Lucas gazed out of his apartment window and eyed the snow as if fell to the ground. Each one reflected the soft yellow glow coming from the strings of lights hanging along the streets as it made its way down, turning the world into a snow globe. He couldn't help but sigh as he shook his head. It felt like he just returned from Pappy Joe's ranch, but it was already New Year's Eve. After he got back, Lucas was determined to talk to Riley. However, December was filled with the holidays plus her birthday, so she was bound to be busy. On the plus side, this time gave him to think. Why Riley?

He would do anything to hold her in his arms again and have her close to him. His heart yearned to love her like that again, but many would argue that he never stopped. He would climb up to the sky and take down the stars for her. Lucas would lasso the moon just to hear her say that she loved him. He chuckled as he heard Farkle's voice in his mind, that it would be impossible to accomplish such things. But that was the point. He would attempt the impossible for her.

Lucas wanted to be the one living just to give her love – and he already proved that to her that night. He had to know how she felt. If she felt the same way, then they could work past what happened. That through the good and the bad, they still had each other, and major decisions must involve more than one party.

Lucas let out a sigh as he sat down in his recliner. There was one big way that the answer was Riley – she was the only one who could soothe his anger.

Lauren could calm him down – her touch and her words helped to put out the flame of anger, but the embers were still there, waiting for a strong enough breeze to bring the fire roaring back to life. Riley could deplete the fire's energy source and leave the cold ashes to be scattered.

A knock on his apartment door brought him out of his thought filled haze. Before Lucas could move from his spot, Zay and Farkle let themselves in.

"Hey, hey, hey," Zay greeted. "What's going on?"

"Not much, can't you tell?"

Farkle brought over a nearby bar stool and sat down while Zay leaned into the counter which separated the kitchen from the living room. "We wanted to know if you were going to Maya's party tonight. Or, you know, get out and let loose a little since you've been a bit uptight recently."

Lucas shrugged. "I got the invite, but I'm not sure if I'm going to go." Sure, he thought about the possibility that Riley may be there, but he didn't want to talk about that if she was out enjoying herself. No, that's a private conversation… that needs to happen soon.

"That may be good in case Riley –" Zay started, but was quickly stopped by Farkle elbowing him in the ribs.

Lucas raised an eyebrow as his heart dropped. "What? What about Riley?"

"Nice going, big mouth," Farkle groaned.

"What. About. Riley?!"

Farkle pinched the bridge of his nose and took a breath. "Isadora went to go see if Riley wanted to go to Maya's party with a coworker of ours. That was about two hours ago, and I have yet to hear anything… so we should assume she said yes. I probably won't know for sure until tonight when I'm picking her up because she wanted to spend the day with Riley as well."

Lucas ran his hand through his hair as a sharp pain pierced through his heart. While he still may have a chance, his odds were not looking good.

"I'm sorry, Lucas. I didn't know if I should say something to her or not. You've been pretty quiet about everything since your break up with Lauren. Do you want me to tell you if she's going to the party?"

He shook his head. "Don't worry about it, and no, I don't," he replied as he turned to Zay. "Did you say anything to the girls?"

"No way," Zay answered as he held up his hands in defense. "This is one Lucas story that should be told by you and only you."

"This is all my fault for waiting this long to talk to her. I should have said something earlier."

Zay raised an eyebrow. "Waitin' too long? You had a long term relationship end! Don't blame yourself for what's happening right now. If it's meant to happen, it'll happen. You were the one to say you didn't believe in coincidences – maybe this is another one of those moments."

"I sure hope so."

OoOoO

As he made his way through town, Lucas once again found himself fixated on the snow falling around him. Instead of partaking in the usual festivities, he found himself enjoying the semi-quiet streets. Everything around him – the glittering snow, the calm atmosphere – reminded him of Riley. If she was here with him at this exact moment, Lucas knew she would be twirling around in front of him. It wouldn't be for long, but it would be long enough for her to savor the moment.

Lucas stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and shook his head. "What am I doing?" he asked the open air. Lucas forgave her long ago, and he eventually got passed the pain. There was no more waiting. He couldn't dance around the 'what ifs' anymore; he had to take matters into his own hands.

Lucas needed to talk to her. Now.

He pulled out his phone and dialed Zay's number. After the phone rang a couple of times, his best friend finally answered.

"Zay, where's Riley's apartment?"

"Lucas? What's going on?"

"Don't worry about it now; I'll fill you in later. For now, just tell me where her apartment is."

As Zay rattled off where Riley's apartment was located, Lucas turned on his heel and headed towards the street where the building was. Despite not living in this area for the past four years, he still had it engraved in his memory.

Lucas walked into the apartment complex and was welcomed by the much appreciated warmth. He headed up to the second floor and found her apartment door. Lucas chewed the inside of his cheek as he debated on knocking. After a moment of deliberation on whether or not to knock or try calling her to meet up instead, Lucas knocked.

He waited.

No response.

Lucas tried knocking again, even though he knew the attempt would be fruitless. He knew there was a good chance she wouldn't be there. There was no doubt in his mind now that she went to Maya's party, and it was likely that even if he did try to call, she wouldn't have picked up.

I'll wait for her in the lobby, he decided, despite knowing he may be waiting for her for a while.

After he turned on his heel, Lucas' eyes met the most beautiful doe colored eyes he'd ever known and loved. His heart began to swell as the two of them stood there, merely looking at each other in disbelief.

"Lucas," she breathed.

He took a step towards her. "Hey Riley… can we talk?"

A/N: This chapter's influence – Just to Hear You say that You Love Me by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, but there was only so much I could do. The next chapter will be there talk! I have it outlined, but it's a matter of finding time to write it. I've been busy with work, my job search, amongst other things, but I'll try my best to get it up soon.