#liley fan fic

[marmolady]

Reunion: 2090

Another reunion-- this time, far, far into La Huerta's future. This one has the distinction of being written in first-person, which I never do! Note: the deaths of main characters are referred to in this fic.

Do feel free to shout out a year between 2024 and 2097 if you want me to write a specific one next. You can find the full series (in progress) here on AO3.

Word Count: 4195

Tagging: @saivilo, @edgydepressedchoicesthot, @sceptilemasterr, ​@mauvecatfic @rhemenway888

Thanks for reading! Comments and re-blogs make me EXTRA happy. Always happy to nerd out about these characters with other fans.

________________________

I was almost flying as I ran across the sand, almost as fast as Vivae in front of me-- and she was Vaanti. I don’t know if you know anything about the Vaanti, but they’re pretty much all crazy fast and strong. I grew up here on La Huerta, so I’ve always had to just try and keep up with my friends. We were running with our heads pointed up, looking for one of the aeroplanes that was going to bring the rest of our giant family home again.

“It’s there, Rafi!” Vivae hollered. “That one’s my grandma’s plane!”

I put my arm up to wave, and it must have thrown me off, because next thing I knew I was tripping over my foot and flying through the air.

“Oof!”

Suura came skidding to a stop, dodging around me. She’s Vivae’s little sister, eight years old. “Haha, splat!”

Vivae is  ten, a year older than me, and her mom-- well, her and Suura’s mom, and Tuala who’s five,  is the Elyyshar. We do a lot of fun stuff together, Vivae and me. Lots of exploring caves and beaches and jungles. She has lots of friends in Elyys’tel, but even though I’m a human, I’m her best friend.

But even best friends will laugh at you sometimes. “That was smooth…,” she chuckled.

I brushed myself off quickly and jumped back onto my feet. I was pretty good at that after all these years trying to keep up. “’mallright,” I grumbled. “Come on-- we’re gonna miss them getting off the plane!”

The annual reunion these days required the use of two planes-- one coming from San Trobida, and another picking everyone else up from Costa Rica. The San Trobida group is the biggest, but they were gonna be coming in a little bit later, and that was the plane all my family was on. My abuela and lola and my three tias, and my Tia Beatriz and Auntie Lilei’s kid, Ariel. Oh! And baby Pepa. I forget about her because she’s so new, only three months old. But this isn’t that aeroplane. This one has all Reggie and Mariama’s relatives from London-- including the kids, Pia and Elio. They’re pretty cool-- they speak all fancy with English accents and say ‘biscuits’ when they mean ‘cookies’. And Isla and Alex are on the plane with their family. They’re Ariel’s grandparents on Auntie Lilei’s side. They also have two other grandkids, William and Poppy, but William is only three and Poppy is just a baby, so they’re not that exciting yet.

Vivae and Suura’s grandma, Georgie, always flew the Costa Rica plane, ever since her dad taught her to fly. Flying was a family business, and Vivae always said she would be the next to follow in Great-Grandpa Jake’s footsteps. I don’t think that any of my relatives can fly an plane… but it would be pretty cool if I was the first. It wasn’t often that anyone actually went flying around here, so when they did, we always ran out onto the beach to watch.

Even though I’d fallen over, we made it back off the beach just as the plane came down onto the runway. We waved and cheered, and then it was time for the reunion.

My name is Rafael, but a lot of the time, people call me Rafito, or Rafi, or Raf.  Rafael Diego Montoya is my full name. Like I said, I live here on La Huerta, in Catalys’tel which is not far from Elyys’tel, where Vivae and her family live. I live with my dad, who’s called Sol Montoya, and my mom, who’s called Serafina. They met in high school back in San Trobida, then went to college together… and then decided they’d rather live here, which is great for me, because La Huerta is awesome. Like, there’s a giant tortoise that’s taller than my dad, and a big old fox that has ice powers. As well as my mom and dad, I have my little brother, Danilo-- he’s three-- and the baby that mom’s pregnant with right now. We’re going to call her Carmela.

Ma Taylor and Ma Estela live next-door-- they’re my great-grandmas. They’re also two of the ‘Catalysts’ who our home was named after, because this was the village they all lived in together when the world ended. I know that sounds crazy, but it really happened-- everyone was gone except for the people safe on La Huerta, but it all got fixed when the island’s spirit went home. All the Catalysts stayed really good friends, and they came back every year with their families-- that’s the reunions. Now, most of them have died because they were really old, but some of them are still here, including my great-grandmas. Ma Quinn is here too. We call her ‘Ma’ out of respect because she’s old, even though she’s not my granny or great-granny or anything. And there’s Zahra, who I can’t call ‘Ma’ because she said she’ll punch me if I do. She’s funny. And Pa Diego, who lives in Elyys’tel with Pa Varyyn, who used to be the Elyyshar. Pa Diego helped make my abuela, so he’s kind of my great-grandpa.

Because a lot of the Catalysts had children, and a lot of their children had children, and then some of those had children too, the reunions are pretty busy. Abuelita said there’s more than fifty of us, which is a lot to cram into the big room in The Celestial at dinner time. I’m friends with all the kids-- Pia and Elio who I already said about, and Ximena who’s eleven but has only been to one reunion before because she was adopted a bit over a year ago. And there’s Vivae, Suura and Tuala who were on the table next to ours-- and Xiryyn who’s their cousin is with them. I see them all the time because they live here, so it might not seem that exciting, but Vivae’s my best friend, and I was super glad she’s there with me because it’s really hard not to be shy when there’s fifty people to talk to.

Of course, I was sitting next to Danilo, who’s my little brother. He wasn’t very good at keeping his potatoes on his fork and I reckon more went on the floor than in his mouth. On my other side, I had Ariel, who was talking, talking, talking, even though she had a mouthful of roast pork. Ariel’s talking about babies a lot right now, probably ‘cause she’s all excited still about being a big sister, and maybe a little bit ‘cause she’s excited about my mom having a baby soon. I don’t think babies are that interesting, so I went to hang out with some other people instead after a little while.

Or I tried to. Ariel’s good at following me around.

“Ma ‘Stela,” Ariel said loudly, putting an arm around her bisabuela’s shoulder after I’d sad down next to her, “are you sad because the old man died?”

I looked at Ma Estela, then at old Reggie in the next chair, worried that Ariel might have upset them. She was talking about Pa Aleister, one of the Catalysts. He died not that long ago. I’m not really great at remembering who’s related to who to be honest, but I know Pa Aleister was Reggie’s dad. I also know he was Ma Estela’s brother and that she loved him a lot. All the Catalysts loved each other a lot. I reckon you would get pretty attached if you were friends with someone for years and years and years and years like that.

Estela’s eyes were sad, but she was calm and patient. She was always patient with the little kids, even when they were crazy annoying. “Yeah, I’m sad he’s not here. It never feels quite right when someone doesn’t show up for the reunion. You know, Pa Aleister was your great-great uncle.” She nodded sympathetically to Reggie. “And he was Reggie’s dad.”

I’m not sure what would be worse, a person’s brother dying, or their dad. It was just… sad. Big, heavy sadness. Ariel didn’t look like she understood how big and heavy it was, how scary it was that someone could suddenly not be there. Maybe I didn’t understand when I was six either.

“Pa Aleister was really nice,” said I said quietly.

“Was he really old?” Ariel asked. “I think he must be very old because you’re very old, and Reggie is quite a bit old and he was Reggie’s dad.”

Reggie chuckled at Ariel’s assessment of him. “He was very old, old and happy. But when you get very old, at some point your body stops working. My dad was ninety-five years old--”

“Wow! That’s ancient!”

I wriggled my arm through Ma Estela’s. She always gave me a hug when I was sad. I figured  she might need one now. She was ninety-four… and Ma Taylor, my other great-grandma and Ma Estela’s wife, was ninety-five just like Pa Aleister was. They must have been worried all the time that their bodies would stop working, that some day, the sun would come up and they just wouldn’t be alive anymore.

Ma Estela held me tightly. She wasn’t very strong anymore, but I know from lots of stories that she had once been able to fight monsters and win. Even for a very, very old lady, though, she gave a good, tight cuddle when it was needed-- it wasn’t as hard work as monster-fighting after all.

“We don’t know for sure,” she said, “but we think there might be something about spending a lot of time on La Huerta that has helped us have long lives like we have. It seems like those of us who spent the most time here have stuck around the longest-- and Ma Quinn, who carried a part of Vaanu inside her for a while.”

“Do you think you’ll be a hundred?” Ariel asked, eyes wide.

I sure hope so. A hundred wasn’t even very far away….

Ma Estela gave a laugh of a sigh. “I’ll see what I can do, mija.”

“You should try,” said Ariel, kinda bossily. “you should all try and be a hundred.”

And with that, she ran off back to her moms.

“Rafito?” Ma Estela gave me an extra squeeze. “Are you okay, mijo? It’s not exactly a fun conversation. Elita, we love her, but she’s blunt as a sledgehammer.”

I nodded. I probably wasn’t very convincing. “I don’t want you and Reggie to be sad.”

“Sad happens sometimes. It would’ve happened tonight whether your cousin was sensitive to it or not.”

“Hey, Rafi,” Reggie said, “it would’ve made my dad really happy to know you thought he was a nice man. He didn’t always believe he was.”

“That’s weird!”

“Yeah, unfortunately, people’s brains are good at tricking themselves into thinking they’re not as great as they really are.”

“Your brain can do that? That really sucks. Poor Pa Aleister.”

Ma Estela laughed. “It happens to a lot of us. And then some people think they’re god when actually they’re a steaming piece of shit. Life’s weird like that.”

 Swearing grannies make me laugh every single time-- maybe Ma Estela knew that was what I needed. I’m gonna swear a lot when I’m old, I’ve already decided.

“I liked Pa Aleister,” I said. It was true. He was good at telling you facts that you’d never know if he wasn’t around to tell you. Like a really tall old wrinkly encyclopedia man. “I hope his brain told him lots of good things too.”

Reggie smiled, which I thought was kinda odd, ‘cause we were talking about his dead dad. “I think he got better at making it tell him good things and not listening to the bad ones. We all told him we appreciated him too.”

“I should think so,” Ma Estela grunted. “This whole place, The Celestial, it wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him. Aleister worked hard so we could have somewhere to come together, because his family was the most important thing to him. I was really lucky to have him as my brother.”

I let out a big breath and snuggled into Ma Estela’s baggy shirt, hugging her until the sadness and the being scared was squished out like water from a sponge. I was gonna miss her old lady hugs when she died too, but I knew I was lucky to have them while I did.

“Is there any room over here for little old me?”

It was Ma Taylor. I know I said how good at hugs Ma Estela is, but actually Ma Taylor is just as good. She’s really very cuddly. I guess that’s just what great-grandmas are like. But I bet if Zahra was a great-grandma, she still wouldn’t be cuddly.

Ma Taylor made a tired ‘ooh’ sound as she sat carefully down, and seemed like she had to catch her breath. Ma Estela looked at her with love eyes.

“Mi amor, you know these people are gonna be here all week, you’re allowed to pace yourself on the socialising.”

“Oh, ‘Stel! As if I could ever hold myself back?” Her smile became a little sad. “I hadn’t properly caught up with Erin or Imogen since the funeral.”

“No,” said Ma Estela, and she rubbed my arm, as if cuddling me was helping. I kinda wanted to go off and play with the other kids, but I also didn’t want to be sad. If I was helping, I would stay with her and the other old people a little bit longer.

I sometimes think Ma Taylor could read minds, and this was another one of those times, because she said: “Rafi! I promise we’re going to be all right. You should have some fun with your friends-- you know this week always goes way too fast.”

“Go,” Ma Estela said with a nod. “We’re gonna go do a memorial thing in a little while. It’s sad, but it does help. Taylor’s right; you’ve gotta enjoy the people you love while they’re with you, ‘cause it’s never gonna be long enough.”

They said that, but I was pretty sure Ximena, and Pia and Elio, and Xiryyn, and Vivae and Tuala and Suura, and all the little kids, they would all still be here a long time after my great-grandmas weren’t anymore. I did what they said, though. I gave them both a big hug, and I gave one to Reggie, and then I followed Ariel back to the party.

_______________________

Some of the other kids were close relatives of Pa Aleister, so they went off to the memorial thingy, but I still had my Vaanti friends, and my cousin, Ariel.  We played a lot of tickle chase all up and down the sand hills, and round and round the big tables in the big hall, but what we really wanted to do was to check out the new waterslides. They were finished weeks ago, but we weren’t allowed to play on them until the reunion. And even though it was the reunion now, we still had to find an adult to supervise us. Annoyingly, a lot of our moms and dads took safety very seriously.

“Clear off, brats!” Zahra growled at us as she came back from the memorial thingy and sat down in a comfy-looking chair. Actually, she said something else, but it wasn’t words I’m allowed to say. Zahra wasn’t being mean; she knows it makes us laugh when she’s all grouchy. She laughs too.

“We’re gonna go on the slides, but we need a grown-up!” Ariel explained.

“Hey,” said Suura hopefully, “you’re a grown-up….”

Zahra pulled a sucking-a-lemon face. “Uh, if you think I wouldn’t just let you --rudewords-- drown in the name of peace and --rudeword-- quiet, you’re dumber than you look.”

“Zahra!” Imogen said in a telling-off voice. Imogen was Reggie’s sister, so she was pretty old. I think she was my abuela’s cousin or something, and Pia, Elio, Ximena, William and Poppy’s great-aunt. “Haven’t there been enough tears tonight? We don’t need you picking on the damn kids.”

Zahra snorted. “Little assholes love it. I’m still not supervising while they chuck themselves down the waterslides.”

Then Pia came running up; her eyes were all pink and puffy like she’d been crying. Probably she had. “We’re trying out the new waterslides now?”

Pia was the oldest of all of us kids. She was thirteen, which basically meant she was half-kid, half-adult…. but not quite old enough to be allowed to be responsible for the rest of us in the pool.

Imogen frowned. “It’s gonna be me left to supervise, isn’t it? Look, just give me a moment. I’ll rope Arthur into coming over to watch as well. Not having to jump in the pool after drowning children is one of the perks of being over sixty as far as I’m concerned.”

“Yes!” Pia and me cried at the same time.

It was on!

As it turned out, we actually had quite a few adults come to watch us test out the slides. The thing was, it was pretty much only the old crusty adults who probably weren’t gonna be super helpful if we had an emergency.

Ma Quinn sat at the edge of the pool, dipping her toes in. She waved to us all, but especially to Ariel, while we climbed up the steps to the very top. My lola was there-- they’re my dad’s parent, and my abuela too-- my dad’s mom-- and her moms. Pa Diego and Pa Varyyn were there too. Imogen’s twin sister Erin and her husband Johan came to watch and cheer, which made Ximena smile. Ximena was a little bit more shy ‘cause she didn’t grow up with us, but it seemed like she was getting the hang of it. So, I didn’t feel too bad pushing in front of her in the line-up for the first go on the biggest slide….

Unfortunately, this didn’t go unnoticed.

“Hey, Rafito, elbows to yourself!”

“Sorry Abuela!” It was pretty embarrassing, I knew my face was going red, but hopefully it was dark enough no one would notice. I quietly apologised to Ximena too.

In the end, it was Ariel who got the first turn-- she somehow wriggled through all the gaps between us other kids and squeezed out into the top of the slide. Guess it pays to be small and slippery. And it didn’t really matter that I had to wait my turn-- I went down the biggest slide again and again and again. I raced Vivae and Suura on the triple slide, and I tandemed the twisty one with Ariel even though she screamed so loud my ears hurt, and I even went down the big one backwards. I accidentally swallowed a load of water, but it was so fun. I don’t want to brag too much, but I got a lot of cheers from all the old grannies and grandpas watching us.

The good thing about the waterslides was that they were really high up, and you could see the whole party all around us. I saw that all of the old Catalysts had gone; I guessed to go and lie down because they were tired. Fair enough-- I was nearly ready for bed, and I was only nine. But Vivae saw where they’d actually gone.

“Rafi, it’s Furball! Down there with Ma Quinn!”

That made more sense. As if they’d just got bored of watching us!

We took one last go down the slides, then all the other kids followed us to the beach. Ma Quinn was sitting there with Furball, the magic blue ice fox, feeding him something from her hand. The other old guys were sitting down there too-- Ma Estela and Ma Taylor, Pa Diego and Pa Varyyn, and Zahra too. They’d all known Furball for a long, long time, and when he saw them all by the pool, he must have wanted to say hi.

We ran up, and Ma Quinn put her finger to her lips to tell us to be quiet. We slowed down, creeping closer so we didn’t scare Furball. I’d only seen him a couple times, so I was really concentrating on making sure he didn’t want to run away. It must have worked, because he looked at all us kids for a little bit, then he went back to eating the cupcake in Ma Quinn’s hand.

“Wow,” Ximena whispered. “He’s really real… look at all the snow on the ground!”

Ma Quinn smiled, her wrinkly old face going even wrinklier. “He’s really real. Furball is a very old friend of ours. He’s an old man now, and likes being left alone, but sometimes….” She offered a sprinkling of cupcake crumbs to Ximena, who then held them out to the big blue fox. “…he does feel like some human company.”

“He gets old even though he’s magic?” Ariel asked.

“He does,” said Ma Quinn. “I guess it happens to everyone who’s lucky enough to live that long. Even magic foxes.”

Pia asked a more worrying question. “Are you gonna be able to stand back up again?”

Ma Quinn and the other old guys laughed a bit at that.

“Absolutely not,” Ma Taylor said, but she was chuckling when she said it. “But sometimes you’ve got to sit on a beach and enjoy the cool sand against your skin anyway.”

Ma Estela grunted. “Speak for yourself, cariña, I can still get up from the ground. Just don’t time me on it.”

“I guess we can help you when you need to get up,” Elio said, “I’m pretty strong.”

“Thank you, sweetheart,” said Ma Taylor. “Anyway, it’s a big party. Someone’ll be able to haul us back onto our feet.”

I crouched down really small, and held out my fingers so Furball could sniff them. There were no crumbs on them, but he gave me a smell all the same, and he looked right at my face and made a little ‘mrrp’ noise. ‘Furball’ sounded like a name for a little fluffy thing, but this guy was big, with long legs and wide feet for walking in the snow. He had a big fluffy mane, almost like a lion, but it was white, and most of his fur was blue and spotty.

“He’s pretty big for a ‘Furball’”, I said.

“He wasn’t always as big as this,” Ma Quinn said. “He grew up fast when the old Mountain Guardian died. The old one was much, much bigger-- a giant bear with horns like a ram.”

“Woah!” cried Ariel, forgetting to be quiet. Furball didn’t seem to mind-- he seemed like he’d decided we were friends.

Ma Quinn laughed again. “Yes, she was pretty impressive. We think Furball didn’t grow as big as that because there was less of Vaanu’s magic left here when it was time for him to grow up. The Deep Guardian, the Shore Guardian, and the Sea Guardian are all much bigger. When they all die, we don’t think anything will take their places.”

Usually, Zahra said cheeky things and made us laugh, but now she was just quiet. Her eyes were sad, not really looking at anything in particular, like all she could see was her thoughts. She must have had a lot of empty places where things she used to know were. They would be kept just in her thoughts now. Ma Taylor reached out and squeezed Zahra’s arm. I bet she knew what Zahra was sad about.

Furball licked my fingers. It made me jump, ‘cause his tongue was cold, not like a normal tongue at all.

“We’re pretty lucky,” I said. “Like, that we get to see them.”

Maybe all the magic would go away one day. Maybe it would all grow old and die, like the Catalysts. I would make sure I remembered it all, all the things like Furball’s cold tongue. I bet no one will believe me about things like that, but it’s better to have magic stories than no magic at all.

Furball made another ‘mrrp’ noise, then started turning in circles. And in the circles, more snow appeared.

“Aw, look!” said Suura, “He’s going to bed!”

He curled up in a ball on his snow bed, then stuck his head out to rest on Ma Quinn’s bare foot. It must have made her toes cold!

“Night-night, Furball,” she said. “I was about to head to bed myself, but I guess I can play pillow for a little while.”

Furball snored-- he fell asleep so quick!-- and snowflakes appeared out his nose when he did. La Huerta was so special that even snores could be magic. I guess that was really why the whole giant family came back every year to be here together. If not everyone in the world could know about the magic, the lucky ones who did had to make sure they spent time appreciating it and sharing it.

I hope the magic lasts a long, long time. I hope at least a little bit of it lasts forever.

[gilbertandanne]

AU College Fic. Farkle never figured out how Riley really felt about Lucas, so it never got out. Now she’s turning 21 and the gang decides to go to Las Vegas to celebrate. Sometimes what happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas.

Rating: M

Pairing: Rucas

Word Count: 4,338

Cross-posted at ff.net            

Soundtrack (although not at all organized and subject to edits)

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | J | Q | K | A | J |

                             Chapter Thirteen: Cowboy

Both of them were afraid to speak, to blink, to take a breath, for fear that it was just another bittersweet dream.  How could this moment possibly be real when everything around them felt so perfect?

Lucas looked down at the girl who was curled up in his arms.  His fingers traced circular patterns on her back as he tried to gather the courage to break the surreal aura of peace that enveloped them after what could only be described as the greatest moment of his life.

Riley Matthews loved him.  The girl who had held his heart from the moment he first saw her on the subway eight years ago.   The girl he had desperately tried to hold onto and, simultaneously, tried to forget because she told him to.   The girl who made him believe he could be anyone he wanted to be, although ironically enough, he only ever wanted to be hers.

Was this his reality now?  He was afraid to break the spell that seemed to have been cast over them.  After years of pining for the woman in his arms, he had a hard time believing that his residency in purgatory had ended and that he was now free to dwell in paradise for as long as this beautiful goddess decreed.

When she snuggled even closer to him, he exhaled a shaky breath.  As much as he wanted to lay there with her forever, he knew that eventually, someone had to speak.  “That wasn’t quite how I imagined it,” he murmured before he kissed the top of her head.  It wasn’t the smoothest way to pull them back down to earth, but he had to hear her speak.  He had to know that she didn’t regret a single second of it.

Riley slowly opened her eyes as a lazy smile tugged at the corners of her lips.  Hearing his voice for the first time after connecting to him on the deepest level possible set her mind at ease.  For a few moments, she was content enough to bathe the afterglow of what they had shared with one another, but as the minutes began to tick by, she started to wonder if it had all been another dream and her cruel subconscious was trying to shove her back to reality.  Hearing the sound of his voice vibrate against his chest reassured her that everything that had just transpired between them was real—and that fact made everything so much better.  “Hmm?  How did you imagine it?”

He chuckled as he slowly felt himself relax.  She was real.  This was real.  It was finally over.  The brick wall of misunderstanding had been thoroughly demolished, and if he had any say in the matter, it would never be reconstructed.  “Well, I thought that we would have gone on a date first.”

Riley frowned as she lifted her head to look at him.  “We’re doing this all out of order, aren’t we?”

He smiled as he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.  “We do what we do, remember?”

There it was again: the hair tuck.  She had no idea if he was aware of how significant the seemingly insignificant gesture was.  He had done it during some of her most vulnerable moments over the weekend, and every single time, it calmed the tidal wave of insecurity that threatened to wash over her.  “Absolutely.”  In middle school, ‘we do what we do’ had been their way of informing the entire school that they weren’t going to fit into some cookie cutter mold of who they should be.  They were going to set their own rules for their lives, and they didn’t have to answer to those who didn’t understand the connection they shared.  As she rested her head on his chest once more, she looked down at their tangled limbs.  “You know, we didn’t exactly finish that conversation.”

He slowly ran his index finger down the length of her spine.  “Oh?”

Riley shivered against his touch.  For a foolish moment, she thought that she wouldn’t feel nearly as electrified whenever he brushed his fingers against her skin, but as she felt a trail of goose bumps pop up along her spine, she knew that, if anything, the sensitivity she felt under his touch had exponentially increased.  “Yeah,” she answered as another ripple coursed through her.

Lucas frowned when he felt Riley’s body stiffen up beside him.  A sense of dread filled him as his insecurities encroached on his otherwise serene thoughts.  Had she finally come down from that high only to realize that it wasn’t what she wanted?  Had she only gotten caught up in the moment?  Was she suddenly regretting stepping foot into his room?  “Do you…regret what we—“

“No,” she quickly interrupted as she leaned her head back to look at him.  She never wanted him to think, not even for a moment, that she had any regrets about what they had done.  If anything, she only regretted that it took them that long to get to this moment.  “Lucas, I’ve waited a long time for you…to tell you the truth about how I felt…how I’ve always felt.  I couldn’t…I couldn’t wait a second longer.”  She sat up further as she leaned forward to place a soft kiss against his lips.  “I feel like I could stay like this forever.”

The furrow in his eyebrows melted away as a smile slowly returned to his lips.  “Me too,” he answered as he continued to trace patterns across her back.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think anyone is going to…” her words slowed as her eyes widened.  She wasn’t sure how long she had been in his room, but she knew that it had to have been long enough to delay their plans for the night.  “Dinner,” she gasped before she scrambled to get out of bed.  As she looked around the room for her clothes, she began to panic.  “I’m sure they’re all waiting for us.”

Lucas sat up as he reached for his phone on the nightstand.  “Wait,” he called out to her as he read through a missed text from Zay.  “They already left.”

Riley frowned as she slid her shorts back on.  “They left?”

He nodded.  “Zay said ‘don’t worry about it’ and ‘we’ll meet up with you guys in a few hours’.”

As Riley threw her shirt back over her head, she sat down at the end of the bed.  “Do you think they know?”  How was she going to explain everything to them when she wasn’t even sure what it meant?

Lucas chuckled as he sat his phone down.  “They probably do.”  As he turned back to her, another burst of insecurity flooded him.  What if she didn’t want them to know?  What if this meant something different to her than it did for him?  “Is that a problem?”

“No,” she shook her head as she ran a hand through her tangled hair.  “I mean Maya’s known for a few months now that I…I have feelings for you.”

“A few months?”

“Yeah,” she looked down at her hands.  “She…sort of figured it out at Zay’s birthday thing.”

“You kept that from her for seven years?”  He couldn’t hide the shock in his voice.  He wasn’t sure what he was more surprised by—the fact that she kept it from him or the fact that she had kept it from Maya for that long.

Riley nodded as she looked back up at him.  “It was almost as hard as keeping it from you.”

He sat up as he leaned forward to kiss her.  They both had kept it from everyone they loved for years.  Now that they were finally free, Lucas was determined to make her realize that telling him the truth was the best decision she had ever made.  He slowly inhaled as he reached for one of her hands.  He looked up at her as he interlaced her fingers with his.  “You never have to worry about keeping anything from me…ok?  I love you, Riley Matthews.  Nothing is going to change that.”  He smiled as he lifted her hand to his lips.  He brushed his lips along her knuckles as a thought came to him.  “You know, I think this might work out for the best.”

Riley bit the inside of her cheek.  She knew that she could easily get used to this.  He had treated her with nothing but reverence the moment they lowered their defenses.  Every time their eyes met, he looked at her as if she were the only woman in the world.  “What?”

“Well, we’re in Las Vegas.  It’s your birthday and I’ve waited almost eight years to ask you out on another date.  So,” he glanced at their hands before he looked back up at her, “Riley Matthews…will you let me take you out for your birthday dinner?”

Riley couldn’t keep the grin from her face.  She had hoped that they might have been able to spend a little more time with one another before they met up with the others.  Dinner together sounded wonderful.  Calling it an actual date made it sound ten times better.  “Absolutely.”

When she told him that she was going to get a shower, he really wanted to ask if she wanted some company.  He wanted nothing more than to beg for the opportunity to lather up every square inch of her perfect form, but he somehow managed to restrain himself.  He wanted to do this the right way.  He wanted to show her that he really wasn’t the guy she thought he had been for so long.  Yes, he told her the truth, but now, it was time to prove to her an even deeper truth—that he wanted every part of her, not just her body.

Riley was mildly surprised that he didn’t ask to join her.  She thought about suggesting that they do their civic duty and conserve water by showering together, but she wasn’t sure if it would be too suggestive since they had only had one real conversation about how they felt about one another.

Even though that conversation led to the loss of her virginity, she knew that if they had showered together, they might not leave the room for the rest of the night.  Besides, she knew that they needed to resume their earlier conversation.  She still had some questions about a few things, and she knew that he had to have had some as well.  She wanted to do this the right way.  If that meant pausing any physical relationship while they closed the gap on seven years of miscommunication, then so be it.  She could keep her hands off of him.

At least, she hoped she would be able to.

So, he showered in his bathroom and she showered in her bathroom.  They both got dressed in their respective rooms, and met in the living room to go to dinner at the one place in the city Lucas had dreamt of taking her.

“Lucas, this is so beautiful,” Riley breathed as she looked around the restaurant.  As soon as the group decided to go to Las Vegas, she knew that there was only one restaurant she really wanted to go to, and somehow, he knew.  Somehow, he remembered her affinity for all things Parisian.

“It’s ok,” he agreed as he glanced around the restaurant.  After his conversation with her at Zay’s birthday, he knew that he wanted to take her to the Eiffel Tower Restaurant for her birthday—even if it meant taking everyone else as well.  Riley hadn’t quite made it to Europe yet, but he hoped that the restaurant would at least give her a taste of where she really wanted to travel.  As his eyes landed on hers, he smiled.  “It still pales in comparison though.”

She tiled her head to the side.  “To what?”  To the other restaurants they had dined at while here?  Doubtful.  The lighting, the music, and the view blew everywhere else out of the water.

“You.”

A small blush crept up on her cheeks as she turned away from him.   Her eyes fell on the Bellagio Fountains as she tried to steady the rapid beating of her heart.  “What a line,” she smirked.

He shrugged.  “Not a line at all.  Just the truth.”

She took a deep breath before she turned back to him.  “Thank you.”  They both exchanged shy smiles before they looked down at their menus.  After their waiter came and took their order, Riley glanced out the window once more.  “I think I like this view of the fountains more than the one last night.  You know…we were so close to them last night, which was nice, but from this view, you can really see the whole thing.”  She turned back to him.  “Kinda makes you appreciate it more.”

He smiled.  He thought she might enjoy the view of the fountains.  Despite everything that happened last night, he knew that she seemed hypnotized by them.  So, when he called the concierge to make the last minute reservation for him, Lucas pleaded for him to make sure they had the table with the best view of the Bellagio Fountains.  “They are pretty hypnotic, aren’t they?”

Riley bit the inside of her cheek.  She couldn’t be sure, but she had a feeling that he wasn’t talking about the fountains.  “Can we talk?  About what happened last night?”

“You can talk to me about anything, Riley.”

She opened her mouth to ask him about something that had been nagging at her ever since she left his room to get ready, but the moment she began to form the words, their waiter had returned with a bottle of wine.  After he poured them each a glass, Riley and Lucas thanked him.  After he left, Lucas held up his glass to her.  “Happy Birthday, Riley.”

She smiled as she raised her glass to her lips.  After she took a sip, she slowly sat the glass down.  “This is too much, Lucas.  I mean…last night was already just…too much and now this?”  She slowly looked up at him.  “I’m scared to know how much all of it cost.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he insisted.  “I just want you to have a good birthday.”  He sat back in his seat.  “What did you want to ask me?”

She took a shaky breath.  “A-After you left Hyde last night…where did you go?”

“I went back to the hotel…to one of the bars.”  He sighed as he leaned forward in his seat.  “I’m sorry for leaving like that.  I just couldn’t see any possible positive outcome from saying what I did and how I did it.  You didn’t want to talk about it while we were drunk and I kept pushing you.  I’m sorry for that, Riley.  I thought that if I left…it would save you the embarrassment of turning me down again.”

“I’m sorry about how I acted last night.  I was…scared.”

He frowned.  “Scared?”

“Scared that maybe it wasn’t real for you…that if we got together while we were drunk t-that y-y-you might regret it in the morning.”  She sighed.  “At the same time, I didn’t want you to run off with those girls…so I thought that…that maybe I could be enough…for one night anyway.”  She scoffed as she tried to make sense of her drunken logic.  “Seems like a really stupid idea now.”

“Riley, I need you to know that my feelings for you have always been there.  There hasn’t been a day since we met that I didn’t love you.”  He paused.  “Even when I was with someone else, even as we drifted apart.  I feel…terrible for getting into relationships with other girls when I knew that I wasn’t ready for it, but I was trying to move on.  I was trying to do what you told me to.  I thought the only way to really do that…and try to maintain our friendship…was to try to find someone else…but…I…I never could.  If I’m being honest, I’m not sure I ever will.”

Riley let his words sink in as she took another sip of her wine.  This entire time, she thought that he had moved on, when in reality, he was only trying to survive.  “I tried too.  You know…I met people…dated around…but I couldn’t…I never found anyone I wanted to really get to know…not like I did with you.”

Lucas ran his fingers down the stem of the wine glass as he forced himself to not look at her.  “So…Asher?”  He knew what they had said last night and what she said earlier about their kiss, but he had to hear it again.  He had to know that it meant nothing.

“We’re friends.  He and I both agreed on that one.”

He slowly exhaled.  “And Steve?”

“He’s a guy in my English class.  We’ve gone out a few times.  He’s nice, but…”

He cut his eyes to her.  “But?”

She bit her bottom lip as her eyes fell to the table.  “But…he’s not you.”  How could she make him understand that she was doing the exact same thing he was?  “We went to a movie a few weeks ago…and I wasn’t really watching the movie because I kept thinking about the film series we went to freshman year and even though I felt completely awkward around you at the time…I still had so much fun.  I mean…you even agreed to dress up with me.  So, as I was on this date with someone else, I kept thinking that there was no way Steve would ever humor me like that and dress up for the occasion.”  She chuckled softly.  “Honestly, I don’t even think I’d ask him to.  That was…sorta our thing, you know?”  She looked back up at him.  “What was your favorite movie from that series that we went to?”

“Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” he answered without missing a beat.

She furrowed her eyebrows.  Out of all the movies they saw, Breakfast at Tiffany’s would be one of the last ones she’d ever guess.  “Why?  Is it because you spent half of the movie next to some stranger because you thought they were me?”

Lucas laughed.  “No,” he answered as he reached for his glass of wine.  “I guess it was because it gave me hope that if Holly and Paul could figure out a way to be together, then maybe…maybe we could too.  They were friends first...had seen one another through so many highs and lows…I don’t know.  It just made me think that one day…maybe…maybe it would work out with us.”

As Lucas sat his glass back down, he placed his hand on the table, palm up.  “I know my track record isn’t good,” he began as she placed her hand in his.  He took a deep breath before he continued, “But I know…beyond the shadow of a doubt…that it would be different with you.  I know…I know that I’m asking you to take a huge leap of faith here…and that I probably should wait until we finish our second first date, but…would you consider being my girlfriend?”

Riley looked into his eyes for a long moment.  “Yes,” she smiled.  “I want to be with you, Lucas.  Only you.”

Maya texted Riley as they were finishing up their meal.  They were headed over to the casino at Caesar’s Palace and wanted to know if Riley and Lucas wanted to join them.  As much as Riley wanted to spend the rest of the night with her newly minted boyfriend, she didn’t want to completely close herself off from spending her birthday with her friends.  So, they agreed to meet up with Maya, Zay, and Farkle at Caesar’s Palace as a couple.

They walked in, hand in hand, determined to take the jokes and questions one at a time with grace and dignity.  They knew that they deserved every jibe for what they had put their friends through on their path to figuring it all out.

As soon as Riley saw Maya, the brunette beamed.  She was fairly certain that Maya’s eyes were about to pop out of her head.

Maya grabbed Zay’s arm as she stared at the interlaced fingers of two of her best friends.  As a smile curled at the corners of her lips, she realized that she couldn’t possibly be any happier for them.  She nearly screamed in delight when the couple finally reached them.

“Hey guys,” Lucas casually greeted as he made no attempt to hide the grin that had been plastered on his face ever since Riley agreed to be his girlfriend.

“Hey,” Maya smirked as she finally looked up at the pair.  “Care to tell the entire class something?”

It took Farkle a moment, but eventually, he lowered his eyes to their clasped hands.  “What’s going on?”

“Well,” Riley began as she turned to her boyfriend, “Lucas and I…we’re sort of…dating now.”

Zay glanced at Lucas as he raised his eyebrows.  “Dating?”

He nodded as he looked at the trio in front of him.  “Yeah.  Is that…ok with everyone?”

“I swore to myself that I’d stop speaking to both of you if you weren’t dating by the end of this trip,” Maya confessed as she pulled her best friend into a hug.

“Yeah, I’m with Maya,” Zay agreed.  “Especially after last night.”

Farkle shrugged.  “I don’t know what happened last night, but it’s about time you two got together.”

Riley and Lucas turned to one another before they looked back at the genius.  “What are you talking about, Farkle?”

“Oh come on.  I see the way you two look at each other…the way you’ve always looked at one another.  I knew it was only a matter of time.  I thought it would’ve been before now, but…I knew when Lucas was asking about your dating life that it couldn’t possibly be too much longer.”

Riley raised her eyebrows as she looked at her boyfriend.  “You were trying to get some information from Farkle?”

Lucas sighed as he closed his eyes.  Embarrassment filled him as he glared at one of his best friends.  “Thanks.”

Farkle laughed as he slapped Lucas on the back.  “Anytime.”

Riley turned to Zay.  “So, what are we playing?”

“Are you ready to test your blackjack skills?”

She cringed.  “I don’t really remember everything you taught me last night.”

“Well, you have a pro for a boyfriend, so I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

Riley looked at Lucas.  “You play blackjack?”

“And poker, and roulette, and craps,” Zay informed her.  “Lucas taught me everything I know.”

“You like to gamble?”  Her question wasn’t at all accusatory, but merely inquisitive.  She had held him at arms length for so long that she didn’t realize until now that there was a lot about him she still needed to learn.  

“Zay’s exaggerating.”  He narrowed his eyes at his best friend.  “Thanks for making it seem like a have a problem.”

“Nah, it’s only a problem if you lose,” Zay laughed.  “Riley, Lucas and I go to poker tournaments on campus all the time.  He’s racked up quite a little nest egg.”

Lucas sighed.  Could they please talk about something—anything—else?  She didn’t need to learn about all of his vices in one night.  “It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Well, at least I’m in good hands, right,” Riley smiled.  She could tell that Lucas was embarrassed by it, but she didn’t care.  She knew that he would never gamble with anything he wasn’t prepared to lose.  

“The key is in knowing that the house always wins,” Zay told her as the group walked toward one of the empty tables.

“The house always wins,” she repeated as she slid into one of the seats.

“Yeah,” Zay nodded as he sat next to her.  “Well,” he smirked, “Unless you’re Lucas.”

“Ok…let’s stop yapping and start gambling,” Maya grinned as she watched the dealer shuffle the cards.

“I really thought I’d be good at it,” Maya grumbled as they walked back into the suite.  “I read all of the books.  I thought I was ready…that I knew what I was in for.”  She pouted as she trudged into the living room.

“The house always wins,” Zay reminded her.

“Yeah, that’s really reassuring, Zay” she grumbled.  “What about him,” she gestured to Lucas, “And him,” she pointed to Farkle.  “Between both of them, I think they won every hand they played.”

Farkle laughed as he looked at Lucas.  “Yeah, we did all right.”

Lucas shrugged despite the grin on his face.  “It was a group effort.  Besides,” he glanced at the brunette next to him, “I had luck on my side.”

Maya rolled her eyes.  “I’m starting to think I liked you two more when you weren’t so nauseating.”

“I lost too,” Riley offered.

“Yeah, but you stopped after a few hands.”  The blonde flopped down on one of the couches.

Riley shrugged.  “I’m not a gambler, I guess.”

“I lost too,” Zay told the blonde as he sat down beside her.  When she leaned her head on his shoulder, he smiled softly.

“Yeah, but you weren’t up $500, either,” she groaned.  “I should have stopped.  Why didn’t you guys tell me to stop?”

“We did,” Farkle said as he sat down on the other side of her.  “We tried to tell you for the last hour to quit while you were still ahead.”

She sighed.  “Well, I have definitely learned my lesson for next time.”

“Next time,” Lucas asked as he sat down on the arm of the couch across from them.  “You know that we’re leaving in the morning, right?”

She nodded as she lifted her head up.  “Yeah, but I’m definitely coming back.  I’m not going to let Vegas get the last laugh.”  She watched as Riley placed her arm around Lucas’s shoulders as she stood next to him.  “Besides, I think it’s safe to say that we’re all winners.  We all walked away with something.”

[grizbehr]

What Was Lost

Prologue

"Ms. Matthews," the voice came over the phone's speaker. Riley looked up from the notes she was taking for a future show she was planning and pushed the call button.

"Yes, Charolette," she replied.

"There's a gentleman here to see you." Riley pulled up the calendar on her computer.

"I don't have anyone scheduled. Who is it?"

"He didn't want to give his name."

Riley sat back in her chair. "Does he look like a stalker?"

Charolette lowered her voice. "If he is, he can stalk me any time."

Riley thought for a moment. She trusted Charolette's judgement. "Ok, send him back. Give me five minutes and call me about a meeting in case I need to get rid of him."

"Yes ma'am." The phone disconnected and Riley went back to her notes. She had a least two minutes before whomever it was made it to her office.

"I've done this before," Riley said to herself. She flipped through her notes and found the same thing from two months ago. "I'm starting to get repetitive." She leaned her head in her hands, thinking about how she could do something different, but coming up with nothing.

"You cut your hair," a familiar voice said. Riley looked up and a smile came across her face.

"Lucas," she questioned. "Lucas Friar?" The tall man smiled and Riley leaped up and hurried over to him, throwing herself in his arms.

"How ya' been, Riles," he said, giving her a big hug.

"Good," Riley replied. "I think you've gotten taller. Come in and have a seat." Riley led Lucas to the chair and let him sit down.

"What is this," she said tugging on the hair on his chin.

Lucas laughed. "I just got into town," he said. "Should have cleaned up first, but I wanted to see you."

Riley stumbled a little sitting in her chair, but recovered. "It looks good on you," she said. "So are you here on leave?"

"No, no," Lucas shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "I, uh, left the teams about a year ago."

"The teams?"

"SEAL teams," Lucas explained.

"I know what the teams are, Lucas," Riley said. "I just thought you were going into the medical corps."

"I was planning on it, but I got the offer to go to SEAL school, and turns out I excelled at it."

"Well, as long as you're happy…"

"I said I was good at it, not that I was happy. So when I had the opportunity I left. Been wandering around, doing odd jobs ever since."

"You could have always come home."

"I needed to figure out who I was first. You know how it is."

They sat in silence for a bit before the phone rang. Riley picked it up quickly. "Yes," she said. "Darn. I forgot about that. Could you reschedule it for me? Thanks."

"If you have something you need to do," Lucas started.

"Nothing important," Riley reassured him. A regretful look came over her face. "Lucas," she began.

"So," Lucas interrupted her. "What about you? How is it being a big TV star?"

"Hardly," Riley laughs.

"Come on," Lucas admonishes. "I've seen you. Traveling around, taking the viewers to little known locations all over the globe. You're show is incredible."

"I think you may be a little biased. Besides, I haven't been doing that much traveling lately."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I've become too big a commodity for the production to risk me, so they send out a film crew and I stay here. They have me do an open and close in the studio and then voice over work for the episodes. It's someone else who does the actual work."

"So it's all a lie?"

"It didn't start out that way," Riley sighed. "When I started, it was just me and my camera. I'd go someplace and talk with the locals, find the really secret places and film it. It was fun. Then I got picked up by The Discovery Channel. For the first year and a half, it worked the same way except I now had a crew and a budget. Then the show became popular and the insurance company was worried about me. So I cut back a little. I would still go out, but the more obscure and potentially dangerous places I had to stay away from. Eventually we got to where I am now."

"So, 'Girl Meets World with Riley Matthews' is really 'Girl Meets World without Riley Matthews'."

"Yeah." Riley felt a little downcast. The change had happened so subtly that she hadn't really noticed it was happening. Now that she said it out loud, she realized how far she was from where she started.

"I guess that puts a spin on the other reason I came here," Lucas said standing.

"Huh?"

"Well, my main reason was I wanted to see you again. It's been too long and I've missed you. But there was something else. I was looking for a favor."

"What is it?" Riley leaned back in her chair.

"You see, Zay and I have teamed up."

"Zay's here, too," Riley exclaimed.

"Yeah. He's back at the hotel starting to prepare things. As I was saying, Zay and I've teamed up to start a salvage operation of sorts. Sometimes we get hired to do a job, sometimes we get a lead that we need to track down. Just last week, we pulled a truck out of the Mississippi that was loaded with copper wire."

"Sounds exciting," Riley said with a touch of sarcasm.

"Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. Anyways, we picked up a lead on a cargo plane that crashed in the Amazon. Our plan is to fly into Brazil and then travel inward. We were hoping that maybe you could get us some press credentials. It will make it easier for us to get around in country."

"I don't know, Lucas," Riley scrunched up her forehead. "I mean we normally go to places…you know, restaurants, churches, art galleries…not the middle of the jungle. I don't even know if I could get a crew in there."

"I'm not really looking for a crew. I figured I could take a camera and record the video of our search so it's not like you would be lying by getting us the credentials." Lucas hung his head.

"The Amazon is a big place," Riley said. "Do you even have any idea where to start looking?"

"We have a good lead," Lucas admitted. "We kind of have a genius with near unlimited funds doing support work in his free time."

"Farkle?"

Lucas laughed. "Of course. We mentioned it to him casually a month ago when we saw him in Paris. He brought us to his office, tasked some satellites, did some math. He is near certain he knows the approximate location it went down."

"So what, it would just be a get in, look around for a little bit, get out type of deal?"

"Something like that. I mean, if we find it, we'll have to arrange a small crew to get in there and help us clear it out, but we need to find it first."

"That would be a great story," Riley said, mostly to herself. She looked over at the notes which had been getting repetitive.

"We'd really like you to be a part of it, Riley," Lucas said. "But I understand if you can't. I mean, we wouldn't technically be journalists, but..."

