Thank you guys for the response this fic has gotten so far!

Chapter Two

Maya helped Riley open up the bakery again a couple of days later. Sienna also came early to help out, as she enjoyed spending time with Riley and Maya the past couple of days. They were like the sisters she wished she had. She was glad that Lucas had made himself such great friends, especially because when he first moved to New York, he would always plan a trip back to Texas every other weekend, but then when he made friends, those trips became infrequent. He claimed that his newfound friends, especially Riley, made him feel at home. Lucas's experience with the move made Sienna excited to start school in the fall so she could make amazing friends of her own.

There was a knock on the door as Maya wiped down the tables. She looked up and towards the sound, seeing a handsome man that looked her age. He gave her a meek smile. Maya left the cloth on the table and went to open the door for the man.

"Hello, we're still closed," Maya informed him.

The man shook his head, "I'm Evan."

"Oh!" Maya's eyes lit up and she smirked. She called out, "Riley! Evan's here!"

Riley quickly rushed out to greet Evan.

"Hi!" Riley greeted. "You excited for your first day?"

"Yeah," Evan nodded.

"Excuse us for a second, Evan," Maya said then pulled Riley aside. "You didn't tell me that Evan was a hottie!"

"Is he? I haven't noticed," Riley shrugged. She only had eyes for Lucas.

"Yeah, he is!" Maya replied. "If I wasn't dating your Uncle Josh, oh boy…"

"Maya!" Riley gave her best friend a look. She shook her head, "I gotta get Evan settled."

Riley walked back over to Evan and led him towards the office. As Riley was showing him the paperwork and explained what to do, her phone rang. It was on vibrate and in her pocket so Evan was unaware. But when Riley felt the vibration in her pocket a second time, she decided it must be something important.

"Sorry, I gotta take this," Riley excused herself when she realized it was Lucas calling. She walked to a corner of the room and answered her phone. "Lucas, hi."

"Jellybean," Lucas returned. Riley couldn't help but smile at the sound of his sweet voice. "How's it going?"

"It's Evan's first day," Riley replied. "Just teaching him stuff."

"Oh, the new assistant manager you hired?" Lucas responded.

"Yeah," Riley answered. "I'll call you back during my break."

"I'll be waiting," Lucas replied. "I love you."

"I love you too, always," Riley said softly before ending the call and putting the phone back in her pocket.

She walked back to Evan.

"Sorry about that."

"That's okay," Evan replied, looking through papers. "I can do all this financial stuff. I'm really good at it."

"Great," Riley said. She laughed, "Because I'm horrible at math. Well, I'm not horrible, I just don't prefer to do it."

"I don't mind math," Evan answered. "I like numbers."

"Then we're going to get along just fine," Riley said with a friendly smile.

The day had gone by rather quickly, and while Riley had spent most of the time teaching Evan how things worked, Maya was in the front of the bakery supervising. Sienna had gotten the hang of her job as well.

Riley was on her break and sat at an empty table in the bakery. Evan originally was supposed to have break with her but he insisted she rescheduled his break just so he could take the time to get to know the employees. He was starting a conversation with Sienna when Riley decided to call Lucas, just like she promised.

She tapped her fingers on the table as she held her phone up to her ear with her other hand.

"Told you I'd call," Riley said when Lucas picked up.

"I was afraid you forgot about me," Lucas said.

"That's not possible," she shook her head. "What are you up to?"

"I was sent home early," Lucas said. "Doc had an emergency to attend to an hour away from the city and he didn't want to bring me because he didn't know how long it would take to finish the job."

"So you're just in bed I'm assuming?" Riley said. "Must be nice."

"Only if you were here with me," Lucas said with a smirk plastered on his face. Not that Riley would know. But she heard it in his voice.

"Oh, stop," Riley could feel her cheeks flush a light shade of pink. Even when he was thousands of miles away he was able to make her feel the way she did. It amazed her, the effect he had on her. No one else could ever replicate that feeling for her.

