Hey y'all! I'm so happy with how y'all are liking this story! I'm not gonna lie. I said that I had a secret that Lucas is going to reveal in this chapter, but it's been so long since I've looked at this story that I forgot it! Haha! But it's okay because I remembered what it was, so don't be alarmed.
Enjoy the chapter!
"I hope you all are enjoying your Friday night," Zay says into the microphone on the stage as the crowd cheers in agreement. Lucas is leaning over the bar counter watching his best friend talk to the people sitting in front of him. Nobody is at the bar because they know that they are about to be highly entertained. "We have some lovely ladies performing tonight. Please enjoy the rest of your night and remember that you can always come to Huck and Jim's Cafe for any kind of fun."
The crowd cheers again, and Zay waits for them to settle down again. "We will begin the night with a new song from our very own, Maya Hart. Enjoy yourselves!"
Something about tonight makes Lucas excited, and he knows exactly what it, or she, is. He is finally gonna get to hear the singing voice of the mysterious girl he's been fixated on since he arrived in New York.
"Hey, Farkle. How are you tonight?" Riley walks over to the bar and sits on the stool across from Farkle. Lucas sees his cheeks turn pink, and he can tell that Farkle is getting flustered.
"I'm fine. How about you? Are you excited about performing for this many people?" Farkle asks.
"Yea. I have a lot of butterflies in my stomach just thinking about it. I've never performed in front of this many people before. I just hope Maya warms them up well for me," Riley answers.
"You're gonna do just fine, Riley. You always do, and the people who come here love to hear you sing. That's why the bar is completely abandoned. They're are ready for you," Farkle says.
Riley smiles at him and lays her hand on top of his. "Thank you for always saying the right think Farkle. You always know what to say to get my spirits up and get rid of my jitters. I wish I could do that."
"I think you're better at saying the right thing than I am. You just don't know it," Farkle replies with a blush. Riley looks over at Lucas and steps over towards him until she is standing in front of him.
"Lucas? Would you mind going for a walk with me? I'm sure the bar will pretty much stay this way until we get back, right Farkle?" Riley says.
Farkle nods with a somewhat disappointed look on his face. Lucas gives him an apologetic look as he agrees to walk with Riley and follows her out the front door of the cafe. They begin walking down the street and are well away from the cafe before anyone says anything.
"I got your letter in my mailbox. It was a nice letter, and I just wanted to thank you for it," Riley begins the conversation.
"It was no problem. I tend to say the things that I need to say better on paper than in person anyway. I just wanted you to know that I am sorry for hurting you. You are one of the nicest people I've met since coming to New York, and I didn't want to mess things up between us because of that. I just have a lot on my plate right now, and I'm not ready for a new relationship," Lucas explains.
"It's okay. I'm sorry that I overreacted, and I'm sorry about Maya ambushing you too. I really hope that I didn't ruin your first few weeks here," Riley says.
Lucas chuckles. "You didn't ruin anything, and you don't have to be sorry about anything. Maya is just looking out for you. I used to have to do the same thing with Zay. That's one of the main reasons why I left home and came here."
"What's one of the reasons you had to leave? If you don't mind me asking," Riley asks.
"Well, let me just say that my parents and I don't exactly agree on the treatment of people of color. They say mean and hateful things about them and cheer on the people who continue to do those acts to people of color. I didn't agree with them, and when they told me that I had to stop defending Zay and stop being friends with him, that's when I got the idea to leave Texas with Zay. Zay got out of there before I did. He told me that I should try to work things out with my parents, but there was one more thing they did that pushed me over the edge," Lucas explains.
"Would you mind telling me?"
"No. But I don't really like to talk about this, so you've got to be a really special person to hear this," Lucas smiles. Riley smiles back at him before he begins. "My parents are old fashioned. And by old fashioned, I mean back in the very olden days, old fashioned."
Riley giggles. "The olden days, huh? You're a nut, Lucas Friar."
"A nut? Wow! And I thought you was a nice person, Riley. Guess I wrong," Lucas teases.
"Oh hush! Before I give you a knuckle sandwich," Riley jokes back as she holds her fist in the air.
Lucas laughs. "C'mon, Riley. You couldn't punch me. You would have Maya punch me."
Riley joins in with Lucas's laugh and shakes her head in agreement. "You're probably right."
Lucas' laughter dies down before he continues to explain his story. "Anyway, the night Zay got on a train to New York, I walked back home, and I when I got there, there was woman sitting across from my parents at the dining table," Lucas says.
"So? Why is a girl sitting at your dining table so bad that you had to leave Texas?" Riley asks.
"My mom and dad were talking to her about marrying me. As soon as I heard that, I went to my room to clear my head. I knew that girl. She was not a nice girl, and I definitely didn't carry a torch for her. But I had to get hitched to her anyway because my parents were going to cut me off from everything if I didn't. Plus, because I got hitched to that girl, I got a lot of money out of it, which is what I needed to make it here. But she was so mean to everybody, and I couldn't stay with a woman who hated people of color. I told her that my best friend is black, and she pitched a fit about it. That's when I got the divorce, and I high-tailed it outta Texas," Lucas tells.