"Tell you what. Let me think about it." Riley stood up and hugged Lucas again.

"We'll be in town a couple of days," Lucas said. "Why don't we all get together Friday for dinner. You, me, Zay, Farkle, Maya…I'm assuming you and Maya are still joined at the hip."

"Yeah, she's still around. I'll set it up. You've still got my number. Give me a call tomorrow and we'll figure out where we want to meet up."

"Deal." Lucas looked down and kissed her lightly on the cheek. After all these years, it still made Riley's heart flutter. "It was good seeing you again." He then turned and left the office. Riley couldn't help but watch him walk away. He turned and waved before disappearing around the corner. Riley stayed there looking after him a moment before going back to her desk.

She barely had gotten seated when Charolette came rushing in. "Spill, girl," she said excitedly. "Who was that hunk of a man?"

"That," Riley mused. "That was the one who got away."

Next Chapter

I’m taking a little break from Second Chances. It’s not wanting to let me write it. Here is the start of something that’s been playing around in my head. I’d rate this T(Teen) for Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Tobacco and Alcohol, Violence. Hope you enjoy.

[gilbertandanne]

AU College Fic. Farkle never figured out how Riley really felt about Lucas, so it never got out. Now she’s turning 21 and the gang decides to go to Las Vegas to celebrate. Sometimes what happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas.

Rating: M

Pairing: Rucas

Word Count: 8,827

Cross-posted at ff.net            

Soundtrack (although not at all organized and subject to edits)

A/N: Trying something new with the second half of this chapter.  Feedback would be appreciated, although is certainly not required.  Again, this fic is rated M.

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                              Chapter Twelve: Helen of Troy

Maya thought for sure she would be the last person up the next day.  She glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand as she rolled out of bed.  It was nearly 11am.  She took one look at the other bed and quickly noticed that Riley was completely passed out.  She had no idea what time the brunette finally went to bed, but Maya wasn’t about to wake her up until she absolutely had to.  Last night was rough for everyone, but Maya knew that it was especially rough for her best friend.  If Riley could find a few moments of peace in a different realm, who was she to disturb her?

Maya yawned as she quietly tiptoed out of the room.  She could feel the effects of a small hangover as she closed the door behind her.  She had a very faint headache, but knew from experience that one good meal would quickly cure her.

As she walked toward the kitchen, she noticed that only one other person was seated at the island.  As she drew closer, she realized that it was the last person she wanted to see after the previous night.  “Good morning,” she mumbled as she made a beeline for one of the cabinets.

“Morning,” Lucas grumbled in response before he sipped his coffee.  He had been up for a few hours already as he tried to figure out what to say and how to pretend that his heart hadn’t been splintered into a thousand pieces last night.  So far, he hadn’t come up with anything he could feasibly do.  He considered hopping on the first plane back to New York, but he knew that he couldn’t hide from her forever.  He didn’t want to hide from her, even though every protective instinct in him screamed at him to hide, to preserve some dignity and pride.

“Where are Zay and Farkle?”

Lucas shrugged.  “Zay’s still asleep.  I guess Farkle is too.  I haven’t seen him.”

Maya turned toward him as she reached for the pot of coffee on the counter.  “How long have you been up?”

“A few hours.”  He looked down at the cup in front of him.  He wasn’t really in the mood for small talk.  All he wanted to do was escape to the golf course for a few hours.  He needed something to do, something to concentrate on so that maybe he could stop thinking about Riley for a minute.  “Went to the gym, got a shower, and now I’m here.”

Maya brought the mug to her lips.  “Room service?”

He shrugged as he looked up at her.  “I wasn’t sure what we were doing today in terms of meals, so I haven’t eaten yet.”

She sat the mug on the counter before she reached for the menu behind her.  “I have no idea what the plan is either, but I do know I’m going to need something soon to kick this little headache I have, and I’m not really sure that the birthday girl is going to be up anytime soon.”

At the mere mention Maya’s roommate, Lucas’s gaze lowered to the counter.  “Pretty wild night, huh?”

“You tell me,” she began as she glanced at the menu, “I’m pretty sure that you had the wildest night out of all of us…you know with the whole disappearing act and everything.”  After a moment of silence, her eyes ticked up to look at him.  If he wasn’t going to offer an explanation, then she was going to demand one.  “Why didn’t you answer your phone when she tried to call you?”

“She tried to call me?”  He frowned the second he heard the hopeful tone in his voice.  He knew that it was a perfectly normal thing for Riley to do to check up on someone if they were late or missed an event.  The fact that she tried to call him didn’t necessarily mean anything, did it?  “I left my phone on the bathroom counter last night.  It was completely dead when I saw it this morning.  It’s charging now.”

Maya narrowed her eyes at him.  “You wouldn’t ignore her on purpose, would you?”

“No,” he answered firmly.  “Things are…complicated…at best between us, but I’d never want her to worry about me like that.”

Maya studied his face for a moment.  Normally an excuse like that would be completely unbelievable, but given everything she knew and had observed about Lucas over the years, it was the only thing that actually made sense.  She tilted her head to the side.  If he left his phone at the hotel, then he wasn’t trying to hurt her on purpose.  “So,” she placed her chin in the palm of her hand as she rested her elbow on the counter, “where did you go?”

Lucas didn’t even blink.  “I know what you’re asking.  Not that it’s any of your business, but I didn’t pick up any random girls last night.”

Maya smirked.  “I figured that much.”  She leaned back as she reached for the room service menu once more.  When she looked back him, she chuckled at the surprised look on his face.  “Riley’s the one who’s scared of your dating history, not me.”

He raised an eyebrow at her.  “Oh, you aren’t,” he asked sarcastically.  “Have you forgotten that I’m just a heartbreaker?  I’m the guy who will date a girl for two months and then drop her once I get bored.” He knew his resentment was seeping out, but he didn’t even care anymore.  He was tired of hearing the same story from everyone.  Now that Riley knew how he felt, he wanted to set the record straight about his supposed reputation.

Maya shook her head before she took a sip of her coffee.  Hearing the annoyance in his tone was the last piece Maya needed to confirm everything she had suspected.  She now knew exactly what was going on.  “Nope.  I don’t think that’s the case.  I love Riley.  She’s my best friend in the world, but sometimes her insecurity prevents her from seeing the whole picture.”

“Meaning?”

A smiled spread across her face as she sat her coffee mug down.  “Meaning that you find an initial attraction with a girl…a brunette with brown eyes…and on some subconscious level, you think that this girl is going to be the one to help you get over the girl you’ve been in love with since middle school.”  When Lucas opened his mouth to say something, she held up a hand. “I’m not done,” she smirked.  She wasn’t about to give him a chance to try to deny it, at least not until she had revealed her theory.  “So, you try to make it work even though you find out pretty quickly that this girl is no Riley Matthews because…well, we both know there is only one of those in the world.  You think that you can force it…maybe even make yourself believe that this time will be different…but then around the two-month mark, a certain four letter word starts to get tossed around and you realize that you aren’t in love with the girl you’re dating.  So, instead of leading her on, you end things and move on to the next one, hoping that this one will be the one to make you forget about the girl you actually do love…the one girl you think you can’t have because she threw you into the ‘brother’ category seven years ago.”

Lucas closed his mouth as he looked back down at the counter.  Out of everyone in their lives, how did Maya figure it out?  Yes, Zay knew about it, but it was only after Lucas had practically confessed everything to him.  As far as Lucas knew, Farkle didn’t have a clue.  None of their other friends had any idea.

“But that’s just a theory I’m working on,” Maya added as she slowly spun her coffee mug around.

“How?”  He had to know how she figured it out.  “I didn’t even know I was doing it until recently.  How is it possible that you knew before I did?”

“Because you’re way too close to everything to see it.”  She crossed her arms over her chest.  “I have one more theory.  This is a new one that just came to me, but it makes all the sense in the world because…I know you.  You’re not like most of the guys we go to school with.”

He took a deep breath.  “What’s that?”

She paused.  “It’s pretty invasive.”

“Maya, after the last two days, I don’t think much can surprise me anymore.”

She bit the inside of her cheek.  He had a good point.  She felt the same way, and she still had no clue as to what happened between Riley and him last night.  “I don’t think that you’ve slept with any of them.”

Lucas furrowed his eyebrows.  “What makes you say that?”

“Because,” she shrugged, “you’re different.  Because Riley and you…are a lot alike and I firmly believe that you wouldn’t sleep with anyone you weren’t in love with.”  She waited a beat.  “I don’t need you to confirm or deny anything.  It’s not any of my business.”  She took another sip of her coffee as she considered her next words.  “I was mad at you last night…because I thought that maybe I had been wrong about you, but now that I’m standing in front of you and I see how anxious you are…I know that I wasn’t wrong.  After what I saw last night… when you came back after your little adventure…I’m pretty convinced that you’re in love with her and that you’ve been in love with her for a very long time.  I think that those feelings are pouring from you now because…because you can’t possibly hold it in anymore.  Seven years is a long time to hold feelings like that in.”

Lucas said nothing as he reached for his coffee.  He took a long sip as he considered her words.  “Wow, Maya,” he finally said as he sat his mug back down.  “You should go on the road with that act.”

She shrugged, completely unfazed by the fact that he had just confirmed everything she had been thinking for the last few months.  “It’s a gift.”

“It doesn’t change anything that happened last night.”

“Are you still mad about that kiss?”  When he didn’t answer, Maya rolled her eyes.  She hated how stubborn and dense both of them could be.  “Dylan dared Asher to kiss her…for ten seconds.  You came in around the third second.”

Yeah, it was a dare.  He was told that much last night, but even if that were the case, it didn’t help erase the crystal clear mental image of her lips on Asher’s.  “All of these games are so ridiculous.  The only thing that happens is that everyone ends up making out with everyone else.”

“I know it’s juvenile, but it’s probably the last time we’re all going to be able to act like a bunch of stupid single kids in a place like this.”  Maya sighed.  How could she make him understand what was right in front of him without telling him something that Riley should be telling him?  “Lucas, look.  What happened is in the past.  Now that it’s morning…now that it’s a new day…now that it’s her birthday…what are you going to do?  Are you going to go after what you want or are you going to watch her slip away…again?”

“She doesn’t want me, Maya.  She has this perception of me that I’m the biggest fuck boy that has ever walked the earth.”  He rubbed the back of his neck.  Maya had already figured it all out.  He might as well come clean with her.  Besides, Riley probably already told her what happened.  “Last night I told her that I loved her and a few hours later, she’s kissing one of my best friends.”

Maya pinched the bridge of her nose with her index finger and thumb.  So, that’s what happened.  It made perfect sense.  It explained why Riley freaked out.  It explained why he left.  It explained why he looked so defeated when he came back and saw her with Asher.  “You’re an idiot.”

Out of every possible reaction he thought she might have had, this one was nowhere on the list.  “Why?”

“No girl wants to hear ‘I love you’ from a drunk guy at a club!”  She placed her hands on her hips.  This felt like the plot of a cheesy romantic comedy.  It was a series of misunderstandings, miscommunications, and bad timing.  Both of the leads were so stupidly in love with one another that they were both acting like complete morons.  “Especially when the girl is already scared to death of losing you.”

He knew the timing was bad.  He never meant to tell her the way he did, but it wasn’t something he could take back now.  “Maya, how does she feel about me?  Really?”

“Lucas, you know I can’t tell you that, but…I can tell you that you two are the biggest idiots I’ve ever met.  You would do anything for one another…even if that meant destroying your happiness.”  She softly chuckled.  “If there were ever two people meant for one another…”  When he didn’t return her smile, she rolled her eyes once more.  “Just trust me, ok?  I’m the first ex.  I know these things.”

“That’s the first wrong thing you’ve said during this entire conversation.”  When Maya knit her eyebrows together in confusion, he elaborated.  “You’re not the first ex.”  It only lasted for a few hours, but Riley Matthews would always be his first girlfriend.

Maya gave him a knowing look.  “She was never your ex anything.”

She was hung over.  She wasn’t nearly as hung over as she probably should have been given everything that she drank last night, but still, she had a horrible headache the moment she opened her eyes.  Riley still felt slightly drunk as she wandered into the kitchen, still cloaked in the shorts and tank top she went to bed in at nearly six in the morning.  She was so grateful that Maya already had breakfast waiting for her.  As she tried to eat enough to soak up the remaining alcohol in her system, she silently thanked God that she and Maya had a spa day today while the guys went golfing.  After the insanity of last night, she needed to relax.  She needed to close her eyes for a little while as she tried to process everything that happened last night.

“So, is there anything you don’t remember,” Maya asked as they laid face down on the massage tables.  She closed her eyes as the masseuse began to rub her shoulders.  She knew that she must have a lot of tension in that area.  Between the standard end-of-the-semester stuff and the soap opera she found herself in, she had also spent the last two days trying to ensure that her best friend had a memorable birthday.

Riley sighed.  She wished that she didn’t remember parts of what had happened—like that stupid kiss with Asher and her complete inability to say anything after Lucas told her that he loved her.  “No.  Unfortunately, I remember every second of last night.”  Stupid alcohol.

Maya had to chuckle at the pitiful tone in her best friend’s voice.  “Oh, poor baby.  You drink copious amounts of vodka and wake up with only a slight hangover and a crystal clear memory of the night before.”  She shook her head.  “You know…most people would kill to be able to do that.”

Riley pursed her lips.  She knew that things would probably be ten times worse if she didn’t remember what had happened, but she also would be blissfully unaware of the pile of mistakes she had made.  While she was still angry that Lucas left, she was even angrier with herself.  How could she stand there and not say anything to him?  “Most people don’t completely freeze up when the guy they’ve been in love with for almost half of their life says that they love them.”

“So, that’s what happened?”  Maya tried to act surprised, but knew she failed miserably the moment a slight giggle slipped through her lips.  ‘Up next on The Young and The Oblivious,’ she mused.  

“It’s not funny,” Riley groaned.  “I’m such an idiot.”  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she tried to get her body to relax, but she stiffened up even further as her mind refused to let her think about anything other than Lucas.  “We were outside…we were kissing—“

“Kissing, huh?”  ‘Huckleberry left that part out,’ she smirked.

Riley sighed.  “Ok…maybe it was a little more than kissing, but that’s not important.  He…he wanted me to tell him that when we sobered up…that when morning came…that we would be together.”

“What’d you say?”

“I told him that I couldn’t promise him that.”

Maya sighed.  “Riley, why did you say that?  You’ve been in love with him since the moment you met him.  I thought you wanted to be with him?”

Yeah, she wanted to be with him.  When she always thought about the future, he was always in it.  Even when he was with someone else, even though she knew that it couldn’t possibly happen, when she thought of the future, she immediately thought of Lucas.  “I do, i-i-it’s just that…”

“It’s just what?”

“He’s dated a lot of girls,” she softly answered.

Riley had spoken so softly that Maya almost didn’t hear her.  “So?  You’ve dated a lot of guys.”

“Yeah, but I’ve never…I’ve never been in a relationship with anyone.  I’m not…I haven’t…and I don’t want to be the next ex-girlfriend, you know?”

Maya shook her head.  She was going to lock them both up in one of the fifty rooms in their hotel suite as soon as possible.  One honest conversation could solve this whole stupid misunderstanding between them.  She knew that love tended to bring out the senselessness in people, but this was getting ridiculous.  “You would never be his next ‘ex’ anything, Riley.”

“I’m scared, Maya.  He’s the only guy I’ve ever…did you know that he got accepting into Texas A&M on a full scholarship?”  She still couldn’t wrap her brain around it.  His dream school.  The school that could make his dream career a reality and he turned it down.

Maya bit her bottom lip.  She didn’t know about that, but the moment she heard the words tumble out of Riley’s mouth, she knew exactly what her next question would be—and Maya already knew the answer.  “You don’t say…”

Riley cut her eyes in Maya’s direction even though she knew she couldn’t see anything other than the floor.  “You don’t seem surprised.”

“No, I am,” she insisted.  “I’m surprised he didn’t tell anyone about it.  Did he tell you last night?”

“No.  Zay told me.” Riley shook her head.  How she found out wasn’t what she wanted to discuss.  “That’s not the point.  Why would he give up something like that?  It’s his dream school, Maya.”

“Maybe it wasn’t his dream,” she offered.

“What are you talking about?”

Maya was getting ready to explode.  Could this be any more obvious?  Riley was a smart girl and Lucas was a smart guy, but both of them were completely clueless about how much the other person really cared about them.  “He wants to be a vet.  We all know this, but there are a lot of schools he could go to in order to become a vet.”

“Yeah, but he always talked about A&M…at least he did when we were in middle school.  Most of his family went there.  He wanted to continue that tradition.  I thought that he wanted to go back to Texas if he could…be a little closer to home,” her voice trailed off.  She narrowed her eyes as she thought about it.  “And A&M has one of the best veterinary programs in the country.  He got a full scholarship, Maya.  It just doesn’t make any sense.”

She closed her eyes as the masseuse dug into her shoulder.  “Makes perfect sense to me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Maybe there was something in New York that meant more to him?”

As soon as the girls came back into the suite, Riley made a beeline for the living room while Maya disappeared to their room to get ready for the evening.  She stopped mid stride when she noticed Zay on the couch.  His eyes were closed as his hands were folded across his chest.  She didn’t want to bother him if he was trying to sleep, but she needed to know where Lucas was.  “Zay?”

He opened his eyes.  “Hey,” he smiled as he sat up.  “How was the spa?  Are you all relaxed and ready for tonight?”

She nodded even though she was anything but relaxed.  “Where is he?”  She knew she was being brief, but she knew that she had to confront Lucas before she lost her nerve.

“He’s in the bedroom, but—“ He stopped mid sentence as Riley breezed by him to go into the guys’ room.  “He’s taking a shower,” Zay called out behind her.

Riley didn’t care or even think about what Zay said as she threw open the door to the guys’ room.

Lucas’s head snapped up as he reached for the towel wrapped around his abdomen.  “Riley!”

Riley’s eyes widened.  She knew she should leave and let him get dressed, but as she turned to leave, another thought came to her.  If he only had a towel on, he could only run away so far.  Surely he wouldn’t leave the suite dripping wet and only wearing a towel, right?  She bit the inside of her cheek as she closed the door behind her.  She knew her face was flushed as she turned back to him.  “Why are you mad at me?”

Lucas gripped the towel as he looked down at himself.  Could she not see that he had just gotten out of the shower?  “Do you really want to have this conversation right now?”

She couldn’t wait any longer.  If she waited, she would lose her nerve.  The conversations she had with both Zay and Maya helped her to piece it all together.  Now, she needed to know if it was true or if there was another reason for it.  “It was just a kiss.”

He shook his head.  “No, it wasn’t.”

She frowned.  “What do you mean ‘no, it wasn’t’?  I was there.  It was one kiss…and it was because of a stupid dare.”

He thought about trying to brush off everything that had happened between them, but as he looked into her eyes, he knew that he would never be able to hide his feelings from her again.  “A kiss is not just a kiss, Riley…not when it’s with you.”

She crossed her arms over her chest.  “Asher and I are friends. Good friends, but just friends.”

An image of her lips on Asher’s flashed through his mind. “Does he know that?”

“Yes,” she insisted.  “I didn’t…he didn’t…we didn’t feel anything when we…when we kissed last night.”

“Did you want to?”  He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer, but he knew he had to find out.

“I knew that I wouldn’t,” she confessed.  She knew it before Asher’s lips ever touched hers.  

His grip tightened on the towel that was still wrapped around him.  “Why’s that?”

The right corner of her lips turned up into a shy smile.  “You know why.”

Although his heart skipped at the sight of her smile, it wasn’t enough to placate him.  He needed to hear it.  He needed to know how she felt—one way or another.  “I don’t, Riley.  I don’t know how you feel.  I know how I feel.  I know how I’ve always felt…but you…I just don’t know.”

She subconsciously licked her lips as she found the nerve to ask him the question that had been at the forefront of her chaotic thoughts for the last ten hours.  “Why didn’t you go to A&M?”

“What?”

“Zay told me that you got accepted to Texas A&M…and that it came with a full scholarship.”  When he made no move to deny it, Riley felt her heart drop.  She knew that Zay would have no reason to lie about anything like that, but to have a silent confirmation from Lucas made it seem more real.  “I know that it was your dream school,” she continued.  “I know that it was where you’ve wanted to go since we were in middle school.  I know that…I know that it’s almost impossible for an out of state student to get into the doctoral program there.  Lucas, if you went there, you would already have a leg up on getting into their veterinarian program…and I know that you know that.  So, I have to ask: why did you decide to go to Columbia instead?  Why risk so much just to stay in the city?”

He was silent for a long moment as his eyes fell to the ground.  He knew that Zay was only trying to help, but that was one secret he had hoped to take with him.  He never wanted Riley to feel like she had prevented him from chasing a lifelong dream.  “I think you already know the answer.”

Riley took a shaky breath.  “Tell me.”  She had to hear it.  She had to know.

He looked up at her.  “What’s the point, Riley?  So you can push me away again?”  He ran his free hand through his damp hair.  “I didn’t go because I thought that maybe…maybe once we got out of high school, once we were out of that bubble…that you could maybe see me as someone other than your brother.”

“Lucas, I never saw you as a brother.”

“Yeah…I kinda figured that out last night.”  He paused.  “Riley, why did you tell me that?”

She clasped her hands together as she nervously shifted the weight of her feet.  “Because I thought there was something between you and Maya.  I thought that you both weren’t acting on it because of me…because you didn’t want to hurt me…so I stepped back…so that you two could be together and not feel guilty about it.”

He closed his eyes as her words resounded through years of memories.  Did that mean that every time their eyes met, he wasn’t the only one who thought that the rest of the world faded away?  Was he not alone in this?  As her words echoed through his mind once more, it felt as if he had finally been released from the ‘brother’ shackles he had been forced to wear for years.  This moment felt completely surreal.  “You kept that a secret for seven years?”

Tears slowly formed in her eyes.  “Yeah.  Yeah, I…there were so many times that I wanted to tell you, wanted to see if maybe…if maybe you had any feelings for me, but every time I tried to, something happened.  It was easier to hide in high school…I kept telling myself that you were Maya’s ex and I couldn’t have those feelings for you, but when we went to college…things changed.  I thought that maybe we could…I don’t know…but then we went to that party and…”

He took a step closer to her.  “And what?  Because I thought that maybe we…maybe we connected that night.”

She gave him a sad smile.  “I thought the same thing, but then I saw you making out with Lauren and I—“

“Riley, it wasn’t because I wasn’t…” he groaned.  “Riley, I was drunk.  I got drunk because I overheard you and Maya talking about me.”

She frowned.  “You did?”

He nodded.  “I spent like half an hour looking for you.  I finally saw you and Maya outside.  When I got close enough, I heard my name.  I heard you tell her that you didn’t like me ‘in that way’.”

Riley winced.  “That’s what happened?  Lucas, I wasn’t sure what to tell Maya because we hadn’t talked about anything.  I wasn’t sure how she would feel about it if I told her I had feelings for you.  You two did date and besides…I didn’t know how you felt…then we went inside and I saw you with Lauren, so I thought that everything was just in my head.”  She bit her bottom lip.  While learning about their misunderstanding at that party cleared up some of the reservations she had, there was still something that nagged at her.  “What about the conversation you had yesterday?”

“What conversation?”

“You told Zay that you wanted to go out and get a group of girls and bring them back here and do…whatever it was that you wanted to do.”  Even saying it made Riley want to throw up.

“You heard that?”

She nodded.  “I was coming to talk to you…to try to figure this out…and I heard you tell Zay that you wanted to have a real Vegas vacation.”  She paused.  “I didn’t stick around to get any of the details.”

“That’s why you kept pushing me away last night.”  He let out a bitter chuckle. “Riley, I only said that because I was mad.  I was frustrated that you turned me down.  I never would have…I haven’t…” he groaned.  “I’m not the guy you think I am.”

“Who are you?”

He waited a long moment before he answered her.  She wanted to have an honest conversation with him.  If they were laying all the cards on the table, it was time she knew the absolute truth about who he was.  “Do you want to know why every relationship I’ve been in has ended around the two month mark?”

She nodded.

“That’s usually when it starts to get serious…that’s when I realize that they aren’t you.  I never wanted to hurt anyone.  I didn’t…I couldn’t…I didn’t love any of them, Riley.”  He took another step closer to her.  “I couldn’t tell them something that wasn’t true and I couldn’t…I couldn’t do anything with them that I only ever wanted to do with you.”

She furrowed her eyebrows.  “What?”

His heart thundered in his chest.  “You think that I’ve slept with half of New York when the truth is that…I’ve been waiting for you.  I don’t want to have sex with anyone I’m not in love with and I’ve only ever loved one person in my life.”

She blinked several times as she listened to his confession.  She tried not to dwell on the details of his love life, but she thought for sure that he would have had sex with someone by now.  He had dated so many girls, and some of those relationships seemed pretty physical.  “You’ve never slept with anyone?”

“No.”

She looked down as a million thoughts ran through her.  He wasn’t that guy.  He was only trying to do what he thought was right.  He was, and always had been, Lucas Friar.  Although part of her was surprised by his admission, another part of her had always hoped that would be the case.

“How could I,” he went on.  “It’s always been you, Riley.  I tried to move on because I thought it was what you wanted, but I couldn’t.”

“I couldn’t either.  I tried…I tried so hard, but I…” she took a deep breath as she tried to steady her nerves.  She had to tell him, even though she was scared.  Even though she knew that she was risking everything, she knew that he deserved to know the truth.  “I love you.”

“What?”

“I do,” she nodded as tears filled her eyes.  The seven-year dam of miscommunications and misunderstandings had finally burst.  “I knew it the moment I let you go.  I thought it would fade over time…that my head would somehow convince my heart that it was the right thing to do, but I couldn’t.  Those feelings only grew.  I pushed you away because I couldn’t breathe around you anymore.  All I wanted…all I’ve ever wanted…was you.”  She swallowed.  “I haven’t…you know…either.”

“Haven’t what?”  As he took another step toward her, he wasn’t sure if he was dreaming or not.  She loved him?  She always loved him?

“I haven’t slept with anyone.  I feel the same way you do about it.  I…I wanted to be in love.  The problem was that I pushed the guy I loved away from me…to the point where I thought he saw me as…well…as a sibling.”

He slowly closed the space between him.  He wanted nothing more than to sweep her off her feet, but he was afraid that if he made any sudden movements, everything would fade away.  “I never saw you like that.  I-I tried to.  I wanted to be who you wanted me to be, but I couldn’t, Riley.”  He closed his eyes as she cupped his cheek in the palm of her hand.  That one simple gesture reinforced the fact that this was no dream.  “I couldn’t stop loving you…for seven years…I couldn’t.”

“Lucas, I love you.”

As her fingers lightly rubbed his cheek, he covered her hand with his.  “Say it again,” he begged as he rested his forehead against hers.  He wanted to hear it over and over again.  He had to hear it again.  It was easily the most beautiful statement he had ever heard in his life.

“I love you so much,” her voice cracked as she tried to quell the urge to cry.  She leaned back slightly as she looked into his eyes.  She couldn’t resist it anymore.  The walls between them had toppled down and she had to be close to him.  Seven years of separation had finally taken its toll on both of them.

The kiss was soft at first, barely a brush as their lips lightly grazed against one another.  Both felt a slight wave of nervousness overcome them as they were ushered into a new world.  This time there was no timer, no alcohol, nothing that could come between them.  They were able set their own rules and boundaries.

Only they were tired of having any boundaries between them.  They were tired of hiding how they felt.  They were tired of being unable to explore every avenue of the love they had for one another.

Riley smiled against his lips as he wrapped one arm around her.  His other hand still gripped the towel around his waist.  She slowly opened her mouth against his as she ran her fingers down his back.

Lucas shuddered as her fingers danced across his back.  Did she have any idea just how much of a hold she had on him?  He wanted to give her anything and everything her heart desired.  He knew that he was all in with her.  When her lips parted, his tongue slowly dipped into her mouth.

As their kiss deepened, Riley lowered her hands to the towel that was wrapped around his waist.  She rested one of her hands on top of the hand that had gripped the towel ever since she barged into his room.

Lucas pulled away from her the moment he felt her hand cover his.  He searched her eyes for a long moment.  “Are you sure?”

“I’ve never been more certain about anything in my life.”  Her moved her hands to the hem of her shirt.  Without a second thought and without taking her eyes off of him, she lifted her tank top over her head and tossed it to the corner of the room.  “Your move, Friar.”

His heart raced the moment she slid her shirt off.  It wasn’t just because she was nearly half naked in the room he shared with Zay, although he had to admit part of it was definitely because she was half naked.  Still though, it was more than that.  It was the look in her eye.  It was the confident tone in her voice.  It was everything about this moment.  She barged in.  She demanded answers.  She decided that they were worth trying to figure this whole mess out.  She knew what she wanted, and for some strange reason, what she wanted was him.  He thought he would be nervous if the day ever came that he would be able to show her how much he loved her, but he wasn’t.  The look in her eyes told him everything he needed to know.  He was sober.  She was sober.  And they needed to form a connection that went beyond words.

And they needed that connection now.

He quickly closed the space between them as his lips crashed onto hers once again.  Riley’s hands lowered to the towel once more.  This time, Lucas didn’t hesitate as he allowed her to unwrap the towel from his torso.

With both hands free, he was finally able to familiarize himself with every curve of her body.  He slid his lips down the column of her neck as his fingers danced along the straps of her bra.  As his lips continued their journey toward her shoulder, he hooked his fingers under her bra strap and slid it out of the way.

Riley shivered as he slid her right bra strap off her shoulder.  She tilted her head to the side as his lips slowly moved back to her neck.  Her hands gripped his back as he maneuvered them back toward the wall.  She gasped as her back hit the wall next to one of the beds.  “Lucas,” she whimpered as his fingers slowly, painfully so, slid the other bra strap down her shoulders.

Lucas ran his fingers down her arm as his other hand rested on her waist.  “Do you want me to stop,” he asked tenderly before his lips pressed a soft kiss to her shoulder.

“No,” she shook her head.  “I want your hands, your mouth, your…everything…all over me.”  She ran her hand through his hair.  “I love you.”

His hands slowly made their way to the clasp on her bra.  His lips found the little spot behind her ear that instantly made her shudder.  “I love you too,” he murmured before he unhooked her bra.  He could feel Riley’s pulse rate quicken underneath his lips as he tossed her bra to the other side of the room before his hands glided down the length of her back.  For the first time ever, there wasn’t anything in between the top half of their bodies as they embraced.

“This feels so right,” she whispered as she closed her eyes.  She kissed his shoulder as she reveled in the feeling of his skin pressed against hers.  “Well…almost.”  She moved her hands to the waistband of her shorts.

“No,” Lucas said as his hands covered hers.  When Riley looked at him in confusion, he smiled.  “Let me.”

Riley thought her heart was going to jump out of her chest when he took two steps back from her.  She took a shaky breath as her eyes slowly lowered to admire his body.  She knew what the male form looked like thanks to their ninth grade health class, several art exhibits Maya had taken her to over the years, and a few of the foreign films she watched on campus.  She knew what to expect, but as her eyes raked over him the second time, she knew that nothing could have prepared her for seeing him.  To say that Lucas Friar was built like a Greek god would be a severe understatement.  She bit her bottom lip as he knelt down in front of her.  As his eyes lifted to look into hers, she wondered what he was thinking about—if she was what he had imagined or not.

Lucas had to remind himself how to breathe as he took in the beauty of the angel who stood before him.  All he wanted to do was worship her entire existence every single second for the rest of his life.  She was even more perfect than he had ever imagined.  Every freckle, every dimple was perfectly placed as it all added up to the goddess before him.  He placed his hands on the band of her yoga shorts as he looked up at her.  When she gave him a small nod, he slowly began to slide them down her legs.

Riley placed her hand on his shoulder as she stepped out of her shorts.  She looked down at Lucas as he slowly ran his hands up the back of her legs.  As his fingers reached the band of her black lace underwear, he leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on her hipbone.  Riley closed her eyes as she leaned her head back.  How was it possible that a simple kiss could make her feel completely weak in the knees?

Lucas smiled against her skin as he felt several goose bumps pop up along her hip.  As his fingers hooked underneath her underwear, he kissed her hipbone once more, only this time, he casually scraped his teeth against the bone before he planted a deep open mouth kiss on her skin.  He smirked when he heard Riley softly moan in response.  He slowly tugged her underwear down as he continued to kiss along her side.

Riley knew her legs were visibly shaking as she stepped out of her underwear.  Her eyes were completely closed, and her head was tilted back as she savored every connection his lips made to her skin.

“You’re beautiful,” he said softly as his lips slowly made their way further south.  “Every square inch of you is perfect,” he continued as he finally reached the gates to the world he longed to reside in.  He ran his hand down her right leg before he lifted it over his shoulder.  He turned his head to the side as he placed a kiss against her thigh.  

Her legs quaked and he hadn’t even touched her yet.  The anticipation, the knowledge that he was about to pay homage to the most sacred place on her body was enough to send her mind reeling.  She moved her left hand behind her as she tried to find something to hold onto.  The only thing she could grip was the edge of the nightstand.  She ran her right hand through his hair as she tried to steady her already ragged breathing.

The moment she felt his tongue against her, Riley leaned her head back against the wall.  As incredible as his fingers felt last night, it didn’t compare to this.  Her mouth fell open as a soft moan escaped her.  She knew that her left leg would buckle from underneath her, and was honestly surprised that it hadn’t happened the moment his tongue slid in between her.  If she died right now, she knew that heaven couldn’t possibly be as incredible as this feeling was.

He had never done this before, so he was completely unsure if he was even doing it right, but when he heard the soft moans and sighs coming from her perfect lips, he knew that he had to be doing something right.  Encouraged by her reaction, his tongue slid up as it circled the most sensitive area of her body.

Riley sucked in her breath at the sensation.  “Lucas,” she gasped.

“Hmm?”

The vibration in his voice reverberated against her, which sent another ripple of ecstasy through her entire body.  “Lucas, I don’t want to,” she finally breathed once she was able to find her voice again.

He frowned as he slowly pulled back from her.  “You don’t want to?”

It took her another moment to catch her breath.  “I don’t want to have my first…my first orgasm…like that.”

He tilted his head to the side.  “What do you want?”

She slowly lowered her head as her eyes met his.  “I want you to be inside me.”  When he didn’t immediately say or do anything, a sense of dread filled her.  Had she completely ruined the moment?  “Please,” she nearly begged.  This couldn’t stop now.  They were close—so close.

Lucas slowly lowered her right leg before he stood up.  He would have gladly spent the next several minutes worshipping every square inch of her, but she didn’t want that.  She wanted him.  She wanted him to be inside of her.  He never thought he would ever hear those words from her, but now that he had, he knew he would gladly and eagerly acquiesce to her request.

Without saying a word, he scooped her in his arms as he walked over to his bed.  As he laid her down on top of the bed, he hovered over her.  “Are you sure,” he finally asked her as he positioned himself in between her legs.  “I know it’s going to hurt at first and I can’t stand the thought of causing you pain.”

“I’m sure,” she whispered as she pulled his face to hers.  He was really concerned about her level of pleasure right now?  Of course he was.  He was Lucas.  He always considered everyone else above himself and his feelings.  They were more alike than Riley even knew.  She didn’t think it was possible, but she was certain that she fell more in love with him in that moment.  As their lips met, Riley knew that this was perfect.  He was perfect.  They were perfect.

As they kissed, he interlaced his fingers with hers.  As she sighed into his mouth, he slowly entered her.  When she whimpered, he paused as he took a moment for her to get used to the sensation.

Riley furrowed her eyebrows as she felt the pressure from his sudden entrance.  It hurt more than she thought it would as he slowly slid into her.  She didn’t mean to vocalize her discomfort, but the moment she did, he stopped, and kissed her softly on the lips before he slowly began to kiss a trail down to her neck.

She knew she didn’t deserve this.  She didn’t deserve to be loved by him like this.  He was treating her as if she were made of glass—like she was the most precious thing in the world.  The most incredible part of all of it was that he made her believe that she was.  She knew at that moment that he really did love her.  

And he had waited all this time.  He waited for her.

Her free hand slowly roamed over his back as he continued to kiss along her neck.  She pushed down on his lower back to silently let him know that he could continue.  Without a word, he continued to slowly fill her.  Riley’s heart thundered in her chest as she desperately tried to forget the discomfort she felt.

As soon as he was fully inside of her, he lifted his head as his concerned eyes met hers.  He didn’t even think about how it felt for him because he was so focused on making this as painless as possible for her.  “Are you ok?”

Riley nearly burst into tears on the spot.  The softness in his tone, the concern etched across his face was unreal.  She nodded, too emotional to say anything.

He kissed her forehead as he gave her another moment to get used to the feeling.  When he lifted his head once more, Riley untangled her fingers from his as she placed her hands on his hips.  “I’m ready,” she finally told him as her eyes rose to meet his.

He slowly slid out of her, which incited a painful hiss from Riley.  He frowned but she gave him a small nod of encouragement as her hands gripped his hips a little tighter.  When he slid back in, she still felt some discomfort, but her heart also fluttered a little at the sensation.  When she noticed that Lucas was waiting for her to say something, to give him any sort of encouragement to continue, she gave him a small smile.  “I’m not going to break,” she insisted as she cupped the side of his face with one of her hands.  “I’m ok,” she added as she lowered his face to hers.

The only thing that encouraged him to slowly increase his speed was the feeling of her lips pressed against his, while her tongue slowly massaged his, as their bodies fused together.  Encouraged by the soft moans that escaped her lips, he began to slowly slide in and out of her.  After a few moments, his concerns about the girl under him began to fade as a wave of pleasure overcame him.  Her breathy sighs let him know that what he was doing to her was no longer painful—that she was receiving pleasure from it.

The first few times he slid into her, Riley was uncomfortable, but gradually, the pleasure from the friction overtook her.  This felt good—more than good.  How could it feel this good when it hurt so badly just a moment ago?  She nibbled on his bottom lip as his rhythm began to increase.  

Making out with Riley in the hot tub their first night in Vegas had sent him into another world.  Being able to explore her body with his fingertips last night made him feel like the luckiest man to have ever roamed the earth.  Tasting her essence gave him the chance to openly worship the woman he had dreamt about for so long.  While all of the above had led up to this earth shattering moment, he knew that this—being able to surround himself with her, to feel not just a physical connection, but an emotional and spiritual one as well—was as if heaven had cracked open up above him and entrusted him with the task of ensuring the happiness of the most precious creature to have ever walked the earth.  How fortunate was he to be able to experience one of the most sacred and cherished of acts of love with a true goddess.  Surely the divine creature underneath him wasn’t mortal.  She couldn’t possibly be.  She was his missing piece; a fact that he had suspected all along.  Nothing ever felt quite right when she wasn’t around, but now, now that they were together, everything around him felt so much more real.  He knew that he could easily become addicted to this—to her—to being anything, to being everything she needed.

Because she was already everything to him.

Riley gasped as he hit a particularly sensitive spot inside of her.  She arched her back into him as her eyes snapped shut.  “Yes,” she moaned as she tilted her head back.  “That feels so good.”

“I can tell you right now that couldn’t be nearly as good for you as it feels for me,” he murmured as he lowered his head to her neck.

She gasped again as he hit that spot once more.  “That’s not possible,” she breathed as she further arched her back to meet each thrust he delivered.

The moment she began to move underneath him, Lucas knew that it wouldn’t be long before he completely lost control.  His lips slid across her shoulder as he tried to focus on something, anything, other than the angel underneath him.

“Yes,” she whimpered as she dug her fingernails into his back.  “Lucas, please don’t stop!”

He tried to think of something other than her.  He tried to think about the starting line up of the Yankees, the time he participated in the polar plunge at Great Kills Beach last winter, and even the horrendous thought that this perfect moment with her was only a dream, but none of it worked.  It felt too good.  She felt too good.  As she begged him to keep going, he knew he had to.  He needed to hear her cry out for him.  He needed to know that he had given her some small ounce of pleasure in exchange for allowing him to enter the gates of heaven.

He increased his speed with every sound of pure ecstasy that passed through Riley’s lips.  He knew that he would do anything for her—even obliterate himself if he had to.  She was the reason for everything he had accomplished since he moved to New York.  She had taken his heart the moment they met, and now, as their bodies were one with one another, he knew that there would never be anyone else for him.

Riley moaned loudly as she felt the intense waves of euphoria flow throughout her entire body.  Her body felt completely electrified as she entered an entirely new dimension.  It was everything she had expected it to be and so much more.

The feeling of her walls caving in on him finally sent Lucas spiraling over the edge.  He buried his head in the crook of her neck as he tried to catch his breath from his own meteoric release.

[gilbertandanne]

AU College Fic. Farkle never figured out how Riley really felt about Lucas, so it never got out. Now she’s turning 21 and the gang decides to go to Las Vegas to celebrate. Sometimes what happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas.

Rating: M

Pairing: Rucas

Word Count: 7,236

Cross-posted at ff.net            

Soundtrack (although not at all organized and subject to edits)

A/N: Warning: this chapter sucks.  Something got lost in translation from my brain to my fingers.  I’ve tried to smooth it out the best I could, but I’m still not happy with it.   Also, if you’re curious about the chapter title thing, there is a HUGE clue about the origination in this chapter.

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | J | Q | K | A | J |

                                  Chapter Eleven: Knave

A standard room at the Bellagio runs around $200 a night, but he didn’t want there to be anything standard about what the next few hours held for them. He knew exactly what kind of room she would want without her ever having to say a word.  He knew that she would want one with a magnificent view of what had captivated her attention every time her beautiful brown eyes landed on it.  Without a second thought, he knew that she would want a picture perfect view of the fountains, although if he had his way, she would miss the rest of the shows that night.

She wasn’t sure how he managed to slide the key card in and pull on the handle while he had her pinned against the door.  Their lips seemed to have been permanently bonded together the moment they reunited in the elevator on the way up to the 21st floor.  

Thankfully, no one else had joined them on the ride up.  Even if they had, Riley wasn’t sure that they would be able to wait.  It was completely unexplainable.  They had been able to keep their distance from one another for so long.  It stood to reason that they could wait another five minutes.

But they couldn’t.  

Seven years of repression erupted from them the moment he told her that he loved her.  She wasn’t sure how they made it as far as the elevator without ripping one another’s clothes off.

As soon as the elevator doors closed behind them, and they were finally alone, she knew that all bets were off.

“Tell me again,” he growled as he pulled her to him.  “I have to hear it again.”

“I love you.”  She barely got the words out before his lips crashed to hers in a frenzy.  As the elevator began its trek up to their floor, their hands roamed all over one another as their mouths refused to be separated.  Nothing else existed in that moment but them, this moment, and the realization that they were literally holding onto everything they had ever wanted.

She gasped as he lifted her off her feet.  She wrapped her legs around his waist as he pressed her back against the wall of the elevator.  She snaked her arms around his neck in a desperate effort to get even closer to him.  She wiggled in his arms in sheer anticipation as she felt his hands slide up her dress.  A shiver rippled through her entire body when he finally gripped her ass.

“I need you,” she begged the second he released his lips from hers.  As soon as his lips connected with her collarbone, she arched her back as a soft moan escaped her.  “Lucas, I can’t wait another second.”

Riley reluctantly opened her eyes as the elevator chimed.  They had made it to the 21st floor.  As the doors opened, she noticed that no one was on the other side.  Lucas said nothing to her as he carried her down the hallway to the room.

As soon as he opened the door to the hotel room, he scooped her in his arms once more as he hurried inside.  He had her dress already halfway unzipped by the time he booted the door closed behind them.

Riley kicked her heels off as he carried her the entire way to the bed.  As soon as her feet touched the ground, she slid her dress down.  She always thought she would be scared to death about her first time, but there wasn’t a nervous bone in her entire body.  Why should she feel nervous when everything felt so right?

As her dress pooled around her ankles, her eyes locked onto his.  The look of pure adoration in his eyes was enough to fill her with a confidence she had never felt before as she stepped out of the garment.  She closed the space between them as her hands reached for the tie around his neck.

As she began to loosen his tie, he leaned forward to place a soft kiss against her lips.  “I love you,” he murmured as he threaded his fingers through her hair.  As she slid the tie off and reached for the top buttons of his shirt, he placed his hand over hers to stop her.  “I never stopped loving you…even though you told me that you only saw me as a brother.”

If her head had been a little clearer, if her heart had been a little less scared, if she hadn’t heard his comments to Zay earlier that night, or if she had been able to keep her brain turned off, then maybe it would have happened just like that.  Maybe she would have lost her virginity to Lucas Friar at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas on her 21st birthday.

But she didn’t.  

She was practically catatonic as seven years of memories—of everything she thought was real but suddenly wasn’t—faded away into something much more complex and raw.  She had been wrong about everything the entire time?  It didn’t make sense.    

She shook her head as his words bounced around her mind.  Her knees desperately tried not to buckle from underneath her as she tried to pull herself out of her daydream.  Her eyes fell to the ground as her brain finally caught up with everything that had happened between them in the last fifteen minutes.  He loved her when they were in Texas and she stepped back?  He loved her now?  What about the parade of girls that had gone in and out of his life in between then and now?  What about what he told Zay earlier that night?  What about that stupid party?  What about the girls who had surrounded him all night?  Everything he said to her contradicted the last seven years of her life.  How could she even begin to process all of this, especially while she was inebriated?  How could she push through the fog in order to reach the logical part of her brain when her body screamed at her to stop thinking and do whatever it took to get him into that hotel room?

As her eyes slowly wandered back up to him, she realized that he was no longer standing in front of her.  He left.

Again.

He left her on the patio at Hyde for the second time that night.  Tears welled in her eyes as she looked back at the fountains for a moment.  “No,” she murmured before she turned back toward the door to the club.  It wasn’t right.  He couldn’t just tell her that he loved her and then walk away from her.  That wasn’t fair.  It wasn’t fair that he could say all of that and not give her a moment to process the fact that that everything she had known about the last seven years was a complete and utter lie.  