"And you, how's training going?" Lucas inquired.

"Evan's really great," Riley replied. "He caught on really quickly and so it was really easy on my part. He seems to be getting along with the employees too. He's actually talking to Sienna right now. They seem to be hitting things off." Riley turned her head to the pair's direction. Evan and Sienna were laughing and they seemed to have become good friends in the past ten minutes.

"And how old is this Evan guy?" Lucas asked.

"Like, our age," Riley shrugged.

"Tell him to back off from my cousin," Lucas said jokingly.

"You're always so protective," Riley laughed.

"Tell him to back off you too, while you're at it," Lucas added. He was serious this time, but the tone of his voice didn't seem like it. Lucas was very secure about his relationship with Riley, especially since they had just finished their freshman year of college and have been dating since their freshman year of high school. But hearing his girlfriend talk about this guy she hired to work alongside her, he couldn't help but to feel a bit jealous. But of course he wasn't going to tell Riley that.

"Lucas Friar, are you… dare I say it… jealous?" Riley teased. Though Lucas wouldn't admit it, Riley knew that he got jealous from time to time. To be fair, she'd get jealous too, and Lucas would tease her just the same.

"Who, me? Never!" Lucas put a hand on his chest. He relaxed. "I'm just saying. You'll be spending a lot of time together this summer. I just want him to know you're taken."

"Babe, I'm pretty sure everyone knows," Riley replied. "Sometimes people scold at me for talking about you too much."

"You talk about me?"

"Of course!" Riley answered. "I seem to be doing it a lot more now that you're not here. I just really miss you." She began to draw circles on the table with her finger.

"I really miss you too," he returned. "Is summer over yet?"

"I'm afraid it's only just begun."

Weeks passed and the frequent calls between Lucas and Riley become shorter and less common. They both knew they had busy schedules, but Riley couldn't help but feel that he was drifting away from her. She often found herself staring at her phone's wallpaper, which she recently changed to a photo of Lucas from a dinner date they had before he left for Texas.

"Hi, honey," Topanga knocked on the open door and walked into the office.

Riley shot up and looked at the owner of the voice. She smiled at her mother, who had just clearly got back from the law firm. She pushed her phone off to the side.

"Hi, mom," Riley smiled, gesturing for Topanga to sit in front of her.

"Just wanted to check in how the bakery's doing," Topanga said. "I still own this place, after all."

Riley laughed, "I know, Mom. Things are going great here. Evan's doing a really good job. Him being here gives me plenty of time to be back here and do paperwork and all the behind the scenes stuff. But eventually we're going to have to alternate shifts. I still want my summer vacation."

"Told you Evan was the way to go," Topanga beamed. "I've noticed Maya doing some extra work, I'm really impressed by her. Guess Katy rubbed off on her."

"Yeah, I wanted to promote her," Riley said. "But I'm not sure if we need two assistant managers. Maya really seems to be taking this as seriously as I am. I'm really proud of her."

"Hey, it's up to you," Topanga put hand on her daughter's. "I just want you to know that I'm really, really proud of you for taking initiative. If you didn't step up, I honestly don't know who I would've left in charge. I guess I could've asked your father, but he already has enough on his plate teaching summer classes."

"I'm glad I could help," Riley said. "You and Dad have done so much for me and Auggie, I wanted to make it up to you."

"I knew I raised you well," Topanga leaned forward to pinch Riley's cheeks. Riley quickly swatted her hand away and whined. Topanga laughed, then reached to pull out a letter from her purse. She put it on the desk. "I got this in the mail, it's from Lucas. How is he anyway?"

"I haven't talked to him in a while," Riley admitted, picking up the letter. She sighed, "Figures he'd send me a letter. Who does that anymore?"

"Well, you two were always anything but conventional," Topanga reminded her daughter. And she was right. Riley and Lucas played by their own rules in order not to succumb to peer pressure. And by going against the odds helped them build a strong relationship.

