AN: Hello again! I'm kind of abandoning this whole only publishing on Fridays thing cause this story and your reactions to it have gotten me too excited! I'm not going to post everyday but I wanted to give you guys another chapter because I'm going to be super busy for the next few days so I might not update for a little while. And by a little while I mean like a couple of days.

So I'm not sure if fields like that actually exist. I know there are campgrounds and stuff but I'm not sure if they let you park a car there or anything. I doubt it but it sounds really romantic so for the sake of this story, they are real.

Follow, review and rate!

Lucas woke up with the sun the next morning. He felt a piercing pain in his right arm and went to stretch when he felt something stopping him.

Lucas smiled down at the girl lying on his chest. Her mouth was slightly open, emitting soft snores. Both blankets were on top of her and pulled up to her nose. She looked very peaceful and, as expected, extremely beautiful.

Lucas kissed her forehead again and continued to gaze at Riley, immersed in his own thoughts. She really was everything he was looking for in a woman and then some. Lucas was only nineteen so he wasn't exactly searching for his soulmate but he could see himself having a long future with Riley. He could see them moving in together after college, maybe in New York, maybe in Texas, maybe somewhere completely different. He could see her walking down a long aisle on the arm of her father in the most beautiful white dress he had ever seen carrying a bouquet of white roses and a sparkling diamond ring on her finger. He could see them staying up night after night with a baby who made them sleep deprived but loved more than anything in the world.

There was only one problem. Riley had made it pretty clear to him Christmas Eve that they should just be friends. Lucas could never have predicted that. He thought that she would be the one sneaking into his apartment he shared with his girlfriend, not the girlfriend. He thought she would be the one who would stand when the preacher said 'any objections?', not the one standing next to him. He thought she would spiral into a tunnel of depression when he had kids with the woman of his dreams, not become the woman of his dreams.

Why? Why on earth would Riley suddenly give all of that up? He knew she felt strongly about him. He had been her friend since seventh grade and could tell when she was hiding something or when she was faking. When she would say 'I'm in love with you, Lucas' he knew it was real. She was passionate about them. She was also passionate about her friendship with him, Maya and Farkle. Maybe now she understood what he was afraid of in high school.

But Lucas wasn't his high school self anymore. He had changed quite a bit since he started college. Yes, he was still worried about possibly losing his friendship with Riley if they did start a relationship and broke up but he was now more worried about missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime. It was a bit like skydiving. He was terrified to do it but all his friends who had worked up the courage to do it had said it was brilliant and worth the risk.

Even if he and Riley weren't the next Cory and Topanga, they still cared about each other, even as friends. He couldn't imagine how that care would blossom if they were more than that. Besides, if they did try to date and it didn't work, Riley could take everything away from him but she couldn't take the memories they had together.

That was exactly what his mother had told him when she divorced Lucas' father and moved to New York. The divorce hadn't been pretty and his parents hardly talk at all anymore, really only when it is something to do with Lucas himself. He remembered asking his mother while they were unpacking why she married that creep. His mama had said they may not get along now but she would do it all over again if she could.

Of course Lucas didn't want to spilt up with Riley but he wanted more memories with her. They had their memories as friends like when they stood up to Farkle's bully Billy or when they both ran for class president but Lucas wanted more moments like how he felt under the mistletoe and moments like right now. He mentally kicked himself again for not realizing how he felt sooner.

After hours of lying awake, thinking all of this through, Lucas had come to a conclusion. He was going to risk it. He was going to risk everything to be with her. Sure, it would be long distance but some couples made that work. It was easier now in the world of technology to stay in touch. However, if that wasn't enough, Lucas would transfer. NYU had a good veterinarian program and that school was Lucas' back up plan if he wasn't accepted into Texas A&M. He would do anything for her and he wanted her to be his. He wanted Riley Matthews to be his girlfriend.