"Holy mackerel. I would never have guessed that you have been married before. Now I get why you're not ready for a relationship yet. I wouldn't want to be either," Riley says. "And I'm sorry again for forcing myself upon you."
Lucas chuckles again. "Riley, you have nothing to be sorry over. You didn't know, and you just took a chance. Don't be afraid to keep taking chances like that."
Riley smiles. "Thanks, Lucas. I don't think I carry a torch for you anymore anyway."
Lucas grabs his chest and pretends like he's hurt by her revelation. "Wow, Riley. Who'da thunk that you could be so blunt about your feelings?"
Riley laughs and continues walking with Lucas.
"So..." Lucas drags on. "Who do you carry a torch for now?"
"Ugh! I'm not gonna tell you! You're gonna have to knock me over before I tell you," Riley laughs.
Lucas grins, but can't help but feel a little bit guilty due to his friend, Farkle, sitting at the bar alone, thinking about Riley. He wants to bring Farkle into the conversation, but he needs to think of a way to do it without it being so obvious.
"You're a very beautiful dame, Riley. Any man would be lucky to hitch a girl like you," Lucas says. That will work.
Riley looks down at her feet. "That's something I'll believe when I see it."
"You'd be surprised. You don't know who could be carrying a torch for you. It might even be somebody you see at the cafe," Lucas hints.
"What are you implying, Lucas? I know you don't carry a torch for me. Are you saying that Zay or Farkle might be in love with me?" Riley asks.
Lucas shrugs. "I didn't say that."
"But that's what you meant," Riley says.
"Look! I don't know Zay's feelings nor do I know Farkle's. I'm just telling you that you never know who might be thinking about you right at this moment," Lucas says.
Riley giggles and playfully hits Lucas' arm. "We need to get back to the cafe, fat head."
"Fat head? First you call me a nut and now you call me a fat head? Where is the nice girl that I met a few weeks ago?" Lucas teases, making the two of them laugh.
They walk back to the cafe, not saying a word to each other, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. It was nice. Lucas opens the door and allows Riley to walk into the cafe before he does. As he walks inside he sees Maya lay her guitar down on the stand on stage. The crowd is standing up and cheering for her, and Lucas can't believe that he missed his mystery girl sing. Maya waves at Riley, and Riley kisses Lucas' cheek before running down the steps and behind the stage. Lucas walks behind the bar and sees a disappointed Farkle, leaning on his hand on the bar counter.
"Farkle. Can I explain myself to you?"
Farkle shrugs.
"Look. I need to tell you something that happened. A few days ago, Riley kissed me. But I didn't kiss her back because I know how you feel about her, and I can't hurt a friend like you that way. I wrote her a note explaining that I didn't mean any hard feelings, but she just wanted a little bit more explanation. If it makes you feel any better, she told me that she doesn't feel those feelings for me anymore. What you just saw was friendly. I promise," Lucas explains himself.
"You didn't kiss her because you didn't want to hurt me?" Farkle asks. "You've only known me for a few weeks."
"Well. I like you, Farkle. You're nice to my best friend, and you have been nothing but nice to me since I began working here. In my book, that's a good friend," Lucas says.
Farkle smiles. "Thanks for everything, Lucas. I knew you were a loyal friend. I just hadn't seen it with my own eyes yet."
"If you want to go get your girl, you better get her fast. She's special, and she could be picked up fast. But you are special to her. You may not know it, but I've heard her talk to Zay about you before," Lucas says.
"Really?" Farkle asks. "Wow! Thanks for telling me. Is there anything I can do for you?"
Lucas laughs. "No thanks. The only thing I want right now is to hear that girl sing."
Lucas points at the blonde woman walking around and greeting people at the cafe. She hugs a few people and kisses their cheeks before heading straight to the bar.
"You'll get your chance, Lucas. She sings all the time. Just clear your mind and listen," Farkle explains.
Maya takes a seat on the stool across from Lucas and smirks at him. He rests all of his upper body weight on his arms, which are stretched out to reach the bar. He smirks at her as well and waits for her to say something. Farkle chuckles before walking away to the back room behind the bar.
"How may I help you?" Lucas asks.
She leans her chin on her hand and taps her lips with her fingers. "I'll have a scotch on the rocks."
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but you have to be at least twenty-one years old," Lucas teases.
"Wow! You're actually hilarious, wise guy, but I am being serious. It's the least you could do for me after missing my performance," Maya says with a sarcastic tone in her voice.
Lucas pulls a small glass from under the counter and puts a few ice cubes in the glass. He grabs the bottle of scotch and slowly pours the teeny blonde a small amount. "It's not like I asked to miss your performance, but I needed to clear some things up with Riley, who you know. You tried to beat me up over something that she caused, but it's blah."
"Blah? You think what I did was just 'blah'?" Maya asks, downing her entire glass of scotch.
"That's what I said, right?" Lucas says.
Maya smirks at him and pours her own glass of scotch. "Watch your back, Huckleberry."
Well! I hope y'all liked it! Again, I am so sorry for the very delayed update, but I am so busy with college right now. I always try to find time to write though.
Things are gonna start getting interesting. Riley's birthday is coming up soon, and Lucas learns a few things about Maya in the upcoming chapters. Interesting situations, long hours of waiting. You'll have to keep reading.
Love y'all!