Riley ripped open the envelope as soon as Topanga left the room. Inside there was hand-written letter and a few pictures of him and some of the animals he had helped take care of. In the letter, Lucas explained how his summer was going so far, and how much he missed her. She couldn't help but smile and hold the piece of paper to her chest.

Whatever doubts Riley had in regards to her relationship just vanished with that single piece of paper. She knew they were going to last the summer. They were stronger than any force to be reckoned with.

Riley quickly called Lucas in hopes he would pick up. At this point, with the lack of phone calls they've shared, she wasn't positive anymore that he'd be on the other line.

"Riley, babe!"

Riley beamed at the sound of Lucas's voice, "Lucas. It's been a while."

"I know," he breathed.

"I got your letter," Riley said, "You were always such a romantic."

"Sometimes I think phone calls aren't personal enough," Lucas said. "I thought you'd appreciate seeing my god-awful handwriting."

Riley couldn't help but giggle, "You're adorable, you know that?"

"You've told me once or twice," Lucas confirmed. Riley heard some distinct chattering in the background. "Hey, princess, I gotta go now, but I'll talk to you soon, okay? I promise."

Riley sighed, "Okay."

Lucas felt guilty when he heard the hurt evident in her voice. He really didn't want to end the call, but he was at the clinic and was having a busy day. His boss had shortened his break so they were able to accommodate the patients. Lucas knew how insecure Riley could get, and the tone in her voice indicated to him that her insecurities were surfacing. He didn't like that that was happening. He never wanted her to be insecure in their relationship.

"Actually…" Lucas's voice trailed off. "Let's video chat tonight. Dress nice. I really have to go, I love you."

"Dress nice?" Riley asked. "Why?"

"Just… trust me, okay?" Lucas replied. A soft smile played on his lips and was glad she wasn't able to see him. He repeated, "I love you."

"I love you, too," Riley breathed.

"You sure you don't need help closing up?" Maya asked.

"Yeah, Peaches, you deserve to go home early," Riley insisted. "You've been doing so much for the bakery lately. Thank you."

"Of course, Riles!" Maya hugged the brunette. "Anything for my best friend. I'll see you tomorrow?"

Riley nodded, "Bye, Peaches."

Maya smiled before exiting Topanga's. Riley sighed and quickly cleaned up around the bakery. Once finished, she headed to the back and changed into a t-shirt dress that was casual but dressy at the same time. She sat at her desk and turned on her laptop. She tapped on the table as she waited for Lucas to call.

Riley checked the wall clock. It was nearing ten o'clock, and she was getting tired. She had to be back at the bakery early the next morning. She yawned. She figured she'd wait for Lucas a little bit more. Ten more minutes passed by, and Riley just about had it. She sighed and was about to close her laptop when there was an incoming call.

"Lucas.." she whispered to herself. "He didn't forget."

She smiled at the flashing name on the screen and clicked 'accept.' Lucas appeared on the screen, wearing a blazer on top of a light pink dress shirt. He smiled sheepishly and gave a small wave. Riley couldn't help but smile at his dorkiness.

"Hi," Lucas greeted.

"Hey," Riley returned.

Lucas sighed and smiled again, "Hey." He shook his head and snapped out of his daze. He couldn't help but think about how good she looked even though she was two thousand miles away from him. Still, she looked beautiful. He frowned, "I'm sorry, I was going to call sooner but Pappy Joe needed some help on the ranch after my shift at the clinic."

Riley waved it off, "That's alright, babe. How's Pappy Joe anyway?"

"He's great," Lucas nodded. "Told me he misses you, though." The last time Riley had visited Texas with Lucas, Pappy Joe had taken him to a neighboring farm that housed bunnies—needless to say, she was thrilled. Riley was also supposed to meet Sienna during that trip, but they were out of the country on vacation.

"I miss him too," Riley replied. Although Lucas was in another state on the other end of the country, seeing him smile through her screen made him feel a lot closer. For that, she was grateful that her insecurities had mostly faded. She knew she shouldn't take it seriously if Lucas wasn't able to answer her calls. She understood how busy he was, and how important his internship was to him. Riley shouldn't be obsessing too much over it anyway, she was busy herself, running a bakery and all.