He figured he would really only have one chance at this. He didn't want to screw it up and he wanted it to be something that would absolutely sweep her off her feet. Every girl had their dream way of being asked out, he just didn't know what Riley's was. She probably told Maya. He could ask her and Farkle later today! If he was going to ask her out and she did say yes, or maybe even if she didn't, they were going to find out one way or another.

Riley slowly started to bury his face further into his chest as she smiled. She also started to gently blink her eyes open.

"Good morning, beautiful." Lucas said.

Riley smiled up at him and muttered a 'morning' before letting out a yawn.

"Have you been awake for long?" She asked.

"No, only a few minutes." Lucas replied. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I did," Riley said. "You?"

"Like a baby."

They stayed where they were for a few minutes before Riley mentioned they should probably leave soon. It more than likely wasn't any earlier than seven o'clock but it wouldn't do them any good to have Maya and/ or Farkle beat them to the Matthews' residence and have no idea what they were talking about having Riley and Lucas sleeping over at their places.

"My dad would lose it if he knew I spent the night with you." Riley said.

"What do you call all those times in high school when I showed up at your apartment after seven?" Lucas asked as he helped Riley push the back seat up and move the pillows and blankets to the trunk.

"I call it level three mad. You and I spending the night together is level ten mad." She told him.

"Oh, that's bad." Lucas said as Riley chuckled.

In no time they were back on the road. They didn't seem to have much to talk about. Lucas wanted to tell her how pretty she is and how last night was one of the best of his life but he didn't want to ruin his surprise. He figured she probably already knew because she typically saw right through him but he didn't want to confirm her suspicions. Instead, they drove back to New York listening to public radio. About an hour later, they had reached Greenwich Village.

"Okay, I'm going to go inside and you can buzz in about ten minutes later. Is that cool?" Riley told him and asked. If Lucas didn't know any better, he would have said she had done this before.

"That's cool." Lucas agreed as he stood by the speaker box and watched Riley use her key to get inside and saunter into the elevator.

Lucas had planned on waiting the full ten minutes, but not five minutes after Riley went into the elevator, Farkle had come into the building.

"Farkle!" Lucas exclaimed. Farkle looked slightly frazzled since Lucas was in a dark and secluded corner before.

"Oh, hey Lucas," Farkle said once he realized he wasn't in any kind of danger. "What are you doing out here?"

"Oh, man do I have a lot to tell you." Lucas said. Farkle gave him a nod to continue.

"I think I'm going to ask Riley out."

"Why the sudden change in mind?" Farkle asked. Lucas had expected him to say something along the lines of 'that's great' but he was too excited so he ignored it.

"I lied to you," Lucas started. "I really do like Riley. She's smart and beautiful and just… she's everything."

"Lucas?"

"Christmas Eve she and I ate Santa's cookies and milk and then shared a kiss under the mistletoe you and Maya put up there earlier. It was heated, it was passionate, and it was the best kiss I have ever had, Farkle. Ever!"

"Lucas?"

"And then she gave me this figurine of a horse with a prince and a princess on it to symbolize our friendship for Christmas. It's a long story but I'll tell you later, buddy. She was the only one who got me a present!"

"Lucas?"

"Last night she texted me during dinner to come to her room and we snuck out and went to an art museum out of town and then she took me to this field and we looked at the stars and fell asleep with each other. Oh and I spent the night at your place if anybody asks, okay? And I just know-"

"Lucas?!"

"What?! What?" Lucas demanded. He had heard Farkle trying to interrupt him before but couldn't his best buddy see that he was pouring his heart and soul out to him? All his feelings he realized he had for Riley? Isn't this what he and Maya have wanted since high school? What was it? Couldn't he tell that Lucas was trying to tell him he wanted to be Riley's…

"…boyfriend."

Whoa. Did Farkle just finish his thoughts? That's some next level Riley and Maya friendship right there. They were the only other people he knew could do that. They were the only people in the universe that could do that. No, Farkle must have said something but what was it?

"What did you say?" Lucas asked.

Farkle let out a deep sigh before he repeated himself.

"Riley already has a boyfriend."