"Lucas," Riley breathed.

"Hey Riley… can we talk?"

Despite being at a loss of words, Riley managed to stutter out a yes as she pulled her keys out of her coat pocket, fumbling them as she searched for the right one. Once the door was open, the two of them stepped through.

"Please have a seat," Riley offered as she turned on a couple lamps and the string of lights by her patio door. "I'm going to change out of this really quick," she finished as she gestured towards her dress.

As Lucas nodded, Riley ducked behind the corner, presumably into her bedroom. He sat down on the small gray couch and let out an uneasy breath. His heart was about to leap out of his chest, and his hands were trembling. Lucas couldn't believe it – this talk was finally going to happen.

A few moments later, Riley reappeared – clad in light blue sweat pants and a matching zip up hoodie with her long brown hair pulled back into a pony tail. With her hands in her pockets, Riley approached the couch and sat beside him, bringing her knees up to her chest and allowing her feet to rest on the cushion. "So," she started, allowing her to look into his eyes. "What is it you wanted to talk about?"

Lucas shifted his body so he would be able to face her directly, and instantly he saw the curiosity etched into Riley's features. "I've thought about how I've wanted to say this for a while, but I couldn't find the exact words – so I'm going to cut to the chase. I've missed having you in my life – the way it used to be. There's been a huge hole that can't be replaced. People may change people, but the last three years has taught me that the absence of someone can change people just as much."

Riley tried to blink away the tears that had started to form, but one managed to spill over. She quickly wiped it away and then looked down at her hands. "I'm so sorry, Lucas. I had no intention for this to happen," Riley sniffled, still casting her gaze downward as she bit her lip. She couldn't bear to look at him.

He reached over and placed his hand underneath her chin, having her look at him. "Why?" Lucas asked, his voice cracking as his own tears started to form.

"I didn't think it would be fair to you to still be in a relationship with me as I was trying to rediscover who I was in the world. Instead of asking you your thoughts on the matter, I made the decision on my own – a decision I regretted as soon as I told you and saw you walk away. Not only do decisions like that need to involve both parties, but I now know that you would have stayed by me no matter what," she explained as her tears started to flow freely. "Can you ever forgive me?"

Lucas moved closer to her as he wrapped her into an embrace. He felt Riley stiffen under his touch, but she allowed herself to melt into him. "Of course I can," he replied, allowing Riley to sob into his shoulder as he held her tight to his chest.

After a few moments, Riley's tears slowed and she pulled back, wiping her nose with the edge of her sleeve. "I may have blown those chances with you, but I'm glad you're back in my life. And I would really enjoy spending time with you… and with Lauren! I would love to get to know her more," she finished with a smile.

Lucas bit his lip as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah… actually about Lauren… we broke up."

Riley's eyes widened. "What? Lucas, I'm so sorry. She seemed like a nice girl for you; a good fit."

"She may have been a good fit, but she wasn't the right one… which is why she ended it after we ran into each other."

Once she heard the reason, Riley's heart leapt into her throat and guilt surged through her body. "W-why would she do that?"

"Because she saw I was still in love with you. I never looked at her the way I did you in that moment, and I can't really blame her reasoning. When you fell into my lap again, all thought of her left my mind. All those things that you used to do that made me fall in love with you came rushing back. I miss what we had, Riley… all the memories – the way I used to kiss your neck, how you missed your flight back to New York over midterm break our freshman year because we couldn't say goodbye, our long talks about anything and everything, making out in a crowd –"

"…and Maya harping on us to get a room," Riley finished with a chuckle, making Lucas' eyes light up with delight.

"It's hard to believe that was me and you," he continued. "I want to feel that way again. I don't want them to just be memories anymore. It took me the last few months to realize that no matter what, I will always love you. I've wanted to tell you that because, as we found out several times, we can't just assume things anymore, and I wanted to know how you feel."

Riley chewed her lower lip as she absorbed everything Lucas had just confessed. There was no denying that she wanted to hold him close ever since they ran into each other again, but Riley thought "they" were over.

"Do you remember the night we were dancing on the top of my parents' apartment building in the rain? How we felt?"

Lucas nodded. He remembered thinking that he could spend the rest of his life in that moment.

She leaned over and placed a sweet kiss on his lips. "Remind me."

A huge smile spread across Lucas' lips as he leaned in to give her another kiss – this one being much longer than the first as he took her into his arms again.

In the distance, the tolling of a church bell could be heard echoing off of the buildings – ringing in the New Year and a new beginning.

A/N: And that's a wrap! I wanted to try and extend this a couple of more chapters, but it wanted to end here. Hope you enjoyed it! This chapter is based off of Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood's duet - Remind Me.

Hope to see you soon!