"You look beautiful, by the way," Lucas breathed. "But what's new?"

Riley rolled her eyes and blushed, "Oh, you love flattering me. What about you? You look handsome as usual. A bit surprised to see you wearing that, though."

"I told you to dress nice, didn't I?" Lucas laughed.

"You did," Riley nodded. "But compared to you I feel underdressed."

"Oh yeah?" Lucas smirked. He stood up to show his bottom half to the camera. He was only in his boxers. Riley giggled.

"Okay, we're even," Riley said.

"We should do this more often if it means not having to wear pants," Lucas chuckled as he returned to sit down. He lifted up a plate of spaghetti to show Riley through the camera. "Want some?"

Riley pouted, "How is this fair that you're eating and I'm not? What kind of date is this?"

"Well…" Lucas's voice trailed off.

There was a knock on the door that startled Riley. Her heart began to race out of her body's fight or flight response, but she relaxed when it was Maya who opened the door and entered the room. The blonde was holding a bag of take-out food from a nearby Italian restaurant. She walked towards Riley and placed the bag on her desk.

"Maya? What are you doing here? I thought you went home," Riley said, confused.

"I knew why you let me leave early," Maya smiled. "Ranger Rick texted me and asked me to pick up some food for you."

Riley turned back to Lucas on the screen, "Really, babe?"

Lucas nodded.

"I love that you did that but I'm also amazed that you got Maya to do something for you," Riley laughed.

"I only agreed to it because it was for your benefit," Maya kissed the top of Riley's head. She then lowered herself to the laptop so that Lucas could see her. "Plus, she's been miserable without you, Huckleberry. If buying food for her on your behalf will get me back my Riley, then so be it."

"Thank you, Maya, I really appreciate it," Lucas said.

"You sure you're scared of me?" Maya smirked.

"Shut up," Lucas said, annoyed.

Riley and Maya shared a chuckle. Maya then realized she was overstaying her welcome. She announced, "Alright. Guess I'm gonna get going. You two kids don't have too much fun, now, okay?"

"Maya, how is anything supposed to happen through a screen?" Riley asked.

Maya raised a brow, which made Riley quickly realize what the blonde insinuated.

"Exactly," Maya said. As she left, she turned back to say, "Bye, love birds. You two make me sick. Love you both!"

Once Maya was out of the room, Riley lowered her head in shame.

"I'm sorry… for her," Riley said.

Lucas chuckled, "Don't be. If it wasn't for her I wouldn't have been able to get you food."

"Thanks for that," Riley smiled as she began to unpack her food.

The two ate their food and enjoyed each other's company. They caught each other up with what they've missed, due to lack of text messages and phone calls. Both Riley and Lucas felt relieved, that nothing had changed between them.

"I can't wait till I'm back in New York," Lucas said.

"Me too," Riley agreed. She looked at the wall clock before returning her gaze onto her screen. She sighed and uncomfortably shifted in her seat. "I'd better go. I have to do a couple more things before I leave."

"Riles? It's midnight there," Lucas said. "Shouldn't you be heading home?"

"I should be," Riley confirmed. "But because I had this date with you, it cut into my time that I usually use to close the bakery."

"Riley," Lucas said sternly. "If you were busy you should've just said so. We could've rescheduled. I don't want to get in the way of your work."

"No, no," Riley shook her head. "I wanted to have this date with you. It's been so long since we talked for more than twenty minutes. I really needed this."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Alright, I'll let you go, Riles, but please, please take care of yourself," Lucas said. "I'm not there to look after you so be careful. I don't want you overworked and too stressed. I want you to be Smiley Riley when I get back, okay? And if you need anything, you know I'm always here."

Riley nodded, grateful that he was always so considerate.

"I had a wonderful time, by the way," Riley half smiled.

"I love you," Lucas said. He waved. "Goodnight."