he made a turn onto a different street.
"There's some place else I wanted to take you."
"Okay, where too?"
He refused to tell her, but ten minutes later they stopped in front of a hotel that was just as astounding as the restaurant.
"Here? This is where you wanted to bring me? Josh, what are we doing here?"
"I booked us a room." He suddenly seemed nervous, considering the real reason he got the room for them in the first place.
"Josh, you didn't have to do all this.
"Yes, I did. It's our first date in a year, I wanted to make this special for you."
"Okay," she extended her room and followed him inside the hotel. The ride on the elevator was short and they made it to their room in no time. It had a beautiful view of the city that Maya admired, she could see the Empire State building from where she stood and it looked beautiful surrounded by the city lights.
"Here you go," he said, handing her a drink from the mini bar in the kitchen. "Just the way you like it."
She took the drink from his hand and sat down on the couch, "Tell me about your internship."
"I'm basically gonna be shadowing a few writers for The New York Times and if they like my writing, I'll get to publish my own article. It's a paid internship and I'm gonna be making good money so in a few weeks expect a lot coming in."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, I don't know some jewelry, I know you've been wanting new art supplies so…"
"No, Josh," she sat upright, "Don't waste any of that money on me. Spoil yourself or save it for later, I'm good on money right now, remember?" she said, referring to the artwork she sold at the gallery.
"Have you decided what you're gonna do with that money?"
She nodded, "I have, but I'm not gonna say because I want it to be a surprise for later. I think you're gonna love it."
"It's not for me, is it?"
"No," she shook her head. She leaned in close, pressing her body against his, smiling when she elt him tense in response. "It's for me. But you're gonna love that it's for me."
He nodded. By the time they were done with their conversation, Josh began to kiss her neck. He had gotten ahead of himself and caved in to his desires sooner than he expected.
The blonde unconsciously tilted her head to the side to give him more access, biting her lips, in love with the fact that she was finally gonna spend the night with him.
He moved her hair to the side and kept on kissing her neck, it was slowly driving her crazy, awakening her. Then he began to slide the thick straps off her jumpsuit and down her shoulder following it with a trail of kisses. "You are so beautiful, so, so, so beautiful…"
She brought his chin closer to her lips, her breath hot against his ear, "Then make me feel like it."
They waltzed backward and leaned against the wall. His hands gripping her hips, just the way she liked. She pulled the hair at the nape of his neck, just the way he's always loved. It was like they were learning a language, they were falling back in the familiarity of how they touched one another. He had forgotten how much he loved the effect it had on him.
He trailed down from her lips earning himself one of her melodic whimpers. He gripped the backs of her thighs, hoisting her up. Her arms wrapping around his neck while her legs wrapped around his torso.
"Let's go to the other room," she gestured.
He smiled, liking the idea. "I love you so much, Maya Hart."
ooo
Riley and Lucas laid on her bed catching up on an episode of their favorite show - that they'd deny if asked about it - Red Planet Diaries. At first, Lucas was completely against the idea and thought it was a childish show, but once she got him to watch the first episode, they continued watching the rest.
As the episode was coming to an end and she laid on Lucas's chest, all Riley could bring herself to think about was Zay and what he told her a few days ago. The guilt about police arresting him after an argument they were having was eating her alive and it wasn't getting better. Every time she thought about it her feelings would get hurt and she'd send herself down a rabbit hole that was almost impossible to come out of.
She wished that the feelings could go away, but they'd never be able to unless Zay agreed to talk to her, which he hadn't fully done. He rejected her every attempt and the party from a few days back was another example. Only this time he revealed something about Lucas that she'd heard before.
Thinking about Lucas made her want to tell him about Zay's arrest, she hadn't before and now she wanted to, but she stopped herself. He'd ask why they were together and she wouldn't be able to tell him because they met up to talk about her relationship with Lucas; which wasn't doing so well at the time.
Just then she started thinking about their friendship. Zay and Lucas had been friends since the second grade and used to be inseparable, but now she hadn't seen them together for the longest time. And that's when she remembered what Charlie told her a few months back at Lucas' birthday party.
Lucas had told them to stay away from Riley.
And suddenly everything clicked.
No, she thought. Zay wouldn't do that. They were good friends, he'd stick up to Lucas if he ever made him do that. There's no way he'd listen to him unless he...
She thought back to that night. There was a reason Officer Stone kept looking at Zay. Besides that fact that the policeman was racist, he also asked Zay about the bruises on his face.
Zay told her it was a dirt bike accident, but no dirt bike would leave a bruise the size of a...fist.
Immediately, her gaze turned to Lucas.
There's no way, she thought once again. No that's insane, Lucas would never do that to his best friend. Lucas would never physically hurt Zay. Not in a way that was so brutal and cruel.
But then, it hit. "No matter how good you think everything is going, you're bound to find something out eventually. It's something that you're not gonna like and something you're gonna be upset about."
She sat upright, "Lucas, I'm gonna ask you something very serious and I need you to tell me the truth," she said to him.
The smile on his lips flattened and his brows furrowed, "Ask me what?"
"Did you hit Zay that night?"
He kept his gaze on her, "What are you talking about? What night?"
"The night of the pageant show. We were angry at each other, remember? I went to hug him you were upset, the following Monday he came back to school with a black eye and a bruised face. Was that you?"
"Riley, why would you even say that...that wasn't...me. I'd never do that."
The thing about Lucas was that he was never a good liar. No matter how hard he tried there was always a tale. Lucas' was stammering and speaking in a higher pitch than usual. She picked up on it the first time he lied about cheating on her - when she had already known the truth; because of Zay. "You should get out."
The conclusion she made in her head was enough to leave her stunned. Riley stared at those bruises for hours when she spoke to Zay and the bruises were so dark she could basically see the yellow starting to form in them. She wasn't sure she could date a guy that could do so much damage to his best friend.
"Get out," she demanded, pointing straight at her bay window.
"Riley..." he tried to calm her down, but that had only made it worse.
"Get the fuck out!" she yelled, pushing him off of her bed. "I don't want to talk to you right now. Get out!"
He stared at her for a few seconds before climbing out of her window. He wasn't exactly sure how she found out, but he was certain this had ruined the past two months they had spent together.
And they were back to square one; for the billionth time.
oOoOoOoOo
A/N: Ahhhh, two more chapters and this story is finally over. Even though things don't sound or look like they're coming to an end, trust me, they are. But the final chapter is when everything wraps. Everyone will get their ending. Thank you guys so much for reading.
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