With a renewed sense of determination, she marched back into the club.  The adrenaline that filled her carried her trembling legs as she looked for him at the table, every bar in the club, and even the dance floor.  She must have searched for him for twenty minutes before she began to worry.  Where had he gone?  He didn’t actually leave the club, did he?

By the time she reached the table, her adrenaline had completely evaporated as a blind panic charged through her senses.  “Where is he,” she asked the small group.

Maya frowned as she took in Riley’s frazzled appearance.  Her hair was disheveled, her eyes were bloodshot, and she seemed to be coming apart at the seams.  Maya knew it only had to mean one thing.  “Lucas?”

Riley nodded.

“He left,” Farkle answered.

Riley crossed her arms over her chest as she released a shaky breath.  “He left? W-Where did he go?”  She glanced around the table.  She noticed that the two women he had been around for most of the night were also gone.  “W-What happened to those girls?”

“They left too,” Dylan told her before he finished off the rest of his beer.  “Around the same time he did.”  He glanced at Asher as he sat the empty glass back down on the table.  “Dude, do you think he left with both of them?”

Asher shrugged.  Truthfully, he had no idea what was going on with Lucas.  First, he didn’t say a word about being in Las Vegas when he knew damn well that Dylan and he were going to be there.  Secondly, Lucas had barely said two words to him all night.  Thirdly, he seemed to have this major chip on his shoulder.  He wasn’t acting like the Lucas he had grown up with and had known for most of his life.

Maya’s frown deepened as she listened to Dylan.  She looked back up at Riley, whose eyes were filled with tears.  Something bad had happened.  Something major and bad. She was afraid to ask, but knew that she had to.  “What happened?”

Riley slowly shook her head as desperately tried not to fall apart in the middle of the crowded club.  She couldn’t lose it now.  She had to remain calm.  She had to remain focused.  She had to find him.

“Are you ok,” Zay asked her as he climbed out of the booth.  

She shook her head again.  “Um…I’m getting a little tired.  I think I’m going to…head back.”

“We’re coming too,” Maya insisted as she stood up.  She had no idea what was going on with Riley, but there was no way she was going to let her go back to the hotel by herself.

Riley tried to text him the entire ride back to the hotel.  As soon as the group entered the suite, she made a beeline to the bedroom she shared with Maya.  She quickly dialed his number as she closed the door behind her.  After four rings, his voicemail kicked in.  “Lucas, i-it’s Riley.  I-I’m sorry that I didn’t immediately respond to what…to what you said.  I…I was in shock…and I’m…I’m really drunk…you’re really drunk…and i-it’s just a lot to take in.  I mean…did you even mean it?  God, I probably shouldn’t even be asking you this over a voicemail because what if you didn’t mean it?  What if…what if it all came out in the heat of the moment?  What if it was just…what if it was just some drunken word vomit because we were about to—“ she cringed as she pulled the device away from her ear.  She quickly erased the message and started a new one.  “Lucas, it’s Riley.  Please call me back or text me or something.  No one knows where you went and I’m worried.  Just…just send me something to let me know that you’re…that you’re ok.  Don’t worry about waking me up.  I’m not going to be able to sleep until I know that you’re ok.  Ok.  Bye.”  She hung up her phone as she slowly sat down on the bed.

She ran a hand through her hair before she fell backward on the bed.  She gripped her phone and closed her eyes as she tried to quell the intense urge to bawl her eyes out.  Was it real?  Did he love her or was it because of the fact that they were about to do something incredibly stupid right outside of a Las Vegas nightclub?

She groaned as she rolled over onto her stomach and buried her face in the mattress.  She would have gladly and eagerly given her virginity to him outside of that club if it had gotten that far.  God, if his fingers felt that amazing, how incredible would it feel to actually have him inside of her?

An image of the two women he had been with for a good chunk of the night flashed through her mind.  Riley’s stomach churned as a wave of nausea overcame her.  Was he with them right now?  Were they at wherever those girls were staying?  Were they having the time of their lives because Riley hesitated—because she couldn’t immediately give him what he wanted at that moment?  

‘No,’ she reasoned as she tapped her phone against the bed.  He wouldn’t do that.  He wouldn’t tell her something like that and then run off with two complete strangers.  

At the same time though, he was drunk and she knew that he was mad at her.  What would stop him from doing something like that—especially if he didn’t know how she felt?  She knew he wouldn’t hurt her, but if he didn’t know how she really felt, what would stop him from making his threesome dreams a reality?

She squinted as she glanced at her phone.  Nothing.  “Dammit Lucas,” she muttered as she slowly sat back up.  He could yell, scream, call her every name in the book if he wanted to; she just needed to know that he was ok.

Maya knocked on the door once before she entered the room.  “Hey.”

Riley turned to her.  “Hey.”  She knew Maya had to be curious about what had transpired at the club, but Riley had no idea what to say to her.  She had no idea what was going to happen next.  She wasn’t sober enough to field questions about what she and Lucas were, are, or going to be.  All she knew was that she wasn’t going to be able to sleep until he came back to the suite.

“Do you want Asher and Dylan to leave?”

Riley shook her head before she looked back down at her phone.  “No…I have a feeling I’ll be up for awhile.”

“You haven’t heard anything from him yet?”

“Nope,” she sighed.

Maya walked around the bed in order to sit down next to Riley.  “What happened?”

Riley ran a hand through her hair once more.  “I can’t even begin to tell you…not now anyway.”  She slowly stood up before she walked toward the dresser to grab a change of clothes.  The small act distracted her—gave her something else to think about for one second that didn’t completely revolve around him.

“Ok, you don’t have to tell me…not now, not even later if you don’t want to.  I just want you to be ok.”

“I’m fine,” she lied as she pulled out a pair of shorts and a tank top.  “I just…I need a distraction.  I need to get my mind off of him before I completely lose it.”  She tossed the garments on the bed before she looked up at Maya.  “Why’d he leave, Maya?  Where did he go?  Who is he with?”

“I wish I knew.”  As she watched Riley throw her hair back into a bun, Maya couldn’t help but to feel helpless about the whole situation.  She knew that Riley was about to come apart at the seams, and there was nothing she could do about it.  She was beginning to regret not locking them in a room when she had the chance.  “I’m sure he’s ok.  The guys said that he disappears sometimes…he’ll be back soon.  I’m sure of it.”

“But he just left.”  Riley clenched her fists as her lips formed a thin line.  Was he ignoring her on purpose?  Had he listened to her voicemail yet?  What if he really left with those girls?  What if he was covered in lipstick and cheap perfume when he finally decided to come back?  The pit in Riley’s stomach swelled at the mere thought of it.  “I called.  I texted.  He’s not answering anything.”

“Maybe he went to the casino or something,” Maya tried to reason.  “I’m sure he’s not ignoring you on purpose.  He’ll call.  I know he’ll call.”  As Maya stood up, she thought of a hundred different ways she could kill Lucas and make it seem like an accident.  She knew that whatever happened had to be some ridiculous misunderstanding, but she would always have a fierce loyalty to the brunette who seemed to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown.  She knew she needed to stay out of it, but if he hurt her, Maya knew she couldn’t be held accountable for the certain pain she would inflict on him.  “Zay’s ordering food from downstairs.  Any special requests?”

Riley shrugged.  Food was the last thing on her mind.  “I’m ok with whatever you guys want.”

“I’ll let you get changed.”  When Maya reached the door, she turned back to Riley once more.  “It’ll work out, Riley.  I know he’s not going to do anything stupid.”

Riley laughed as she took another sip of her drink.  An hour had passed since she seemed to be on the verge of a complete meltdown.  Within that hour, her mood must have changed five different times.  She was worried, then she was upset with herself, then she was angry with herself, then she was angry with him, and finally, she reached the most dangerous stage of all: denial.  She had managed to convince herself that she didn’t care where he was or what he was doing.  He hadn’t called her.  He hadn’t texted her back.  He had been gone for about an hour and a half, and Riley figured that he must be trying to punish her for hesitating, for trying to work through their complicated history before responding to his confession.  He had no right to be mad at her.  She needed to think.  She never even wanted to have that conversation while they were intoxicated.  He pushed it.  He pushed her and then he left without waiting to hear an answer from her.  This wasn’t her fault.  And now, he was gone.  He was somewhere in Las Vegas ignoring all communication attempts she made to him.  “Someone has to teach me about blackjack before I lose all of my money tomorrow at the casino.”

Maya glared at the drunken brunette as she watched Riley slowly lean closer to Asher.  She knew that she had encouraged Riley to have fun and maybe forget about the whole Lucas thing for now, but she wasn’t sure that she wanted to see her friend quite like this.  She was more than pissed off at Lucas and the way he abandoned whatever conversation they were having.  As she listened to Riley giggle at something Asher said, Maya knew she would be damned if she let Riley do something she would regret in the morning.  She had to keep an eye on the brunette.  She was drunk, embarrassed, and angry.  She wasn’t sure what Riley was capable of right now.  She had never seen her so worked up in her entire life.

Zay shuffled the deck of cards before he dealt out two to everyone. “Ok, Riley…for this round, I’ll show you my cards so I can tell you what is what and everything.”  He flipped his cards over as dealt out everyone’s hands face up.  “Ok, so I have a dime and a deuce.”

She frowned.  “Wait.  What?”

“They’re just nicknames for a ten and a two.  The number cards value is whatever it says.  The face cards—jack, queen, and king—have the value of ten…like dimes do. Aces can count as either eleven or one.”

She nodded as she narrowed her eyes at the cards in front of her.  “Ok, so I have a queen and an eight…so, I have eighteen.”

“Exactly.”  How was it possible that Riley had gone through the first twenty-one years of her life having never played blackjack—even just for fun?  “Now, the object is to get the closest to 21 without going over.  Your goal is to beat whatever the dealer has.”

She nodded.  She had never played this card game before, but the concept seemed simple enough.  “Ok…so...hit me.”

“I thought you said you never played before,” he smiled before he looked back down at her cards.  “I gotta tell you though that eighteen is pretty good.  I might stay if I were you.”

She grinned as she reached for her drink.  “I’ve seen the movie ‘21’ and I like to live dangerously.”

He laughed.  “Very well.”  He turned up her card.  “Wow.  A trey.  You’ve got 21.”

Riley squealed as she victoriously raised her hands in the air.  “Yes!”

“I really don’t understand where Lucas went.” Dylan rubbed the back of his neck as he wandered back over to the rest of the group.  Yeah, Lucas had been known to disappear at times, but he would usually tell someone where he was headed and an idea as to when he would be back.  Even if he ran off with those girls, he thought for sure that he would at least text someone to let them know not to wait up for him.

Zay shook his head as he shuffled the cards.  “I wish I knew.  He only said that he needed some space and a change of scenery.”

Riley stared at Zay until he finally looked up at her.  Thank God for vodka.  An hour ago, she would have been scared to ask anyone where he could have gone, but now, after not hearing anything from him, and after consuming two more drinks, the brunette felt more prepared to face the truth—no matter how much it hurt.  “Is that code for wanting to have sex with a random stranger…or strangers as the case may be?”

Zay furrowed his eyebrows.  Where did that come from?  “You know he’s not like that, Riley.”

“Zay, you have to admit that he does go through girls pretty quickly.”  Farkle reached for a slice of pizza.  “I think I’ve never loved pizza more than at 3:30 in the morning.”

As Zay dealt the cards, he shook his head. “Yeah, it might seem like he goes through a lot of girls.  I mean…he’s had a lot of girlfriends, but that’s not exactly what…he’s not that guy.  Trust me.”

“Then what’s going on with him?”  Maya wasn’t sure what to think anymore.  She thought she had a picture perfect view of him, but this whole disappearing act—not to mention Riley’s emotional roller coaster ride since he left—suggested that he wasn’t at all who she thought he was.  Something wasn’t adding up.

Zay sighed.  He wanted to tell everyone why Lucas had been in a sour mood throughout the whole trip.  He wanted to tell everyone everything he had learned earlier that evening, but as much as everyone liked to think that Zay couldn’t keep his mouth shut, he knew that this time, he had to.  If Lucas wanted to tell Riley how he really felt, then he would.  It wasn’t Zay’s call to make that decision for him.  “I can’t get into that right now.”  He glanced at Riley.  She seemed worried when they first got back to the suite, but for the last half hour or so, she acted as carefree as she was at the beginning of the night.  Maybe Lucas was off trying to figure out how to tell her how he felt?  There was no way he was somewhere having sex with a random stranger—not after the way he acted earlier.  He wouldn’t sabotage himself like that, would he?  “Besides, it’s her birthday and I know we all just want to have a good time, right?”

Maya slowly nodded.  “Yeah.  Right.”  She wasn’t sure where Lucas was, who he was with, or what he was doing, but at that moment, Maya knew that when morning came, she was going to have a little chat with him.

“Enough with the heavy stuff then.” Asher was beyond exasperated by the conversation as he stood up.  It was Riley’s birthday and he was tired of theorizing what was going on with Lucas.  The guy was one of his best friends, but none of them were in the right state of mind to accurately assess his state of mind.  He wanted to have fun with the people he only saw once a year.  He wanted Riley to have a good birthday.  “We have this incredible suite.  Let’s make the most of the rest of this night.”

“What do you suggest,” Farkle asked.

Asher looked around the living room.  There was the pool table, the bowling alley, and the hot tub.  The possibilities were endless, but he wasn’t sure which option would be the most entertaining for everyone.  “I don’t know.  What did you guys do last night?”

Lucas thought for sure everyone would be asleep by the time he made it back to the suite.  It had to be close to 4:00am.  Time had completely slipped away from him.  He didn’t want to have a third round with Riley tonight.  He was irritated with himself for walking away from her after his admission, but he didn’t see any possible positive outcome for him—especially when she didn’t immediately say anything back to him.  He figured that she would laugh in his face, not believe him at all, or feel obligated to say something like that in return.  As he waited for her to say something—anything—he realized that his admission wasn’t fair to either of them because in her drunken state, he wasn’t going to entertain any response from her.  He didn’t even mean to let it slip out like that.  So, instead of putting her through the pressure of having to answer him, he left.  He didn’t know what else to do at the time.

He was frustrated, angry, and more than a little drunk as he climbed into the elevator to go back to the penthouse suite.  He had never been this angry with himself.  He had been able to keep everything together for seven years and within a few heated minutes, he had drunkenly bared his soul to her.  

As he walked out of the elevator, he prayed that everyone would be asleep.  He couldn’t stomach the idea of confronting her, or any of them, right now.

All he wanted to do was forget the whole thing for a little while.  So, he sat alone at one of the bars downstairs for nearly two hours as he desperately tried to forget everything that had transpired with Riley.

Only, he couldn’t forget.  He realized that he didn’t want to forget.  As much as it would hurt to get rejected by her again, he knew that he had finally taken a chance.  It took him years—and a lot of alcohol—to get to that point, but he finally told her how he felt.

She was in his arms.  For a few glorious moments, he knew that she had melted into him.  God, he wanted nothing more than to get a room for the night for them—something private, something special.  He knew that he’d never want anyone the way he wanted her as his fingers dipped into paradise.  The gateway to Utopia was pressed against his fingertips and it was at that moment that he knew he wanted to live there forever.

But then he had to open his mouth and beg her to be his.  He had gotten greedy by wanting more and more of her.  She didn’t want to talk about it while they were drunk, so instead of respecting her wishes, he pushed her.  Why?  

Because he needed to hear the words more than he needed to feel her around him.

He was a fool—a hopeless fool in love.

He sighed as he slid the key card into the door.  As he opened the door, he was mildly surprised to hear conversation come from the living room.

As he wandered into room, his curious frown deepened as he came face to face with the one thing he was trying to avoid the entire trip.  His heart dropped into his stomach as his eyes refused to look away from them.  

Riley and Asher.  Asher and Riley.  He knew that he was drunk.  He hoped that he would be unable to recollect the sight before him when morning came, but as he watched one of his oldest friends kiss the woman he was in love with, Lucas knew that the image had been permanently seared into his brain.

As the door closed behind him, Riley detached her lips from Asher.  The others were also in the living room, but Lucas wasn’t interested in what they were doing or what their reactions were to his presence.  He only wanted to see her reaction.  He only wanted to know if she cared that he had forced himself to watch her lips move against someone else’s.

“There you are,” Dylan happily exclaimed.  

The others remained completely silent.  No one wanted to move, to breathe, out of fear for what might happen next.  The look on his face said it all, at least it did to Maya, Zay, and Farkle.

Riley’s eyes widened as she spun around to face him.  Her hands fell to her sides as she waited for him to say something—to react—to do anything other than look at her as if she had just stabbed him in the back.  She didn’t even want to play the stupid game in the first place.  She only did it because she didn’t want to go to bed.  She didn’t want to be left alone with her thoughts.  She didn’t want to call him for the twentieth time and plead for him to come back to the suite.  

“Y-Yeah,” Maya stammered as she looked back and forth between Lucas and Riley.  How was she the first person to recover from the shock of Lucas coming back?  She thought for sure Zay or Farkle would have already explained the situation to him.  Did they know what was happening between Lucas and Riley?  “We were just playing truth or dare.”

Lucas slowly walked further into the living room as he slid his jacket off.  “I bet.”  A lot of emotions charged at him in that moment, but the only one that seemed to have a stranglehold on his heart was the feeling of complete and utter defeat.

“Do you want to play with us,” Asher asked as Lucas casually laid his jacket on the back of one of the chairs by the bar.  The entire mood of the room shifted the moment his friend walked into the suite.  He wasn’t sure why everyone seemed so tense all of a sudden.

Lucas bit down on his bottom lip as he turned back to the group.  He glanced at Asher before his eyes finally rested on Riley.  “No,” he answered calmly as he loosened his tie.  “I’m done playing games.”

The hardness in his tone nearly knocked Riley back.  She crossed her arms over her chest as she tried to steady her nerves.  “Where were you?”  Her voice quaked with every syllable.  She didn’t want to know, but at the same time, she had to know.

He slid his tie off his neck.  He didn’t notice the tremor in her tone.  His despondency had completely taken over him.  It was easier to deal with what he had just witnessed this way.  This way, he could retreat to his room without making another unnecessary scene with her.  “Doesn’t really matter, does it?”

“I bet you met a girl,” Dylan grinned as he slapped his friend on the back.  He wasn’t sure why Maya, Riley, Farkle, and Zay seemed so tense.  “She wore you out too, right?”

Lucas’s eyes never left Riley’s.  “Yeah,” he answered slowly before he sighed.  “She really wore me out.”  His heart ached more and more with every breath he took.  Maybe he should have stayed downstairs until the sun came up.  At least then, he wouldn’t have the mental image of her lips locked with Asher’s in his mind.

“Nice,” Dylan smirked before he wandered over to the bar to grab another beer.

“You guys have fun,” Lucas told the group before he finally tore his eyes away from the brunette who remained frozen in her spot in the middle of the living room.  Lucas looked down at the tie in his hands as he turned to go to his and Zay’s room.  “It’s been a long day and I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

As she watched Lucas retreat to his room, Riley could feel a wave of tears sting her eyes.  It was their second night in Las Vegas and both nights left her in tears because of something stupid she did.  She wanted to go to him.  She wanted to talk to him, but at that moment, she had no idea what to say to him.  She also knew that perhaps for the first time ever, he didn’t appear to want to talk to her at all.

“And then there were two,” Zay sighed.  Once Lucas went to bed, the others slowly drifted to their rooms.  Farkle was able to get Asher and Dylan a ride back to their hotel before he went to bed.  Maya waited until Asher and Dylan actually left before she finally called it a night, which left Riley and Zay alone in the living room.

“It’s 5:30,” Riley stated as she looked down at her hands.  She didn’t feel nearly as intoxicated as she did earlier in the night, but she still felt out of it.  She wasn’t tired, although the severe lack of sleep over the last two days made her body cry out in a desperate need to rest.  Her brain wouldn’t let her—not yet anyway.

“I know you’ve got to be tired,” he yawned.  He knew he was exhausted.  It was a fun night, for the most part.  He hated to see it end, but they also had one full day left.  Although they weren’t going to party quite so hard their final night in town, they were still planning on having fun at the casinos.  He and the guys had a 1:00pm tee time on one of the golf courses while Maya and Riley had a spa day planned.  He was going to be dead on his feet if he didn’t at least try to get a few hours of sleep in.  “Why don’t we go to bed?”

She crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned back into the seat.  “I’m not sleepy.”

Zay frowned.  “How is that possible?  We’ve been up for almost 24 hours.”

Riley bit her bottom lip.  She knew that dragging Zay into this whole situation probably wasn’t a good idea, but if anyone knew what was going on in Lucas’s mind, it was Zay.  He had known Lucas the longest, and had also been a witness to most of their friendship.  If anyone could shed any light on it, it would be him.  “I have a lot on my mind.”

Zay didn’t miss a beat.  “Lucas?”

Her head snapped up to look at him.  “He told you.”

“Nah.  Not really.  I think you forget that he and I are a lot like you and Maya.  I know when something is bothering him.”  He waited a beat as a frown crossed his features.  “Although apparently, I’m not as in sync with him as I thought I was.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I only realized what was going on between you guys before we went out tonight.”  He slowly lifted his eyes to look at her.  He knew that there was only so much he could say to her, but maybe if she talked to him about it, he could fix whatever miscommunication was going on between them.  The tension between them had expanded so rapidly over the last few days.  He was certain that it was all leading up to some sort of explosion.  “What’s going on, Riley?”

“I wish I knew.”  She sighed as she sat up.  She took deep breath as she pulled the hair tie out of her hair.  “When did everything get so complicated Zay?”

He thought about it for a long moment.  “I think it got complicated when we realized that some feelings run deeper than those of a normal friendship.”

“I don’t know if I want anything to change,” she confessed as she ran a hand through her tangled locks.  Along with everything else, it was something that had been at the forefront of her thought process.  She knew that they had been drifting apart, but was she willing to risk losing him completely if it didn’t work out?

“I think things are going to change either way,” he offered.  “We’re growing up, Riley.  At some point, we need to all move forward…that includes allowing our friendships to evolve.  Who knows what’s going to happen a few years from now?  You could get a job on the other side of the country while the rest of us are in New York.  We could all end up in different cities with different lives.  Life is going to happen whether or not you want it to and even if you’re not ready for it.”

He made sense.  He made perfect sense, but was she ready to take that chance?  “But does it have to change now?  What if…what if everything changes and we end up drifting away from one another?”

“Wouldn’t that be better than drifting away without taking a chance?”  He paused.  “I don’t know what happened.  I don’t know what’s going through his mind right now.  I do know that he cares about you.  I know that the last thing he would ever do is hurt you.”  He wasn’t sure how far things had gotten between them, or even if she had any inkling about how he felt, but she had to know that what he felt was real.  She wasn’t some fling.  She never was.

“What if it doesn’t work out?”  She looked down at her hands.  She couldn’t believe she was bearing her soul to Zay at 5:30 in the morning, but she had to verbalize the stream of thoughts that had been flowing through her mind for most of their trip.  “I’ve never been in a relationship and he…he’s been in more than I can count.”  She leaned forward as she looked him in the eyes.  “What if it ends?  What then?”

He smiled at her.  “But what if it doesn’t end?”

“It’s always ended before,” she reasoned.  He always got bored and moved on to someone else after a few months.

“You forget that none of those girls are you.”  He tapped his fingers against his leg as he contemplated his next words.  Would Lucas murder him for telling her one of his secrets?  He might, but what if a slight insight helped her to understand the depth of Lucas’s feelings for her?  She deserved to know.  “Do you want to know a good Lucas story?”

She chuckled softly.  She always loved a good Lucas story.  Ever since Zay came into their lives, he always had the best stories about him.  She had learned a lot about Lucas’s childhood through Zay over the years.  “What is it?  Something about your rough and tumble days in Texas?”

Zay shook his head.  “Did you know that at the beginning of senior year, Lucas applied to go to Texas A&M?”  There.  He said it.  It was out there in the universe.  He had held onto that little secret for a few years now, and while he promised Lucas he wouldn’t tell anyone, he knew that Riley deserved to know.

Riley frowned.  “I didn’t know that.” She knew that A&M had always been the place where Lucas wanted to study veterinarian medicine, but when it came time to apply to colleges, he never mentioned to her that he actually applied.

“I figured that you didn’t know,” Zay paused as he watched a barrage of emotions cross Riley’s face.  She seemed confused more than anything else, but perhaps, she was also slightly disappointed.  Disappointed that he didn’t tell her about it?  “He didn’t tell anyone,” he offered.

Her eyes fell to the ground.  “He told you.”

“Only because I was there when he got the acceptance letter.”  As soon as Zay saw the letter, Lucas swore him to secrecy about the whole thing.  Lucas had initially applied just to see if he could get in.  Zay knew he was tempted to accept, but he didn’t go.  Instead, he chose to stay in New York and attend Columbia.

“He got in?”  Of course he would have gotten in.  He graduated near the top of their class with several academic and athletic honors.  Riley always thought that Lucas could conquer the world if he really wanted to.  Farkle may have been the genius in the group, but he wasn’t the only scholar.  Lucas had to work hard, but Riley always knew he could do anything he set his mind to.

Zay nodded.  “He got a full scholarship too.”

Riley took a deep breath.  He had a full ride to a school that had one of the best veterinary programs in the country.  “That was his dream school.”  She had to ask the most obvious question, but she wasn’t sure if Zay would even know the answer.  Still, she had to try.  “Why…why did he stay in the city?”

Zay smirked.  “I’ve spent the last few years trying to figure it out.  It’s the million-dollar question.  A full, free ride to his dream school and he turns it down for a partial scholarship to Columbia…which is a great school…but it was never really on his radar.”  After the conversation with Lucas earlier, Zay realized that he had finally discovered the answer to the question.  Although he didn’t know for sure, it was the only thing that made sense.  “Riley…besides Maya…what type of girls has he dated?”

Riley flinched at the question because it seemed like such an odd transition in conversation.  What did his preference in women have to do with where he ended up going to college?  She shrugged.  “Brunettes with brown eyes.”

He nodded.  “Exactly.”  Everything made sense to him now.  It was the only logical explanation that made everything fit.  It explained why he couldn’t stay in a relationship for very long and it explained why he decided to stay in the city.

Riley still wasn’t sure what sort of connection Zay was trying to make.  Either he was too drunk to make sense or she was too drunk to understand it.  “What are you saying?”

“They’re you.”  He smirked.  “He has a type…and that type is Riley Matthews.”  He paused. “It’s taken me almost three years, but I feel like I finally know why he decided to stay in the city.”  He tapped his fingers against his leg as he let his words sink in.  

After a moment, he slowly stood up.  “Anyway, I should probably go to bed and at least get a few hours of sleep in before I have to be on a golf course for most of the afternoon.”  He watched as a wave of confusion crashed over her.  He knew that he had already said too much, but he also knew that she deserved to know the truth.  “Riley, if you care about him even half as much as he cares about you, I know for a fact that you two would be together forever.”

She looked up at him.  How could Zay feel so confident in something that she wasn’t even sure she fully understood?  “You sure about that?”

“I’d bet on it.”

[gilbertandanne]

AU College Fic. Farkle never figured out how Riley really felt about Lucas, so it never got out. Now she’s turning 21 and the gang decides to go to Las Vegas to celebrate. Sometimes what happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas.

Rating: M

Pairing: Rucas

Word Count: 8,708

Cross-posted at ff.net            

Soundtrack (although not at all organized and subject to edits)

A/N: This song got dropped today, but it’s P E R F E C T to listen to as you read this chapter: “It Won’t Kill Ya” by The Chainsmokers.  

Also, 21 is now rated M.  And yes, I do take a little advantage of that switch in this chapter.  This chapter is dedicated to @gmwpluto because she held my hand and kicked my butt throughout multiple rewrites and edits.  She is the best sounding board ever cause she makes you kinda fight for what you’re doing and explain the reasoning behind it and yeah, I’m gonna get killed for this chapter, but I stand by everything that happens and considering the meltdown I had about it, I’m pleased with the result. Thank you Amy.

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                                      Chapter Ten: Tension

Her brain couldn’t process anything that was running through her chaotic mind.  She had hurt him.  She knew that much, but he had hurt her too.  He accused her of trying to pit Asher against him, of trying to create this buffer between whatever was growing between them, but that wasn’t true.  It wasn’t true because she knew that whatever this was couldn’t possibly last longer than the next few days.  He had always been non-committal when it came to his girlfriends.  A few weeks or even a few months would be the most she could possibly hope for.  She wasn’t willing to sacrifice her friendship with him when they were in middle school, and as strained and practically non-existent as it was now, she still didn’t think she could bear it if he completely vanished from her life.  That’s what would happen next, wouldn’t it?  They would go out for a while and he would realize that she wasn’t what he was looking for, so he would break up with her.  Afterward, she wouldn’t be able to be around him because it would hurt too much.  Their friends would be forced to take sides, and the entire group would fall apart.  She couldn’t let that happen.

As tears streamed down her cheeks, she knew that one day, she’d look back on this whole experience and know that she made the right decision by walking away from this before it was too late.  As she watched the fountains dance to the beat of the music, her heart finally declared war on her brain.

She wasn’t sure how long she stayed on the patio by herself.  Part of her had hoped that he would come back outside so they could go ahead and completely annihilate one another with more accusations and resentment.  Maybe it would be better to get it over with in one fell swoop as opposed to prolonging the inevitable.  It was her fault, anyway.  She was the one who suggested they play ‘seven minutes in heaven’ for real.  She was the one who could have walked away after her alarm went off the first time.  Maybe then, they wouldn’t be like this.  Maybe then they wouldn’t act like two complete idiots who, if she didn’t know any better, seemed to be completely in love with one another.

She scoffed as she wiped her eyes.  That was impossible.  While she knew that it was true on her end, she knew that if he wanted to figure everything out, if he really wanted to work through it, that he wouldn’t have left her the way he did.

She didn’t even want to have the stupid conversation in the first place—not now anyway.  She was drunk.  He was drunk.  She knew it would end badly, but he kept pushing her until he finally figured it out.

As Riley turned away from the show to go back inside, her head was spinning.  He knew now.  After seven years of hiding it from him, he now knew that she didn’t step back from him because her feelings for him had changed.

She took a deep breath as she made her way back to the table.  She had never felt more sober in her entire life.  She hated it.  She was never a huge drinker, and didn’t anticipate that trend changing just because it was suddenly legal for her to do so, but the battle her heart and brain waged was beginning to take its toll on her.  All she wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep through the next 48 hours.  She wanted to wake up in her dorm room in New York and chalk this whole trip up to being a bad dream—a cautionary tale about the perils of giving into temptation.

Her eyes locked on to Maya’s as she slowly approached the table.  She wrapped her arms around her body as a shiver rippled through her.

As soon as Maya saw Riley, she stood up and quickly made her way toward the quaking brunette.  “Riley?”  When Maya reached her, she rubbed Riley’s arms in an attempt to warm her up.  “You’re freezing.  Are you ok?”

Riley shook her head.  She was the complete opposite of ok.  How did everything get this complicated?  She just wanted to go out and have some fun and now she wasn’t even sure which way was up anymore.

“What happened?”

Riley shook her head once more.  She didn’t want to talk about it, not now anyway.  “Maya, I-I need…I…” She looked all around them.  What she was in search of, she didn’t even know.  She suddenly wanted to claw through her own skin, shed herself of her own body and simply float away.  This was all too much right now.  

As her frantic eyes continued to search the room, she spotted him.  He was seated at the main bar, and he wasn’t alone.  He wasn’t with the same woman as before, but it was another blonde woman and she wasn’t alone either.  A brunette woman had her arm looped through the blonde’s as they giggled at something Lucas said.  Riley felt a fresh batch of tears sting her eyes as her mouth fell open.

Maya furrowed her eyebrows together when she noticed anguish slowly seep into Riley’s eyes.  “Riley?  Riley, what is it?  Do we need to leave?”

Riley blinked several times as she stared at the three people who didn’t seem to have a clue that they were being watched.  Lucas seemed completely unfazed by their earlier conversation.  He laughed at something the blonde woman said, and made no move to remove the hand that the brunette woman had placed on his arm.  Riley’s throat ran dry as the blonde slid onto the barstool on the other side of him.  He was perfectly nestled between both girls now.

What a happy little threesome they seemed to be.  

The agony Riley felt when she stood outside rapidly faded.  Her desire to finish their conversation evaporated as she watched him take a sip of his scotch.  From where she stood, their conversation was over and he seemed more than content enough with the outcome.  

She’d be damned if she’d ever allow him to see how deeply he had gotten underneath her skin and into her heart.  If he was about to fulfill his quest to bring multiple women back to the suite, then she was hell bent on doing what she had set out to do the entire night—not think and not second-guess a single move she made.

But first, she needed to reclaim the buzz she had before she stepped outside with him.

“No,” she finally answered as she turned back to Maya.  She wiped her eyes.  “I want to stay.  I-Is my makeup ok?”

Maya wiped underneath Riley’s eyes to get rid of the slightly smudged eyeliner.  “Yeah.  You’re fine.  Why?  Riley, if you’re upset, then maybe we should—“

“Drink,” she offered even though she knew that wasn’t what Maya had in mind.

“No.  Maybe we should call it a night?”

Riley shook her head.  “No,” she answered as a slow smile tugged at the corners of her lips.  “The night’s only just begun.”  She glanced at the bar.  “I just need to find my buzz again.”

Maya was grateful that Riley’s master plan only seemed to consist of more vodka and dancing.  She had no idea what had transpired during Riley’s dance with Lucas, and while she wanted nothing more than to lock both of them in a closet and let them duke it out, she also knew that tonight wasn’t the best time to do it.  Everyone was intoxicated and she knew that Riley’s emotions were at an all time high.

Although Riley had taken to dancing with any guy who showed a remote interest in her, Maya knew that it could only go so far as long as she were nearby.  She was grateful that Zay and Farkle had joined them a few songs in.  Initially, Farkle had only shown up to give them each another drink, but Riley insisted that he stay with them and dance for at least a few songs.  She batted those beautiful brown eyes and told him that all she wanted for her birthday was to dance with her friends.  Farkle never stood a chance.  Her entire group of friends always ended up giving in when she pouted.

Maya noticed that not once since they hit the dance floor did Riley look back at Lucas.  She considered it a small victory.  She wanted nothing more than to see Riley and Lucas give it a shot, but she also knew nothing good would come out of a drunken conversation right now.  They had a lot to work through and discuss.  If they could make it through tonight, then maybe, just maybe, they would be able to work it out when their heads were a little clearer.

Riley laughed as she wrapped her arms around Zay’s neck and pressed her body against his.  “Dance class has really paid off, huh,” she grinned as they moved to the beat of the club music.

“You all laughed at me in middle school, but it’s always been a lady magnet,” he answered a he focused on the best place to hold Riley.  The last thing he wanted was to get in between whatever was going on with her and his best friend.  Incurring the wrath of Lucas Friar was one thing he did not want to do tonight.  He glanced over his shoulder as Maya cozied up behind him.  He turned back to Riley as he gestured at the blonde behind him.  “See?  Total lady magnet.”

“You’re in the middle of a Riley and Maya sandwich,” Riley laughed as she wrapped her arms around Maya as the trio rocked to the beat of the moderately slow R & B song.  “Do you know how many men would kill to be in your shoes right now?”

Zay chuckled nervously.  She was right.  He was nestled in between two beautiful women, and he knew damn well that if Lucas caught a glimpse of him right now that he might not live to see the sunrise.  “I know of one guy who probably would like to kill me right now if he saw this.”

“Make way for me,” Farkle announced as he ducked in between Riley and Zay.  The entire group laughed as Farkle slithered in between his friends.

“Farkle, I’m not that drunk yet,” Zay smiled before he spun around to dance with Maya.  The genius was one of his best friends, but his dance moves could prove to be lethal.  Farkle needed space to dance, and in his currently inebriated state, Zay wasn’t sure that he would understand that he only had a small space to work with.

Riley laughed as she placed her hands on Farkle’s shoulders.  “Oh Farkle…how are you doing?”

“Pretty good right now,” he smiled as he placed his hands on her waist.  He wasn’t really sure what he had been drinking or even how much he had.  He had placed Zay in charge of everything he consumed since he had never been much of a drinker.  “I can’t really feel my face right now.”

Riley’s eyes widened for a moment before she nearly doubled over in laughter.  “Oh my God,” she snorted as she gasped for air.  He couldn’t feel his face?  She had never been that drunk in her life.  That couldn’t possibly be normal, could it?  “I am so not on your level yet, Farkle.”

“Try me,” he grinned.  “I’m not kidding.”

“So, you can’t feel this?” She lightly touched his cheek.

He shook his head.  “Not at all!”

She tapped his cheek as her smile widened.  “And that?”

He shrugged.  “Nope.”

She lightly smacked his cheek.  “Still nothing?”

He laughed.  “Not a thing.”

“Wow.”  She was more than a little impressed.  Maybe she should get Zay to dictate the rest of her drinks for the night?  She moved her hand back down to his shoulder.  “If you were ever going to get into a fight, tonight would be the night to do it, Farkle.  Only…please don’t do that because then the night would be over and I’m having way too much fun to get kicked out of this club.”  She spun around before she placed her hand over top of his as she moved her hips from side to side.  “I love that you’re dancing right now,” she called out over her shoulder to him.  She couldn’t remember the last time she had been able to dance with him.  It had to have been high school.

“I told you guys that I would loosen up once we got here tonight,” he called out from behind her.

“I know, but I haven’t seen you have fun in a long time.”  She spun back around to face him as the song ended.

He shrugged as a more upbeat song began to play.  “Comes with the territory, I guess.”  He leaned in to speak directly into her ear as the DJ increased the volume of the music.  “I know you wanted this trip and it was your idea, but I needed it.  I needed to spend time with you guys…get out of New York for a few days.”

Riley frowned at his words.  He never talked about the breakup—not since the night it happened.  She turned her head to speak in his ear.  “Does it hurt?  Seeing places that you shared with her day after day?”

He nodded.  “Not as much as it used to, but sometimes I’ll walk past a coffee shop or restaurant or even somewhere that we only went to once, but I’ll think about her and it’s like…it’s like I can’t breathe.”  He sighed.  It was the worst form of torture he could possibly think of.  “For six months I felt so claustrophobic everywhere I went.  I thought I was going crazy.”  He rubbed the back of his neck.  “Maybe I am.”

“That’s how you know it was real.  I know it doesn’t help anything, but we’re here for you.  We’re all here for you, Farkle.”

“You know, the worst part is that…she’s gone.  She’s still in the city, but Riley, she might as well be in another country.  I haven’t talked to her since it happened…I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to be friends again.”

Riley nodded slowly.  It made sense.  Even in her muddled thoughts, it all made perfect sense.  Her heart broke when he called her that night and told her that Smackle broke up with him.  There wasn’t any build up or longstanding issue between them.  She simply told him that her feelings for him had changed and while she wasn’t sure how or in what way, she needed to take some time for herself to figure it all out.  Six months later and Farkle hadn’t heard a word from her.  “So you not only lost someone you loved, but you also—“

“I lost my best friend.”

Riley’s eyes scanned the club.  She couldn’t see much of anything past the dance area.  Was he still here?  Had he already left with those girls?  She had easily been on the dance floor for half an hour, maybe longer than that.  As Farkle’s words echoed through her hazy mind, her heart ached.  Her brain was winning the battle, despite the fact that she had subconsciously turned off both organs the moment she saw Lucas with those women.

It wouldn’t take her long to find out where he was.  As the small group made their way back to the table, she spotted Lucas, the blonde woman, and the brunette woman at their table with Asher and Dylan.  Instead of sitting down or even acknowledging the strangers who seemed to be latched onto him, Riley headed directly toward the bar.  The conversation with Farkle still rang in her ears as she ordered a shot.  As soon as she downed it, the bartender smiled at her.  “You’re the birthday girl, right?”

She cringed as her throat burned.  She nodded as she sat the glass back down.  “Yeah, I’m Riley.  And you are?”

“Mark,” he smiled.  “Listen, I know this might sound a little weird, but are you willing to help us out with something?  I can guarantee you that you’ll have fun and you won’t have to pay for another drink tonight.”

She raised her eyebrows.  She came here to have a memorable birthday.  Judging by the smile the bartender gave her, she knew that she had to do whatever it was he wanted her to do.  She needed some fun.  “Mark, you had me at fun.  What do you need me to do?”

Lucas looked up at the bar as he watched one of the bartenders whisper in Riley’s ear.  When he saw her laugh in response, his jaw twitched.  He couldn’t stand this.  The air around them felt so thick.  How was she able to laugh and carry on like this when the entire future of their already fragile friendship seemed so uncertain?  He reluctantly looked away from her when he heard the cackling of the brunette seated next to him.  Why did Dylan insist on inviting them back to their booth?  He had hoped to pawn the women off on Asher and Dylan and kill two birds with one stone, but Dylan didn’t quite get the hint that Lucas had no interest in either woman.  How could he when the one woman he wanted was so close, yet so far away from him?  

He hated the way they left things outside.  He hated that he stalked off, but he was so frustrated and so mad that she would think, for even a second, that if they became something more, that he would eventually end it.  Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that he had earned the reputation he had for a reason, but she didn’t know the whole story.

“Why is she standing on top of the bar,” Zay suddenly asked as he watched one of the bartenders help Riley climb on the bar.

“Seriously?”  Maya stood up as she turned toward the main bar.  “I thought she was only going to get a drink…not let the whole world see up her dress,” she groaned as she watched Riley run a hand through her hair.

Lucas snapped his head up to look at Maya.  “Excuse me?”  He turned his head toward the brunette.  Sure enough, Riley Matthews had climbed on top of the bar.  Apparently the members of their table weren’t the only ones to notice as a group of guys crowded around her.

Maya glared at the back of Lucas’s head before she walked toward Riley.  The others followed closely behind.

“Tonight at Hyde, we are very fortunate to help celebrate this beautiful woman’s 21st birthday!”  Mark gestured to Riley who grinned when the crowd cheered.  “And she has so graciously decided to help us deliver a round of shots for anyone who might be interested.  It’s an apple pie shooter and the way it’s gonna work is that Amber will pour some apple juice into your mouth.  After that, I’ll come by and add in some vodka, then Miss Riley over here will top it off with a dab of whipped cream!”

“Well,” Farkle smirked as he watched the bartender hand Riley a can of whipped cream, “She said she wanted to have fun tonight.”

“She’s making memories that she might not actually be able to remember tomorrow.”  Zay glanced at Lucas.  He could practically feel the anger and jealousy billowing from his best friend.  At least that anger couldn’t possibly be directed at him.

As Mark grabbed a bottle of house vodka, he gestured to the area around them.  “So, line up around the bar if you want one.  First come, first served!”

“I don’t know about you guys,” Maya smirked as she slid up to the middle of the bar, “But I’m getting a free shot.”  She couldn’t believe what was happening, but she had to admit that it would definitely make one hell of a story.  Riley Matthews was serving whipped cream to a bunch of strangers on her 21st birthday.  As she heard Riley laugh, Maya figured that maybe doing something a little crazy like this could be good for her.  She had played it safe for her entire life.  She was due for a semi-wild night—as long as it didn’t involve some sort of exchange of bodily fluids with a random stranger.  

Most of the group followed Maya’s lead as they stood in front of the bar.

Lucas didn’t want to do it, but he knew there was no way she would willingly climb down and forget the whole thing.  If he could prevent her from spraying whipped cream into just one stranger’s mouth, then he’d stomach what was sure to be a disgusting shot.  Instead of lining up with the rest of his friends, he moved to the end of the bar.  If he had any luck, he would be the last one.  If he had a little more than luck—and if his brain hadn’t been completely thrashed by the jealousy he knew he’d have by watching her doing this—then maybe he could get her attention long enough to apologize for running away from her earlier.

He watched her slowly bend down to spray the whipped cream in the first few guys’ mouths.  Lucas noticed that there were a few women by the bar, but most of the patrons consisted of guys—guys he knew couldn’t wait to get their chance to hit on Riley.  Lucas’s focus never wavered as she moved from person to person.  She laughed when she saw Maya and the guys about midway through her trek around the bar.  After she squeezed some of the contents of the can into the blonde’s mouth, she kissed her cheek.  Both girls giggled as Maya swallowed the shot.

Lucas noticed that Riley seemed to be getting more and more into what she was doing as she skipped down the line.  He clenched his fist as she slowly slid her index finger down Asher’s cheek before she squeezed the whipped cream into his mouth.  Did she know he was watching her?  Was she purposefully trying to drive him insane with jealousy?

It was a great exercise in patience and test of his growth as a person to watch her casually flirt with about twenty-five random strangers.  It felt like an eternity had passed by the time she reached him.  Luckily, their friends had retreated back to the table, as had most of the other people who had gotten a shot.

As he opened his mouth for the apple juice and vodka, he wondered if she even noticed that he was there.  As the two bartenders turned back to make drinks for the crowd that awaited them, Riley’s eyes finally locked onto his.

She was surprised to see him.  She thought that if he had wanted a shot, he would have been lined up with the rest of their friends and the two girls he had been with for nearly an hour.  She had never been so tempted in her life to drown the two women in whipped cream, but she managed to avoid a murder charge as she breezed by them.  Now, as she looked down at Lucas, she wasn’t so sure she’d be as successful with him.  She crouched down as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.  She wasn’t sure that she had ever been this angry with him.  It was new territory for her, but she gladly welcomed it compared to the agony she felt when she first saw him with the two girls.  “Thanks for proving my point by walking away earlier,” she snarled before she sprayed the substance into his mouth.

Lucas swallowed the shot the moment she began to spray the cream into his mouth.  He thought for sure she would try to use up whatever was left in that can on him in an attempt to cover him in the frothy concoction.  While she did end up giving him more whipped cream after he swallowed, it wasn’t nearly enough to make him choke on it.

As she turned to leave, all thoughts of an apology escaped him.  He wanted to apologize, but he couldn’t remember the speech he had formulated as he watched her dance around the bar.  So, he acted completely on instinct when he grabbed her arm and gently tugged her back down to him.  He lifted his head slightly as his lips met hers in a searing kiss.

The first thing Riley could taste was the whipped cream in his mouth.  She was shocked that he had pulled her to him, but as she felt his tongue slip into her mouth, her anger melted into an unbridled passion that she had no idea how to subdue.

When she heard herself moan into his mouth, she snapped herself out of her daze.  She pulled back from him without saying a word and turned to the bartenders.  “Is that it,” she asked as she wiped a little bit of the whipped cream from her mouth.

“Not quite,” Mark smiled.  “It is your birthday, and what good is a birthday without a birthday cake?”

Riley smiled as she spun around to see one of the other bartenders bring a cake over to her table.  She quickly climbed down from the counter as she walked over to the chocolate cake lit up with sparkler candles.  Lucas trailed several feet behind her as her friends sang “Happy Birthday” to her.

She pushed the brief interlude with Lucas to the back of her mind as she looked at the friends who surrounded her.  This was the moment she knew she’d remember for the rest of her life.  She had made it to twenty-one.  She had no clue what the future held, but if this group of people remained in her life, she knew she’d be ready for anything.

After the song was over, Riley closed her eyes as she made a wish.  Her wishes over the last eight years hadn’t changed, but this one was slightly different.  It still centered on the Texan she had just kissed, but instead of wishing to be with him, she wished for some sort of sign to know what to do, whether to let go or to hang on.  She pulled her hair back as she leaned over and blew out the candles.

Everyone around her cheered as she raised her head back up.  “This is so incredible,” she happily smiled as she sat down in the booth.  She turned to Farkle.  “It’s perfect, Farkle.  The place, the cake…everything.”  She glanced around the club.  “You know…if I had to pick anywhere in Vegas to celebrate my 21st, it would have been here…the fountains, the dancing, the ambience…it’s perfect.”

He smiled.  “I wish I could take the credit for it, but I can’t.”

She frowned.  “What are you talking about?”  She thought Farkle had planned the entire trip out.  If he didn’t set all of this up, then who did?

Farkle searched the club for his friend.  He couldn’t believe that after everything, Lucas missed the cake being brought out, especially after how specific he had been about where and what cake to get.  “I thought for sure he would have told you, but it makes sense why he didn’t.  He’s not one to really brag, but…Lucas set up the whole thing.”

Riley glanced at Maya before she looked back at Farkle.  “What are you talking about?”

“I had no idea where to even begin to look for a place.  Lucas told me that he wanted to plan your birthday celebration.  He’s the one who booked the table here, got us all into VIP, and he even picked out the cake.”

“He planned it?”

Farkle nodded.  “I thought I knew you better than anyone…well, except for Maya, but…I think Lucas beat me on this one.  This place screams Riley to me.”

Just then, Lucas walked around the table as he sat down at the other end of the booth.  Riley couldn’t help but to stare at him.  He planned the whole night?  How did he pay for this?  Riley didn’t even want to think about how much it all must have cost him.  

She watched as the two girls she still didn’t know the names of turn their attention away from Dylan and back to Lucas.  As she reached for the drink Maya ordered for her while she was on the bar, her inebriated brain began to weigh her options.  On the one hand, she could continue to ignore him to the best of her ability and watch him accomplish the mission he had set out for himself at the beginning of the night—or—maybe she could be the mission.

As the vodka slipped past her lips, she figured that it would actually be pretty poetic to lose her virginity to him in Las Vegas on her 21st birthday.  He had been her first everything—first date, first kiss, first boyfriend, first love.  Why not complete the circle?  Why couldn’t she be the hookup he craved tonight?  It was only sex, right?  If she could keep her heart silent, then maybe it would actually help her begin to move on.  Maybe they wouldn’t be physically compatible?  Maybe this was the first step to letting go?

She smirked as she continued to consume the contents of her glass.  There wasn’t enough liquor in the world to convince her that sex with Lucas wouldn’t be good.  A few heated kisses told her everything she needed to know about their physical compatibility.  Still, she was feeling completely light and free.  Maybe she needed one night of passion with him in order to finally close the door on her first love.

Once she finished the drink, she slowly stood up and walked to the other end of the booth.

Lucas’s attention immediately shifted to Riley the moment she stood up.  He was more than a little surprised when she stopped right in front of him.  He had no idea what to expect.  Was she going to yell at him in front of everyone?  Was she going to get back on the bar and do something else that would surely test his self-control?

“Hey Huckleberry,” she smirked as she casually drummed her fingers on top of the table.  “Are we dancing or what?”

He knit his eyebrows together in confusion.  He knew that he must have misheard her.  She wanted to dance with him?  After their argument outside and after everything that had transpired between them in the last 24 hours, she actually wanted to dance with him?

“It is my birthday.”  Her smile never wavered as she watched him reach for his drink.  She raised one inquisitive eyebrow at him as she waited for him to finish drinking the amber substance in his glass.

Lucas finished off his scotch and sat the glass down next to her hand before he looked back up at her.  “Lead the way.”

He thought for sure that she would take him to where she had spent the better part of the night with most of their group.  Instead of going to the dance floor, she led him back outside, back to their hidden corner, back into the darkness.  Only a few people mingled outside, as the temperature must have dropped another five degrees in the hour since they were last out there.  Riley felt a chill ripple through her as soon as she stepped outside, but she didn’t care.  This was the only place she knew of that they could have a little bit of privacy.  They were nowhere near the music, although they could still hear the bass beat as clear as day.  

Riley didn’t say a word as she spun around and placed his hands on her waist.

“Riley, what are you doing?”

She wrapped her arms around his neck.  “I don’t want to talk.”  She knew that this would go a lot better if neither of them said a word.  Every time one of them opened their mouths, they ended up in some ridiculous fight.  If they could just somehow float together, let things happen naturally without having to discuss the past or what it all meant, then maybe they could work this out without a fight.

“What do you want to do?”  Lucas swallowed as he stared at her.  He had no idea what was going through her mind.  She didn’t want to talk.  That was fair enough.  Every conversation they attempted in the last 24 hours was disastrous to say the least.  He never wanted to ruin her birthday.  If she wanted to dance with him in silence, then he would take that time trying to commit every millisecond of it to his memory.

“Have fun.  Not think.”  She shrugged her shoulders as she glanced at the fountains for a moment before she looked back at him.  “I’ve spent the first twenty one years of my life thinking about every move I made…doing the right thing…saying the right things.”  She shook her head.  “I don’t want to do any of that tonight.”  She was tired of having to be perfect all the time.  She was tired of her brain stopping her from doing the things she wanted to do.

He sighed.  Despite the canyon between them, he knew who she was.  He had always known.  “And what happens tomorrow when you wake up?”  She was saying all of this now, but he knew that once she sobered up, she would regret it if she did something completely reckless.

She shrugged.  “I don’t want to think about that.”  Didn’t he understand?  She wanted to give into her emotions for once.  Maya always led with her heart while Riley had always led with her brain.  Leading with her brain had only made a huge mess of everything, so why couldn’t she simply give into her feelings for one night?  What was so terrible about that?

“But I do.”  He wanted to step back from her.  He wanted to remove his hands from her waist and go back inside, but he couldn’t.  He wasn’t strong enough to separate himself from her right now.  He was a man who had been starving for a third of his life over the woman who stood before him.  At this second, he was holding the only thing he had ever really wanted.  He couldn’t let go.  Maybe if he was a little more sober, he could.  Maybe if she wasn’t looking at him in the way he had always wanted her to, he could let her go and walk away.  

“You’re not pulling away from me,” she murmured as she stepped forward and pressed her body against his.  She lowered her right hand to the nape of his neck as her fingertips brushed through his hair.  She bit her bottom lip as her eyes lowered to his lips.

“I need to,” he groaned as she leaned forward to kiss his cheek.  The alcohol in his system worked against him as he felt himself slowly give into whatever she wanted to do.  He knew that he was wrapped around her finger, but he never knew how much until tonight.  He’d die to try to give her the world if she wanted it.  He’d move heaven and earth for her if she asked him to.

“You don’t need to do anything,” she responded softly before she began to plant open-mouthed kisses along his jawline.  

Lucas felt his earlier anger dissipate with every connection her lips made to his skin.  It wasn’t fair.  None of this was fair.  Every single emotion he had felt tonight was placed into extremes.  He was certain he had never been angrier with someone in his entire life, but at the same time, he knew that he had never loved her more.  It wasn’t just the fact that she was stirring up every single hormone he possessed, but it was the fact that for the first time ever, he finally realized that she wanted him just as badly as he wanted her.

He swallowed as she moved her attention to the other side of his neck.  He craned his neck back and stifled a moan as she scraped her teeth against the base of his neck.  He was rapidly becoming putty in her hands.  Whatever she wanted, he was prepared to give her.  Anything—everything.  He just had to know that she wanted him and only him.  

Finding some inner strength that he didn’t know he possessed, he slowly moved his hands up to her shoulders as he nudged her back slightly.

Confused, Riley lifted her head.  “Isn’t this what you want?”

The way her eyes had darkened nearly set off an explosion in the Texan’s mind.  Dear God, he knew that no matter how much alcohol he consumed, he would never forget the way she looked at that exact moment.  Her cheeks were slightly flushed, her breathing had become slightly labored, and the way she pursed her lips immediately made a certain body part of his throb in sheer anticipation.  He knew he had to maintain his composure for at least another minute.  He had to know she really wanted this and she wouldn’t claim it was some drunken mistake tomorrow.  “Is it what you want?”

She smiled as she slowly, purposefully so, closed the space between them once more.  “Yes,” she purred as her lips quickly covered his.  She wanted to silence him before he had a chance to think, a chance to ruin whatever moment they could have together.  

Lucas felt most of his remaining defenses slip away as her fingers slowly danced down his chest.  As her tongue slipped into his mouth, his hands slid up her back as he quickly guided them further into their little oasis.

As soon as her back hit the wall, she shoved one of his hands down to her thigh.  “I want to feel your hands all over me,” she murmured as she hooked one of her legs around his waist.  She smashed her lips to his once again as she wanted nothing more than to feel him explore her entire body.

He squeezed her thigh as her tongue met his once more.  When she moaned into his mouth, he felt the last shred of ‘Lucas the Good’ slip away.  Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that while whatever they were doing was completely and utterly right, the timing of it and the location of it was not at all how he had imagined it.  Still, the alcohol in his system and eight years of dreaming about the woman in his arms night after night tipped the scales into Lucas the not-so-Good’s favor.  When she placed his hand on her thigh and told him that she wanted his hands all over her, he nearly took her right then and there.  As soon as she moaned into his mouth, ‘Lucas the Good’ ceased to exist all together.  His hand slowly crept up her thigh.  He knew that if she didn’t want this, she would push his hand down, pull away from him and tell him that they were going too far.

But she didn’t.  As her nails scraped across his back, she wiggled against him in a desperate attempt to get his fingers toward their destination quicker.  She needed to feel him. She needed him to touch her in a way that no one else had before.

Up until that moment, Lucas didn’t know that his brain possessed an off switch.  As his fingers slowly disappeared under her dress, Riley whimpered in sheer anticipation.  How many times had he dreamt about them like this?  How many times had he woken up and taken a cold shower because the woman he fantasized about wasn’t next to him?

“Please,” she murmured desperately in between kisses.  “I want you to.  I need you to.”  Goose bumps peppered her entire body as she felt his fingers graze the outside of her underwear.  “Please, Lucas.”

All he wanted to do was to make her happy and to make her feel good.  She wanted this.  He wanted this.  As he opened his eyes, he noticed that hers were already opened as they continued to kiss one another.  He looked for a sign of hesitation, any indication that it was merely the alcohol talking and not something she really wanted.  It was the only thing that could possibly hold him back from doing this.  A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she lightly bit his bottom lip.  “Please,” she begged once more.

At that moment, no one on Earth could have resisted her.  

She gasped as soon as she felt his fingers slide into her underwear.  She dug her nails further into his back when his lips reclaimed hers while his fingers slowly explored a new uncharted territory.  Was this real?  As his fingers paid homage to her most private of regions, Riley sighed into his mouth.  God, it felt so much better than she imagined, and it wasn’t even the real thing.  Her entire body felt completely electrified by his motions.  As insanely wonderful as it felt, she wanted more.  This was becoming an addiction.  He was becoming an addiction.   She had to have more of this.  She had to have more of him.

Lucas wished that she had left with him earlier when he mentioned it.  It was a mile and a half back to their hotel, but with traffic, it could easily take 20 minutes to get back to their suite.  He wasn’t sure about her, but he knew he couldn’t wait that long.  He wasn’t even sure they could make it to a room at the Bellagio at the rate they were going.  

Riley couldn’t stand it anymore.  She thought she could be placated with a tease, with a glimpse into a world that had been forbidden for so long, but it only made her demand more.  She dragged her fingernails down the length of his back before she brought them in between their bodies.  As she lowered her lips to his neck, her fingers grazed the outside of his pants.

He groaned the moment he felt her fingertips against him.  Did she have any clue how close he was to taking her right then and there?  All it would take is one word, one indication of consent and he would happily spend the rest of the night—the rest of forever—worshipping her like the goddess she was.

He used his free hand to run through her slightly tangled hair.  As she lifted her head up, he pulled her face to his in a scorching kiss.

Lucas quickened his pace as his mouth desperately sought contact with hers.  Riley could hear her heart race in her ears as the pressure within her began to build more and more rapidly.  She wasn’t exactly sure how she was able to pull in any oxygen between the breath Lucas commanded and the fact that his ministrations had already labored her breathing.  She felt like she could pass out at any moment from sheer pleasure.  If she died right here, she would die the happiest woman in the world.  She never wanted this feeling to end.      

He kissed her with every single feeling she was giving him in return.  A lethal combination of love, lust, anger, jealousy, and passion swirled within him as he desperately tried to tell her everything she was doing to him without ever saying a word.  He was a man possessed.  He couldn’t control anything anymore.  “Tell me,” he commanded as he slid his lips across her bare shoulder.  His free hand fell to her lower back in order to support her when she threw her head back and desperately gasped for air.  “Tell me that I’m the only one you want.  Tell me you don’t want him.  Tell me, Riley,” he pleaded as his lips brushed against her collarbone.  “Tell me that when we wake up tomorrow, we’ll be together.”  He kissed his way toward the base of her neck as he waited for her answer.

Riley’s heart pounded even harder as she listened to his pleas.  As her mind desperately tried to fight through the thick fog of alcohol and lust, she replayed his words again.  Be together as in dating?  Her mind raced as the logical side of her brain tried to dissect his words and the meaning behind them.  She couldn’t do this right now.  She was hammered.  She told him that she didn’t want to talk.  She didn’t want to make a life altering decision while they were intoxicated.  

She thought this would be easy.  She thought that maybe they could get whatever this was out of their system tonight—chalk it up to the city, to the alcohol, to being young.  She knew that on some level, she had waited for him, had wanted him to be her first because he had been her first everything else and that maybe she could begin to move on if she got some sort of closure from the last seven years.  She knew that at least for her, it wouldn’t be so simple to walk away, but maybe it would be for him.  Maybe getting the tension out of the way could somehow pave the way for them to repair their friendship.  At least, that was what the inebriated side of her had foolishly thought.  

She closed her eyes a newfound embarrassment filled her.  For one moment, she had successfully turned off her brain.  For one moment, she led with something other than the sense that had kept Lucas Friar at arm’s length for a third of her life.  In one foolish moment of weakness, she might have just wrecked an eight-year friendship.  

She slowly opened her eyes when she felt his lips slowly pull away from her neck.  They weren’t on the same page at all.  She knew that couldn’t risk this anymore than she already had.  Her body still cried out for him, but her mind had finally taken control once again.  She thought she could give into this for one night, but she wasn’t that kind of girl.  She never was.  “I can’t,” she answered weakly as she braced herself for the fallout she knew she deserved.

It felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on the Texan.  He felt completely paralyzed as the weight of those two words fell on his shoulders.  She had driven him completely insane.  He never would have allowed things to get this far between them if he thought that she didn’t want to be with him when morning came.  As he slowly pulled away from her, it felt as if a thousand knives had penetrated his heart.  He couldn’t do this anymore.  He couldn’t be around her while he was still in love with her.  If the last seven years were any indication, he knew that trying to get over Riley would be nearly impossible.  As he shoved his hands into his pockets, he knew that he had to get away from her, but first, before he threw himself off a cliff, he had to know why.  “Why,” his voice cracked with the weight of emotion that flowed through his heart, “Why is it so hard for you to understand that I want to be with you?”

Riley slid her dress back down before she wrapped her arms around herself.  She wanted to tell him it was because of what she had overheard earlier that night, but the real problem extended beyond that.  “Because,” her voice shook, “it was so easy for you to accept what I told you we were and move on.”  She looked down.  “If you did it back then, I know that you’ll do it now.”

“But I didn’t accept it!”  His eyes widened as he waited for her to say something else.  Was there no other reason than the stupid label that she put on them when they were in middle school?  “Don’t you get it, Riley?  Everything that’s happened since then has been because of this ridiculous idea you got into your head that Maya and I liked one another.”

She cut her eyes up at him.  “Didn’t you?  Even for just a second?”

“No!”  He shook his head as he tried to pull himself together long enough to explain to her what actually went on in his confused fifteen year old mind.  “I thought that…that maybe there was…or that there could be…but I realized later that I only thought about that after you told us there was something there.”  He scoffed when she said nothing in response.  “Do you not understand that Maya and I only dated because the person we loved the most in this world told us that we had to see how we felt about one another?  I’ve been chasing you ever since then.”  He shook his head as he looked away from her.  This was completely ridiculous.  Was he supposed to pay for her decision for the rest of his life?

Riley furrowed her eyebrows.  “What did you say?”

His eyes fell to the ground.  “I’ve been chasing you, Riley.”  Was she going to laugh in his face?  Was she going to completely pulverize the last shred of hope he had for them?

She shook her head.  “Before that.”

He took a moment to think about what he had actually revealed to her.  When his words came back to him, he realized that after seven years, he finally told her how he felt.  As he lifted his gaze, he knew that he had never intended for it to come out like that.  He had always imagined some huge romantic reveal—something that would rival the white horse he rode in the gymnasium at John Quincy Adams Middle School—but perhaps some of the purest moments didn’t need to come with pomp and circumstance.  Maybe they were best received when spoken from the heart, even if it’s outside of a club at 2:00 in the morning.  “Maya and I only went out because the person we loved the most in this world told us that we had to see how we felt about one another.”

Riley was convinced that the entire earth was currently spinning at a rate that would perplex scientists for the rest of eternity.  She swallowed in a desperate attempt to ensure that her voice didn’t shake when she finally asked him the most important question she had ever asked anyone.  “You loved me?”

“Yes!”  He looked all around them as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.  Had she not been listening to anything he had said or done in the last 24 hours?  Could she not see it before then?  Did she never suspect how destroyed he was over what happened to them in middle school?  Did she never catch on to the fact that his gaze always seemed to stay on her no matter where they were, who they were with, or what they were doing?  Did the woman before him have zero clue that he not only wanted to give her the world but that she had been his entire world for the last eight years?  “I loved you then,” he finally declared.  As she lifted her eyebrows in surprise, he realized that she really had no idea what he had sacrificed just to be able to continue to orbit around her.  “I love you now,” he confessed.  She had to know.  She had to see that this wasn’t some random hookup to him.  She had to know that this was the culmination of seven years of emotional repression.  “I never stopped loving you, even for a second…even though you told me that you only saw me as a brother.”

[gilbertandanne]

AU College Fic. Farkle never figured out how Riley really felt about Lucas, so it never got out. Now she’s turning 21 and the gang decides to go to Las Vegas to celebrate. Sometimes what happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas.

Rating: M (because of language, situations, and it’s Vegas, soooo yeah)

Pairing: Rucas

Word Count: 8,789

Cross-posted at ff.net

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | J | Q | K | A | J |

A/N: 21 definitely has more than one meaning as it pertains to this story.

                         Chapter Four: The Devil’s Bedpost

As soon as the 8-ball easily skidded into the corner pocket, Maya shook her head.  “Is there a sport that you aren’t abnormally good at?”

Lucas smirked as he looked up at her.  “It was a lucky shot.”

She narrowed her eyes at him as her frown deepened.  She couldn’t handle ‘Mr. Modest’ right now, especially with the current winning streak he was on.  “You’ve won the last four games.”

He chuckled as he leaned against the pool cue.  “Pappy Joe taught me how to play a long time ago.”  He glanced at the quiet brunette in the corner.  His smile slowly faded as he watched her type something out on her phone.  Was she texting someone?  Who could she be possibly texting when it was 4am in New York?  He sighed as he turned back to Maya.  He had hoped that this trip would somehow afford them a chance to talk, to get reacquainted, to bridge the gap that had been rapidly expanding over the last two years.  He hadn’t felt that close to her since they were in middle school, but her distance as of late had set him on edge.  Finding out about the trip through their friends and not through her had sent him into a perpetual state of pensiveness over the last two months.  Why was she being distant?

“You should go on the road with that act,” Maya told him as she reached for the rack.  “You could make some good money by being a pool shark.”  She walked around the table as she pulled the balls from the pockets.  She stopped suddenly as an idea came to her.  “Hey!  It could pay your way through vet school.”

Lucas reached for his drink.  He had no idea just how much alcohol he had consumed over the course of the last several hours.  He had stopped for a while when they were bowling and when they ate some pizza.  He knew that he was currently on his second drink since they started playing pool.  Before that though, he wasn’t sure.  He didn’t feel drunk.  He was buzzed and felt a little more relaxed than he did when they first arrived, but that wasn’t saying much.  His eyes drifted back to Riley before he sat his drink down.  “One thing you’ll probably learn while we’re here is that the house always wins.”  He rotated the pool cue in his hands.  “It’s only a matter of time.”

Maya snickered at him.  “I thought drinking would loosen you up a little,” she sighed, “but you’re still dealing out these little pearls of wisdom that no one asks for.”

He shook his head as he released a soft chuckle.  “And that you’ll never listen to.”

Riley sipped her drink she listened to their banter.  Zay had disappeared behind the bar for a few minutes, which left Riley alone to witness Lucas and Maya’s playful exchange.  She wasn’t jealous, at least that’s what she told herself.  It reminded her of how they used to act around one another in middle school—before they became boyfriend and girlfriend.  Was there something more there?  Were there some unresolved feelings?  As far as Riley knew, Maya had no interest in him romantically, but did he still have feelings for her?  Maya’s observation about the type of girls Lucas seemed to be attracted to rang through Riley’s mind.  ‘This is ridiculous,’ she thought as she drank the rest of her margarita.  She wasn’t sure how much she had, but she knew it wasn’t enough.  She was still on edge around him.  As Lucas and Maya started another game, Riley stood up and quietly left the room.  ‘The whole point of this trip was to not think about this,’ she sighed as she wandered toward the bar.

“You do not look happy,” Zay told her as he poured some tequila into a glass.  “Did Lucas win again?”

“Yeah,” she gave him a half smile as she sat down.  “What are you making?”

“Just a little something for the soon to be birthday girl,” he placed the shot in front of her.

Riley looked at the glass skeptically.  “A tequila shot?”  She wanted to feel numb.  She didn’t want to black out.

He smirked.  “You look a little tired.  Figured you needed a little boost.”

She ran a hand through her hair.  Though she wasn’t technically 21 yet, she was aware of her limits when it came to alcohol.  Watching Lucas and Maya tease one another, no matter how innocent it was, definitely killed whatever buzz she thought she had.  She knew she had no claim on the Texan, and had endured far worse over the years, but seeing them together brought back a barrage of emotions she thought she had buried.  “I don’t know.  Maybe I should just go to bed, you know?  It’s almost 1am as it is and we…we have to get up in five hours.”

“Or…you could refuel a little bit, maybe eat some more of that pizza in the kitchen.”  He paused.  He could tell that there was something on her mind.  He didn’t want to see her go to bed unhappy.  “You know I’m right, Riles.  I was right about that pizza, and I’m right about this too.”

If she went to bed, she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep.  She could hear Lucas and Maya laughing in the next room.  She knew the sound would echo through her mind as she was unwillingly forced to take a stroll down middle school hell memory lane.  The two months her best friend dated Lucas were two of the longest months of her life.  Every single day she had to pretend to be happy for them, while trying to hide her real feelings from them both, and now, here she sat, desperately trying to brace herself for the possibility that it was happening all over again.  The only difference now was that her feelings for Lucas ran so much deeper than they did back then.  Maya knew about her feelings for Lucas, that was also a change from last time, but Riley knew that if something was developing between the two, she wouldn’t be the reason why they didn’t reconcile—if that was what was happening.

It was all too much for 1:00 in the morning.  She was jet lagged and in close proximity to the guy she had been emotionally running away from for seven years.  How was she going to survive the next few days?

Riley reached for the glass before she could second-guess herself.  Zay was right.  She had to drink more.  The pizza had sobered her up too much.  It allowed her the time to absorb everything that was transpiring around her.  She wanted to drown out all of the voices in her head that screamed at her that she would forever be in love with Lucas Friar.  She needed to dive back under the water and try to figure out a way to get through the next few days without completely drowning in her emotions.

She cringed as she sat the glass back down.  “Yeah.  I needed that,” she wheezed before she coughed.  Once she cleared her throat, she nudged the glass towards him.  One wouldn’t be enough.  If she was going to stay up, she needed another.  “I need more.”

“Farkle is going to kill me tomorrow,” Zay chuckled as he poured another shot.

Riley placed her hands on the counter as she watched Zay fill up the glass.  “We’re still young.  We can run off of very little sleep, right?”

“So what now,” Lucas asked the group as they lounged on the couches in the living room.  They had played half a dozen rounds of pool and bowled several games.  He figured they would all want to crash soon, but he wasn’t about to be the first person to leave.  The feeling that something was going to happen still nagged at him.  He wouldn’t feel at peace until he knew she was asleep.

Riley glanced at Zay before she tossed a piece of popcorn at him.  “I think we’re losing Babineaux,” she chuckled.

“Nah, nah,” he said as he yawned.  “I’m just resting my eyes.”

“I’m tapped out,” Maya said as she laid across from Riley.  When Riley offered her the bowl of popcorn, she took it.  As she popped a piece into her mouth, she looked up at the ceiling.  “I can’t think of any other good games we haven’t played yet.”

Riley pursed her lips as she glanced around the living room.  Finally, her eyes fell on an empty beer bottle on the coffee table.  For some strange reason, she reached for it.  As she picked at the label, she smirked as her moderately tipsy brain remembered one other game they could play.  Her eyes lifted to look at Lucas.  What were the odds that it would happen again?

Maya watched the brunette for a moment before an evil gleam crossed her eyes.  She knew exactly what was running through Riley’s mind.  She just needed a friendly push to get it started.  Farkle was asleep and Zay was almost passed out.  No one would be the wiser in case it didn’t work out.  “I’ve got it,” she grinned as she sat up.

Riley and Lucas looked at her.  “What,” Riley asked as she looked back down at the bottle.

Maya gestured to the bottle.  “A time honored classic, but,” she glanced across the suite, “with a twist.”

Riley had no idea what the blonde was getting at until she looked back up at Maya.  She merely grinned as she stared at the object in Riley’s hands.  “Spin the bottle?”  The brunette sat up.  The last thing she wanted to do was play spin the bottle.  There would only be three participants and she wasn’t about to partake in a game that could end up with her best friend kissing the guy she had feelings for.  “Maya, there are only three of us,” she tried to reason.  She glanced at Zay once more.  “Zay is completely out.”

Maya looked at him.  If everything fell as she knew it would, they wouldn’t need his help.  She only needed one spin.  Everything else would take care of itself.  It was perfect.  “We can wake him up when it’s his turn…and I’m not talking about spin the bottle.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Seven minutes in heaven…but instead of a closet,” she turned away as she looked at the darkened room at the back of the living room, “we use the hot tub.”  When she spun back around, she was met with disinterested looks from both Riley and Lucas.  She rolled her eyes as she stood up.  All they needed was a nudge.  She was certain that the Texan had feelings for Riley.  It was past time for one of them to finally make a move.  “Come on…we know we don’t have to actually do anything…but we haven’t gotten in the hot tub yet, and I don’t know…it’ll give us a chance to talk one-on-one.”  She raised her eyebrows as she waited for their answer.

Riley sighed.  “I’m not sure that this is such a good—“

Maya raised a hand to stop her.  “I’m sorry, but we are in Las Vegas and we are all adults here.  Logic left the room around 9:30 when the King of Logic went to bed.  I don’t know about you guys, but I think it would be nice to visit our teenage-hood one more time.”  When Riley and Lucas made no move to say anything, Maya frowned.  “If you’re both too scared to do it, then—“

“I’m not scared,” Riley told her as she stood up.  She knew that Maya only said that to bait her, but Riley didn’t care.  She had gotten her buzz back and if she were ever going to play this stupid game, it would be on this trip.

“Good,” Maya smiled before she faced Lucas.  She knew that she would get a much better grasp on his feelings by his willingness to play her game.  “What about you, Huckleberry?  Going to go to bed to leave me, Riley, and Zay to duke it out or are you in?”

“I haven’t backed out of anything yet,” he answered evenly.

“I’ll take that as an enthusiastic ‘yes’, then.”  Maya turned back to Riley.  “It’s your birthday.  You get the first spin.”

“Fine.”  Before she even sat the bottle down, Riley knew exactly where it would land.  She knew because it was Maya’s game and because fate, destiny, or whatever force that seemed anxious to destroy her always wanted to throw what she couldn’t have in her face.  She took a deep breath before she spun it.  Even though she knew what was about to happen, it still felt like an eternity before the bottle stopped its rotation.  When it finally did, she lifted her eyes as the bottle landed on the one person she was the most scared of being alone with.

As Lucas closed the doors behind them, he could have sworn he heard Maya laughing.  If he lived to be a hundred, he would never understand her.  He shook his head as he turned around.  He stopped dead in his tracks as he watched Riley lift her tank top over her head.  He was certain that the last time he saw her in a bathing suit was right after high school graduation.  They all had taken a trip to Texas and had gone swimming at the lake on the edge of his grandfather’s property.  He thought for sure they would reconnect on that trip, but she and Maya were attached at the hip the entire time.  

He took swig of his drink to try to steady his quaking nerves.  ‘This isn’t a big deal,’ he reminded himself as he watched her place her shirt on the bench by the hot tub.  The electric pink bikini she wore contrasted perfectly with her olive complexion.  It was taking every ounce of strength he had not to reach for her in that exact moment.  He rubbed the back of his neck as he sat his drink down on the counter on the far wall.

Riley sat her phone down on top of her shirt.  She seemed to be completely oblivious to the effect she was having on the anxious Texan.  “This shouldn’t be too bad, right?  Seven minutes in a hot tub.”

“Yeah,” he agreed as he turned around to face her once more.  He watched in wonderment as she shimmied out of her gym shorts.  ‘Stop staring.  Stop staring.  Stop being a creep.’  He knew he had to distract himself while she got situated.  

Once she was in the water, he hoped that he would be able calm his suddenly raging hormones and quiet the lustful thoughts that came charging toward him as she undressed.  He cleared his throat as he walked over to the window to pull the curtains back.  He gave himself a minute to compose himself before he spoke.  “I can’t get over this view.”

“It’s pretty incredible, isn’t it,” she responded as she slowly dipped her toes into the water.  She was still completely oblivious to the effect she had on him.  “I still can’t believe we are here and in a suite like this,” she added as she slowly sank underneath the water.  She reached for her drink, which sat at the edge of the tub.  “It all feels like a dream right now, you know?  I feel like I’m going to wake up tomorrow and be forced to walk through the freezing cold in order to get to my bio final.”

“It definitely feels like a dream,” he mumbled as his eyes lingered on the city lights below them.  He reached for the hem of his shirt before he lifted the garment over his head.

Riley tilted her head to the side as she admired the way his muscles rippled across his back as he took his t-shirt off.  It had been nearly two years since the last time she saw him without a shirt on, and her memory did not do him justice.  She knew he had been working out a lot more lately, but she hadn’t been able to notice a difference until now.  Her lips parted slightly as he turned around and tossed his shirt to the corner of the room.  She counted eight abs on his torso as he slowly sunk his toes into the water.  

She blinked several times as she quickly tried to figure out if she was openly drooling by the mere the sight of him.  ‘Great job on making it not awkward, Riley,’ she mentally chastised herself.  She cleared her throat as she sat her drink next to the tub.  She reached for her phone as she set an alarm for seven minutes.  “I thought it would be a lot like the city, you know?  Lights and traffic everywhere.”  She placed her phone on the edge of the tub before she turned to face him.

“Well,” he chuckled as his body slowly sank underneath the hot water, “it is.  Just a lot more neon than we’re used to.”

“Not to mention that the desert is right there too.  It’s crazy that you can see where the city ends and the desert begins from our room.”  She paused as she glanced out the window.  She couldn’t see that definitive line from where she sat.  She could only see the bright lights of America’s Playground.   “I wonder if you can see the stars out there.”

“I’m sure you can,” he answered as he craned his neck to look out the window.  After a moment, he turned back to her.  “I’m sure it’s like Texas.  Once you get away from the lights, you’ll be able to see the entire night sky.”

“Hmm,” she contemplated as she reached for her drink once more.  “I wonder if we can go out there one night…try to see them.  I really miss seeing the stars.”

“It’s your trip.  Whatever the birthday girl wants, the birthday girl gets,” he smiled.

‘I wish,’ she thought to herself as she sat her drink down.  After about ten seconds of excruciatingly painful silence, she pressed the home button on her phone.  This had to be almost over, right?  “Six minutes to go.”

Lucas waved his hands around under the water as he tried to think of something to say to her.  They had already made small talk.  He could ask her about Steve, but he knew he wasn’t prepared to hear the answer to that particular question.  He wasn’t hammered, but he was definitely intoxicated enough to say something he knew he would regret in the morning.  “This whole thing so ridiculous,” he finally said to her.  “The five of us have been friends forever.  I doubt anything could change between us in seven minutes that hasn’t changed in the last seven years.”

She slowly nodded as she felt a pang in her chest.  Of course he would feel that way.  Even in a romantic setting, he wouldn’t ever want anything to happen between them, and maybe he was right.  Nothing had changed between them in seven years, although she could have sworn that they came pretty close a few times.  She knew that the next six minutes would be filled with more awkward small talk and even more uncomfortable silence.  It was excruciating. “Yeah.  We’re friends.”

He reached for his jack and coke.  “Yeah,” he took a long swig as he considered his next words.  “I’m your brother, remember?”  Maybe he shouldn’t have said it, but there were only so many impulses he could control in his intoxicated state.

Riley hated that word, at least when it came to describing her relationship with the guy she sat across from.  ‘Brother’ was the exact opposite of how she felt about him.  She saw all of the others as members of her family, but not him.  It was always different with him.  

Seven years after that stupid comment, and she was forever forced to endure the label she had placed on their relationship.  “Yeah.  It would be too weird to…after so long…” she trailed off before she frowned.  She wasn’t sure if it was the heat from the tub, the alcohol in her system, or the fact that she knew she was at the end of her rope, but something Maya mentioned to her at Zay’s birthday party had been nagging the brunette for months.  Witnessing the playful interactions he had with her best friend earlier still lingered in her mind.  If they were going to talk for the next four minutes, then maybe she could at least gain a little clarity about one aspect of her predicament.  “Lucas, can I ask you something?”

He looked away from her as he sat his drink back down.  “Sure.”

Riley subconsciously licked her bottom lip as she tried to brace herself for his response.  She couldn’t believe she was about to ask him this.  She had never really asked him anything about his love life before.  It was too weird, not to mention the fact that she didn’t want to inflict any more pain than necessary on her beaten heart.  “Maya told me that…that you have a type…that the girls you date look…well, that they look like me.”  When he didn’t flinch, she continued, “I don’t see it, but…when she brought it up…it made me wonder because…because I’ve never really seen you with someone who didn’t have dark eyes and dark hair.”  As his eyes slowly looked up into hers, she took a shaky breath.  “Is there something to that?”

Lucas thought his heart had suddenly stopped beating.  Out of everything she could have possibly asked, she decided to ask about his love life?  He thought for sure that they would talk about the most basic things as they always had: school, weather, childhood memories, or food.  He had no idea where to begin or even what to tell her.  Leave it to Maya to figure out his pattern.  He didn’t even realize his affinity for brown-eyed brunettes until Zay pointed it out a year ago.  Should he confess what he thought was the reasoning behind it?  Should he reach for her, swear that it had always only been her—that he only went out with other girls because that was what she told him to do, that he was trying to respect her wishes?  Should he finally admit the feelings he had been forced to suppress for the last seven years?

Riley was beginning to regret her question as she waited for his answer.  Was Maya right?  Did he have a type?  Was he transfixed on dark haired, dark eyed girls because he was in love with someone else?  She twisted her hair tie around her wrist as she waited for him to answer.  “Is it…is it because you still have feelings for Maya or something?”

The corner of his mouth lifted into a half smile.  If she only knew.  “No,” he answered as he reached for his drink once more.  If their conversation was going to go any deeper, he would need all of the help he could get in order to calm his unstable nerves.

The brunette frowned as his answer only frustrated her more.  If that wasn’t it, then what was it?  She could tell that something was on his mind.  She was a jumble of nerves as she waited for him to elaborate.  When he didn’t, she slid the hair tie off her wrist as she pulled her hair up into a messy bun.  The ends of her hair were already wet, but she didn’t care.  The act only served as a distraction—something to do in order to keep herself from climbing out the tub and running to her room.  “Talk to me.  We’re friends, right?  You know that you can tell me anything…don’t you?”  She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the truth, but it did bother her that he seemed uncomfortable around her.  She knew it was her fault.  She had been pushing him away for a long time now, but in her inebriated state, the thought of him actually pulling away from her was unsettling.

He finished the rest of his drink as he thought about what to say.  He said nothing until he sat the glass back down and turned to face her.  “Riley, we haven’t been that close since I rode Tombstone…since you told me the truth about how you felt about me.”  He glanced around the room.  “I mean…you didn’t even think to invite me to this…and I’m pretty sure you never would have if the guys didn’t mention it.”  Maybe it was harsh, but if she wanted him to be honest with her, then this was the only place to start.

“Yes, I would have,” she frowned as she considered her own words.  Would she have invited him if he hadn’t overheard the guys talking about it?  All she wanted was to get away.  She wanted to not think about anything for a few days, and she knew that if he came, he would invade most of her thoughts.  She sighed.  “It’s just…I…I…”

Hearing her stumble over her words pierced his heart harder than whatever she could possibly be keeping from him.  “What?”

She couldn’t do it.  “I can’t…I can’t tell you.”

“That’s my point.  We can’t talk to each other…and Riley…I hate that we can’t.”  The dam he had been able to maintain for so long finally cracked as he was forced to face the reality that they were practically strangers now.  “For a long time, I thought that we could…be close, but…I feel like the older we get, the more distant we become.  What happens after graduation?  Are we just going to go our separate ways and only see each other at high school reunions?”

Riley shook her head.  She hadn’t thought that far ahead.  “No.  Of course not.  I can’t…I can’t imagine my world without you in it.”  Despite everything, she knew she didn’t want him to disappear from her world.  At the same time, she had to figure out a way to get over him for once and for all.

“You say that, but Riley…I know nothing that’s going on with you.”  ‘Like who you’re dating or the last movie you saw or your favorite song on the radio.’  The distance that separated them was what was killing him.  He figured out years ago that he would rather be in her orbit as a friend—and watch her live her life on the sidelines—than to be completely kicked out of her solar system.  She was the damn sun and he needed whatever warmth she could provide.  He had lived in the darkness for far too long.  He needed her in order to grow, to survive—even if it was just as a friend.

She shrugged.  “What do you want to know?”  It was a dangerous question, but she was tired of hiding.  She knew it was the alcohol talking, but if he was going to ask, then the least she could do was answer.

He looked into her eyes.  “What are you thinking about right now?”

She laughed.  There was no way that he wanted to know what was rolling around in her intoxicated brain at that exact moment.  Even she couldn’t believe the memories she was recalling as they sat in the hot tub.  “The truth?”

He loved the sound of her laughter.  If this could be the first step toward a different kind of friendship between them, then he was more than willing to listen to whatever she had to say.  “Please.”

“I’m…thinking about Darby’s sixteenth birthday party.”  She waited for him to give her a confused look.  When he didn’t, she leaned back in the tub.  Already she was beginning to feel more comfortable around him.  “I’m pretty sure that was the last time we played a game like this.  You and I…ended up in the coat closet.”

“I remember,” he smiled.  “Zay’s ear was propped up against the door the whole time.”

Riley laughed.  “That’s right!  I forgot about that.  The door hit him when you opened it and he fell.”

Lucas chuckled as he glanced at the closed door.  He knew their friends were nosey and if they were awake that they would be right on the other side of the frosted glass.  He couldn’t see any silhouettes or shadows.  Maybe Maya got bored and went to bed.  Lucas was certain that Zay had finally passed out on the couch.  He was pretty much asleep when they left the living room.  “At least he learned not to be so nosey.”  His eyes lowered back to Riley.  “Why are you thinking about that?  Just because we got thrown together again?”

“For the most part.”  She should have said ‘yes’ and left it at that.  She knew that leaving her answer open like that would only invite him to ask her more specifics about why she was thinking about that party.  God, the alcohol must have finally taken control of her of sensibility.  Either that or seven years of repression were the most she could possibly endure.  

He raised a curious eyebrow at her.  “For the most part?”

As their eyes locked, she felt the wall between them come tumbling down.  “Do you ever…I don’t know…wonder…what might have happened if we had…you know…kissed…in that closet?”  ‘Wait,’ her brain suddenly panicked, ‘did I actually say that out loud?  Stupid tequila.  Stupid, stupid tequila.’

It felt like her eyes burned right through him as they stared at one another.  Was he so transparent?  How was she capable of seeing right through him?  He could hear his heart pulsate in his ears.  “I have,” he finally answered.  “You?”

“Yeah…but…you know…I think about your track record and,” she shrugged, “I don’t know.”

“My track record?”  What did his dating record have to do with something that could have happened in a closet when they were sophomores in high school?

“You know that you date around.”

“So do you.”  He still wasn’t sure what their dating lives had to do with it.

“I do,” she agreed.  “But I don’t…I don’t get into all of these two month long relationships.”  She paused.  “Honestly, I feel like this is the first time you’ve been single since that birthday party.”

He looked at her for a long moment.  What was running through her mind right now?  “What are you trying to say?”

She shrugged.  “I don’t even know.”  She laughed.  “Maybe the alcohol is getting to me.”  She should leave well enough alone.  They only had a few more minutes left.  She should just be quiet until her alarm went off, but that wasn’t what she wanted.  She wasn’t sure if she would ever get a chance like this again.  She had been drinking.  He had been drinking.  They were technically supposed to be playing ‘seven minutes in heaven’.  Maybe they could—she smirked at the thought.  “This could be the last time, though…you know.”

“Last time?”  He wasn’t sure where their communication had broken down.  They were having a pretty good conversation before Riley brought up Darby’s party.  Now, he wasn’t sure what she was saying.  

“Who knows?  Maybe you’ll meet Miss Right tomorrow.  Maybe we won’t be forced into a hot tub for seven minutes in heaven again.”  She paused as her heart raced.  She knew she had to be drunk.  She had never been this bold in her entire life.  Was she actually suggesting this?  “It’s not a big deal right,” she reasoned.  ‘Wrong,’ the tiny part of her brain that remained sobered screamed at her.  She shrugged.  “Even Maya and I have kissed on a dare before.”  Was she trying to downplay it to convince him that it wasn’t a big deal or was she trying to downplay it to convince herself that it wasn’t a big deal?  “We’re not thirteen years old anymore, Lucas.  A kiss between friends is not life and death.” ‘Or is it?’  

His heart skipped a beat as he listened to her.  He had to make sure that he had heard her correctly.  Was she actually suggesting that they finish what they never started in that coat closet five years ago?  “You want to actually play seven minutes in heaven?”

“I never have before.  Not really, anyway.”  As she waited for his answer, she determined that this didn’t have to be some earth shattering moment.  It would just be a drunken moment between two friends who were in Las Vegas to have a good time—or so she convinced herself.  “I’m about to turn 21.  I’m in Las Vegas.  Why not do something I’ve never done before with someone I trust?”  When he still said nothing, she began to back peddle.  Clearly it was too much—too weird for him.  This was what she was afraid of.  She knew she would do or say something stupid to him.  She only wished that she could have caught herself before she opened up her drunken mouth.  “It’s pretty stupid, right?”

He knew that it was a bad idea.  He knew that they shouldn’t do it.  He knew that he should stay exactly where he was—at the other end of the hot tub.  He knew that he shouldn’t close the space in between them.  He knew that he shouldn’t brush away the tiny wisp of hair that had fallen across her eyes.  He knew that he shouldn’t give into the beginning of a fantasy he had imagined for so long.

But, he had to.  He had to know if this moment was real.  He had to know if everything he was feeling was one sided.  He had to know if she really did see him as a brother.  They didn’t get their chance in Darby’s closet five years ago.  He wasn’t about to make the first move on her back then, especially with the entire sophomore class on the other side of the door.  This felt different.  She was asking him to kiss her.  She was asking him to play this game with her, and even though she said it wasn’t that big of a deal, deep down, he knew that everything between them was about to change.

Good or bad, he knew that something had to give.  He couldn’t remain in purgatory for the rest of his life.

Her eyes slowly lifted to meet his as he closed the space between them.  Neither said a word as he tucked those few loose strands of hair behind her ear.  He swallowed as his fingertips lightly brushed against her cheek.  He wasn’t sure if he was hallucinating or not, but he could have sworn that she leaned into his touch as his fingertips grazed her jaw.  He paused as he wordlessly offered her a way out of this.  When she didn’t make any move to back away from him, his heart pounded even faster.  This was real.  He was mere inches from tasting heaven right on earth.  He knew he had to act before he could talk himself out of it.  As he lowered his head and closed his eyes, he knew that he was about to finally give into the one impulse he had suppressed for seven years.

As Riley’s eyes fluttered closed, she couldn’t help but to feel that it was all happening in slow motion.  The anticipation was almost paralyzing as she waited to feel his lips brush against hers.  She held her breath as his nose lightly grazed her cheek.  This was it.  Her heart thundered even harder as his lips finally met hers.

Eight years after their first kiss, they finally had their second, which was quickly followed by their third and fourth.  Half drunk and more in love than ever, she wrapped her arms around his neck as their lips refused to leave one another.

Lucas gripped the edge of the hot tub with one hand while his other arm wrapped around her waist.  This had to be a dream.  He knew that at any second he would wake up alone in his dorm room—haunted by the knowledge that this moment could only ever exist in his own bittersweet fantasy.  There was no way that, after all this time, God would smile down on him and bless him with a glimpse into paradise.

He braced himself as he waited to be thrown out this beautiful utopia.  He expected to be transported back to New York—back to the loneliness he had felt ever since the horrific moment she told him how she really felt when they were in the 8th grade—but that moment never came.  As soon as she opened her mouth against his, he released a quiet moan.  He felt completely drunk in that moment, but it wasn’t because of the alcohol.  It was because he knew that when you dream about something for so long and you finally get it, everything around you becomes surreal.  Dream or not, he wanted to savor every precious millisecond of this moment.  As her tongue slowly entered his mouth, he pulled her closer while her fingers slowly danced down the length of his arms.  He thought for sure she was about to pull away, to confirm that he was nothing more than a big brother to her, but when her hands finally landed on his hips, she nudged him closer to her.

Encouraged by her gesture, his hesitancy melted away as he deepened their kiss.  Fear disappeared into a sense of passion that he had never felt with anyone else before.  He guided them backward, toward the edge of the hot tub, as his tongue explored the sweet taste of her mouth.  

When the back of her legs hit the seat in the corner of the tub, she sat down at the edge as she wrapped her legs around his torso.  Eight years since that first little taste, that first little jolt between their lips, and now, she wasn’t sure she would ever be able to go back to the life she knew before this moment.  This was unlike every other kiss she had ever experienced.  Even though they were in a hot tub, she could feel goose bumps rise up all over her body.  It was as if the logical part of her mind had detached itself from her body as she allowed herself a few precious moments to give into everything she had wanted for so long.

As soon as she wrapped her legs around him, he knew this had to be some drunken delusion.  Reality had never been this kind to him.  He shuddered when she ran her fingers across his chest.  Whatever was building between them was nothing short of electric.  They were nothing short of perfection.  This moment and everything that surrounded them was beyond perfect.  Her lips were the gateway to a world he had long since desired to reside in.

When he wrapped his other arm around her, completely enveloping her in his arms, Riley knew she had left Earth.  Her soul now dwelled in a place that didn’t have any understanding of the concept of time or reality.  She had dreamt of being in his arms for as long as she had known him, and here she was, perfectly safe from the harsh realities of the world that surrounded them.  They were only kissing, but it felt like so much more.  It felt like a homecoming.  It felt like years of misunderstanding were beginning to melt away.  It felt like the beginning of something new.

Riley’s phone lit up as her alarm echoed throughout the otherwise silent room.  She could feel herself plummeting back to earth as her phone unforgivingly reminded her that sometimes seven minutes could feel like seven seconds.  ‘Seven minutes in heaven.  More like six minutes of talking and one minute in heaven,’ she thought bitterly as she reluctantly pulled away from him.  She took a deep breath as she reached for the shrieking device.

Lucas never heard her phone go off.  He was suspended in a reality where nothing else existed but the woman in his arms.  It was only when she nudged him back that he heard the obnoxious sound of her alarm. “It’s been seven minutes,” he questioned as he watched her turn the alarm off.  He took a deep breath as he quelled the urge to reach for her once more.  He only had a glimpse of this new world, but he knew it was exactly what he had been looking for.  

After she turned the alarm off, she looked up at him.  His face was slightly flushed and his lips were slightly parted as he tried to catch his breath.  She thought for sure that he would pull away as soon as they kissed.  She was certain that he would tell her it was way too weird, but he didn’t.  As her eyes lowered to her phone once more, she knew that it could have easily gone further had her alarm not gone off.  “Since we got in here,” she finally responded as a blush crept up on her cheeks.  ‘How far would it have gone?’  

Lucas still felt slightly disoriented as he processed her words.  That was not seven minutes.  It barely felt longer than a few seconds.  Suddenly, their entire conversation came back to him.  “But technically, most of that was spent talking.”

Riley’s heart fluttered as she looked up at him.  “What are you saying?”

He looked at her for a long minute as he carefully considered his next words.  He wasn’t sure if he was ready to put himself out there.  He wasn’t sure if she would laugh in his face or call him ridiculous, but he also knew that if he let her get out of the hot tub without at least asking, he would regret it.  They were on the verge of something, he could feel it.  She had to have felt it too.  It was too intense to only be one sided.  “You wanted to play seven minutes in heaven,” he began as he forced himself to remain where he stood, “not one minute in heaven.”  All he wanted to do was to reach for her, to feel her pressed against him once more.

She bit her bottom lip as she looked back down at her phone.  As she set a new alarm, she realized that she was definitely feeling the effects of the alcohol that coursed through her system.  She knew it because every cell in her body felt a jolt at his suggestion and she immediately knew she was not strong enough to deny herself another glimpse into a world she had quite often fantasized about.  

She sat the device down and reached for her drink.  She said nothing as she downed the rest of the contents.  She knew that this was a mistake—one that she would pay for a very long time, but she also knew that those extra minutes would be worth every second of torture she was sure to endure once it was over.

After she sat the empty glass down, she closed the space between them as her fingertips skated across the water.  Once she reached him, she wrapped her arms around his neck.  “Ok, Friar,” she smirked.  “Let’s play then.”

He didn’t hesitate.  If he did, for one moment, he would have stopped whatever it was they were doing.  He knew that he had to tell her how he felt.  He knew that they had to work out whatever feelings that may or may not exist between them, but after years of broken dreams and constant longing, his brain no longer ruled his body.  Maybe it was the alcohol, but maybe, just maybe, somewhere deep within him knew that whatever they were doing was real and, in a way, it was the most honest conversation they had ever had.

Their eight minutes in heaven rapidly turned into fifteen minutes in heaven as Lucas fumbled around to hit the snooze button on her phone after the second set of seven.  She made no move to pull away from him as he opened his eyes long enough to silence the device.  Neither said a word when he casually tossed her phone toward the corner of the room because their lips were already speaking volumes.

When her phone shrieked seven minutes later, Riley frowned against his lips.  Had seven minutes passed so quickly?  She was completely oblivious to the fact that a total of fourteen minutes had passed since she first set that alarm.  Her frown melted into a smile when he pulled her closer to him.

She knew she would pay for this for an eternity.  She knew that these precious minutes would haunt her until she was able to force him from her system, but she knew it would be worth it all.  Every caress, every kiss, every touch was the perfect movement at the perfect time.  She had never felt more alive than in those fifteen minutes.  She didn’t want it to end.  She didn’t want to be forced back into reality.  She didn’t want to sober up.  She didn’t want to feel awkward around him when it ended.  She wanted to stay exactly as they were.

As her phone continued its relentless chime, she knew that whatever this was—whatever lapse in judgment they had fallen into—was over.  Even Cinderella had to face the real world after dancing with her prince all night.

Riley slowly pulled away from him when he began to kiss along her jawline.  She wasn’t sure if it was the heat in the tub, the heat between them, or the sudden sense of self-awareness that shot through her as her alarm continued its relentless call back to reality, but she had to create some space between them.  What was happening?  Was any of this real or was it all one drunken mistake?

Once she was able to catch her breath, she turned away from him.  “I’m sure the others are probably wondering what we’re doing,” she told him as she forced herself out of the hot tub.  She reached for a towel on the bench by the tub as she quickly dried off.  She had to go to bed.  She had to get out of that room.  Simply leaving the hot tub wasn’t enough.  The temptation to return to him was too strong.  She turned her back toward him as she ran the towel down the length of her body.  She paused long enough to notice that her hands were shaking.  ‘Really, Riley?’  She tossed the damp towel to the side before she walked to the other side of the room to silence her obnoxious phone.

Lucas was slightly dumbfounded as he watched her fumble around with her phone in order to turn off her alarm.  “Did I do something wrong,” he asked as he climbed out of the tub and closed the space between them.

Riley spun around to answer him, but didn’t expect him to be so close to her.  Her brown eyes were immediately met with his green ones as he stood mere inches from her.  It would be too easy to reach for him, to dive back into the paradise she had discovered between his lips.  Her breath caught in her throat as his lips slowly turned up into a small smile.  “N-No,” she stammered.

It took every bit of self-control he had not to pull her back in his arms.  She looked frightened, but he wasn’t sure why.  Was she worried about everyone else?  “I don’t think the others care what we’re doing,” he offered.  “It is our first night here, and it’s almost 3am…so, 6am in New York.”  His eyes slowly drifted toward the door.  “I’m sure Zay is passed out on the couch where we left him, and Maya probably got bored and went to bed.  If I’m wrong and they’re both on the other side of that door, then,” he sighed as he looked back at the brunette, “I mean we’ve all had a lot to drink tonight, right?  Maybe they’ll be too drunk to remember that our seven minutes in heaven lasted a lot longer.”

‘Too drunk to remember.’  His words echoed through her slightly bewildered mind.  He was absolutely right.  They had all been drinking.  Riley knew that she would have never suggested the game in the first place if she had been sober.  Still, she had no clue how drunk he was.  He didn’t seem to be smashed, but he definitely had more to drink than the rest of them did.  Her eyes ticked over to the hot tub.  She released a bittersweet chuckle as her eyes finally lowered to the ground.  She knew exactly what this was, and she couldn’t be mad about it because it was her idea!  Lucas Friar, serial monogamist stood before her.  He was single (for the moment).  He was in Las Vegas.  They decided to stay in their first night.  This was only ever meant to be a one-time thing.  She knew she had to play it off.  She knew that she had to walk away and pretend that the last twenty-one minutes hadn’t completely spun her world off its axis.  She turned away from him as she reached for her tank top and shorts.  “Yeah…what’s the big deal, right?  We’re both drunk.  The setting was perfect and now…I can scratch something off the bucket list.”

The only thing colder than her words was the icy tone that matched it.  Lucas frowned as he took a step closer to her.  He didn’t mean that he was too drunk.  He was only trying to assure her that the others wouldn’t care what they were doing.  “Riley, that’s not what I—“

Her head snapped up to look at him.  She couldn’t listen to another word.  She was already mortified enough.  “Thanks, Lucas.  You’re a good friend.”  The right corner of her lips lifted into a small smile—one that instantly made her nauseous—before she opened the door and quickly retreated to her room.  She didn’t dare peer into the living room to see if anyone else was still awake.  She only wanted to get away from him and this awkward conversation.

Lucas pinched the bridge of his nose as he quelled the urge to let out a frustrated groan.  What the hell just happened?  Yes, they had been drinking, but it wasn’t like they were completely wasted, right?  He knew he was buzzed, but he was well aware of the decisions he had made in that hot tub.  Riley seemed fairly in control of herself as well.  If he thought for one second that she was completely smashed, he never would have agreed to her request.

He reached for a towel and wrapped it around his waist as he grabbed his shirt.  He wandered into the living room and noticed that Zay was sleeping in the same spot where they left him twenty-one minutes earlier.  Maya was nowhere in sight. ‘Good,’ he thought to himself as he made his way to his room.  ‘There will be fewer questions to have to answer in the morning.’

Riley leaned her head against the door as soon as she closed it behind her.  Even in the darkened room, she could tell that Maya was asleep in the bed on the far side of the room.  Riley closed her eyes as she quietly bumped her head against the door three times.  She couldn’t go back out there.  She was completely humiliated by everything that happened in that stupid hot tub.  Who asks someone to play ‘seven minutes in heaven’ with them just to fulfill some stupid ‘bucket list’ request?  She knew that she felt something when they kissed, and for a while, she thought that maybe he did too, but then again, maybe he didn’t.  Maybe he was right.  They all had been drinking for several hours.  Maybe it was all an illusion—a convenient hookup because they were both lonely.

As she reached for her pajamas, she prayed that the alcohol she consumed would allow her to forget the twenty-one minutes she spent with Lucas Friar in the hot tub.  When she crawled into bed, she closed her eyes.  When she still felt the burning sensation of his kiss on her lips, she knew that it would be easier said than done.  

[gilbertandanne]

AU College Fic. Farkle never figured out how Riley really felt about Lucas, so it never got out. Now she's turning 21 and the gang decides to go to Las Vegas to celebrate. Sometimes what happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas.

A/N: Starting off with Chapter Two because Chapter One is ‘Dancing On My Own’ (linked below under the ‘1′) and it works a lot better with my chapter titles to start it off with two.

Rating: M (because of language, situations, and it’s Vegas, soooo yeah)

Pairing: Rucas

Cross-posted at ff.net

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | J | Q | K | A | J |

                                             Chapter Two: Deuces

Two months later...

‘Vegas, Vegas, Vegas,’ Maya chanted in her mind as she tossed half of the clothing she owned into her bag.  It was finally here.  After months of planning, they were going to Las Vegas to celebrate Riley’s birthday and to celebrate the fact that their whole group was finally twenty-one.

She walked out of her closet and toward her nightstand as she reached for the book that rested on top of it.  ‘Card Counting for Dummies,’ she smiled as she slid the book into her carry-on bag.  ‘Time to see if you actually work or not.’  She turned back to her suitcase.  Several clothing items had spilled out of the wheeled luggage.  She quickly scooped up the fallen garments and tossed them back into the bag.  She closed the lid and attempted to zip it up.  She got about halfway around it until the zipper suddenly stopped.  Maya bit her bottom lip as she tried several times to tug on the zipper.  It didn’t budge.  “Hmm,” she mused as she turned around and sat on top of the uncooperative bag.  She was able to get another two inches of it zipped up before it stopped again.  “Riley,” she finally called out.  “Riley, come here!  I need your butt for a minute!”

Riley stopped in the doorway as she tiled her head to the side in confusion.  “Did you just say you needed my butt?”

“Yeah,” the blonde groaned as she helplessly yanked on the stubborn piece of metal that refused to move any further.

Riley’s eyes widened as she took in the sheer amount of clothes her best friend had packed.  “We are only going to be there for four days, Maya.”

“Yeah, but I don’t know what I’m going to feel like wearing once we get there.  We’re going out to some nice meals, the club for your birthday, and then I have my gambling attire.”  She thought for a moment.  “Oh!  I forgot about shopping outfits.”

The brunette chuckled.  “Scoot over,” she instructed as she sat down on the other side of her best friend’s luggage.  She furrowed her eyebrows as she struggled to get the zipper to move, but after a few moments, it finally conceded and zipped up.  “There,” she said as she stood back up.  “Are you about ready?  The boys should be here any minute.”

“Yeah.  I just need to wheel this stuff to the door and grab my carry on.”  Maya surveyed her belongings for a moment before she glanced at the brunette.  “You ok? You don’t seem particularly thrilled.”

“I am,” she shrugged.  “Just anxious…about the flight, I guess.”  Liar.  She had already confessed her deep dark secret to her best friend, but maybe some habits were hard to break.  When Maya raised an eyebrow at her, Riley sighed.  She should have known that the blonde wouldn’t buy that excuse.  “It might also be the fact that I get to spend the next four days with someone who couldn’t be any more unavailable.”  She ran a hand through her hair.  She thought that it would get easier as the years went on, that her feelings for Lucas would simply fade into the background, but they hadn’t.  If anything, they had only grown stronger, despite her attempts to keep him at arm’s length.

“You need to tell him,” Maya insisted as she surveyed her luggage once more.  She was beginning to feel like a broken record because every conversation they had about Lucas always ended up like this.  Riley had to talk to him.  It may be awkward and weird at first, but if there was even a chance that he reciprocated her feelings, wouldn’t it be worth it?  “I’m like 95% sure he feels the same way.”  ‘More like 100%,’ the blonde mused.  Lucas hadn’t verbalized any romantic feelings he had for Riley since they were in middle school, but the way he acted around her seemed to tell a different story.  Whenever she entered a room, no matter who he was around, his attention immediately drifted to her.  She couldn’t believe that she hadn’t seen it sooner, but ever since Riley’s confession, Maya made it her mission to figure out what was going on with him.

“You don’t know that.”  She refused to entertain the notion that Lucas Friar had any sort of romantic feelings for her.  If he did, he would have said something by now, and besides, he had a girlfriend who looked like she just stepped off a runway.  If he could get a girl that gorgeous, then he would only be wasting his time with a ‘plain Jane’ like her.  “It doesn’t matter anyway.  It’s just…a stupid crush.”

Maya brushed a piece of stray hair away from her face as she turned to her best friend once more.  “Who do you think you’re trying to fool with that?  I know you, Riley.”

Riley took a deep breath.  “It doesn’t matter,” she reiterated.  “We’re friends.  That’s what we are.  That’s what we’ve always been.  Besides, he has a girlfriend.”

“We broke up,” Lucas told the group as soon as the girls climbed into the van to the airport.

Maya glanced at Riley knowingly.  What a surprise.  “That’s…too bad, Huckleberry,” she smiled.

He had only brought Alicia around the group once, but still, that gave Maya no reason to seem so happy about it.  “Yeah, you seem really broken up about it,” he deadpanned before he glanced at the brunette next to her.

“I’m sorry, Lucas,” Riley told him.  She couldn’t believe how happy Maya seemed over the situation.  Just because Lucas was single now didn’t mean that they would suddenly start dating.  “What happened?”

He shrugged.  “Just wasn’t meant to be, I guess.” ‘Or it’s because I’m in love with you,’ his brain screamed in response.  He knew he could never verbalize the real reason why it never seemed to work out with anyone else.  He knew that it wasn’t what the brunette wanted to hear.  Their friendship was already strained, to say the least.  The last thing he wanted to do was to put more pressure on it by forcing her to see him in a way that she clearly didn’t.  “It’s ok.”

“Hell yeah, it is,” Zay spoke up from behind him.  “For the first time since I moved here, we’re all single…and we’re all going to Vegas?  The next four days are going to be so amazing.”

Farkle frowned.  “We were all single when you moved here.”

“Not even close,” he answered as he leaned back in his seat.  “Don’t you remember?  Back then, Riley and Lucas had their little thing going on.”

“Well, yeah, but I would hardly call that dating,” Farkle told him.  Sure, they went out on a date and they had the typical middle school unofficial relationship for a little while, but it wasn’t like they were ever serious or in a committed relationship.  If they were, Lucas wouldn’t have jumped from Riley to Maya as quickly as he did.

When Lucas turned his head back around to look at Riley, she spun around in her seat.  Farkle was right.  What they did could hardly be called dating.  They had decided right before Zay showed up that they weren’t in a relationship.  Despite the fact that she wasn’t ready to be in a relationship at the time, it never changed how she felt about him.

“So,” Maya grinned as she clasped her hands together. “Vegas, here we come!”

As the van pulled away from the girls’ dorm, Farkle turned back to the group.  “You guys packed swim suits, right?”

“Crap,” Maya exclaimed as her eyes widened in horror.  “We have to turn around.  I forgot mine!”

Riley shook her head.  “It’ll take you an hour to pack up all of the ones you own.  We aren’t going to the end of the earth, Maya.  They have stores there.  We can stop and get one on the way to the hotel.”

“Fine,” she huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest.  

Riley stared out the window during the entire take off.  The older she got, the more she wanted to travel.  She knew it was a pretty stereotypical thing to want to celebrate your 21st birthday in Vegas, but it wasn’t just for her.  It was for all of them.  She was the baby of the group, so they weren’t able to really have a huge celebration until now—although that fake id had served her well in the city.

She didn’t want to have to worry about getting caught using it on this trip.  She wanted to relax and enjoy this time in her life.  She needed a break from school, from trying to figure out what to do for the rest of her life.  She also needed a break from the constant inner turmoil she had about the guy who sat right behind her.

“I love first class,” Maya happily sighed as she reclined her chair back.  She glanced at the guy across the row from her.  “Thanks for the upgrade, Farkle.”

He smiled.  “Of course.  If we’re doing this, we’re doing it right.”

“Meaning,” Zay asked from his seat behind Maya.

Farkle smiled.  “Let’s just say, my parents decided to help make this a trip we won’t forget.”

“I love the sound of that,” Maya grinned.

Riley looked at her best friend.  “Are you going to go to sleep?”

“Yep,” she said as she popped the ‘p’.  She wasn’t anticipating getting much sleep over the next few days, so she thought sleeping on the way there would be a good use of her time.

“Really?  You’re not even going to stay awake to enjoy the first class luxuries?”

Maya shook her head.  “I’ve got to rest my brain so I’m ready for the tables when we get there.”

Riley chuckled as she turned to the screen in front of her.  She flipped through the movie list until she found something that piqued her curiosity.  She wanted the flight to go by quickly and needed a distraction from the fact that the guy she was in love with sat behind her—newly single and probably ready to mingle.  She thought that Maya would be able to provide enough entertainment to keep Riley from delving into the angst ridden thoughts she wanted to keep at bay over the next several days, but as she glanced at the already sleeping blonde, she knew that plan wouldn’t work out as she had imagined.  The last thing she wanted to think about was the fact that he could very well find some random girl in Las Vegas to hook up with.

Riley cringed at the thought.  She knew that Farkle had gotten them a suite at the Hard Rock Hotel, but she wasn’t sure how big the room actually was.  If she had to see him with some random girl, or even worse, if she had to hear whatever it was that they did, she knew she’d hop on the first flight back to New York.

The mere thought him tangled up with someone else made her stomach turn.  The image was so unbearable that she had completely forgotten was she was doing.  Her hand hovered over the start button as she thought about her escape plan should this nightmare become a reality.

Lucas tilted his head to the side when he noticed Riley’s sudden immobility.  Mistaking it for nervousness about the flight, he leaned forward to check on her. “Are you ok, Riley?”

His voice shook her out of her horrendous thoughts.  “Hmm,” she responded before she looked down at her hand.  “Oh.  Oh yeah.  N-No, I’m ok.”  She quickly hit the start button.  ‘Way to keep it cool, Matthews.’

“I’m watching that one too,” Lucas smiled.  He shouldn’t have been surprised.  They had similar tastes when it came to most things.  It was one of the things he liked about her.  They used to be able to talk about anything and everything, and they had so much in common with one another.  He missed that.  His missed having those deep conversations about astronomy, religion, music, sports—anything really.  He hoped that this trip would somehow bring them closer together, if not romantically, then at least get them back to where they used to be.

“Really?”  She cleared her throat as she looked down at her headphones.  “Yeah…yeah, I heard good things about it.”

He hesitated for a moment.  If he was determined to renew their friendship, then the sooner that first step was made, the better.  “Do you…want to watch it together?”  He glanced at the guy who sat next to him.  “I’m sure Zay will switch seats with you.”  His palms immediately began to perspire as he waited for her response.  Why was he nervous?  It wasn’t a date or anything.  It was just two friends watching a movie together on a plane.  ‘No, it’s not,’ he thought.  It would never be ‘just’ anything with her.

Riley took a deep breath.  Why was she petrified of something as simple as watching a movie with him?  It wasn’t as if they were alone in a darkened theatre or anything.  She glanced at the blonde next to her, who had already begun to snore.  “That’s…ok.  Maybe next time,” she offered lamely.  “I’m kind of tired…I don’t want to fall asleep on you.”

“Oh,” his heart dropped as he leaned back in his seat.  “Ok.”  ‘I wouldn’t mind it at all if you did,’ he thought as he slid his headphones on.  ‘In fact, I’m pretty sure I would love it.’

Riley instantly regretted her decision as she glanced out the window once more.  ‘Goodbye New York.’

[gilbertandanne]

AU College Fic. Farkle never figured out how Riley really felt about Lucas, so it never got out. Now she’s turning 21 and the gang decides to go to Las Vegas to celebrate. Sometimes what happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas.

Rating: M (because of language, situations, and it’s Vegas, soooo yeah)

Pairing: Rucas

Word Count: 3,890

Cross-posted at ff.net

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                                           Chapter Three: Treys

“Farkle Minkus,” Riley’s mouth fell open the moment the manager of the hotel opened the double doors to the penthouse suite of the Hard Rock Hotel.  Her eyes widened as she surveyed the expansive living room of the 4,200 sq ft suite.  “This can’t possibly be right.”

“It is,” he smiled as he turned to the manager. “My father also said something about a butler?”

“We get a butler,” Maya hissed at Riley.  She knew that Farkle’s parents wanted to pay for their room, but she had no idea that they paid for them to stay in heaven for the next few days.  How was she ever going to go back to her cramped dorm room after this?

“This is unreal,” Zay marveled as he walked around the main living room.  Couches, TVs, and various pieces of artwork were everywhere.  As he wandered toward the corner of the room, he noticed a neon light in his peripheral vision.  He slowly turned toward it.  When he did, his eyes widened.  “Oh shit,” he chuckled.

“What is it,” Lucas asked as he and the girls followed the sound of his voice.

The four of them stood shoulder to shoulder as they gawked at the one lane bowling alley in the middle of the suite.

“This is it, guys,” Zay grinned as they stared at the structure.  “It will never get better than this exact moment.”

Riley glanced at Lucas, but quickly turned her head when she noticed his eyes move over to her.

Maya examined the bowling lane for a moment before she shrugged.  “How much do you want to bet that it actually does get better than a bowling alley in the living room?” Maya quickly reached for her best friend’s hand.  “Let’s see the rest of our home for the next four days,” she squealed.

Farkle wandered over to the group as they continued to take in their surroundings.  “There are three bedrooms, a couple of different sitting areas, a bowling alley, a pool table…there is a hot tub in there,” he gestured to the back of the suite, “And we have a butler on call 24/7 for whatever we might need.”  He tried to think if there was anything else.  “Oh, and a fully stocked bar over there,” he gestured to the other end of the bowling alley.

“I’m never leaving this room,” Zay told the group.  “You guys can go and explore Las Vegas all you want to, but I already know that nothing could be better than this.”

Riley’s wide eyes turned to Farkle.  The room was nicer than anywhere she had ever been in her life, but she couldn’t help but to wonder how much this was going to cost.  “Are you sure about this?  It must cost—“

“It’s fine,” he assured her.  “Mom and dad insisted.  They knew we were waiting to properly celebrate until we all turned 21.  They didn’t want us to worry about anything while we were here.”

“Is it too late for them to adopt me?”  Maya strolled over to the pool table.  “I seriously don’t want to leave the room now.”

Riley put her arm around Farkle’s shoulders as she gave him a warm smile.  “Thank you, Farkle.  It’s already so much more than I ever thought it would be.”  She brought her other arm around to hug him from the side.  It was truly incredible.  When she pulled away from him, she glanced around the living room once more.  They had only just arrived, but she had a feeling that it was going to be their biggest adventure yet.

“Then why don’t we just stay here tonight,” Zay finally yelled overtop of everyone as they debated on what to do that evening.  He raised his hands as he gestured at the space around them.  “I mean, we already have the best room in town.  We just got here, and I’m sure we’re all a little jet lagged, right?”  When Farkle and Riley nodded, he continued.  “So, let’s go grab some food, come back here…maybe bowl a little, play some pool, hop in that Jacuzzi…” he paused.  “Staying in tonight makes sense to me.  Riley doesn’t turn twenty-one until tomorrow night at midnight, so if we’re going to chill out one night, it needs to be this one.”

“He makes a good point,” Farkle agreed before he turned to the girls.  “What do you think?”

Maya glanced at Riley.  It wouldn’t be fair to try to go out when Riley had to wait one more day.  She was itching to gamble, but she wasn’t about to do it without her best friend.  “Yeah.  I agree.  We can all relax and enjoy the room tonight.  Tomorrow, we do…whatever it is that you have already planned, but tomorrow night…we go all out.”  She wrapped her arms around Riley.  “It’s not every day your best friend turns twenty-one.”

“Awww,” Riley cooed as Maya hugged her.  She glanced at Farkle.  “So, where are we going for dinner tonight?”

“It’s a surprise,” Farkle grinned as he stood up.  “We do have a reservations somewhere, so why don’t we get dressed and meet back in here in an hour?”

“Sounds good,” Maya said as she stood up.  She reached for the brunette next to her.  “Come on, Riles.  Let’s see what we’re working with in our bathroom.”

Zay and Lucas slowly stood up as the girls walked to their room.  “I’m going to shoot some pool,” Zay told the remaining members of their party, “Because it will not take me an hour to get ready.”  He glanced at the guys.  “Anyone want to play?”

“I need something to drink,” Lucas answered for the first time in several minutes.  He was content enough to let everyone else decide what they wanted to do.   He was pretty open for anything.  Besides, his mind had been preoccupied with a few things that were definitely more important than their plans for the evening. “Farkle, can you show me the ins and outs of the bar?”  He didn’t wait for an answer as he walked toward the corner of the suite.

Farkle frowned, but followed him regardless.  Out of the entire group, Farkle would have been voted ‘least likely to be found in a bar’.  He knew very little about alcohol, but also knew that Lucas was well aware of that fact.  “Lucas, I’m not really a heavy drinker, and the bar seems pretty self-exclamatory.”

“I know,” he answered as they reached the little alcove.  As soon as Lucas walked behind the bar, he faced Farkle.  Was he actually about to do this?  Was he going to risk giving himself away?  To be frank, he didn’t really care about the repercussions.  He had to know if he had a chance.  He had to know if there was someone else.  “I needed to talk to you and…I really need a drink of something before I do.”  He was nervous.  He had never been nervous to talk to Farkle before.  The genius was one of his best friends.  They were practically brothers—which is exactly what made this conversation even more nerve-wracking.

Farkle frowned as he watched Lucas quickly pour himself a double shot of whiskey.  “Why do you need a drink to talk to me?”  His eyes widened when he watched his friend quickly down the amber liquid and pour himself a second one.  “We’ve been friends for eight years now.  What could it possibly be—“

“It’s about Riley,” he said before he slid the second one back.  He knew that the effects wouldn’t be instant, but he had to take the edge off.  It was crazy.  Ever since they got off the plane, ever since he checked his phone, a hurricane of anxiety raged within him about the brunette girl who was currently on the other side of the suite.

“Riley?”  Farkle glanced at the direction of the girls’ room.  “What about her?”

Lucas looked down at the glass in his hands.  He hadn’t told anyone about his deeply rooted feelings for the brunette.  He didn’t want any of his friends to interfere or to be forced to keep it a secret from the others.  No, it had been his burden, and his alone, to bear for the last seven years.  He thought as the years went on that his feelings for her would fade, but instead, they intensified with every interaction they had.  He thought for sure she would notice.  He thought that they all would have seen it by now, but maybe they hadn’t because they didn’t know to look for it.  “Yeah, I noticed something earlier…and wanted to ask about it.”

Farkle didn’t understand what Lucas was trying to say.  “Ask what?”

Lucas sat the glass down.  He had to spit it out.  It was like ripping off a Band-Aid.  He only hoped that what lied beneath wasn’t a deeper cut.  “Is there…something…going on with you and Riley?”

Farkle lifted his eyebrows in shock.  “What,” he nearly shrieked.  “No.  No, no, no, and no.”  He shook his head for emphasis as he leaned against the counter.  Riley was like a sister to him, nothing more.  “What makes you think that?”

Lucas looked down at the counter before he sighed.  “This is a really nice suite, Farkle.  I know you said it was for all of us to celebrate, but it is her birthday…and you’re taking her to a surprise place for dinner.”  He shrugged.  He had to downplay his line of questioning the best he could.  “I was just curious.”

“Riley is one of my best friends.”  He paused.  “So is Maya.  I’ve known them both for far too long to ever see them as anything other than a sister type.  I mean…if something was going to happen with either one of them, it definitely would have been before now, don’t you think?”

Lucas crossed his arms over his chest.  “Yeah.  Yeah, I guess so.”  ‘Nonchalant, Friar.  Nonchalant.’

Farkle watched as Lucas preoccupied himself by looking around the entire bar area.  Farkle could swear that Lucas had looked everywhere around them except for him.  “Why are you so curious about it?”

Lucas took a quick breath before he finally looked up at Farkle.  “What do you mean?”

Farkle gestured to the empty glass.  “Why did you need to take two shots before you asked me about it?”

“Oh, you know…we don’t really talk about dating stuff.  I was just curious.”  He picked up the glass and turned around to sit it in the sink.  He was grateful for the ten-second distraction.  “I didn’t know if Zay and I needed to help push you…closer to her over the next few days.”  He paused as he turned back to his friend.  Thank God he didn’t have to push his friend toward the one girl he had never been able to forget.  “You know since she’s been talking to that Steve guy.”

“Steve?”  Farkle had to think for a moment.  Steve who?  “Steve Fitzsimmons?”

Lucas shrugged.  ‘Good job on that transition,’ he mentally applauded himself.  “I saw Maya’s instagram post earlier…the one with the picture of Riley on the plane.  Asher tagged me in the comments and I noticed that a guy named Steve said something about taking Riley out for her birthday when we got back.”

“Oh.  Yeah, I think she’s gone out with him a few times over the last couple of weeks.”

Lucas knew he should drop the conversation.  Riley was free to date whoever she wanted to and Farkle didn’t seem that suspicious of his fascination with Riley’s love life.  Still though, he couldn’t help but to press the genius a little further.  “Do you think it’s serious?”

“No idea.”  Farkle chuckled.  “But it’s Riley.  She never gets serious with anyone.”  Farkle’s smile slowly faded as he studied Lucas’s pensive expression.  He was deep in thought about something, and truthfully, Farkle could have sworn that his friend seemed tense.  “You ok?”

“Yeah,” Lucas shook his head as he tried to force the brunette from his mind.  “Yeah.  Why do you ask?”

“Are you upset about the breakup with Alicia?”

“No,” he sighed.  “You know how it is with me, I guess.  Can’t ever quite reach the committal stage.”  He glanced at the clock on the far wall.  “I probably should go get ready.”

Farkle frowned as he glanced at the glass in the sink.  Something wasn’t adding up. He turned around as he watched Lucas retreat to his room.  Was Lucas asking from sheer curiosity—as a protective older brother type—or was it something more?  Was he jealous or was he merely envious because he was still dealing with his most recent breakup?  Something definitely didn’t seem right.

“Top of the World,” Riley squealed as she twirled in the middle of the suite’s living room.  Not only was she was staying in the most beautiful room in the world, but she also just had the most amazing meal ever.   “The view was so incredible,” she grinned as she turned to her friends.  There was no way anything would top the view from their table.  She felt like she was in heaven as she spent most of the night staring at the glimmering lights below them.

“It was really nice,” Maya agreed as she walked toward the whimsical brunette.  “I’m not sure how we’ll be able to top that place as far as our meals go.”

“There are so many places to eat at around here,” Zay told them as he strolled over to the bar.  “I’m sure we’ll have just as much fun tomorrow night…although, you did set the bar pretty high, Farkle.”

“So, what do you guys want to do here tonight?”  Riley glanced at the bowling alley.  “We have the pool table, the bowling alley, the hot tub.”

“Yes,” Zay exclaimed as he pulled out several bottles of liquor.  He placed them all on the counter and grinned as he looked up expectantly at his friends.

Riley chuckled.  “Yes to what?”

“All of it,” he answered decisively.  “It’s about 9:30 now, and I don’t know about you guys, but I am so not ready to go to bed.”  He looked down at the liquor sprawled on the counter.  “So, how about this?  I’ll be the bartender tonight and you guys can go get changed into your suits while I think of some games we can play.”

Farkle yawned.  “It’s 12:30 in New York.”

“But it’s 9:30 here,” Zay reasoned.  “I’m prepared to keep this party going all night.  Who’s with me?”

Riley raised her hand as she walked over to the bar.  “I’ve been looking forward to this trip for a really long time.  There is no way that I am crashing at 9:30 on the first night.”  She turned to Maya.  “What do you think?”

“I’m in,” she smiled.  She knew those few hours of sleep on the plane would come in handy.

Riley looked to the abnormally quiet Texan.  She wasn’t sure why he had been so quiet for most of the evening.  Maybe he was thinking about Alicia?  Riley assumed that he was the one to end things—he usually was—but maybe something else happened this time?  “Lucas?  What about you?”

His head snapped up at the sound of his name.  Truthfully, he hadn’t heard much of their conversation.  His thoughts had been completely focused on the girl who now looked expectantly at him.  “I’m sorry.  What?”

“Are you going to go to bed or are you going to stay up with us and enjoy everything this room has to offer?”

Maybe he should go to bed.  Maybe he should regroup and start fresh in the morning.  He knew that if he mixed alcohol with being in such close proximity to her, that something might slip out.  He had done a fairly good job at hiding his feelings from her for the last few years.  Was he finally breaking down?  Did his heart have an eight-year cap on repressing his true feelings?  He wasn’t sure, but he wasn’t about to retreat to his room only to find out something insane happened that he could have prevented if only he had been there.  “Yeah.  Yeah, I’m in.”

“Great,” she smiled.

“You guys have fun,” Farkle yawned once more.  He was excited to be in Las Vegas, but he had also been up since 5:30.  He knew if he had just one drink he would pass out.  “I have got to get some sleep.  We have a packed day tomorrow.  Our wake up call is at 7am.”

Maya flinched.  “I haven’t seen 7am since high school, Farkle!  I thought this was a nocturnal town?”

“It is.  We’re going to the Hoover Dam in the morning and it’s going to take about an hour to get there.  If you combine that with how long it’ll take everyone to get ready and eat, and well…7am wake up call.”

Maya pouted.  “Really?”  Did they have to go to the damn Dam that early?

He nodded.  “Afraid so.”

“I’m still staying up,” Riley declared as she pulled out one of the chairs in front of the bar and sat down.  She slapped her hand on the counter.  “Bartender, make me a margarita.”

“Sure…after I see some ID.”  When Riley raised her eyebrows in response, Zay laughed.  “You know I’m just kidding.”  He waited a beat.  “I can only make this joke for one more day!”

“I’m staying up too,” Lucas told the group as he loosened his tie.  “Zay, can you make me a jack and coke?  I’m going to go change.”  Maybe this was a bad idea.  Maybe something would slip out during whatever drinking game Zay would concoct, but truthfully, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep everything bottled up.  He was tired of being tense around her.  He was tired of having to be mindful of every look, every word he directed at her.  He wanted to relax.  He wanted to be himself around her again.

“Well, if you guys are staying up, so am I,” Maya said as she slipped her shoes off.  “Zay, vodka and redbull.  I’m going to need some energy.”

“You guys have fun.  I’m exhausted and jet lagged.”

“Goodnight,” Riley called out to Farkle as he headed off to his room.  Once she heard his door shut, she turned back to Zay.  “I can’t get over this suite,” Riley told him as she glanced around the room.  “I could spend the next four days in here and be perfectly happy.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying!”  He pulled out a few glasses from the cabinet and sat them in front of the brunette.  “I know one thing…I’m going to take advantage of that 24/7 room service.”  

Riley placed her head in her hand as she rested her elbow on the counter.  “We just got back from dinner.”

“Not right now…but if we’re going to stay up late…and especially after getting a few drinks in?  You’re going to be begging for some pizza.”

She smiled as her eyes drifted toward the wall.  “Too true.”

As Zay filled the glasses with some ice, he glanced at his friend.  He couldn’t help but to notice that she seemed to be in a daze as she stared at the back wall.  “So, how’s life Riley?”

The right corner of her lips turned up into a smirk as she looked back at Zay.  “Life is…life.”

He nodded.  “Have you been seeing anyone new lately?”

She raised her eyebrows.  That was a pretty loaded question, and honestly one that didn’t have a short answer.  Was she dating around?  Yes.  Was she serious about any of them? No.  Not yet, anyway.  “I don’t know…you interested,” she teased.

He chuckled.  “Sorry, girl.  I’ve known you for too long to ever risk losing your friendship.”

She drummed her fingers on the counter as she sat up.  “No worries.  You’re one of my best friends.  It would be too weird, I think.”

“Yeah,” he agreed as he poured Lucas’s drink.  “I feel like it would be with all of us though.  We’ve all been so close for so long…why rock the boat now, you know?”

Riley’s lips formed a thin line as she stared at the counter.  She knew it would be weird, and awkward, and the odds of it ending well were practically nonexistent, but that didn’t stop her from thinking about Lucas in that way.  It didn’t stop her from constantly daydreaming about where a relationship with him could go.  It didn’t stop her from falling more in love with him with every passing day.  “Yeah.”

“How are those drinks coming,” Lucas asked as he strolled out of the room he was to share with Zay.  

Riley turned around to look at him as he walked toward the bar.  He had changed into a pair of swimming trunks and a white t-shirt.  Even dressed down, he looked positively god-like.

“Perfect timing.  Yours is ready, my friend,” Zay told his best friend as he handed him the drink.

Lucas took a small sip.  “This is strong,” he commented before he took a longer swig.  Strong was good.  Strong was the quickest way he would be able to relax around Riley and quiet the voices in his head that screamed at him to tell her how he felt.

“Doesn’t seem to be stopping you any,” Zay responded as he poured Riley’s tequila into a glass.

“We’re here to have fun, right?”  Lucas glanced at Riley.  He was surprised that she hadn’t gone to change her clothes yet.  “Are you going to go change?”

“Yeah.  Absolutely.  I was just trying to butter up the bartender here so he would give me a good pour.”  She slid out of the chair as she turned her head toward the back of the living room.  “I’m dying to see the view of the strip from that hot tub.”

Lucas swallowed harshly as the mental image of Riley clad in a bikini flashed through his mind.  He looked down at the drink in his hand before he quickly downed the rest of it.  He had never been a really heavy drinker, but considering the amount he had already consumed since they arrived, he had a feeling that this weekend would be an exception.

“Here, take this with you,” Zay instructed as he handed Riley her margarita.

She took a sip of it.  “Whew.  Definitely strong, Zay.”

“We’re going to do Vegas right,” Zay grinned as he popped open a can of Red Bull for Maya.

“I have a feeling that Farkle’s going to have a very hard time getting us up in the morning,” she told the guys before she wandered to her room to change her clothes.

As soon as Riley closed her bedroom door, Zay reached for Lucas’s empty glass.  “What’s going on with you, man?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I know you have a high tolerance for alcohol, but I also know that you’ve never been a big drinker.”  He reached for the bottle of whiskey.  “I’ve seen you drink more already tonight than in the last two months.  What’s going on?”

Lucas shrugged.  “Nothing.  You just said you wanted us to ‘do Vegas right’.  I do too.  I want to have fun.”

[gilbertandanne]

                                                     Partition

A/N: Takes place two years before the events in ‘Crash Course’, so you don’t have to read it to understand what’s going on.  I tried to interlace some plot points revealed in CC and it’s sequel, Infinite, but again, you don’t have to read them to understand what’s going on.

Song: ‘Partition’ by Queen B

Pairing: Rucas with brief mentions of J/M and F/S

Rated: M

Word Count: 14,221 (I still don’t know HOW it ended up this long)

Totally dedicating this one to @jenn0bi bc without her calling me out on not using this song (after I promised), this would never have been written. I *really* hope you like it, Jenn. <3

Maya groaned as she cradled her phone between her ear and her shoulder.  She hated it when he made sense.  The most annoying part of it was that her boyfriend always made sense—especially when it came to the subject of his niece.  “It’s been two years,” she reasoned as she reached for her concealer.

“Yeah, but we both know that she’s different now.  She’s not the same person she was in high school.  She’s not the same person she was since they broke up.”

Maya cringed.  She hated it when he used her words against her.  “But it’s Farkle’s birthday.”

“I know.  And I know she’ll be there and try to not let it affect her, but Maya, we still don’t know the whole story.  We don’t know who broke up with who.”

“There are going to be a ton of people there,” she reasoned.  “Maybe they won’t even cross paths?  Maybe she’s doing better than we think she is?  Maybe…maybe she is over it?”  She looked down at the counter as she quickly debated on which eye shadow to use.  “She has been dating around…and has gone on like four dates with this new guy.”

Josh frowned.  “Really?  Who is he?”

She frowned.  Nothing she had was going to work with her dress.  “Uhhh…Caleb, I think?  I only met him once.”

“Is he coming tonight?”

She sighed.  The good thing about living with her best friend was that she was welcome to borrow her things—including her makeup.  “I think so.  He’s friends with Farkle too.  That’s how she met him.”

“Then maybe we only need to worry about Lucas?”

Maya scoffed.  “You can worry about Lucas.”

“Come on, Maya.  I know you still talk to him.”

“Maybe I do, but when it comes to break ups, us girls have to stick together.”

Riley took a deep breath as she examined her appearance.  Was she actually going to do this?  Was she going to willingly go somewhere she knew he would be?  There were only two reasons that kept her from changing into her sweatpants and spending some much needed time with her Netflix: the first was because it was one of her best friends’ 21st birthdays and the second was because she had a date.  That should be enough of a buffer, right?  Surely, they won’t end up in a tangled heap on her bed, like every other time she’s seen him since he left for Texas two years ago?

Would that be so bad though?  She had only ever been intimate with one person in her life, and that one person knew exactly where to touch her to send her to the peak of pleasure.  He knew the deal just as well as she did.  They agreed that it was only physical—that the feelings they once shared no longer existed.

Two years, and Riley Matthews lived happily in the land of denial.  

But what about Caleb—her actual date for the evening?  He was supposed to be her distraction, her way of forcing herself to move on from the toxic non-relationship relationship she found herself in with her ex-boyfriend.  He was a nice guy.  They got along great and had a lot in common.  There was only one problem—he wasn’t Lucas.

“Stop it,” she growled at herself before she brushed her hair out of her eyes.  No, Caleb wasn’t Lucas, but that didn’t mean that there couldn’t be something between them.  It wasn’t fair to compare eight years of history to four dates, but she had very little else to compare it to.  She never made it past the second date before, and with this guy, she had already doubled that landmark.  She needed to see where this could go.  She needed to end this cycle with Lucas.

She needed to move on.

//See me up in the club with fifty-eleven girls Posted in the back, diamond fangs in my grill Brooklyn brim with my eyes sitting low Every boy in here with me got that smoke//

The lights were dimmed, the drinks flowed, and everyone was dressed to the nine’s.  As soon as Riley stepped foot into the ballroom, she felt like she had walked straight into a Fitzgerald novel.  His parents spared no expense to celebrate the first 21 years of their brilliant son’s life.  There was a jazz band at the front of the room, an open bar along the back wall, and a massive dance floor in the middle of it all.

“Riley,” she heard the man of the hour call out to her.

She spun around as a warm smile graced her features.  “Well, if it isn’t the birthday boy.”  She opened her arms as she hugged one of her best friends in the world.  “Happy Birthday, Farkle.”

“Thank you,” he smiled as he pulled back from her.  “Where’s Maya?”

“She went to pick up Josh.  You know her…fashionably late and always wanting to make an entrance.”

“So, they’re finally going public, huh?”

Riley nodded.  “The real question is when did they actually start dating?”

“What do you mean?”

“Come on, Farkle.  She hasn’t dated anyone in the last two years.  You can’t tell me they weren’t sneaking around.”

He wrinkled his nose.  “You really think she’d do that?”

Riley glanced around the room.  “Yeah.  I mean…if she thought people would disapprove or condemn her for it…why wouldn’t she keep it a secret?”

He shook his head.  “I can’t imagine doing anything like that.  If I was with someone I cared about…someone I loved…I’d proclaim it from the balcony of this place.”

Riley gave him a half smile.  ‘Of course you would,’ she lamented.  “Where is Smackle?”

He turned around as he surveyed the ballroom.  “Somewhere in the crowd,” he chuckled.  “I want to thank you for coming tonight.”

She knit her eyebrows together.  Why would he thank her for attending his party?  “Thank me?  It’s your birthday.”

He nodded.  “I know, but I also know that you haven’t seen…you know…since he left for Texas.”

She slowly nodded before she released a deep breath.  “Yeah.  Well…that’s what the open bar is for, right?”

He frowned.  “But you aren’t—“

She pinned him with a look.  Was he really going to stop her from grabbing a few drinks?  True, she still had about eight months to go until her own 21st, but this was a party.  She was determined to celebrate with her friends.  “Speaking of…is he…here yet?”  While she tried to sound as nonchalant as she could, it felt like her heart had done a back flip.

Farkle glanced around the ballroom once more.  “I’m not sure.  I haven’t seen him.”  He paused.  “I thought Caleb was bringing you?”

“We thought it would be easier if we met up here.  Kind of take some of the pressure off.”

Farkle nodded.  “He’s a good guy, Riley.”

“I know,” she smiled.

Farkle watched her for a moment as her eyes lowered to the ground.  He had no idea what happened between Riley and Lucas in Europe two years earlier, but whatever happened must have been really awful.  Neither of them ever talked about it, and they always seemed to shut down at the mere mention of the other.   To his knowledge, neither of them had yet to engage in another romantic relationship.  “You don’t have to force it you know.”  When her head snapped up, he gave her a small smile.  “We just want you to be happy.”

“Thank you,” she said softly.

“The bar is open…no ID required, but if you do drink, please use the chauffeur service my parents set up in the lobby.  Limousines for all my guests to get home safely.”

Riley’s eyes widened.  “Limos?”

He nodded.  “It’s not every day that their only child turns 21.”

She laughed lightly.  “In that case, how about we share a celebratory drink in your honor?”

//Every girl in here got to look me up and down All on Instagram, cake by the pound Circulate the image every time I come around G's up, tell me how I'm looking babe//

One drink turned into two, then three.  She felt numb.   She felt nothing.  It was exactly where she wanted to be if she was forced to come face to face with him in front of a crowd of people.  She had been there for nearly an hour and a half by the time she finished her fourth drink.  Caleb had showed up around drink number three, and whenever they weren’t around the bar with Josh and Maya, they were on the dance floor.

To everyone else, she looked like a woman who didn’t have a care in the world.  Despite the numbness, the anxiety she felt in the pit of her stomach grew more and more as the minutes droned on.  At any moment, he would walk in.  At any moment, she would become completely undone.  In front of all her friends, she knew she would have a complete meltdown.  She wasn’t over him.  She had convinced herself that she was—she had to in order to survive.  She broke up with him.  She refused him.  She had no right to still love him.  She had no right to still dream about him.  And she definitely didn’t have a right to want him to be next to her every single second for the rest of her life.

God, she was a terrible person.  In front of her was a perfectly nice guy.  Caleb was everything she could ever want, but all she could think about was the missing Texan.

As Caleb twirled her around on the dance floor, something in the doorway caught her eye.  Her head lifted just as he walked in.  Her heart raced as his eyes immediately locked onto hers.  

He came.

For the first time since their breakup, they were in the same place and completely surrounded by their curious friends.

Suddenly, she couldn’t breathe.  She couldn’t think.  She couldn’t stomach the idea of seeing him like this.  She wasn’t ready.  It was hard enough to keep her secret from her friends when he wasn’t in town.  There was no way she could spend the next few hours with him in the same room and pretend that they weren’t what they were—friends with benefits without the friend part.

She suddenly stood rigid as she felt the color drain from her face.  “I-I-‘m sorry,” she apologized to her date.  “I think I had too much.  I need…I need to go home…lay down.”

“That’s ok,” Caleb assured her.  “I’ll go with you…make sure you get home safely.”

“No,” she gave him a small smile.  He was such a nice guy—far nicer than she ever deserved.  “That’s ok, Caleb.  Farkle has this car service for everyone.  I’m just…going to use that and go home.  Stay.  Have fun.”  She looked around the ballroom.  “It’s a great party.”  

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” she nodded.  “Absolutely.  I’m just need to go lay down.  I’m not…I’m not going to be good company.  Besides…I need someone to tell me everything that happens.”

He smiled.  “You got it.”

//Boy this all for you just walk my way Just tell me how it's looking babe Just tell me how it's looking babe (How it's looking babe)//

She escaped the ballroom through the only other exit as quickly as her legs could carry her.  She had to go home.  She had to leave and avoid him completely.  She was weak.  She knew it.  One look from him and she was about to fall apart.  They had carried on this ridiculous non-relationship relationship for a while now.  They didn’t speak when he was in Texas, but whenever he was in the city, their paths always crossed, and when they did, she couldn’t resist him.  She never could, except for Paris.

Why couldn’t she be that strong now?  Why couldn’t she look him in the eye and tell him that what they were doing was wrong and that it was only going to cause a greater rift between them in the end?  She wanted him in her life, but as they were now, he was only in her life when he was in her bed—or his bed at his parents’ place—or her couch—or the kitchen counter at her parents’ apartment—or a few other places.

She shook her head as she chased the thought of them tangled up together out of her mind.  She had to be strong, or as strong as she could be at the moment.  That meant fleeing.  That meant bailing on one of her best friends’ birthdays.  There were easily 200 people in that ballroom, but in that split second when her eyes landed on his, only two people existed.

It was too intense, especially considering the fact that she was insanely inebriated.  Little Riley Matthews, who rarely did anything wrong, was drunk and running away from her ex-boyfriend/current affair.  If only her thirteen year old self could see her now.

She sprinted through the lobby as she made her way outside.  She had forgotten her jacket, but there was no way she would dare go back inside.  She spotted a valet outside and quickly told him that she was at the Minkus party but needed a ride home.

Her fingers tapped against her clutch as she waited for her ride.  It felt like an eternity had passed by the time a limousine pulled up in front of her.  She smiled at the elderly driver as he stepped out of the limo to open the door for her.  “Thank you,” she said as she walked toward the door.

“Riley,” a voice called out from behind her.

She froze as she gripped the door.  She closed her eyes as she quickly assessed her options.  She could climb in the limo, pretend that she hadn’t heard him, go home, and sleep…or…she could face him and get this over with.  She took a deep breath as she turned around to face him.  God, even under the bright lights of the city she loved, he looked positively god-like.  She was never able to resist him, but there was something about Lucas Friar in a suit that always drove her crazy.  She swallowed as her eyes slowly took in his appearance.

“Miss,” the limo driver questioned as he waited to close the door behind his passenger.

Riley smiled at the driver as she gave him the address to the apartment she shared with Maya.  “I can get the door,” she kindly told him.  She waited until he slid into the driver’s seat and shut the door before she dared to look at Lucas once more.

“Where are you going?”  It was a pathetic question, he knew it, but he wasn’t sure what else to say.  She was the first person he saw as he entered the ballroom.  She looked like a vision in red, but unfortunately for him, she was twirling around on the dance floor with someone who wasn’t him. ‘Because you aren’t together,’ he bitterly reminded himself as he engaged in what felt like an hour-long staring match with the girl he had once been able to call his own.

When she left the ballroom, he followed her.  Farkle was one of his best friends, but Riley was—everything.  One of the biggest reasons he decided to fly in for the night was on the off chance that he would be able to see her, maybe even talk to her.  Their current relationship status, or lack thereof, was driving him to the brink of madness.  He wanted her—not just her body—but all of her.  He wanted to be hers and he wanted her to be his again.  His world hadn’t felt like his world since that ill-fated trip to Europe.  All he wanted was to wake up from this nightmare and move forward with the girl who had captured his heart nearly a decade ago.

“Home,” she said simply as her heart pounded.  She smacked her palm against the door as she bit her bottom lip.  She knew she shouldn’t.  She knew that nothing good was going to come from it, but there was something about him that she had never been able to resist. She wanted to blame the alcohol for her weakness, but even in her bewildered state, she knew it wasn’t that.  It was him.  He was her weakness.

She finally pushed the door open.  “Coming?”  

//I do this all for you baby just take aim And tell me how it's looking babe (How it's looking babe) Tell me how it's looking babe, looking babe//

She briefly closed her eyes when she heard the door shut.  She was going to hell.  She knew it.  This was insane.  She left the party to avoid him, and now, he was going to go back to her apartment with her?  She swallowed before she opened her eyes.  As the limo pulled away from the curb, she looked around the spacious car.  “Pretty nice, huh,” she commented.

“Yeah,” he released a breath.  “Farkle’s parents set this up too?”

She nodded.  “That way everyone can get home safely.”

He looked at her.  “Why did you leave so early?”

She glanced out the window.  “I wasn’t feeling well.”  Her eyes fell to her lap.

“You seemed to be doing fine when I saw you…dancing around with…”

“Caleb.”  She slowly turned to him.  “That was Caleb.”

Lucas’s lips formed a thin line as he debated his next question.  He had to ask.  He had to know.  “Boyfriend?”

Riley shook her head.  “We’ve been out a few times.  Nothing…serious.”

“Do you want there to be anything serious?”

She shrugged.  “I don’t know.  He’s nice.  He’s friends with Farkle.  He’s…everything a girl could want.”

Lucas nodded.  “Looks like it.”  He paused.  “So, if he’s Mr. Perfect, then why isn’t he in here with you?”

Riley knew that this was wrong.  She knew that she should give Lucas some stupid reason and use Caleb as an excuse to end things, but she couldn’t.  She felt like a moth drown to the flame, and it had been four months since she last saw him at Christmas.  Four months since the last time he was in her bed.

Four months too long.

She didn’t answer him as she slowly raked her eyes over his body.  She allowed the alcohol to overtake her, to quiet the annoying voice in her head that screamed at her that this wasn’t right.  She didn’t want to think.  She could think tomorrow.  Right now, tonight, she wanted to feel.  She wanted to feel something that she had only ever felt with him.

Riley slowly lifted her hand before she placed it on his thigh.  She knew what she was inviting in.  She knew that Pandora’s box had suddenly flown open, but she didn’t care.  Lucas Friar was sitting next to her, and all she wanted was to feel him inside of her.

He was jealous.  Knowing that the guy who spun her around on the dance floor was also someone she had gone on multiple dates with made him more than a little hot under the collar.  He knew he had no say in who she dated, but God, did he want one.  He wanted to keep her.  He wanted her.

As soon as her fingers grazed his thigh, he became undone.  The woman next to him completely possessed all of his senses.  He knew that this wouldn’t end well, but what he wouldn’t give for one more taste of heaven—of the goddess who haunted every dream he had since the day they met.  “How long…until we reach your place?”

She blinked. “It took me half an hour to get here.  Considering the traffic…maybe forty five minutes?”

He slowly inched closer to her before he ran his index finger along her cheek.  “Say it,” his suddenly hoarse voice pleaded with her as his hand cupped the side of her face.  “Tell me you want me.”

She watched his eyes darken as he commanded her to tell him the truth.  “I want you,” she found herself answering as she closed the remaining space between them.

He moved his hand to the back of her neck before his lips met hers in a searing kiss.

//Drop the bass, mane, the bass get lower Radio say "speed it up", I just go slower High like treble, pumping on the mids Ya man ain't ever seen a booty like this//

As soon as she felt his lips on hers, everything else melted away.  It was part of the reason why she felt so intoxicated by him.  With every touch, every kiss, every lustful whisper, they were transported to a place where time, space, and everything else that kept them apart didn’t exist.  They simple were.  They merely existed to show one another just how perfectly well they fit together.

Riley opened her mouth against his as she eagerly invited his tongue to re-familiarize itself with hers.  Her hands gripped his forearms as he cupped her face in his hands.  She knew this wasn’t right.  She knew that they were in a limo and that they could get caught doing whatever it was they were about to do, but she didn’t care.  She had been forced to be away from his touch for the last several months.  She didn’t want to sit in awkward silence for the next forty-five minutes while she could be re-familiarizing herself with every square inch of his muscular body.

She quickly slid his jacket down his arms.  Lucas broke away from her lips long enough to toss it to the other side of the limousine.  This wasn’t them—at least not completely.  Three years ago, he never thought they would be well on their way to fulfilling a stereotype about limousines, but three years ago, he never imagined that they wouldn’t be together.  She had changed a lot in the last two years.  She was more serious now.  They didn’t talk about much when they were together.  Somehow, they both thought it would be easier.  For him, it certainly was.  He knew that, given the opportunity, he would beg her to take him back, to forget about that trip after graduation.  

After she slid his tie off, he quickly unbuttoned his shirt.  He was grateful for the fact that he thought to take her ring—the engagement ring that he wore around his neck—off before he left his parents’ house.  If she ever saw it, if she knew that he wore it like a chain around his neck for all to see his ultimate failure, she would never speak to him again.  He couldn’t help but wear it though.  In some demented, self-deprecating way, it made him feel closer to her while he lived two thousand miles away.

As he slid the white shirt down his arms, he watched her scoot closer to him before she quickly pulled his undershirt off.  She then lowered her head in order to plant kisses across his bare chest.  He closed his eyes as he leaned his head back.  What he wouldn’t give to know that this was real.  He knew he had to put it out of his mind.  He knew that he had to forget, for a little while, that the heavenly creature beside him not only possessed his heart, but his mind, body, and soul as well.

His mind nearly exploded when she slowly sank to the ground in front of him.

//And why you think ya keep my name rolling off the tongue Cuz when he wanna smash I'll just write another one I sneezed on the beat and the beat got sicker Yoncé all on his mouth like liquor//

She had to forget that he still had the capacity to rip her heart to shreds.  She had to forget that she left Farkle’s party to avoid this exact situation.  She wanted the alcohol to wipe away every shred of feeling she had for the man who sat in front of her.  It would be easier that way.

She bit her bottom lip as she pushed every angst-filled thought away.  She could chastise herself for being weak later.  Right now, he was half naked in front of her.  He really was built like a Greek god.  Had he been working out?  The muscles in his chest seemed more defined than the last time she saw him.  She was beginning to think of him like a fine wine—only getting better with age.

It was the opposite of what she had hoped for.  She hoped that they would outgrow whatever this was.  She hoped that one day she would wake up and not love him.  It had been almost two years since she broke up with him, but here she was—kneeling in front of him—completely in awe of every square inch of him.

She scooted closer as her hands reached for his belt.

As she reached her arms out, he did as well.  He didn’t want her to kneel in front of him—at least, not yet.  He wanted to be inside of her.  He wanted to send them both to the peak of ecstasy.  He wanted to taste her.  He wanted to become completely lost inside of her.  He wanted to hear that melodic moan—the one that had haunted him since their last encounter.

Riley pulled back from him as he reached for her.  “No,” she commanded.

He raised an eyebrow at her.  “No?”

She shook her head.  “You climbed into my limo, remember?  Pretty sure that means I get to make the rules.”

“Riley,” he groaned,  “You don’t have to—“

Her eyes darkened.  “I want to.”

“Well, I want to be inside you.  I want to taste you.”

//Yoncé all on his mouth like liquor//

She placed her hands behind her as she leaned back on the floor of the limousine.  Her head slowly rolled to the side as she stared at him.  “How about this,” she slowly drawled out as the four drinks she pounded earlier began to take effect.  The old Riley Matthews would never discuss sex as freely and as plainly as she was about to, but she wasn’t the old Riley.  She hadn’t been the old Riley since she got back from Europe two years ago.

He watched as she slowly stretched back.  The act may have seemed innocent enough at the time, but while her body moved back, her dress remained stagnant.  He licked his lips as he was graced with the sight of her cleavage.  How was this fair?  He was only half dressed while she hadn’t so much as taken her shoes off.  “I’m listening,” he finally murmured.

//Yoncé all on his mouth like liquor//

“I get what I want on the way to my place…and when we get there…you get what you want.”  Her eyes slowly lowered from his own eyes, down his chest and finally toward his crotch.  She slowly rolled her head to the other side as lifted her eyes back up to his.  She was completely inexperienced when it came to the art of seduction, but those drinks at least gave her the illusion that she was doing something right.

“Or,” he countered as he slowly leaned forward, “I get what I want now…take you to a place you’ve never been before…and when we get to your apartment,” his eyes slowly roamed down her body, “you beg me to do it all over again.”

//Yoncé all on his mouth like liquor Like like liquor, like like like liquor//

Riley slowly inhaled as she watched him inch closer and closer to her.  His eyes had locked onto hers, and she couldn’t make herself look away.  She took several shallow breaths as he slowly sank to the floor and straddled her.  As he slowly leaned forward, her breath completely caught in her throat.

He placed his hands on either side of her as his lips inched toward hers.  He was tired of the space in between them.  He had to deal with it 99% of the time.  He was going to be damned if he would allow it while they were alone together.  

He lowered his eyes to her lips as his face drew closer to hers.  “Do we have a deal,” he rumbled before his lips lightly brushed against hers.

//Yoncé all on his mouth like liquor//

She closed her eyes at the contact.  God, he was much better at the whole seduction thing than she was.  As he slowly nibbled on her bottom lip, she felt herself beginning to cave in.  Did it really matter who was in control?  All she wanted to do was lose herself in him.  All she wanted was to pretend that her entire life wasn’t completely screwed up.

Lucas couldn’t stop the smile that formed when he heard a soft moan escape her as he lightly ran his tongue across her bottom lip.  She tasted like vodka, and he hated it.  He hated that she had been drinking.  He wasn’t going to ask how much.  He knew if he did, that it would all be over.  As much as he wanted her, he wasn’t in it strictly for the sex.  He was in it to keep some kind of connection with her.  He hoped that one of these rendezvouses would result in their reconciliation.  He hoped that, maybe one day, he would be able to possess her heart just as she had always possessed his.

For now, he had to accept their relationship for what it was—and that meant ignoring the vodka on her lips.

//Yoncé all on his mouth like liquor//

A shiver shot down her spine as his tongue slowly tasted her lips.  Could he taste the alcohol she had drank?  Did he know how drunk she was?  Did he care?

No.  She wasn’t about to allow her train of thought to stray from the intensity of the moment they were engaged in.  Her temporary restoration to reality made her realize that she wanted to be in control—at least for a while.  She wanted the power to administer, or withhold, pleasure from him.  She wanted to dominate him—just as he dominated most of her thoughts.

She nudged him back as she turned her head to the side.  When he sat back on his heels, she turned to him once more.  “No deal,” she purred.  “You can either sit back up in that seat and experience the best,” her eyes lowered to his crotch for a beat before she looked back up at him, “Or we can sit on opposite sides of this limousine until I get home, and then you can go back to the party.”

He took a deep breath.  “That’s not fair.”

She smirked.  “You won’t think that if you agree to the terms…trust me.”

//Yoncé all on his mouth like liquor Like like liquor, like like like liquor//

She sat up as she crossed her arms over her chest.  “Well,” she asked softly before she touched her lips with her index finger.  “Do we have a deal?”

He had no other choice.  He’d be her willing slave if she asked him to.  “You get a say now, and I get a say later?”

She nodded.  “And don’t worry…I’ve got the place to myself for the entire night.”

He raised his eyebrows.  “Really?”

She nodded.  “So, what’s it going to be, Friar?”

//Driver, roll up the partition, please Driver, roll up the partition, please I don't need you seeing 'Yoncé on her knees//

“You’re so going to pay for that,” he told her as he slowly rose and sat back in the seat.

Riley smirked as she leaned forward and began to unbuckle his pants.  “Promises, promises.”  She unzipped his pants and slid them down while Lucas kicked his shoes off.  Riley took his pants off and tossed them in the direction of the rest of his discarded clothing.  She tilted her head to the side as she briefly admired the sight of him clad only in a pair of black boxers.  ‘He could totally be an underwear model,’ she mused as she hooked her fingers underneath the band of the last remaining garment he wore.  Slowly, almost painfully so, she slid his underwear down.  She sat it next to her before she slid in between his legs.

She knew that they didn’t have long before they reached her apartment.  She knew that he ended up with the better deal, but about six months ago, she had a dream about Lucas Friar that she hadn’t quite been able to rid herself of—and it started out a lot like this.

She slowly looked up into his curious eyes.  As she lowered her head, she maintained eye contact with him.  She wanted to see his pleasure.  She wanted to know that she had some control over him—at least for a little while.

She placed her left hand on his thigh while her right hand hovered over his penis.  She slowly ran her index finger down the length of his shaft.  When he jumped at the contact, she knew that she had the potential to affect him just as deeply as he affected her.  She smiled as she watched him slowly relax as she ran her fingers over him once more.  

While his body may have relaxed against her touch, his mind nearly exploded.  What was she thinking?  What did she want to do so badly that she had to resort to threats to get him to acquiesce to her desire to take charge?  All he wanted was to reach for her, pull her close, and bury himself inside of her.  Screw the outside world.  Screw the last two years.  Screw everything that made her keep him at arm’s length.  What if he moved back home?  Would that solve everything or would that only push her further away?

He closed his eyes and hissed as her hand wrapped around his aching erection.  She was teasing him.  She had to know that she was driving him insane.  God, it was taking everything in him not to reach for her, to beg her to return to him.

//Took 45 minutes to get all dressed up We ain't even gonna make it to this club//

When he closed his eyes, Riley felt a warmness spread through her.  He was enjoying this, and she had barely started.  A surge of confidence shot through her as she lowered her lips to his throbbing member.  Her tongue darted out as she stared at the man before her.

Lucas moaned as soon as he felt her tongue slide over him.  This wasn’t the first time she had ever gone down on him, but he had forgotten just how intoxicating the sensation was.  He felt completely paralyzed as she wrapped her lips around the head of his penis.  He took a deep breath as she slowly slid his length between the heavenly gates of her lips.

With every inch she took in, she could feel the control she had over him.  It was empowering to know that she could do whatever she wanted to him in that moment and would comply.  While she was the one who rejected him, the one who ended it, she often felt like she was the one who was held captive in their new ‘relationship’.  She couldn’t explain the feeling, except for the conclusion she had reached, and then tried to bury, nearly nine months earlier—that she was still in love with him.

//Now my mascara running, red lipstick smudged Oh he so horny, yeah he want to fuck He popped all my buttons, and he ripped my blouse He Monica Lewinsky-ed all on my gown//

She clenched her fists as she finally took him completely in her mouth.  She wasn’t going to get emotional with him.  Not now.  She could lament the absurdity of her life once he left the city.  For now, she only wanted to give, and receive, pleasure from the only person she had ever experienced it from.  She focused on the task at hand as she began to bob her head up and down.  She wanted to fully give into whatever they had become.  She didn’t want to think about the consequences.  She only wanted to feel.  She wanted him to beg for her.  She wanted him to need her just as much as she needed him.  Everything else would either fade or work itself out over time.

Lucas gripped the seat as he leaned his head back.  He had to keep his mind focused on the most revolting things to keep himself from exploding as she continued to lick and suck him.  He thought about cold showers, the starting lineup of the Yankees, even the ill-fated trip to Europe—all to no avail.  She had been moving against him for only a few minutes, but he was almost at that pivotal point.

She must have sensed it because right at the point of release, she detached her lips from his shaft.  “You ok,” she panted as she watched him slowly lower his head to look at her.

“Y-Yeah,” he stammered before he cleared his throat.  “More than ok.  You?”

“Not as good as you,” she said softly as she slowly stood up.  She placed her legs on either side of him as she straddled him.  “But,” she whispered as she lowered her head to his neck, “I’m pretty sure I can get there…with your help.”

Lucas swallowed as her lips connected with the base of his neck.  His hands moved to her back as he desperately sought contact with her skin.  He was still willing to let her control what would or would not happen in the limo, because he knew as soon as they entered her apartment, it would be his turn to dictate who received what and when.

“That feels good,” she purred in his ear.  “I love it when you touch me.”  She leaned back.  “Even if it’s somewhere completely innocent…like my back or my arms.”

He swallowed as his eyes met hers.  Was he losing his mind or did he see a flash of something more in her lust-filled gaze?  What did she mean?  Did she miss him as much as he missed her?  Did she miss them?  Did she want something more than what they had been reduced to?  “Well,” he began as his lowered his hand to the hem of her dress.  “I am more than willing to touch you wherever you want me to.”

Riley lowered her gaze as she watched him slowly slide her dress up as his hands glided up her thighs.  Her heart raced as his fingers grazed the outside of her underwear.  “And you can,” her voice quivered slightly as she looked back at him, “when it’s your turn.”

“Aw, come on, Riles,” he smirked, “You know you want me inside you just as badly as I want to be inside you.”

She bit her bottom lip.  “Mmm…I feel how badly you want to be inside of me.”

His hand slowly slid over in between her legs.  He gave her a wolfish grin as soon as he felt the moisture between her thighs.  “So do I,” he practically snarled as he ran his thumb over the outside of the thin material.

“Ravish me,” she commanded as she buried her head in the side of his neck.  “Show me, Lucas.  I want to know how badly you want me.”

He needed no other invitation.  He quickly gripped the band of her underwear and with one pull, the lacy material ripped.  He quickly discarded it before he slid her closer to him.  In one fluid motion, he filled her.

//Oh there daddy, daddy didn’t bring the towel Oh baby baby we betta slow it down Took 45 minutes to get all dressed up We ain't even gonna make it to this club//

They remained still for a few moments as the simply took in the moment.  They were finally one—they were finally connected again.  They both felt like they could finally breathe for the first time in months.  They both felt like the chaotic world that surrounded them finally made sense.  It felt like coming home.

He gripped her hips as she slowly began to rock back and forth.  He was content enough to let her control their pace—for the moment.  He knew she wanted to control the ride, so he was determined to allow her to do that, despite her pleas for him to take over.  He knew he had time to do that—once they got into her apartment.

Her hand slid across his shoulders and down his arms as she began to regain control of her senses.  This felt good—too good—better than the dream she couldn’t seem to let go of.

He wanted to touch her.  He wanted to see every square inch of her magnificent body, but he knew that they had to be getting close to her place, and again, he wanted her to dictate what he could and couldn’t see.  If she wanted to remain fully (well, almost) clothed during their first interlude, then that was completely up to her.  He could guarantee that she wouldn’t have a stitch of clothing on her during their second, and hopefully, third exchange.

//Take all of me I just wanna be the girl you like, girl you like The kind of girl you like, girl you like//

Riley’s movements began to quicken as she threw her head back.  Lucas wrapped his arms around her as he began to plant kisses along her neck and chest.  This felt nothing short of heaven, and he was hell bent to send her to the same euphoric paradise when they reached their destination.

He nearly snapped at her when she pushed his head back.  Before he had a chance to voice his displeasure, she quickly covered his lips with her own.  He pulled her even closer as he sought to control her mouth.  

Riley couldn’t get close enough to him as she neared her climax.  Her legs were wrapped around him as their tongues engaged in another battle of a long fought war between them.  This was everything she had dreamt of and so much more.  “Lucas,” she gasped as she pulled back.  She couldn’t breathe.  She could barely get his name out.  She moaned as she quickened her pace.

Lucas dropped his hands to her ass as he slid her to him.  If he wasn’t already approaching his own climax, he would have after he heard her gasp his name.  He never loved his name more than when he heard her say it in complete, unadulterated pleasure.  He groaned as she slammed against him.  Just a few more thrusts and he would be sent spiraling into a different plane of reality.

“Oh,” she moaned once more as her head snapped back.  She was there.  She was there.  She just needed him to join her.  She needed to feel him convulse within her.

The sight of her nearing the brink of her climax sent him tumbling over. He gripped her back as he moaned her name.  She fisted his hair as she finally gave in and careened over the edge with him.  

It was wrong.  She knew it, and he did too, but at that moment, nothing ever felt more right.

//Take all of me I just wanna be the girl you like, girl you like The kinda girl you like Is right here with me//

She tried to straighten up her appearance as much as she could while Lucas put his clothes back on.  Her hair was a mess, and her dress was slightly wrinkled, but she didn’t care about that.  She just hoped that the driver didn’t hear them.  She had never done anything like that in her life, but as she glanced at Lucas who seemed to be preoccupied with putting his shirt back on, she had zero regrets about it.  At the end of the day, she trusted the guy she sat next to, even if they weren’t together.  He had been her first everything, and was still her only sexual partner.  She trusted him more than anyone—even herself at times.  It was one reason why she refused to engage in deep discussions with him.  She knew she would buckle.  She knew she would confess everything to him, but she couldn’t.  He was still in Texas.  She was still in New York.  She couldn’t hold him back.  If he met someone, she didn’t want him to worry about breaking her heart (even though when the day finally came, Riley knew she would be completely inconsolable).

She shook her head.  Were they there yet?  She needed something to drink.  She was beginning to sober up and her brain was racing to catch up to her heart.  She couldn’t allow that.  She didn’t want to back out.  She didn’t want to walk away from him.  She wasn’t strong enough for that—not yet anyway.  Couldn’t they hold on for a little while longer?”

As Lucas slid his jacket on, he spotted Riley’s torn underwear on the ground.  He glanced at the brunette who stared out the darkened window.  He leaned forward as he reached for the garment.  He slid it into his pocket before he leaned back in his seat.  He slid his tie into the other pocket as the limo finally halted.

Riley turned her head when she heard the driver open his door.  She smiled sheepishly at Lucas.  “Perfect timing.”

He let out a soft chuckle.  “Yeah.”

When the driver opened the door on Lucas’s side, the Texan slid out of the limo.  Riley quickly scanned the backseat, but couldn’t find her underwear anywhere.  ‘Oh God,’ she thought as she reached for her clutch.  ‘Please don’t let this sweet man find them.’  She slid out of the car and thanked the driver for giving her a ride home.

The driver nodded and wished her a good night.

As he walked away, Riley glanced at Lucas.  Well, she was already going to hell for doing this, might as well enjoy another glimpse of heaven while she was at it.

She opened her bag as she searched for her keys.

“When did you move out of the dorm,” he asked as they walked toward the door.

“Umm…after last semester.  We…we were trying to stay at least through sophomore year, but it got to be too loud over there.  And besides,” she added as she stuck the key in the door, “Maya started dating Josh, so she was more than ready to leave the juvenile setting of a dorm room.”  She opened the door.

“So, they finally went public,” Lucas noted as they walked up the stairs toward Riley’s apartment.

“Yeah,” she sighed.  “Zay and I have a running bet on to when they actually first started dating.”  She looked back at the Texan.  “Pretty sure it was while we were in high school.”

“Oh definitely,” he agreed as he followed her on the stairs.  “She was always sneaking off…didn’t date anyone.  She went to prom by herself.”

“She didn’t go by herself,” Riley insisted as they reached the third floor.  “We all went together, remember?”

Lucas looked down as he followed her down the hallway.  Oh.  He remembered that night clearly.  It was the night he knew he was going to propose to her.  The three of them went to the prom together because Riley didn’t want Maya to go alone.  Lucas danced with both of them and the girls danced with one another.  It reminded him a lot of the triangle that wasn’t in middle school.  As he watched them dance with one another, he realized that they all had come so far from those days.  He couldn’t imagine being with anyone else.  He couldn’t imagine ever loving anyone the way he loved her.  He knew it was crazy.  They were young and both of them had committed themselves to going to schools on opposite sides of the country, but as he watched her turn to look at him and smiled while she danced with her best friend, he knew that there would never be anyone else for him.

“Lucas,” she called out to him.

His head snapped up at the sound of his name.

“Are you going to come in or stay in the hallway all night,” she chuckled.

He gave her a small smile as he followed her into her apartment.

//Driver, roll up the partition fast Driver, roll up the partition fast Over there I swear I saw them cameras flash//

Riley sat her clutch on the counter as she ducked into of the small kitchenette.  She needed alcohol to quiet the voice in her head that screamed at her that this wasn’t right.  “Do you want anything,” she called out as she opened the fridge.

“What do you have,” he called back as he slowly wandered into her small living room.  Pictures of their group aligned the walls of the small apartment.  Some of Maya’s artwork was peppered in between.  A soft smile formed on his lips as he recalled every memory of every photo that laid before him.

“Beer, wine, tequila, vodka…”

“Beer is good,” he responded as he shrugged out of his jacket.  He needed to take the edge off.  He hadn’t had a drop to drink, but if he was expected to keep up the charade of pretending that what they were doing was strictly physical, then he needed something to dull his senses.  He had nearly declared his undying love for her in the limo, and that was during a rushed exchange.  God knows what would come out of his mouth given a few more hours with her.  

For what he had envisioned for the remainder of the evening, he knew that he had to be at least slightly inebriated.

He wasn’t about to destroy the last shred of her he could have.

She heard him loud and clear: beer.  He wanted beer.  Meanwhile, she went straight for the vodka.  It had allowed her to pull through the first time.  Surely, it wouldn’t give up on her now.  “How about a shot of vodka too,” she called out as she poured one for herself.

“Sure,” he answered as he strolled into the kitchen.  He leaned against the doorway as he watched her pour him a shot.

“Do you need something to chase it with,” she asked as she opened the refrigerator.

“No,” he answered.

Riley smiled at him.  “Impressive Dr. Friar.  Learn that in Texas?”

He smirked.  “Well, in Texas, we go for whiskey.”

“Sorry,” she shrugged as she closed the refrigerator.  She grabbed both shots before she walked over to him.  She handed him the glass.  “Fresh out.”

He tapped his glass to hers.  “To…old friends.”

She looked down.  “Yeah.  Old friends.”

They both leaned back at the same time as they downed the liquid.  Neither of them reacted as it burned down their throats.  Both had become used to the taste of it.  Both of them were used to using it as a means of escaping their feelings, the reality that had taken shape of their world.

“Do you want another one,” she asked as she took the glass from him.

“One more,” he answered.  “Then I could really go for that beer.”

She smiled as she poured them another shot.  “I didn’t forget.”  She sat the bottle down.  “You know,” she began as she walked back to him, “Beer is pretty fattening.”

He looked down.  “Are you saying I’ve gotten fat,” he teased.

She handed him the small glass.  Neither said a word as they both drank the contents.  “No,” she answered as she took the glass from him.  “Quite the opposite actually.  I need to know your secret to staying fit while pounding beers.”

“I don’t drink beer that often,” he answered truthfully.

“Just on special occasions,” she offered.

He chuckled.  “Yeah…or when there isn’t an ample supply of whiskey around.”

“Ah.”  She opened the refrigerator one last time as she pulled out a beer for him.  She popped the cap off before she walked back to him and handed him the bottle.  “Well, now I know.”

“For next time?”  He took a swig as he watched her walk into the living room.

“Are you coming back this summer?”

“Yeah,” he sighed as he followed her.

“You don’t sound very happy about it.”

“I’ll only be in town for a few weeks.”

Riley slowly sat down on the couch.  “Oh.”

“Yeah,” he sat down next to her.  “Pappy Joe needs some help this summer.  I told him I’d help him.  He doesn’t really have…anyone else there to take care of everything.”

Riley folded her hands. “Well, that’s nice of you.”  Her gaze fell as she looked at her joined hands.  So, he wouldn’t be in town this summer.  Maybe it was for the best.  Maybe this was the push she needed to finally detach herself from him.  Her eyes drifted back toward her kitchen.  Would it be too much for her to finish off that bottle of vodka?

“Unless there’s a reason for me to stay.”  He took another swig of his beer.  Had he actually said that?  He waited for the fallout.  He waited for her to get upset, to kick him out.  Instead, he heard her chuckle.

“Family is family.  I don’t think there could be a better reason for you to spend the summer there.”

“Yeah,” he nodded.  He glanced around the room once more.  “This is a nice apartment.”

“Yeah,” she sighed as she looked around.  “We like it.  Nice neighbors.  It’s nice to feel independent, you know?”

“Definitely understandable.”  He looked at the bottle in his hands.

They fell silent for a few moments as Lucas took occasional sips of his drink.  Finally, Riley’s ringtone chimed through the otherwise soundless apartment.  She got up as she walked over to her clutch.  She pulled out her phone as she read her missed text message.  She took a deep breath as she typed a response.

“Who is that,” Lucas asked off handedly.  When Riley didn’t answer him, he furrowed his eyebrows.  He knew it was none of his business, but a sense of dread filled him.  “It’s him, isn’t it?”

“Him who,” she asked as she sat her phone down.

“The guy you were dancing with when I showed up tonight.  The guy you’ve been seeing.”

“Yeah,” she answered as she walked back into the living room.

“Is it serious?”

She frowned.  “Obviously not,” she answered, slightly offended that he would even consider the idea that she would cheat on someone.

“I didn’t…I didn’t mean it like that.”

Riley crossed her arms over her chest.  “I don’t have to justify my love life to you.”

“Uh…you do if you’re sleeping with him,” he responded as he stood up.  “I have a right to know who you’ve been with before we…before anything else happens.”

He was right.  She knew he was.  She would want to know if he became intimate with someone else.  It was the safest way to know whether or not she could contract something.  “No,” she grounded out.  “We aren’t…it’s not like that.”

“But you could be right,” he asked as he inched closer to her.  “Intimate…with him.”

“I don’t have to answer that,” she responded.  “I’m dating around…as I’m sure you are too.”  She paused.  “We can’t talk about this.  It’s not…we aren’t…I don’t owe you an explanation.  I’ve been seeing someone who is also friends with Farkle…we went to his party together.  We danced.”  She paused.  “He texted me to make sure I’m ok…that I got home safely.”  She waited a beat.  “You can’t be jealous.”

“I’m not,” he lied as he finally reached her.  “I was just…curious…as I’m sure you would be if you saw me tangled up with someone else on a dance floor.”  He slowly raked his eyes over her.  He didn’t want to fight with her.  Jealousy coursed through his veins, but now wasn’t the time to react.  “You know…you said once we got here that I could dictate what we do.”

She slowly looked up at him as their potential argument quickly melted away.  “What do you want to do?”

He placed his hands on either side of her as he ran his fingers over the straps of her dress.  “I want to spend the next several hours worshipping every square inch of you.”  He slowly slid the straps down her arms.  As soon as the straps were released from her, her dress fell to the floor.  Due to the low cut design of the dress, Riley didn’t wear a bra.  So, there she stood before him, completely naked.

“God,” he breathed as he slowly re-familiarized himself with every square inch of her form.  “You’re so beautiful, Riley.”

“What do you want to do to me, Lucas,” she asked softly as she made no attempt to cover herself up.  “Or what to do you want me to do to you?”

His eyes slowly traveled back up to her chocolate eyes.  “I want you to show me your bedroom.”

//Handprints and footprints on my glass Handprints and good grips all on my ass//

Outwardly, she acted so completely confident in her body that she still made no move to cover up as she walked down the short hallway to her room.  Inwardly, her brain screamed at her to cover up because she was Riley Matthews—the girl who was always insecure.  It was a very strange thing.  When he looked at her, she didn’t feel insecure.  She didn’t feel the need to cover anything up.  She felt beautiful.

As she opened the door to her bedroom, she turned back to him.  She waited for him to enter, but instead he stopped right in front of her.

She held her breath as he leaned into her.  “Do you want this,” he asked her.

She leaned her head back against the doorway.  “What?”

“This?  Our little deal.  Do you want to continue it?”

She swallowed.  “Why…why do you ask?”

“Because…you’re dating other people.  Maybe you’re interested in a relationship with Caleb.  If you are, tell me, and we can end this now…walk away as—“

“Friends,” she offered.

“Yeah,” he answered.

Riley looked at him for a long moment.  This was her chance to come to her senses and stop the insanity.  This was her chance to break the cycle for once and for all.  He gave her an opening; she only had to take it.  The problem was that this whole arrangement was her idea, and she still felt the same way now as she did then.  While she wasn’t permitted to be with him, while she knew that this didn’t make up for the loss she experienced two years ago, she still couldn’t find the words to actually end it.  She had to have any part of him that she could.  This was the only way.  Maybe one day she would gain some sense of control and end it, but she couldn’t do that now.  She was too addicted to him.  “I don’t want to stop,” she answered honestly.  “Do you?”

He did.  He wanted to stop it if it meant that he could have her completely.  Gauging by their earlier conversation, he knew that wasn’t a possibility.  Not now, at least.  He could wait a little longer.  She was worth it.  They were worth it.  He leaned down to her.  “No,” he answered softly.

As he neared her lips, she pulled back from him.  She smiled as a look of confusion graced his face.  “There’s only one rule,” she said as she ran her finger along the collar of his shirt.

He swallowed.  “What’s that?”

Her eyes fell to the floor.  “You can’t step over that threshold if you have any stitch of clothing on.”

His eyes slowly fell to the ground.  He watched as Riley slid her black heels off before she crossed the threshold.  She tossed them toward the corner of the room before she turned back to him.  “That’s it,” she smirked.  “The only rule.”

Lucas’s mouth fell open.  Who was this girl and what had she done with Riley Matthews?  She spoke with such confidence, such allure that he thought his heart had actually stopped beating.  He had always loved the woman who stood before him.  He had spent years trying to show her that she had no need to be insecure about anything—that she was an angel who walked amongst mere mortals.  Had college given her this newfound sense of confidence?  Had their little arrangement taken the pressure off to be perfect?

He had no idea, but as he found himself unbuttoning his shirt, he wasn’t about to question it. He knew she wasn’t perfect, but in that moment, he couldn’t think of a single thing he would ever change about her.  All he wanted to do was to pay homage to her very existence.  He wanted to give her what she deserved—pure, unadulterated pleasure.

As he slid his shirt down his arms, he knew that he would never be worthy of her.  He knew that he should be grateful for the years she had allowed him to be in her orbit.  He knew that one day this would end, and that he would be forced to survive in a world where he wasn’t allowed to pay tribute to her existence.

But not tonight.

No, tonight he was fortunate enough to be given the chance to make sure she knew that she held all of him within the palm of her hand.

He knew the current status of their relationship wasn’t healthy, but he didn’t care.  He knew that one day he would.  He knew that one day either he or she would confront the reality of what they had been doing for the last year and a half, but as Lucas unbuckled his pants, he sent up a silent prayer to whatever deity would listen to him that it wouldn’t end—that their impending conversation would result in a reconciliation.  He already had to live six months in a world without her.  If he had any say in his future, that would never happen again.

//Private show with the music blasting He like to call me Peaches when we get this nasty Red wine drip, we’ll talk that trash Chauffeur eavesdropping trying not to crash//

Riley watched as Lucas undressed.  She was impressed with the way she had been able to command him thus far.  She felt the vodka begin to take effect as he slid his underwear off.  ‘Good,’ she mused as he tossed the last piece of his clothing to the side.  She didn’t want to think logically.  As he stepped over the threshold into her room and strolled toward her, she knew that tonight, she only wanted him.

“Now, its mine turn,” he told her as he stood in front of her.

“A deal is a deal,” she reached behind her head to pull her hair tie out.  Her long brown hair came tumbling down, providing a sheer cover for her breasts.

Lucas ran his fingers down her tangled locks before he tossed her hair over her shoulder.  He needed to see her—all of her.  His index finger slowly slid down her arm.  The right corner of his mouth turned up into a smile when he noticed the trail of goose bumps that quickly followed his touch.  “I want to touch every square inch of you,” he murmured as his other hand gripped her waist.  “I want to hear you moan my name,” he continued as he gently nudged her to him.  “I want you to beg for more.”  His left hand lightly brushed the length of her spine.  When Riley closed her eyes and shuddered in response, Lucas’s smile grew.  “I want you to beg for me,” he finished as his eyes looked down at her.  

Riley slowly opened her eyes when she felt his gaze land on her body.  It was clear that he wanted to take his time with her tonight, but she already wanted nothing more than to shove him on her bed and show him exactly how his gentle caresses had affected her.  When her eyes met his, she took a shaky breath.  His eyes had darkened as his other hand gripped her other side of her waist.  She swallowed.  Maybe she hadn’t had enough to drink over the last few hours.  Maybe she was still too sober to do this without feeling anything for the man in front of her.

As his face leaned in toward hers, she realized that there wasn’t enough alcohol on earth to ever make her truly forget just how much she loved him.

//Oh there daddy, daddy now you ripped my fur Oh baby baby be sweating out my hair Took 45 minutes to get all dressed up We ain't even gonna make it to this club//

He wasn’t sure how long they stood in her bedroom as they kissed.  Time was no longer a concept.  They must have been suspended up in space somewhere.  It could have been seconds, minutes, hours, days.  He had no idea.  All he knew was that this time, their kisses had slowed.  There wasn’t any sense of urgency.  It was gentle, methodical.  He wasn’t lying when he said he wanted to explore every part of her.  When she released a soft moan, he pulled her flush against him.  He had to hear that sound again.  He had to know that she was enjoying this just as much as he was.

Riley’s hands slid up his arms as she finally wrapped her arms around his neck.  She ran her fingers through his hair as she opened her mouth further.  At that moment, she felt like it would never be enough.  Their bodies were completely pressed against one another, his tongue actively engaged in another battle of dominance with hers, and yet, she needed to be closer.  When she felt his hands slide around to cup her ass, she smiled.  When she felt his erection against her pelvis, she slowly spread her legs to allow him to brush against her vagina.

Lucas practically growled at the contact, but it wasn’t directed at the brunette in his arms.  He found himself thrust in his own civil war.  Part of him wanted to take her right then and there, but there was another part of him who wanted to continue with his plan.

He gripped her ass even tighter as he lifted her off the ground.  She wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her over to her bed.  He finally broke contact with her perfect mouth once her head hit her pillow.  “You aren’t playing fair,” he breathed.

She squirmed under the intensity of his gaze.  With one look, she felt like he could ask her to do anything and she would comply without hesitation.  It was dangerous.  He was dangerous.  Her heart began to race as his eyes slowly ran down the length of her body.  She would give anything to know what he was thinking.

‘You got to slow down, Friar,’ he told himself as he took several deep breaths. They had all night—a luxury neither were used to.  Before, it had always been hurried exchanges between them.  Now he had the chance to truly make love to the woman in front of him.  “You’re incredible,” he breathed as his hand ran down her legs.  He paused when he reached her knees.  He gently nudged them apart as he positioned himself in between them.

Riley said nothing as she watched him slowly plant kisses along her hipbone.  She took a shaky breath as she felt goose bumps pop up along every area he touched.

Lucas smiled against her skin as he methodically kissed down the length of her right leg.  As he slowly made his way up to her hip on her left leg, he noticed her squirm.  “You aren’t enjoying this?”  His tone wasn’t accusatory.  He seemed more amused by her reaction.  He could feel the heat permeating from in between her thighs. He heard every breathy sigh she released as he paid homage to her slender legs.  There was no way on earth she wasn’t enjoying every second of this.

She closed her eyes as he began to kiss along her hipbone once more.  It was one of her tender spots, and he knew it.  She hissed as his teeth gently scraped across her flawless flesh.  “Please,” she moaned before she took a sharp shallow breath.  “Lucas, please.”

He lifted his head as he watched her lean her head back.  For a second, he thought he could hear her heart racing.  He needed to resist her pleas, for now anyway.  He had only began his exploration of her body.  “You can do better than that,” he teased as his hands moved up to cup her breasts.

Riley arched her back at his touch.  She furrowed her eyebrows together as she tried to figure out some way to regain control of her senses.  She knew he was teasing her.  She knew that he wanted to hear her beg.  She hadn’t intended for that to slip from her lips, but as he slowly lowered his head in between her thighs, she knew that it wouldn’t be the last time she begged for him.  

//Take all of me I just wanna be the girl you like, girl you like The kind of girl you like, girl you like//

“Oh my God,” she cried out as she felt herself fly over the edge of ecstasy.  She panted as he slowly lifted his head.  If her eyes were open, she would have noticed the ruthless grin he had as he slowly slid up her body.  Her heart slammed against her chest as she desperately tried to catch her breath.  “Lucas,” she panted as she felt him kiss along her neck.  “Are you sure you haven’t done that with someone in Texas?”  Her mind was completely fogged over as she placed her hand over her forehead.  He had gone down on her before, but it had never been quite that meticulous.  He took his time.  He made sure to pay attention to the areas she was the most sensitive to.  Basically, it was sheer perfection.

He chuckled against her neck.  “No,” he answered as his lips slid down to her collarbone.  “Just you.”

She lowered her hand as she felt her heart rate begin to return to normal.  “I can’t wait to repay you for it,” she sighed happily.

“Well,” he drawled out as he lifted his head.  “It’ll have to wait until next time.”

She frowned.  “Why?”

“My rules, remember?”  He smirked.  “I’m not done yet.”

“This isn’t fair,” she groaned as he lowered his head to kiss the other side of her neck.

Lucas slid his hand down her arm until he reached her hand.  He brushed his fingertips against hers for a moment before he lifted her hand above her head.  “What do you want, Riley?”

“You know what I want,” she whispered as his teeth lightly bit her earlobe.

“And you know what I want,” he retorted as his hands roamed her body.  He lifted his head as his eyes met hers.  He knew he couldn’t ask for the one thing he needed the most in this world, but for now, this could keep him going until the next time he saw her.  “I need to hear it, Riley.  I need to know that you need this just as badly as I do…that you want to be consumed by me.  I need to hear that you know that the fire you feel right now is because of me.”

She stared into his eyes for a long moment.  Something was beginning to shift between them.  She felt it the moment he began to pleasure her.  What had made that orgasm so intense wasn’t the way he used his tongue, or the rhythm of his fingers inside of her, it was because he had made love to her.  He still had feelings for her.  It was something she had tried to deny for a while, but as she looked into his eyes now, she knew she that it couldn’t possibly be anything else.  

They had to end this.  She knew that.  However, knowing and acting were two different things.  She wasn’t strong enough to say goodbye to him yet, because she felt the same way.

All of the reasons she broke up with him came rushing at her.  He was going to be a veterinarian.  That meant a lot more time in school than simply two more years.  What if they reconciled just to argue all the time and become even more miserable than they already were?  She couldn’t stand the thought of him not in her life.

No.  Until everything got settled, she couldn’t tell him.  She wasn’t ready to let him go.  She was stuck in this non-relationship relationship with him.  And while it had its perks, it also felt like the definition of purgatory.

“I need you,” she finally whispered as she forced herself to come back to the present.  She had plenty of time to torment herself later.  Right now, she needed to be in this moment with him.  She needed this taste of paradise.  “Please,” she begged.  “Lucas, I need more.  I need to feel you inside me.”

She didn’t think it was possible, but his eyes darkened further at her words.  Her fingers brushed against his cheek.  “Please,” she pleaded once more.

This was supposed to be his moment.  This was supposed to be the moment he knew whether or not she loved him.  He thought that if she begged for him, that he would know that she needed him as much as he needed her.  As she said the words he longed to hear, he felt himself silently plead with her to take him back.  He thought he would feel some vindication, some newfound certainty that he had taken the upper hand in their tumultuous relationship, but as soon as her hands brushed across his cheek, he knew that he would jump off the Brooklyn Bridge if she asked him to.  He was a slave to the woman underneath him.  He always was, and always would be.  He nearly professed his love in response, but quickly stopped himself.  Now wasn’t the time for that.

His lips finally crashed against hers as she wrapped her legs around his hips.  

//Take all of me I just wanna be the girl you like, girl you like The kinda girl you like Is right here with me//

His right hand lowered to cup her ass while she gripped his shoulders.  He quickly slid into her.  Riley gasped in response as he gave her a moment to get used to the sensation.  He tossed her hair to the side as he sucked on the base of her neck.  The act elicited a moan from the brunette.  She wiggled against him as she buried her head in his neck.  Could they stay just like this forever?  She couldn’t imagine a better form of heaven.

At first he slowly moved against her as she dug her fingernails into his shoulder blades.  She was felt so tight, so perfect.  His sexual experience was only limited to her, but he couldn’t imagine a more perfect fit as he repeatedly filled her.

“Yes,” she groaned against his neck before she began to gently suck on the tender piece of flesh behind his ear.  It was one of the most sensitive spots on his body, and she knew it.  She knew exactly what to do to speed him up, to bend him to her will.  

He both loved and loathed that she held that much power over him.  He moaned as he began to speed up his thrusts.  He took a deep breath as she wrapped her legs even tighter around him.  He wasn’t going to let go yet. This felt too incredible.  He needed this moment to last. He needed to feel this close to her for as long as she would allow him to.

“Lucas,” she panted as he palmed her ass.  “Please,” she begged, “please don’t stop.”

He nearly came right then and there.  That was what he desperately needed to hear.  He needed to hear her plead with him.  He needed to hear her pleasure.  He needed to know that he affected her just as deeply, just as primitively, just as passionately, as she affected him.  She possessed most of his thoughts, even from two thousand miles away.  He needed to know that after he left her once more, that she would think about this night and remember it.  He wanted this moment to be seared into her memory for the rest of her life.  He wanted to ruin every other guy for her.  He wanted to be the only one.  He wanted to be the one.

//Est-ce que tu aimes le sexe? Le sexe, je veux dire: l'activité physique, le coït. Tu aimes ça? Tu ne t'intéresses pas au sexe? Les hommes pensent que les féministes détestent le sexe mais c'est une activité très stimulante et naturelle que les femmes adorent//

She was there.  She was ready to release her third climax of the evening, but she wanted to wait for him.  Nothing felt better than to reach the pinnacle of pleasure with him.  “Lucas…oh God.”

He groaned in response.  If he lived to be 100, he’d never get tired of the way she breathed his name in the bedroom.  The way she said it immediately pushed him to the brink.  “Riley,” he moaned.  She wrapped her arms around his back and pressed her foot against his ass.  The act sent him even further into her, where he finally exploded.

As soon as she felt him climax, Riley followed.  She cried out as she tightened her hold on him.  She didn’t want to let go.  She couldn’t.  He was the only thing that kept her tied to the earth below.  She was on another plane of existence as they both longed to remain in that world.  In that world, nothing else mattered but them.  They didn’t have to worry about labels or figuring out the complexities of their relationship.  They merely existed to please one another.

Soon enough, gravity took control as they slowly fell back to Earth.  Lucas reluctantly pulled out of her as he laid down next to her.  He pulled her to him before he placed a gently kiss to her shoulder.  

Riley sighed contentedly as she closed her eyes.  “That was…”

He smiled against her shoulder.  “Was what?”

She searched her brain.  Had she spoken?  If so, what did she say?  She wasn’t even entirely sure where she was at the moment.  She finally let out a soft chuckle.  “I have no idea.”  She took a deep breath.  “I need something to drink.”  She turned her head toward him.  “Do you want something?”

“I’ll get it,” he offered as he reluctantly untangled himself from the goddess next to him.  “What would you like?  Water or something stronger?  I make a mean vodka cranberry…or so I’m told.”

She smirked as she caught his reference to the last time they met up.  “Both sound heavenly,” she answered.

“Both, it is.”

Riley sat up as she watched him leave her bedroom without a stitch of clothing on.  “Damn,” she mumbled as she fell back on the bed.  How was it possible that she felt like she was on cloud nine while at the same time, also felt an overwhelming sense of grief?  Tears quickly formed in her eyes.  This wasn’t allowed.  She couldn’t cry right now.  She didn’t want to think about what comes next.  She wanted to live in the moment with him.

She sat back up as she wiped her eyes.  She needed to escape for a few moments and regroup.  She wandered into her bathroom and turned on the shower.  As soon as she stepped in, she felt the water scald her, but she didn’t care.  She needed to feel something other than the rush of loneliness that had suddenly captured her.

//Take all of me I just wanna be the girl you like, girl you like The kind of girl you like, girl you like//

She wasn’t sure how long she stood in the shower before he entered the bathroom.  Neither of them said anything as he slipped into the shower behind her.  He hissed when he felt the scalding water.  “Jesus, Riley.”  He noticed the red marks on her skin and quickly turned the hot water down.  “Are you ok?”

She slowly turned to face him.  She wasn’t sure what time it was, but it was still dark outside.  They still had a few more hours at least.  She had a little while longer to pretend that everything was ok, that whatever they had was normal, and not the worst idea in the history of everything.  “I’m fine,” she smiled as she stepped closer to him.  Her eyes slowly traveled down his body.  “You’re ready again?”  He was completely insatiable.  She would never be able to keep up with him.

“Maybe in a little while,” he responded as he reached for her loofah.  “Right now, I’m thinking a shower…the drinks…a little relaxation.”

“I’m not sure that’s allowed,” she responded before she turned away from him.  

Her comment stung slightly, but he wasn’t about to argue with her after what had just transpired in her bedroom.  “You know,” he began as he reached for her soap, “You did say that we were friends with benefits.  Maybe in between the benefits, we could actually…be friends.”  He ran the loofah along her back.  “Friends can drink and hang out, right?”

He had a point.  They didn’t talk at all unless he was in town, and before tonight, they only had a very limited amount of time to release their sexual frustration on one another.  Maybe trying out the friends side of their arrangement would allow her the chance to become more comfortable with what they were now?  Maybe that way, she wouldn’t try to hide from him next time?  “You’re right.  Friends hang out…and we’re friends, right?”

‘For now,’ his mind screamed at him.  “Yeah.  Yeah…we’re friends.”  They had always been friends, but it had also always been more than that between them.  Was he happy with their current relationship status?  No.  Of course not.  He wouldn’t be satisfied until they were back together, but he could wait a little longer to plead his case to her.

//Take all of me I just wanna be the girl you like, girl you like//

They laid back in her bed as they watched tv for a little while.  He briefly wondered when she would kick him out of her place, but halfway through the second episode of ‘Red Planet Diaries’ she draped her arm across his waist and placed her head on his chest.  He was slightly confused at first.  He didn’t know that cuddling was acceptable in their non-relationship relationship, not that he would ever complain about it.

When her breathing deepened, he knew that she had fallen asleep.  He wasn’t about to disturb her for the world.  He wrapped his arm around her back and lightly traced out the three words he had restrained himself from saying the entire night.  ‘I love you,’ he thought as he closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Riley slowly opened her eyes when she felt Lucas’ arm loosen its grip on her waist.  He was asleep.  She wasn’t entirely sure why she had pretended to fall asleep.  No.  That’s a lie.  She knew why she did it.  She didn’t want him to leave.  She wanted him to stay the night.  She wanted him to stay forever.

She took a deep breath.  Forever is a long time, and it felt like the universe had transpired to keep them apart for some reason.  She had tried to move on.  She thought that she was on the way to doing that with Caleb, but one night with Lucas changed everything.  She needed to end things with Caleb.  Farkle was right and she didn’t want to lead him on.  She wasn’t ready for another relationship.  She wasn’t sure if she would ever be ready.  She was fairly certain that she would be in love with Lucas Friar for the rest of her life, but she couldn’t have him.  Not now.  Not while they were in school.  Not while they lived on opposite sides of the country.  She wasn’t going to be the reason why he missed out.  As much as it killed her, as much as she loathed herself and the current predicament she found herself in, she couldn’t give him up yet.  

//The kinda girl you like Is right here with me//

[gilbertandanne]

Third installment to the Serendipity/Amaranthine universe. How far would you go in order to protect someone you love? WARNING: as with the first two parts in the series, there is an overall trigger warning for abuse (physical, mental, emotional). That, combined with the adult themes in this fic (alcohol, language, situations, etc), are the reason for the rating. Primarily Rucas.

Rating: M

Soundtrack (not at all in order and will be edited as the story progresses)

Word count: 6,963

Prologue | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine |

                                                   Elysian

Chapter Six: Pandora’s Box

'Pandora’s Box is an artifact in Greek mythology. The "box" was actually a large jar given to Pandora, which contained all the evils of the world. Pandora opened the jar and all the evils flew out, leaving only "hope” inside once she had closed it again.

Today the phrase "to open Pandora's box" means to perform an action that may seem small or innocent, but that turns out to have severely detrimental and far-reaching negative consequences.’

“Again?”  Maya’s mouth fell open as she watched Farkle consume a second stack of ribs at Chubbie’s.  She turned toward the rest of the group.  “I know at this point I shouldn’t be surprised, but I can’t help it!”  She looked back at her ex-boyfriend.  “You can never move here, Farkle.  You’d die within a week.”

“I can’t help it,” he mumbled in between bites.  “It’s so delicious.”

The whole table laughed.  As Lucas chuckled at one of his best friend’s antics, his gaze slowly roamed over to his girlfriend. She was laughing just like everyone else was, but he could tell that she seemed distracted.  Now that she was finally here, he had hoped to be able to have a conversation with her about how her summer had been thus far, and that maybe by doing so, they would be able to discuss whatever it was that had been on her mind for the last few weeks.  

It all felt so strange to him.  She was here.  She was sitting next to him.  He could reach out and hold her if he wanted to, but for some reason, it still felt like she was two thousand miles away.  He had learned in the almost four years of knowing her that she wouldn’t say anything to anyone until she was ready to, but he also knew that the last time she hid anything from him was while they were in high school.  Whatever she was hiding, he knew it wasn’t something minor.  That realization coupled with every passing second that she wasn’t telling him what it was, was driving him crazy.  He knew he had to do something.  

So, he did the first thing that came to his mind.  He stood up as she craned her neck to look up at him.  He smiled as he offered his hand to her.  “Would you like to dance?”

Riley smiled at him as she placed her hand in his.  “Absolutely.”

His smile widened as he helped her out of her chair and escorted her to the middle of the dance floor.  He knew the odds of her talking to him at Chubbie’s were slim to none, but she needed to know that he knew she was hiding something from him.

Zay smiled as he watched the seemingly perfect couple make their way to the dance floor. “Those two,” Zay could hear the slight hint of jealousy in his own tone.  “They’re perfect for one another.”  The way he looked at her.  The way she looked at him.  After that fiasco with Vanessa, Zay had become even more pessimistic about the whole ‘soul mate’ thing.  How was it possible to only have one person in the world that was meant for you, let alone actually find them?  He wasn’t even sure if he believed in the concept after seeing couple after couple break up after swearing they were ‘the one’ for each other.  He briefly thought Vanessa was ‘the one’ for him, but after she confessed her infidelity, he had all but sworn off the entire concept of love.  

Unfortunately for him, two of his best friends constantly challenged his newly found cynicism about the subject.  Every time he was around them, he was reminded that they had practically marched through hell in order to be with one another, and that they now seemed stronger than ever because of it.  Was there such a thing as real, honest love?  Were people capable of loving someone so much that they would do anything for them?  He wasn’t sure, but as he watched Riley place her arms around Lucas’s shoulders, he knew that if anyone was capable of it, they were.  

“They really are,” Maya agreed as she watched Lucas wrap his arms around Riley’s waist.  “They’ve been through a lot together.”  She sighed as she watched the couple sway to the soft beat of the country song that played in the background.  She knew Riley seemed hell bent on keeping this whole Charlie thing away from Lucas, but what was going to happen if Charlie actually got out?  How would she even begin to have that conversation with him?  How would he react?  Lucas seemed like a completely different person than the guy he was in high school.  His entire focus had been on Riley the night that everything happened.  He wanted to go find Charlie, but she asked him not to.  Wouldn’t he do the same thing now?  If Charlie were released, if Riley told Lucas not to find him, would he listen to her?

Maya chewed on her bottom lip as she tried to figure out the answer.  She knew Lucas a lot better now than she did back then, but as she watched the couple slowly disappear into the crowd, she realized that she could clearly see two completely different scenarios play out.  In both instances, she knew Lucas would do what he thought was best for Riley.  Both would require different tactics of ensuring her safety, but only one would please the woman he loved.  The other scenario Maya imagined could only be described as Riley’s worst nightmare.  

“Yeah, and managed to come out of it even stronger than they were before.”  Zay shook his head.  He knew love had to exist.  He knew that his parents loved one another, but what kind of love was it?  His parents had spent most of their lives together, but he often wondered if that love was simply because of what they had endured over the years?  He knew that there were different types of love, but he had always thought that real love, while it had its own ebbs and flows, always involved this unspoken agreement that both parties were willing to completely and utter destroy themselves if it meant saving the other.  Did that kind of love actually exist?  Was it possible to love someone more than you loved yourself?  “I don’t know how it’s possible, you know?  Like if I wasn’t there to see it, I wouldn’t believe it.  After everything they went through in high school, they seem to be more in love now than they did before.”  He shook his head before he turned to the blonde.  “It kinda makes me want to believe in all that stuff, you know?”

“Yeah,” Maya smiled softly as the couple in question came back into view.  They watched in silence for a few moments as Riley rested her head on Lucas’s shoulder. Her eyes were closed as they seemed to be completely swept up in their own little world.  “I know what you mean.”  Maya glanced around the crowded restaurant.  “Have you seen Vanessa yet?”

“Nah,” Zay shook his head.  “She stopped working here when she went to A&M.”  Thankfully, he knew he wouldn’t have to worry about any awkward encounters with his ex-girlfriend.  It had been a few years since they last spoke, but that didn’t mean that the pain had completely subsided.  He never went into the details of the breakup with his friends.  He only mentioned it in passing.  He didn’t want them to feel awkward around him, especially seeing as how, at the time, Maya and Farkle were still dating one another and Riley and Lucas had only begun to see one another.  He knew he wouldn’t be able to stand the pitiful glances and awkward attempts at not acting like couples around him.  He wanted them to be happy and themselves, and to not walk on eggshells around him.

“Do you still talk to her?”  Zay never talked about Vanessa.  He had barely said two sentences about their break up during their senior year.  Maya was often curious about it, but knew that if he wanted to talk about it, he would.  Besides, she assumed that it was the sheer distance that broke them up.  It seemed like an open and shut case.

He shook his head.  “Just couldn’t make it work, you know?  She’s here and my life is in New York.  Even if I stayed here all summer, we would both be miserable during the year, you know?  It’s not the best way to start a relationship, and besides,” he shrugged, “I’m not sure if we were meant to be, anyway.”  It was a very diplomatic answer and the one Vanessa gave to him before she told him the real reason why she wanted to end things with him.  Zay was prepared to go through college in a long distance relationship with her, but unfortunately, she didn’t feel the same way.

Maya frowned as she looked at him.  “Why do you say that?”

“Because,” he glanced at Lucas and Riley once more, “I feel like when that feeling hits, you know it.  I liked Vanessa…maybe it was love…I don’t know…but I don’t think it was ever like…that, you know?”  He laughed as he turned back to Maya.  “Maybe those kinds of feelings are only reserved for certain people, you know?”

“Well,” Maya sighed as she glanced at Farkle.  He was knee deep into his second rack of ribs.  Barbeque sauce was all over his face.  She wasn’t even sure if he had heard any part of their conversation.  She turned back to Zay.  “Since Farkle is going to be preoccupied with his dinner for oh…probably the next hour or so…would you like to dance with me?  One cynic to another?”

Zay gave her a warm smile before he stood up.  He offered her his hand.  “I would love to, Miss Hart.”

“I really missed you,” Riley murmured softly as they swayed to the beat of the song that played in the background.

“I missed you too,” he replied just as softly before he leaned down to kiss the top of her head.  “Are you ok?  You seem quiet.”

‘I’m ok now,’ she thought as she lifted her head to look at Lucas.  “I’m so glad I’m here.”  She needed this.  She needed to spend time with him.  She needed to wrap her arms around him and know that everything was going to work out exactly the way they wanted it to.

Lucas knew what she was doing.  Why did she think that she could dodge the question like that?  He had gotten to know her little tells over the years whenever she was trying to hide something from someone.  She was good at changing the conversation without the other person realizing that she hadn’t answered whatever question they had asked her, but he knew better.  “I’m glad you’re here too, but that didn’t really answer my question.”

Riley furrowed her eyebrows.  She knew he would be more difficult to placate than the others, but she didn’t think that he would try to get it out of her on the first night in the middle of the crowded restaurant/bar.  “Lucas, I’m fine.”

He wasn’t about to let up that easily.  He had grown more and more concerned about her with every passing day.  Her uncharacteristic silence throughout the entire afternoon had all but confirmed that something had happened while he had been gone.  Normally, they would do everything in their power to steal away every possible second alone together.  She had been in town for five hours and this was the first time that he had been able to get her alone—and even then they were in the middle of a crowded dance floor.  No, it wasn’t an ideal place to hash out whatever had been on her mind, but he didn’t want to spend the entire week worried about whatever was wrong with her.  “Ahh, the dreaded ‘I’m fine’ response.  Riley, you can tell me anything.”  She had to know that by now, right?

She hesitated, not for long, but for the briefest of moments, she considered telling him what had happened.  This wasn’t worth a fight, but as she opened her mouth, a flash of that amazing smile filled her mind and she knew that she couldn’t risk not seeing that smile again.  This wasn’t his problem.  It was hers.  “I know.  And I’m telling you that I’m fine.  I’m so glad that I’m here with you.  What…what else do you want me to say?”

“I know something’s wrong.  Something has been…off…with either you or us or both for awhile now.”  There.  It was out there.  If she wasn’t going to say it, then he had to.  Why?  Because he wanted to resolve whatever issue it was.  He had spent the last forty-nine days dreaming of this week with her and not once had he dreamt of this imaginary wall between them.  She hadn’t kept anything from him in the last two years.  She had no reason to lie now, but as he looked into her eyes, he knew that she was keeping something from him.  The fact that she adamantly denied it only made the pit in his stomach double in size.

“It’s not,” she insisted.  She had to do a better job of convincing herself that nothing was wrong.  She had to act normal.  She had to be the Riley she was now, not the Riley she was in high school.  She had to smile and laugh and be here in the moment with him.  It was the only way she would be able to survive the week without completely falling apart and risking the best thing that had ever happened to her.

Lucas swallowed as he slowly stopped swaying to the beat of the music.  “Then why am I having a hard time believing you?”

Riley’s eyes fell to the ground as she took a step back from him.  She wrapped her arms around herself as she bit her bottom lip.  “Are we really going to get into a fight right now?”  When he didn’t immediately answer her, she slowly looked up at him.  “I haven’t even been here for five hours.”

“No, of course not.  I can tell something’s wrong and I wish you would tell me what it is.” His lips formed a thin line as he considered the potential consequences of pushing her any further.  He knew his girlfriend.  Pushing her would only create a bigger problem.  He hated that he knew with absolute certainty something was wrong, but that she was unwilling to discuss it with him.  Maybe it was something with her summer class?  Maybe it was just the stress of trying to find a place to live?  Yeah, maybe it was something like that.  At least, he tried to convince himself it was something that simple.  He knew that it would be the only way he could stay sane until she decided to talk to him about it.  

“Lucas, please trust me,” she practically pleaded, “we’re ok.”

He sighed in resignation.  “Promise?”

“Yes.”  She gave him a small smile as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck as she rested her head on his shoulder.  ‘Come July 8th, we’ll be perfect.’

“I don’t know if I can do this all week,” Riley confessed to Maya as they stood in the ladies’ room.  She ran a hand through her loose curls as she began to question this entire trip.  Had she messed everything up in her desperation to see him?  “He’s already asking me what’s wrong and I can’t…I can’t get him to back down or talk about anything else.”

Maya took a sip of her drink before she leaned against the wall as she watched Riley fidget with her hair.  “Maybe you should just tell him what’s going on?  What’s the worst that could happen?”

Riley looked at herself in the mirror as she began to fix her makeup.  Nothing was really wrong with it, but it gave her something to do—something to use as an excuse as to why she stayed in the bathroom for so long.  Truthfully, she was hiding from him.  It was only the first night.  She knew that she couldn’t avoid him for the next week. She didn’t want to.  She wanted to enjoy her trip.  That was the whole point, wasn’t it?  “Oh, I don’t know.  Cut the trip short so I could go to the stupid hearing…”

Maya sighed.  “I think you should do that anyway.”  It wasn’t too late to change their flight back.  Sure, there would probably be some ridiculous fees involved, but Maya knew Riley needed to go to this hearing.  If she could only nudge the brunette in the right direction, then everyone could go back to being how they were before she received that stupid letter.

“He could end up at the hearing too.”

“I think he should be at the hearing.”

Riley frowned as she turned to Maya.  “He could get angry.”  This wasn’t Lucas’s problem.  Why was it so hard for Maya to understand that?

Maya shrugged.  “So?  It’s not like he’s just going to fall back into the guy he used to be.”  There was a difference in being upset and suddenly reverting back into the ball of anger that once was Lucas Friar.  He had every right to know what was going on.  He had every right to get upset about it too. God knows Maya had been furious for the last few weeks over the whole stupid thing.  Being angry about it didn’t mean that he would immediate backslide into the guy he used to be.  She knew that Riley knew that as well, and Maya knew that she was only trying to protect him, but was she really protecting him by hiding the truth from him?

Riley shook her head.  She knew that getting mad and becoming completely consumed by that hatred were two different things, but this extended well beyond that.  “You don’t understand.  He doesn’t need to worry about this.  He’s here for the summer.  He’s so happy too, Maya.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this happy…even though he’s trying to figure out what’s going on.”

“Well, if you don’t want him to know anything until after the hearing, then you need to do a better job of pretending that everything is ok.  Even though I don’t condone this at all, I know you don’t want to end up in some ridiculous argument about it.”

“I don’t.  I just want this trip to be like the last one, you know?  We had so much fun last year.”  Lazy days spent at the lake, fun evenings enjoying live music in the city, peaceful nights under the stars.  That was all Riley wanted.  She wanted to be carefree for a few days before she had to go back to the madness she left behind in New York.  She didn’t want to bring all that here.  She wanted to spend as much time with him as possible, so the following month without him wouldn’t seem quite as lonely.

“Well, I’m having fun so far if that helps,” the blonde smiled before she took a sip of her drink.

Riley chuckled.  “How drunk are you?”

“Not at all,” she looked down at the now empty glass in her hand.  “You know, maybe you should get one of these…it’ll take the edge off a little.”  Normally, she wouldn’t suggest it, but maybe if Riley relaxed a little, then Lucas could relax and they could salvage the rest of the night.

Riley shook her head.  “You forget that I’m not 21 yet.”

Maya scoffed.  “You’re close.  Five months away.  Besides, I know you brought that fake ID Farkle made for you when we went out for his birthday.”  Maya knew that Riley didn’t drink anything that night.  She only used the ID to get into the club.  

“Maybe I do.”  She sighed.  She never wanted to be the type of person who had to resort to drinking alcohol in order to relax, but she was quickly running out of options.  “But remember the last time I drank here?  It didn’t really end too well for me.”  It was the main reason why she had, for the most part, stayed away from alcohol.  The only other time she remembered drinking anything was the night Lucas had his fight with Farkle.  

“Yeah, but you’ve drank sense then, right?  I’m trying to remember.”

“My 18th birthday.  We all know how well that ended.”  Riley shook her head. “I guess, one drink wouldn’t hurt, but you know that Lucas doesn’t drink.  I feel like it’ll be weird if we’re all doing it, but he isn’t.”

“Well, he had a beer in his hand the last time I saw him.”

“Really?”  Lucas was drinking?  She thought for sure that he had completely sworn off alcohol after the incident with Farkle.

Maya nodded.

A hundred different thoughts about what Lucas drinking alcohol could possibly mean flowed through Riley’s mind.  Was he doing it just to be social?  Was he just trying to take the edge off of the tension between her and him?  ‘Stop,’ she mentally chastised herself.  Lucas drinking didn’t mean that the world was coming to an end.  It wasn’t like he was an alcoholic or anything like that.  He stopped drinking because it amplified his anger.  Now that he no longer had those repressed emotions, it shouldn’t really affect him, should it?  “Oh.  Well, I mean, he’s 22.  He can drink if he wants to.”

Maya could detect uneasiness in the brunette’s tone.  “Are you worried about it?”

“No,” she shook her head.  “He’s not the same guy he was when it used to be a problem.  He used it as an escape…to wallow.”

“So,” she smiled, “are you going to get a drink?”

Riley sighed.  “Maybe.”  She still wasn’t sure that it was the best idea.  What if she had too much and told Lucas everything she swore to herself that she wouldn’t?  What if it only made everything worse?

“Well,” Maya studied her empty glass once more.  “I’m going to go get another one.”

Riley chuckled.  “Go for it.  I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Don’t hide out in here all night,” Maya advised.  “It’s only going to make him more suspicious.”

Riley said nothing as she watched her best friend walk out of the bathroom.  Maya had a point.  The longer she avoided him, the more he would question her. Riley looked up at herself in the mirror before she began to tousle her curls.  ‘One drink won’t completely upset the universe, right?’

She was only alone for a moment before the bathroom door opened once more.  Riley glanced at the doorway.  A frown immediately formed on her lips when she recognized the blonde who had entered.

“Oh, hi,” Jessica smiled as she walked up next to Riley.

Riley waited a beat before she turned to face the blonde.  Once again, Lucas’s ex-girlfriend looked like she had stepped out of the pages of some Southern belle magazine.  “Hi Jessica.”

“Riley…right?”

Riley cringed at the fact that Jessica was trying to assert her authority by conveniently ‘forgetting’ who she was.  They had met nearly a dozen times by now.  There was no way she didn’t know who Riley was.  “You know my name.”

“I’m terrible with names,” the blonde giggled before she looked at her reflection in the mirror.  As she slightly teased her nearly waist length hair, she looked at Riley.  “So, Lucas didn’t tell me you were in town.”

Every single time Riley was forced to talk to Jessica, it was the same song and dance.  Jessica would imply that she and Lucas still maintained this deep friendship, when in reality, they barely spoke to one another, and that was only when they ran into one another at places like Chubbie’s.  Instead of openly arguing with her, Riley had learned to play along the best she could.  She knew it drove Jessica crazy.  “Talk to him a lot, do ya?”

“All the time,” she scoffed as she pulled out a tube of lip-gloss from the pocket of her daisy duke shorts.  “You know, I’ve been telling him for the last few years that he needs to go ahead and move back, because I’ve got to admit…he looks a lot better once he gets that Texas tan.”  She leaned forward as she began to reapply the deep red gloss.

As Riley opened her mouth to make her own comeback, she reminded herself that if she stooped to Jessica’s level, Jessica would gladly consider it a victory.  She couldn’t let Jessica think that she had gotten under her skin.  “Yeah, because we don’t ever have sunshine in New York.”

Jessica paused her reapplication as she stared at the brunette through the mirror.  She could tell by the slight bite in Riley’s tone that she had hit a nerve.  “Oh, I never said that, hun.”  She smirked as her focus shifted back to her lips.  She pulled away from the mirror when she had finished re-applying the gloss.  She smacked her lips together before she slid the lip-gloss back into her pocket.  “You’ve noticed it though, right?  I mean, you would have had to by now.”

Riley knew she shouldn’t give into whatever Jessica was setting her up for, but her curiosity quickly got the better of her.  “What?”

“How happy he is here.  I mean…I don’t know how he acts in New York, but I can’t imagine that he could possibly be any happier there than he is here.  He’s always laughing and smiling.  It’s going to be great to have him move back.”

Riley watched Jessica turn back to face the mirror as she checked out her overall appearance.  Riley knew that she needed to leave the bathroom and ignore the whole interaction, but for some reason, she had to know what delusion Jessica had cooked up.  “What are you talking about?”

“After he graduates from NYU.”  Jessica smirked as she pulled the straps of her tank top up.  “You don’t know?”

“Know what?”

Jessica smiled.  “That he might move back after he graduates.”

Riley couldn’t control her facial expressions any longer.  She knew that her eyes had widened and her mouth had practically fallen open at Jessica’s statement.  “What?”

“Yeah.  I was there when he was talking to Asher about it a few weeks ago.  NYU doesn’t have a vet program, so he’s gotta figure out where to go after he graduates.”

“That doesn’t mean he’s moving back to Texas.”

Jessica scoffed.  Clearly this girl didn’t understand her own relationship.  “You know he belongs here, right?  You know that New York was only ever a temporary thing, don’t you?”

“He’s happy in New York.”

Jessica had to stifle a giggle at the obvious naivety of the girl next to her.  She almost felt bad for Riley—almost.  “Do me a favor.  I’m not sure how long you’re going to be here, but watch him.  Really…notice how he acts when he’s here and compare it to the last time he was in New York.  You’ll know that I’m right.”

Riley bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from screaming.  How dare Jessica presume to know Lucas better than she did?  How dare she assume that he was happier here than in New York? For all Riley knew, Jessica had never ventured outside of Texas, let alone had actually gone to New York and had been there long enough to come her ridiculous conclusions about Lucas’s happiness.

Jessica wasn’t about to let up.  She knew Riley deserved to hear the truth.  “He belongs in Texas.  One way or another, he’s going to come back home.  Pappy Joe isn’t getting any younger.  With his father’s…colorful history, I doubt Pappy Joe would leave the farm to him.  Lucas knows the land and he loves the farm.  He might even love it more than Pappy Joe does.  Austin is his home.  The sooner you realize that, the sooner you’ll…”

Riley crossed her arms over her chest.  “The sooner I’ll what?”

“The sooner you’ll realize that New York is just a temporary pit stop…a time in his life that he’ll look back on fondly, but…it’s not his permanent home.  It never was.  It never will be.  Whether it’s in two years or even after he becomes a vet…he’s going to end up here.”  She clucked her tongue as she let her words hang in the air between them.  “Where are you going to end up?”

Riley said nothing, but as her frown deepened, she knew she had perhaps told Jessica more than she had ever intended to.

“Hadn’t thought about it,” she surmised as she arched one of her perfectly manicured eyebrows at the brunette.  “You probably should start.  We both know Lucas is…a hard guy to get over.  I let you have him while he’s lived in New York, but just know that when he moves back home, all bets are off.”  She tilted her head to the side as she adjusted her cleavage so a little more of it spilled out of her top.  “After all, you never forget your first.”

“Who says I wouldn’t move here with him?”

Jessica laughed.  Couldn’t this girl see that she was only trying to help her by opening her eyes up to the truth?  “He told me that you were a theatre major.  While Austin is decent place for the arts, it’s not quite like New York.  I mean…would you really give up what you’ve wanted to do in order to live here?  Think about it.  I imagine that you would wake up one day after popping out a few kids and be hit with the realization that you lived your entire life chasing him so he could get what he wanted while you completely abandoned your dreams.  You’d resent him for it and you know it.  Would you really want to hurt him like that?”  She waited a beat as she watched Riley’s gaze fall to the counter in front of them.  “But, this is still at least two years away.”

Riley slowly shook her head as if she tried to chase Jessica’s words away from her mind.  “You’re insane if you think you’re getting to me.”

“I’m not trying to get to you, honey.  I could have happily kept you in the dark until it happened.  This isn’t some theory.  It’s a fact.  Austin is his home.  New York is yours.  It’s never going to work out.  You’re a smart girl.  I’m not sure why you haven’t realized that yet.”

“You don’t know us.”

Jessica shrugged.  “I know him.”

“No,” Riley shook her head.  “You don’t.”  Jessica knew who Lucas was.  There was no way she knew who he was now.

“I don’t,” she challenged as a knowing smirk formed in the corners of her lips.  “Watch him, Riley.  Watch him around the farm.  Watch him around his family.  Watch him around his friends.  Then tell me where he belongs.”

“I’m surprised you left Riley in there,” Farkle told Maya the moment she walked up to them at the bar.

“What are you talking about,” she asked as she sat her empty glass down.  How much trouble could a sober Riley possibly get into in the bathroom?

“I saw Jessica walk in right after you left,” Farkle informed the blonde before he took a swig of his beer.  He wasn’t a big drinker, but he was on vacation and had just consumed two huge racks of ribs.  He figured that warranted a celebratory drink.  

Maya groaned as she looked back at the bathroom.  “Great.”  She glanced at Lucas who had been so involved in with his conversation with Zay that she was certain he hadn’t heard a word of her brief conversation with Farkle.  “Why is she always hovering?”

Lucas lifted his eyebrows in confusion.  “Who?”

“Who?  Your ex that’s who!”  Maya rolled her eyes.  “Lucas, she’s terrible.  Why don’t you tell her off for once and for all?”

“She’s not that bad,” he tried to reason.  Why was Maya even bringing her up in the first place?  Yes, Jessica came on a little strong, but she backed off the moment he told her that he was with Riley.  He knew that his girlfriend and his ex-girlfriend would never be close friends, but they had seemed to be able to tolerate one another in the past.  “She’s been a good friend to me. I can’t just cut her out.”

Riley only caught the last part of his statement as she walked up to them.  She crossed her arms over her chest her conversation with Jessica still bounced through her mind.

Maya’s attention immediately went to Riley.  One look at her and Maya could tell that Lucas’s ex-girlfriend had said something to upset her.  “You ok?”

Riley nodded.  The last thing she wanted to do was to rehash that conversation.  She wasn’t even sure what to say.  Jessica wasn’t exactly mean to her about it.  She knew that the blonde was only trying to get under her skin, but unfortunately, everything that came out of her mouth made perfect sense.  What was going to happen to them once they graduated?

“She didn’t do anything, right,” Zay asked her.

Riley shook her head.  “Of course not.”  She glanced at Lucas.  Hadn’t she noticed only a few hours ago how happy he seemed?  Was there actually some truth to what Jessica had told her?

“See,” Lucas pointed out to Maya before he took a swig of his beer.  “She’s fine.  Jess knows I’m with Riley.  She’s moved on.  I’ve moved on.”

Maya scoffed.  “You wouldn’t be saying that if the tables were turned.”  The words tumbled from her mouth before she realized what she was saying.  She knew Riley would kill her for it later, but if Riley was even considering telling Lucas about the hearing, then asking him a hypothetical question could be the best way to gauge his possible reaction to the news.

Lucas frowned.  “What do you mean?”

Maya reached for her newly filled drink and took a sip before she turned to the Texan.  “What if we were out somewhere and saw Charlie chatting it up with Riley?”

Lucas gripped the beer in his hand.  “That’s different.”

Maya shrugged nonchalantly.  “Enlighten me.”

“Do you not remember what he did?”  Lucas stared at Maya incredulously.  How could she compare Jessica to Charlie?  Yes, they had both tried to break up Riley and him, but what Charlie did to Riley was completely unforgiveable.  

Maya noticed how a vein in Lucas’s forehead started to pulsate, but she wasn’t about to back down.  She knew Riley would never be able to broach the subject of Charlie with her boyfriend, but if Lucas could see reason, maybe it would be easier to drop the Charlie bomb with the others around?  “But doesn’t everyone deserve a second chance?”

Lucas sat his beer down before he crossed his arms over his chest.  “What are you talking about right now?  That guy doesn’t deserve a second chance.  He deserves to rot in jail!”  He could feel the rage he thought he had buried begin to bubble up within him.  For almost two years, he forced himself to let go of what happened in high school—that included forgetting that Charlie Gardner had ever existed.  He belonged in the past, a past that, for some strange reason, Maya suddenly wanted to revisit.

Riley watched her boyfriend closely as Maya baited him.  She never wanted to bring Charlie up in public.  She really didn’t want to mention him at all.  As she slowly raked her eyes over her boyfriend, she noticed how his entire body had tensed up because of the conversation they were having.  His arms were crossed over his chest, but it didn’t take her long to know why—he was attempting to hide how white his knuckles were from how tightly he had clenched his fists.  She hadn’t seen that much anger flash across his eyes since the night he got into the fight with Farkle.

Maya refused to back down, although she was beginning to understand Riley’s hesitancy to bring up the fact that Charlie could be paroled next week.  “He’s going to get out eventually.”

“And I’m going to be there the day he does,” Lucas answered darkly.

Riley took a shaky breath before she finally spoke up.  “What do you mean?”  She closed the space between them as she placed a comforting hand on his arm.  She could have sworn that she felt every single tense muscle under her fingertips.  “I thought we had…moved on from…all that.”

Lucas cut his eyes from Maya to his girlfriend.  “Moved on, yes.  Forgotten? No.”  The volume in his voice had lowered slightly as he spoke to Riley, but the hard edge in his tone never wavered.  Lucas shook his head as he tried to control the flood of anger that had threatened to overcome him.  “The things I could do to that guy if I only had the chance.”

Riley gave Maya a knowing look before she turned to face her boyfriend once more.  “He’s not worth it,” she soothed as she rubbed his arm.  “He’s not worth…getting this upset over.  He’s not worth losing yourself over.”

“I’m not going to lose myself,” he told her as he pulled away from her.  He reached for his beer and gulped the rest of it down before he continued.  “The anger that I have for him, I’ve carried around every day since that night.”  He sat the empty bottle down on top of the bar.  “It hasn’t gone away.  It won’t go away.  Everything else I can let go of, but I can’t forget what he did to you…what he tried to do to you.”  His jaw twitched as an image of her—broken and bruised—flashed through his mind.  “Riley, I can’t apologize for wanting to protect you.”

She had to admit that she understood that more than anything else.  “Yeah.  I can’t apologize for wanting to protect you, either.”

“Can we please talk about something else,” Zay begged them.  “We aren’t here to talk about Charlie or Jessica or anything that happened in high school.”  He caught the bartender’s attention.  “Can we please get some drinks over here?”  He glanced at Riley.  “Do you want something?”

She nodded.  “Yeah.  Yeah, I’ll take a margarita.”

“I’m sorry,” Lucas apologized the moment they reached the hill.  It was nearly 2:30am.  The others crashed the moment they got back to the house.  Riley was beyond exhausted, but she wasn’t about to ditch their tradition of going to the hill on her first night there.  So, they took Lucas’s old truck and drove the quarter mile away from the house to their spot.

They set up their makeshift pallet of blankets and pillows in complete silence.  He could feel the tenseness radiating off of her, and knew that his anger had caused it.  “I’m sorry,” he apologized again as they sat down.  “Not for what I said, but for how I said it.  I know…I know that part of our history isn’t…one of my finer moments.”

“It’s ok,” she told him as she laid down.  As she looked up at the heavens above her, she knew that the part of her who wanted to tell him about Charlie had finally been silenced.  She knew she needed to figure out a way to make it through the week without saying anything about it to him.  With any luck, she would come home to some good news, and wouldn’t ever have to tell Lucas that Charlie had been up for parole while she was in Texas.

“I’m never not going to be insanely angry for what he did,” Lucas confessed, “But I shouldn’t have said that in front of you.”

“Why not,” she asked as she watched him lay down next to her.  “We’re together.  I want to know everything about you.  I just didn’t know that you still felt that strongly about it.”

“Don’t you?”

“Of course I do.  I just thought with your whole…new outlook on everything that maybe…while understandably still angry about what happened…that maybe you had let go of some of it.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever let any of it go.”  He sighed as he reached for her hand.  He brought her hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss along her knuckles before he continued.  “Just the thought of him touching you sets me on edge.” He looked up into her eyes.  “I’m always going to want to protect you.  There is nothing good about him, Riley.  I promise that you’re never going to have to worry about him again.”

She rolled over onto her side as she faced him.  “Can we talk about something else now?  We’re at our spot.  It’s my first night here.  All I want to do this week is have fun with you.”  She rubbed his cheek with her free hand.  “He’s not worth ruining this trip over.”

Lucas felt himself instantly relax under her touch.  How was it possible for her to be able to make him relax that easily?  “I’d do anything for you.”

She gave him a small smile.  ‘I’d do anything for you,’ she echoed in her mind.  “Then kiss me,” she softly commanded as she leaned in closer to him.

“Your wish is my command,” he smiled as his lips brushed against hers.

[gilbertandanne]

Third installment to the Serendipity/Amaranthine universe. How far would you go in order to protect someone you love? WARNING: as with the first two parts in the series, there is an overall trigger warning for abuse (physical, mental, emotional). That, combined with the adult themes in this fic (alcohol, language, situations, etc), are the reason for the rating. Primarily Rucas.

Rating: M

Soundtrack (not at all in order and will be edited as the story progresses)

Word count: 3,621

Prologue | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine |

                                                     Elysian

Chapter Four: Weret Hekau

Weret Hekau – ‘An Ancient Egyptian goddess who protected the king. Because she was a powerful symbol of protection, her name along with the symbol of a snake often appears on magical weapons buried with the dead to help them protect themselves in the underworld.’

Riley frowned as she scrolled through the apartment listings near NYU.  Most places were either too small, cost way too much money, or weren’t available at all within the next three months.  She knew that finding a decent place in the city with the budget they had would be difficult.  She didn’t think that it would be impossible.

Despite encountering dead end after dead end over the last few weeks, she found herself slightly grateful that their search had proven to be a little difficult.  It gave her the opportunity to really dive into the search instead of spending most of her time moping around about the fact that she hadn’t seen her boyfriend in nearly three weeks.  Her summer class distracted her some, but not nearly enough to fill up the sixteen hours a day she was awake.  “One more month,” she mumbled as she clicked on a different listing.  It was only the beginning of June.  One more month and then she would be able to see him.  She couldn’t wait to spend an entire week under the stars with Lucas.  She had survived three weeks without him.  She could make it another four and a half.  She bit her bottom lip as she browsed through another page of options.  Yes, looking for an apartment offered a much needed distraction. She just hoped that they would eventually find the perfect place for the perfect price.

“Honey, I’m home,” Maya sang out as she crawled into the bay window.

“Hey,” Riley answered without looking up from her laptop.

“Not quite the greeting I was expecting considering the fact that I brought your mail.”

Riley turned toward her.  “How did you get our mail?”

Maya shrugged.  “Thought about using the front door, so I slid in behind Ms. Rhodes…you know how much she loves me.  She asked if I was coming up to see you and thought that it would save you a trip to the lobby to get it.”  She handed Riley the small stack of mail.

Riley chuckled.  “Well, thank you for getting it for me.  You know, I was going to use it as an excuse to step away from the computer for awhile.”  Riley stood up from her bed as she began to thumb through the mail.  She wasn’t expecting anything, but wanted to make sure that the school hadn’t sent her anything before she handed off the bills and junk mail to her parents.

Maya flopped on Riley’s bed as she reached for the laptop.  “I’m sure it’s not that bad, is it?”  She began to scroll through a few of the listings. “250 square feet,” she nearly shrieked.  “For how much?!”

“I told you,” Riley answered wryly before she lowered her eyes back to the mail.  She furrowed her eyebrows when she noticed that there was something for her.  She scanned the return address as she slowly sat the rest of the mail down at the foot of her bed.  It definitely wasn’t from the school.  Her palms began to sweat and she could feel all of the color drain from her face as she read the return address a second time.  Images she hadn’t thought about in months—years even—came back to her as she desperately tried to wake herself up from what had to be a nightmare.  Whatever news this envelope held wouldn’t be good.  She knew it even without having to open it.  The feeling of dread, the feeling that something was about to change charged back her.  Was this it?  Was this why she didn’t want him to leave?  Was this why she wanted time to stop the night before he left?

“This is ridicul…” Maya trailed off as she looked up at Riley.  “Riles?  What is it?”  She frowned as she looked down at the envelope in the brunette’s hands.

Riley cleared her throat as Maya’s voice brought her back from her not-so-wonderful trip down memory lane.  She flipped the envelope over as her trembling fingers opened the letter.  She bit the inside of her cheek as she scanned the contents of the letter once—twice—three times before she finally remembered how to take a breath.  

Maya scrambled to get off the bed the second she noticed the tears that had formed in her best friend’s eyes.  “Riley, what’s going on?  You’re scaring me.”

Riley didn’t even realize tears had pooled in her eyes until she felt them slide down her pale cheeks.  Wordlessly, she handed Maya the letter.  When Maya began to read it, Riley turned away as she walked toward the bay window.  As she slowly sat down, she realized that her only hope was that she had misread something or that this was another one of her ridiculously vivid dreams.  This couldn’t be happening, not now.  This wasn’t supposed to happen this soon.  She wasn’t ready.  She couldn’t handle this.  Five minutes ago, she could have sworn that she could handle anything life threw at her, but now, she felt the first crack form in the strength she thought she possessed.  This had to be a nightmare.  ‘Wake up, wake up, wake up,’ she mentally screamed at herself.

Maya felt her throat run dry as she read the letter.  How was this even possible?  “Riley?”

The slight tremble in Maya’s voice told Riley that she hadn’t misread anything and this wasn’t some nightmare that she could just wake up from.  This was real.  Riley slowly looked up at Maya.

Maya was taken aback by the sight of her best friend perched in the bay window.  The girl who, not even five minutes ago, seemed to be ready to take on the world suddenly looked like a lost little girl.  It had been years since she had seen Riley look like that.  She had hoped—and honestly had grown to expect—to never have to see that look of pure terror on her best friend’s face again.  “They wouldn’t actually…let him out though…not after what he…this is just some formality, right?”

Riley took a deep breath. Then, she slowly took another.  “I thought that this wasn’t even going to be a possibility.  I thought it was ten years.  I don’t even think they mentioned it when they sentenced him…especially after only serving three years.”  She felt her stomach churn.  She knew that eventually she would have to face a world in which he was back out there somewhere, but she wasn’t prepared for it to happen this soon.

Maya scanned the letter once more.  “July 7th.”

Riley stared down at her hands for a long moment before she finally shook her head.  “I’m not going.”

Maya slowly sat the letter down on Riley’s bed.  “Riley, I think that you should go.  I know it’s going to be hard for you, but I mean, if there’s a chance that they could release him, you need to be there to remind them what he did to you that night.  I’ll go with you if you want me to.”

She glanced at Maya.  “I can write a victim’s statement and give it to them.  I don’t have to…I don’t want to be there.”  Her eyes fell to the ground.  “I want to go to Texas.”

Maya furrowed her eyebrows.  “Riley, we have all summer to go to—“

“Maya, I don’t want to go, ok?”  She wrapped her arms around herself.  “I don’t want to see him again. I don’t want to have to relive that…it’s in the past.  It happened three and a half years ago, and I’m…all I want to do is move on.  I have moved on.”  She saw him once after the trial, and even then, it was because she felt like she had no other choice at the time.  She wanted her life back, and she thought that by confronting him, she would be able to put him exactly where he belonged—in the past.  She didn’t want to relive that chapter of her life again.  She didn’t want to ever have to see him again.  She knew that even though she had finally found a sense of normalcy, she was still petrified of the idea of seeing her ex-boyfriend again.

“You’re falling apart at the idea of him getting out, Riley.  That’s a perfectly normal feeling.  You’re the strongest person I know.  You’ve not only survived what happened, but you’ve found happiness.  You’ve learned to live again.  While that’s incredible, I think you need to know that what happened has affected who you are today, and as much as it sucks, this is something you can’t completely move on from…no matter how much you want to.”  She sat down next to the brunette.  “I know that if it were me, I wouldn’t be able to.”

“Well, I have,” she answered adamantly.  “He’s…He’s the reason I have so many awful memories of high school.  He’s not going to take anything else away from me.  He’s not going to get out.”  She looked at the letter on her bed.  “This is just some stupid formality.  I’m not going to let it ruin my summer.”

“Riley, I know you miss Lucas, but—“

Riley’s head snapped up as she glared at Maya.  “It has nothing to do with Lucas.”

“You know he’s going to tell you the same thing.  He’s not going to let you fly across the country to see him when you could be here, ensuring that Charlie stays locked up.”

Riley was quiet for a long moment.  Maya was right.  The moment Lucas found out about Charlie’s parole hearing, he would insist that she stay in the city.  He might even fly back to go to the hearing with her.  Riley’s stomach lurched at the thought.  “Yeah, I know that,” she answered evenly.  “It’s one reason why he doesn’t need to know about it.”

“Riley, he has to know.”  Had she completely lost her mind?  Of course Lucas had to know about this.  He was there that night.  Maybe if he knew, he could fly back and they could all go to the hearing to support her?  Texas would still be there in a few weeks.  This was more important.  Why couldn’t she see that?

“Know what exactly? That Charlie has a parole hearing?  It’s only going to make him worry or even get angry and it’s not…Charlie’s not worth it.”  She waited a beat.  “He’s in Texas to help Pappy Joe and to get closer to his dad.  He doesn’t need to know about something that probably won’t even become anything.”

Maya sighed.  This was insanity.  Riley had to know that she wasn’t making any sense right now.  “What if it does become a thing?  What then?”

Riley shrugged.  “I can’t…I can’t think like that right now.”  She slowly stood back up as she walked toward the laptop.  Charlie Gardner wasn’t about to disrupt the life she had built for the last two years.  Giving him even five minutes of her time was more than he deserved.  Riley took a deep breath as she began to scroll through more apartment listings.

“Riley, I don’t want you to close yourself off from everyone.  Let me help.”

Riley took a deep breath.  “Then help me find an apartment for us to move into before classes start again in August.”

“It’s not fair,” Riley softly laughed as she looked at her computer screen.  “You’re already super tan and I think I’m getting paler by the minute.”

Lucas leaned his back against the headboard as he looked at his girlfriend.  God, he missed her.  He had managed to survive a month without being able to see her whenever he wanted.  He thought he’d be used to it by now.  He thought that after three summers, he would know how much he would miss her and remember what it felt like when she wasn’t around.  He knew now that either he misremembered everything, or that being away from her was getting more and more difficult.  He found himself living for their nightly skype conversations.  Sometimes they couldn’t talk for long for one reason or another, but just being able to see her was enough for him to survive until the next day.  He smirked when he noticed that she was staring at her reflection in the camera.  “Well, when I get skin cancer and die by the time I’m 40, you can have the last laugh at my funeral.”

Riley frowned as she looked back at him.  “Please don’t say that.”

“Say what?  I was only kidding.”  He waited a beat as he studied the pensive expression on her face.  Something was wrong.  He had picked up on it a few weeks earlier.  She seemed more solemn, contemplative.  At first, he thought it was because the apartment search turned out to be more work than she thought it would be, but as the days wore on, she seemed more agitated, anxious even.  He knew that if she wanted to talk to him about it that she would, but two weeks later, and she still hadn’t said a word about it to him.  He wanted to respect her space, but truthfully, he was beginning to worry about her.  “Trust me.  You don’t want to be here working on the farm in this heat.  It’s been a pretty brutal summer so far.”

“Tell me about it,” she mumbled as she picked at her comforter.

Lucas frowned.  He couldn’t ignore her melancholy any longer.  “What’s going on?  You’ve seemed…quiet the last week or so.” ‘Try sixteen days,’ he mentally corrected himself.

Riley shrugged.  She knew that he would eventually pick up on her mood, but try as she could, she couldn’t shake the cloud that had hung over her head ever since she got that stupid letter.  He had enough on his mind.  She didn’t need to pile on, and besides, there was nothing to worry about.  She just couldn’t wait until this whole thing was over with so everything could go back to normal again.  Until then, she knew she had to handle it on her own.  “I don’t know.  Maybe I just…maybe I just miss you is all.”

“Are you sure that’s all it is,” he asked before he lifted his laptop in order to stretch his legs out in front of him.  “You know you can tell me anything, right?”

“Yeah,” she said as she mustered up enough energy to give him a small smile.  “I think I’m just frustrated with apartment searching and doing the same thing day in and day out.  I should’ve taken another class during the second session…just to give me something to do.  The days feel so long, and that’s even with going to campus every morning.”

His frown slowly faded as a smirk formed in its place.  “I love how bored you get without me there.”

She smiled playfully at him as she shook her head.  “I can feel your ego inflating.”  She sat up as she adjusted the screen.  “I just feel like I’m going stir crazy right now, you know?  I live in one of the biggest cities in the world and I feel like I’ve run out of things to keep me busy and keep my mind off of…” she trailed off when she realized that she was about to tell him the one thing she couldn’t.

“Two weeks,” he gently reminded her.  “Only two weeks to go and then you’ll be here.  And after you get back, we’ll only have a month until I’m back in the city.”

She crossed her legs as she ran her fingers through her hair.  She didn’t want to talk about the distance or what was going on with her.  She wanted an escape from all of that.  “Tell me something.”

“What do you want to know?”

She shrugged as she pulled her hair up into a bun.  “Anything.  Everything.  Tell me something that you’ve never told anyone before.”

“Hmm,” he thought about it for a long moment.  He wasn’t sure if he should tell her the first thing that came to his mind because it was something they hadn’t talked about before, but he couldn’t immediately think of anything else.  Besides, he was curious about what her opinion would be on the idea.  “I had a dream about you the other night.”

Riley raised her eyebrows.  “Oh really?  Good dream or bad dream?”

Lucas pursed his lips together.  “Well, it depends...”

She frowned.  “On what?”

“On how you feel about it.”

She narrowed her eyes.  “I’m not sure I understand.”

He took a deep breath.  He didn’t expect to get into this conversation with her tonight, but she was the one who asked him to tell her something.  “Well, it was a few years from now.  We were still together.”

“Well, that’s a good start,” she chuckled.

He looked down.  “We were more than just together,” he slowly admitted before he looked back up at the screen in front of him.  “We were…we had gotten married.”

Riley bit the inside of her cheek as she waited for him to elaborate a little more on what his dream was.  When he didn’t, she looked down at her bed.  “W-What happened?”

Lucas frowned.  He couldn’t be sure, but he could have sworn that Riley seemed uncomfortable with his admission.  What was so wrong about it?  They had talked about their relationship countless times—enough to know how they felt about one another, so what seemed so off-putting about a dream he had about them?  He cleared his throat.  “Nothing,” he tried to downplay.  “That was it, basically.”  No, not basically.  They were married.  They were happy.  They had a family.  It was everything he wanted it to be and so much more, and he wanted to tell her all about it, but the anxiousness he saw in her eyes was enough for him to refrain from revealing all the details.  They hadn’t talked about their future in any specific terms yet.  It was always understood that they wanted to be together and that they were happy with one another.  They hadn’t talked about the possibility of marriage one day.

Now that he thought about it, she seemed fairly adamant on their anniversary date that she wasn’t ready for marriage.  Yes, they were young, but what exactly did she mean by that?  Did she mean that she wasn’t ready now or that she would never be ready or that she was ready, but wasn’t sure that she saw that kind of future with him?  He swallowed as he waited her to say something, anything to lighten the mood or put him at ease.  The room felt thick, something that he hadn’t felt with her since they were in high school.  His heart dropped when she seemed to be distracted by something off screen.

“Hey Lucas, I have to go.  Maya’s here and we really need to try to figure out this whole apartment thing.”

His frown deepened.  It had to be nearly midnight in New York.  Why would Maya show up at midnight to talk about their living situation?  “Oh.  Ok.”

She gave him a small smile.  “I love you.  Can’t wait to see you soon.”

“Yeah, me too,” he returned her half smile with a slightly forced one of his own.  “I love you too.”

“Goodnight,” she said before she ended the skype call.  She looked up at the empty space between her bed and window.  Why did she lie to him?  She never lied to him, especially about something as ridiculous as Maya coming over.  She glanced at the alarm clock on her nightstand. ‘Yeah.  Maya came over at midnight to talk about the apartment.’  She groaned.  There was no way he bought that.

Riley fell back on her bed.  What was the big deal?  She must have had that dream about her, Lucas, and their children on the hill a dozen times since they got back together.  What was so catastrophic about him dreaming about something similar?

Riley reached over to her nightstand to grab the letter.  She wasn’t sure why she even opened it anymore; she already knew every word by heart.  He could get out.  He could very well be released from prison.  What then?  Was she going to sleep with one eye open for the rest of her life?  Was she going to live in constant fear that he would find her and finish the job he started three years ago?  She closed her eyes as she gripped the letter.  He had nearly ruined everything she tried to build with Lucas the first time.  He had taken up so much of her thoughts.  He was her biggest fear and she knew that he knew it.  He was the source of everything that went wrong the last year and a half of her high school career.  He wasn’t going ruin everything she had spent the last two years building.

She sat up as she reached for her laptop once more.  She had to finish writing that statement.  They had to know the fear she felt every single second she was in the cabin that awful night.  They had to know what releasing Charlie would do to her sanity, not to mention what it could do to “Lucas,” she breathed as she hesitated for a moment.  

Lucas had come so far since high school.  There was no way she’d ever let Charlie get to him.

[gilbertandanne]

Third installment to the Serendipity/Amaranthine universe. How far would you go in order to protect someone you love? WARNING: as with the first two parts in the series, there is an overall trigger warning for abuse (physical, mental, emotional). That, combined with the adult themes in this fic (alcohol, language, situations, etc), are the reason for the rating. Primarily Rucas.

Rating: M

Soundtrack (not at all in order and will be edited as the story progresses)

Word count: 3,845

A/N: Mad love to @gmwpluto for making me fight for this plot.  You know when to push me. <333

Also, if you want to be tagged in updates, let me know your user track tag. For those who already told me they wanted to be tagged, make sure I’m tagging you right. :)

Prologue | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine |

                                                      Elysian

The Elysian Fields (Ancient Greek: Ἠλύσιον πεδίον, Ēlýsion pedíon) is a conception of the afterlife that developed over time and was maintained by some Greek religious and philosophical sects and cults. Initially separate from the realm of Hades, admission was reserved for mortals related to the gods and other heroes. Later, it expanded to include those chosen by the gods, the righteous, and the heroic, where they would remain after death, to live a blessed and happy life.

Prologue

The hill.  The most magical place on earth for Riley and Lucas.  As Riley watched the sun dip down over the trees, she tried to commit everything about the moment to her memory.  She felt a connection to this place from the first moment Lucas took her there.  The memory of the peacefulness she felt when she sat on the hill carried her through some of her darkest days.

She absentmindedly ran her hand along the blades of grass as she laid on the same spot where they first confessed their love for one another.  She couldn’t explain it, but as she reminisced about days that had long since past, she could feel Pappy Joe’s presence surround her.  “I’ll take good care of him,” she spoke softly as the wind circled around her.  “I promise.”  She closed her eyes as she felt the cool breeze against her cheeks.

“Mommy, mommy,” her daughter’s voice sliced through the silence.  

Riley turned toward the sound just as the four year old nearly tackled her.  As Celeste giggled with delight, Riley grinned.  She sat up as her husband approached with Joey in his arms.  “It’s way past their bedtime.”

“It’s our last night here,” he smiled as he sat down next to her.  He looked at the sleeping boy in his arms.  “Besides, I think we already lost one.”

“He looks just like you.”  As Riley watched Lucas cradle Joey in his arms, she felt a powerful sense of déjà vu sweep over her.  She looked all around them as she tried to place it.  Everything around them seemed so familiar, too familiar.  Even the conversation they were having.  She seemed to know what he was going to say before he said it.

Lucas looked at his daughter.  “It’s only fair.  Your mini-me is in your lap, and besides…he’s not just like me.  He has your—“

“Hair,” she finished as her eyes widened in shock.  A nightmare from over a decade ago came charging back at her as she stared at her husband.

He frowned when he noticed Riley shiver in fear.  “Are you ok?”

She furrowed her eyebrows as she scanned at the sky above them.  It wasn’t the middle of the night.  The sun had barely gone down, but everything else felt exactly the same.  “Wow.”

Lucas looked around them.  Why did she seem so anxious all of a sudden?  “What?”

“Remember when I had those nightmares…after the fight you had with Farkle?”

He nodded.  “What does that have to do with anything?”

“This is the beginning of one of them.”  She looked around them before she looked at the little girl in her lap. “Even Celeste and Joey,” she looked at the sleeping toddler in Lucas’s arms.  “I didn’t know their names then…but they were there too.”  She swallowed as her panicked eyes finally reached her husband.

“Riley, it was just a dream.”

She took a deep breath.  “But I lost you in it.  I lost them.”  She turned her attention to the sky.  “I had completely forgotten about it…even though you told me not to.  In it, you told me not to forget us…not to forget who we are.”  Her eyes wandered down to the ground.  “There was an earthquake and this crack formed between us,” she placed her hand on the ground.  “Right here.”

“That’s not going to happen,” he assured her as he placed his hand over top of hers.  “Nothing is going to come in between us again.  That’s my promise to you.”

She looked up at him.  “Lucas, I need to tell you something.”

A sense of dread filled him.  He hadn’t seen her act this nervous since they were in college.  He knew that something besides some long forgotten nightmare had to have been bothering her.  He let out a shaky breath.  “What is it?”

“I was going to wait until things settled down, but I can’t keep it from you anymore.”

“Riley, you’re scaring me.”

“I’m pregnant,” she said before she could stop herself.  “I found out the morning you got the call from your dad about Pappy Joe.  I-I wasn’t sure how to bring it up with everything that’s been going on.  I know we talked about only having two kids, but I—“

“Riley Matthews Friar,” he interrupted as he squeezed her hand, “You’re pregnant?”

She nodded as tears formed in her eyes.  “H-How do you feel about that?”

“I feel like…if we didn’t have these two out here,” he glanced at Joey and Celeste before he looked back at Riley, “I would show you just how happy I am right now.”  He grinned.  “I only said two because I thought that was what you wanted.”  He leaned over to softly kiss her lips.  “There needs to be more of you in the world.”

Riley bit her lip as she looked into the emerald eyes that had held a million happy dreams for her.  She didn’t think it was possible to love someone as much as she loved him.  She was constantly taken aback by how that love continued to grow day after day.  When she saw all of the love he had for her in his eyes, she thought she was about to explode.  “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too.” He slid closer to her as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.  She laid her head against his chest as they watched the stars slowly appear above their heads.  “You know,” he began as he marveled at the sky above them, “Farkle told me the day we got married that it was incredible how everything came together for all of us, and it really is if you think about it.  Zay, Maya, Farkle, you, me…we all ended up exactly where we wanted to.  After everything we’ve been through together, sometimes I find it hard to believe that it all worked out…that we all ended up where we were meant to.”

A soft smile formed on her lips as she slowly closed her eyes.  “It was serendipity.”

The small family sat in silence for a long time as they enjoyed their soundings, marveled at how far they had come from the tumultuous days of their youth, and pondered the future that seemed to be nothing but bright and hopeful despite the loss Riley and Lucas felt with Pappy Joe’s passing.

Her eyes remained closed when she heard him call her name.  When he called her name a second time, she tried to open her eyes, but some force greater than her will to view their private sanctuary wouldn’t permit her to.  When she heard her name for a third time, she frowned.  Lucas wasn’t the one calling out for her.  Was it Celeste?  It didn’t sound like the voice of her daughter, but it was a distinctly feminine tone.

“Riley,” Maya called out for the fourth time as she shook the brunette’s arms.  “Riley, wake up.  We’ve got class in like twenty minutes!”

Riley Matthews slowly opened her eyes as she felt everything around her begin to quake.  It took her a moment to gather her surroundings enough to realize that she wasn’t in Texas with Lucas and their children.  She was in New York.  She glanced at her left hand.  She wasn’t married with children; she was in the dorm room she shared with her best friend.  It wasn’t even nighttime; it was morning.  As she stared at the blonde who hovered over her, tears nearly sprang to Riley’s eyes.  

That was all a dream?

“I’m awake,” she nearly whimpered as she slowly sat up.  She ran a hand through her tangled hair as she stared down at her comforter.  Even though it had been ages since she had a nightmare, the dreams she often found herself in seemed so vivid and real.  It always felt extremely bittersweet to be forced back into reality.

“Are you ok,” Maya asked as she sat down at the end of the bed.  Most mornings, Riley was the first one up and, quite often, had to be the one to wake Maya up.  Once in awhile though, Maya would wake up after their third alarm went off and be tasked with the job of pulling Riley out of whatever land that seemed to have a stranglehold on her.  It was definitely a better alternative than the nightmares that plagued the brunette while they were in high school, but still, it was never an enjoyable thing to rip Riley out of whatever world she clearly wanted to spend a little more time exploring.

Riley nodded as she nonchalantly wiped away the few tears that had trickled down to her cheeks.  Why was she crying?  It was just a dream.  It wasn’t like it was some stupid nightmare or something that was outside of the realm of possibility one day.  “That dream felt so real.”  Not to mention the fact that it was also one of the recurring dreams she had off and on over the last two years.  Even though part of her subconscious must certainly know by now that it wasn’t real, she couldn’t help but to get swept away in the perfect imagery of the moment.  The image of being with Lucas on their hill surrounded by their children seemed like the perfect dream.  She had never felt more loved or more at peace in those few fleeting moments.  Maybe that’s why it was always hard to leave that realm.  That’s not to say that she didn’t love the life she was living.  On the contrary, she had never been happier.  So, why was it so hard to pull herself away from that world?

Maya gave her a small smile before she stood up and walked over to her dresser.  “You’ve always had the most intense dreams.  Which one was it this time?”  She opened up the top drawer before she rummaged through it to find something to wear.

“The hill,” she sighed.  “Lucas, me…and…our children.”  She looked down at her flat stomach.  “And…we had a third one on the way.”

“I like that dream.”  Maya had heard about this one before.  She reached for a pair of jeans before she disappeared behind their flowery panel divider to change her clothes.  “It’s the one where Lucas and his dad reconciled right?”

Riley nodded even though she knew that Maya couldn’t see her.  “Almost the perfect dream.”

“Yeah,” Maya called out as she tossed her pajamas over the screen.  “I don’t want to think about Pappy Joe dying.”

“Me either.”  She slowly climbed out of bed as she wandered toward her dresser.  “That’s the only reason why I’m glad it’s just a dream.”  Even the thought of losing Lucas’s grandfather was enough to make Riley’s stomach churn.  He was easily one of the funniest and sweetest men she had ever met, even though he projected this air of toughness about him that reminded Riley of his grandson.

“Well, Riles,” Maya began as she walked out from behind the screen, “Who knows?  With the way things have been progressing with you and cowboy lately…you might get married and knocked up in the next few years.”  She chuckled as she picked her pajamas off of the floor to toss in her laundry hamper.

Riley rolled her eyes as she closed her dresser drawer.  “Can we at least make it through sophomore year before you march us down the aisle?”

Maya smiled as she reached for her hairbrush.  “Whatever you want.”

“Thanks,” she answered wryly before she disappeared behind the divider in order to change her clothes.

Maya brushed the tangles out of her hair before she pulled it back into a messy ponytail.  “So, have you figured out which class we’re taking together in the fall?  It’s your turn.”

“Yeah,” Riley called out as she tossed her tank top in the direction of her hamper on the other side of the room. “Dr. Meineck’s teaching an Intro to Mythology class.”

Maya snickered as she stood up and walked toward the bathroom they shared with four other girls.  “That sounds so boring, Riles.  Are you sure you don’t want to do something else…like a painting class or even another astronomy class or…anything else?”  She reached for her toothbrush.  Mythology?  It sounded like the perfect class to sleep through.

Riley laughed.  It was exactly the reaction she expected from Maya.  “Nope.  I think you’ll like it once you’re exposed to it.  Zay took me to a lecture a few weeks ago and I can’t…I can’t stop thinking about it.

Maya frowned as she put the toothpaste on her toothbrush.  “What was the lecture on?”

“He just gave an overview of a few of the myths pertaining to Greek mythology, but it resonated with me.  One of the myths he spoke about was the story of Eros and Psyche.  Do you know anything about them?”

Maya pulled the toothbrush out of her mouth.  “No,” she answered before she spit some of the toothpaste into the sink.  “Who were they?”  She looked up into the mirror as she continued to brush her teeth.  She knew that no matter how boring the story was, she would concede and would be forced to take this class in the fall.  That was how it worked with the four of them.  Every semester one of them got to pick an elective that they—Maya, Riley, Lucas, and Zay—would all take together, just so they could have one class together.  They all had to endure art history when it was Maya’s turn, so she knew that she’d have to go with Riley’s newfound love of mythology.

“Well,” Riley walked back to the dresser, “Eros was the Greek God of Love.  He was like cupid.  He carried a bow and arrow and whoever got hit with it would fall in love with the first person they saw.”  She looked in her mirror and frowned.  She had about five minutes to brush her teeth and figure out what to do with her hair before they had to rush off to their astronomy class.

Maya turned on the faucet in order to spit out the rest of her toothpaste and clean her toothbrush.  “Cupid?  As in baby cupid?”

“No,” Riley answered as she wandered into the bathroom.  “In this version, he’s a grown guy.  Hot guy.” She reached for her toothbrush and toothpaste.

“Ooh,” Maya lifted her eyebrows as she leaned against the doorway.  “Tell me more.”

Riley chuckled as she raised the toothbrush to her lips.  “Let me brush my teeth first.”

“Fine,” Maya sighed before she walked back into their dorm room to get her books. After a few minutes, Riley came back into their room.  “Ok, so the short version of the story is this: Eros’ mom was Aphrodite…and she was jealous of Psyche, who was this drop dead gorgeous mortal woman.  She told Eros to make sure that she fell in love with the ugliest creature who had ever walked the earth.”  Riley reached for her hairbrush.  She had exactly two minutes to figure out how to tame her bedhead.

“Hmmm…let me guess…that didn’t happen.”

Riley shook her head as she reached for a few bobby pins.  “Nope.  Eros accidentally scraped himself with his own arrow and he fell hopelessly in love with her.”  She took a small section of her hair and pinned it back before she continued.  “Here’s the kicker: Eros wanted to remain hidden from her.  So, she only saw him at night, in the darkness, and he always left in the morning.  She didn’t think much of it because she was in love with him.  After awhile, Psyche became pregnant and she also began to miss her family.  So, Cupid sends for her sisters.  She tells them that she’s happy and fine and in love, but her sisters were jealous of her. They convinced Psyche that Eros was this hideous beast of a creature who wanted to kill her and her unborn child.  So, one night, she goes into his room and brings a candle with her so she could see him.  She’s shocked by how attractive he is, and is so distracted by it that some of the wax drips on his chest.”

“Uh-oh.”

Riley pinned another section of her hair back before she finished the story.  “Big uh-oh.  He bails because Psyche betrayed him.  She clearly didn’t trust him and the reasons he had for remaining hidden from her.  So, she ends up wandering the earth for a while, lamenting everything that happened until she finally seeks the aid of Aphrodite.  Aphrodite gives her all of these trials and tests to prove herself, certain that either Psyche will give up or die in the process.  Psyche manages to endure every single one before she’s reunited with Eros again.”

Maya thought about it for a moment.  “I have a lot of questions about this.”

Riley smiled before she walked toward her closet.  “Well, I guess you’ll have to take the class to get those answers.”

Maya narrowed her eyes.  “Oh…you’re good.”  She smirked.  “Another case of star-crossed lovers, huh?”

Riley bent over to grab a pair of shoes before she turned to her roommate.  “What do you mean?”

“You and your boyfriend.  High school.  Or was it so long ago that you don’t remember?”

“Trust me, I remember.  And it’s not that.  I don’t know.  I just feel…connected to it.”  She sat down at the foot of her bed as slid on a pair of booties.

“Because you and Lucas are a lot like them.”  She walked toward the door.  “Think about it.  You weren’t planning on ever meeting ‘subway boy’, right?  But one day, there he is.  Despite your best efforts to stay away from him and his best efforts to stay away from you, you’re still drawn to one another.  You’ve gone through hell just to be able to be together.  You’ve fought everything…even each other…and now, after all that, you’re together.”

Riley sucked in her bottom lip as she zipped up her other boot.  She didn’t say a word as she stood up and reached for her books.  “Maybe you’re right,” she finally conceded.  “But it doesn’t make me any less interested to learn more.  If you don’t want to take the class, I’ll find another elective and just take it by myself.”

“No.  I was only playing around.  It does sound interesting…and you sat through art history class with me.  I know I owe you one.  Besides, I still need you and Lucas to sit for my final photography project.”  She tilted her head to the side.  “Speaking of…he knows the shoot is this afternoon, right?”

“Well,” she began as they walked out of their room, “I told him about it last week, but with finals and everything coming up, I’m not sure if he remembers.”

Maya bit her bottom lip.  “I should’ve gotten this done a month ago.”  She knew about the project all semester, but the subject matter made her cringe.  It was as if her professor knew the one subject she would struggle with and made sure to assign it to her.  She knew that Lucas and Riley would help her with it, but it took an unusual amount of effort to even get the guts to ask for their assistance in the first place.

“I told you,” Riley chided.  “It’s ok though.  We’ll do everything we can to get you an A.”

“Thanks,” Maya mumbled as they walked out of their building.  “So, when’s he going to Texas?”

Riley subconsciously tightened the grip she had on her books.  “A few days after we move out of the dorm.”  She didn’t want to think about it just yet.  She still had about two weeks before he left, and she was determined not to spend that time dreading his departure.

Maya nodded.  “Have you figured out when we’re going to visit?”

Riley looked at her best friend out of the corner of her eye.  “I’m not sure yet.”  Even as the words tumbled out of her mouth, she knew that there was no way Maya would buy that.

Unsurprisingly, Maya immediately stopped walking.  “You are so full of it.  I bet you’re already counting down the days.”

Riley turned to face her.  “If we’re late because of your unnecessary dramatics…”

Maya scoffed.  “You’d miss class completely if I hadn’t woke you up.”  The girls resumed walking as they headed toward one of the science buildings.

“July 4th,” Riley finally mumbled.

A wicked grin spread across Maya’s lips.  “What was that?”

“The week of July 4th,” she confessed.  “Lucas said they have this big party down there and he wants us all to come down and celebrate with him.”

“Sounds good to me.  I have nothing planned this summer.”

“Oh please!  You’ve been going out with guys left and right.  You’re due for a summer romance.”

“Maybe I’ll find me my very own cowboy,” Maya drawled out in her best southern accent.  “And we’ll ride off into the sunset like you and Huckleberry.”

Riley nudged her friend.  “Very funny.  Keep that up and you’ll be taking still life photos for your project.”

“I’ll be good,” Maya quickly answered before she mimicked zipping up her lips and throwing away the key.

“Good…and I’m telling you right now that I’m not going to be pouting all summer because he isn’t around.”

“Really?”

Riley nodded.  “I know…I know that I did last summer, but I was just so…bored.  This summer, I’ve got plenty to keep me busy.  I’ve got that theatre class and apartment hunting for the fall.”

“So, it’s still you and me in the fall?”  Sure, they had talked about finding their own place off campus next year, but at the same time, Maya knew that Lucas and Riley’s relationship had gotten more and more serious (as it should).  She wasn’t sure if they had talked about the possibility of moving in together, even though she also knew that Riley’s father would throw a fit over the idea.

Riley turned toward her.  “We’re forever,” she promised.  “We always said we’d get our own place.  With the money I’ve saved plus the money mom and dad put away since I got that scholarship…not to mention the money you’ve made from your commissions…we definitely have enough to get a place off campus for the fall.  So, this summer, I want to apartment hunt with you…find something that we both agree on…and decorate it so it feels like home.”

“So, it’ll be a girls summer,” Maya smiled.  “Sounds perfect.”

[gilbertandanne]

Third installment to the Serendipity/Amaranthine universe. How far would you go in order to protect someone you love? WARNING: as with the first two parts in the series, there is an overall trigger warning for abuse (physical, mental, emotional). That, combined with the adult themes in this fic (alcohol, language, situations, etc), are the reason for the rating. Primarily Rucas.

Rating: M

Soundtrack (not at all in order and will be edited as the story progresses)

Word count: 3,377

Prologue | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine |

                                                   Elysian

Chapter Three : Proteus

Proteus: a Greek god of the constantly changing nature of the sea.  He can foresee the future, but will change his shape to avoid having to.

“This has to be some form of hell,” Maya muttered as she zipped up her luggage.  “How fair is it that we study for weeks for finals and then afterward, we don’t even time to rest before we have to pack up everything and get out of the dorm?”

Riley shook her head as she sat some of her books in a cardboard box.  “Well, at least the semester is over with.”  She paused for a moment as she glanced at her roommate.  “And sophomore year is officially over with now, too.”

“You have a point.”  When Maya stood up, she blew the hair out of her eyes before she tossed the bag toward the packed side of the room.

“Besides, it’ll only take a few hours to finish this up and get everything out of here and then we can go out and have some fun tonight with the guys.”  She reached for another book.

Maya watched Riley for a few moments.  She was saying all the right things and even throwing in a smile or two, but she knew something else was on her mind.  Maya was willing to bet she knew exactly what it was.  “You’re going to have fun tonight too, right?”

Caught slightly off guard, Riley’s head snapped up as she looked at her best friend.  “Why wouldn’t I?”

Maya crossed her arms over her chest.  “Because I know that you haven’t been acting like yourself in the last few days.  Is it because cowboy is flying out in the morning?”

Riley sighed.  “It’s the fourth summer.  I’m…used to it now.”  If only it could be as simple as missing her boyfriend.  She wasn’t about to let Maya in on the dream she had last week.  It was nothing, and she knew it was nothing, but for some reason, she couldn’t shake the feeling that everything was about to change.  Maybe it was because it was the end of the school year and they were all going to live off campus in the fall.  Maybe it was perfectly normal to feel like this, and she would move past it once she moved back to her parents’ apartment.

“Well, you didn’t do so hot the during the first one.”

Riley frowned as she folded up the box.  “I’m not the same person I was back then.”

“That’s true.”  Maya watched Riley slide the box toward the other side of the room.  “What about last summer then?  You pouted the entire time.”

Riley lightly chuckled before she turned to Maya.  “Am I really that bad?”

Maya wrinkled her nose.  “Do you want the truth?”

After a moment of silence, Riley shook her head.  “No, I don’t.”  She bit the inside of her cheek as she opened her closet to survey her wardrobe.  “I promise I’ll be better this time.  I’m…getting used to the situation.  I can’t promise I’m always going to be happy, but I’m not going to mope around all summer.  I don’t have the time to.”

“I’m only joking.  Look Riles, I get it…well, sort of.  I understand the concept, anyway.  You wanna be with him and you can’t.  It sucks.  You’re allowed to be sad and to miss him.”

“I know.  And I know I’m going to miss him, but we have so much to do this summer, and I think going to Texas in July this year is going to be a good way to split the summer up.”

Maya groaned as she sat down on her bed.  “It’s going to be sweltering down there, isn’t it?”

“If you think New York is bad in July, you haven’t seen anything yet,” Zay informed her as he, Lucas, and Farkle walked into their room.  Zay’s eyes widened when he noticed how much stuff they had.  “Did a clothing store blow up in here?”

“Very funny,” Maya wryly responded.  “You should’ve seen it an hour ago.”

“What do you need us to do,” Lucas asked the girls as he slid his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.  He wasn’t exactly excited about the idea of moving two rooms in one day, but he knew that the girls would need help.

“Well,” Riley began as she emerged from her closet, “All of that stuff in the corner is ready to go.  We just have to finish up with these clothes.  It’s…not as bad as it looks.”

“If you say so,” Farkle chuckled.

The five of them, who at one point seemed hopelessly fractured, were now stronger than ever.  After they graduated from high school, they all agreed that the past should remain in the past, and that they all needed to learn how to move forward in order to keep one another in their lives.

It took some time, but eventually, Maya and Farkle were able to navigate their way back toward a friendship.  It was different than how they were before, but they both knew that they could never completely go back to how it used to be.  They both agreed that their friendship was something worth fighting for, so they did.  It was awkward at first, both unsure of what to say, how to act, how to even breathe around the other, but slowly, they engaged in casual conversations when the entire group hung out.  Eventually, they began to have conversations with one another outside of the group.  In the beginning, it was mostly academically related.  Maya would need help with some of her general education courses, and Farkle needed help in his Art History class.  Now, two and a half years after their horrible breakup, they had reached a new, but stronger, level of friendship.

Zay and Lucas continued to mend their previously fractured friendship.  Eventually, the years long chasm of distance and misunderstanding melted as their friendship strengthened.  Like Riley and Maya, Lucas and Zay had been roommates during their sophomore year.  They didn’t live together freshman year because they had heard horror stories about what happened when friends lived together, but after experiencing their own nightmare roommates, they were willing to risk an argument here or there as opposed to another disaster with a perfect stranger.

Opening night of “Much Ado About Nothing” was the first step for Lucas and Farkle to mend their friendship.  Lucas knew that forgiving Farkle was another step on the path to his own self-forgiveness.  He knew that Farkle was upset and angry that night, and Lucas knew that he shouldn’t have reacted the way he did.  It was all one horrible lesson that he wished he didn’t have to learn.  He knew that he was still a work-in-progress, and knew that he would continue to be.  It was a decision he made every morning to let the past stay where it belonged.  It was one reason why he decided to spend his summers in Texas with his father and grandfather.  He wanted to be happy.  He wanted to forgive.  He wanted to be free.  He knew the man he wanted to be, and he knew the path toward becoming that guy wouldn’t be easy, but it would be worth it.  Riley taught him that.  Riley had taught him a lot since the day he first laid his eyes on her.

Riley and Farkle’s friendship took a little more time to rebound.  She appreciated everything he did to bring her and Lucas back together, and it was definitely the first step they needed in order to begin to heal from that horrific night on the rooftop of her apartment building.  She knew that Farkle wasn’t in a good place at the time.  She knew that he was only lashing out, but for a long time, she could only see the pain he caused as a result.  It wasn’t entirely his fault, but he had been the springboard of it all.  As she watched Lucas and Farkle slowly forgive one another, she knew that she needed to do the same.  Farkle had done the most damage to her boyfriend.  If he was able to move past it, then she knew that she needed to as well.

Two years later, and the five of them were closer than ever.  So, the night before Lucas’s annual departure from New York, instead of a having a huge party, they all decided to just spend time together.  They went out to his favorite restaurant in the city, swung by the grocery store a block from the boys’ new apartment to grab a bunch of junk food, and decided to spend the entire night together.

“You guys definitely need to hang out here more,” Zay commented as he floated on a raft on the building’s rooftop pool.  “I’ve been to all of y’all’s places…none of y’all have a pool on your roof…until now, anyway,” he chuckled.

Maya shrugged as she dipped her feet into the water. “Sounds good to me.  I still can’t believe that you guys were able to get an apartment in this building.”  She glanced at Farkle.  “I guess it helps that you’re related to the owners of the building.”

Farkle reached for a bag of chips as he walked around the pool.  “Well, when I told them that Lucas, Zay, and I were thinking about moving into an apartment in the fall, they told me that the Walker’s were planning on moving out and the place was ours if I wanted it.  I wasn’t sure about living in the same building as my parents, but you can’t really turn down a free place to stay…especially in a building like this.”

“What are the odds that something else will open up in your building?” Riley waited a beat as she pulled her hair back into a bun.  “I’m kidding,” she added as she looked down at the water.  “There is no way Maya and I can afford to stay here.”

“If there was something available, I’m sure my parents would be able to work something out with you guys.” He paused as he opened up the bag of chips.  “You’re like family to us.”

“I appreciate that, Farkle, but I think Maya and I can figure it out.”  She glanced at the blonde.  “Right?”

“Right…as long as we can come visit whenever we want.”

“Like you have to ask,” Zay told her as he stretched his arm out for the bag of chips.  “Just imagine if we could see the stars the right now.  That would make this perfect.”

Riley glanced at Lucas who turned to look at her at the same time.  “Yeah,” she smiled as she walked toward the edge of the pool.  “It would be pretty perfect.”

“You’ll get to see them in a few months,” Lucas offered as he sat down at the edge of the pool.

“I can’t wait,” she said as she slowly dipped her toes, then her feet, and then finally her legs into the pool as she sat next to Maya.

“I can’t wait to go back to that restaurant again,” Maya commented as she ran her hands over top of the water.  “What was the name of it again?”

“Chubbie’s,” Zay told her as he tossed the bag back to Farkle.

Lucas smirked.  “Are you ready to eat some more ribs, Farkle?”

Farkle laughed.  “It’s so weird.  I’ve never liked them before, but that place…man they’re so good.”

“That’s because you can’t get real southern cooking here,” Zay reminded him.  “Am I right, Lucas?”

Lucas nodded.  “New York has a lot to offer.”  He glanced at Riley once more before he continued, “but yeah, Texas can do southern cuisine better than anywhere else.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Maya rolled her eyes.  “But I can’t get takeout from anywhere my heart desires at 4am in Texas.”

“There are a few places,” Lucas told her.

“Not nearly as many as in New York.”

Farkle sat the bag of chips down next to him.  “Lucas, are you excited to go back?”

“It’ll be good to go back…see Pappy Joe and…my dad.”  He shook his head at how weird it sounded.  Had they really come that far?  Were they really at the point in which he was looking forward to spending time with his father?  His answer surprised himself, so he wasn’t surprised to look up and see four sets of curious stares back at him.  “I guess…we’ve come a long way.”

“That’s great, man,” Zay grinned.  He knew the history between Lucas and his father better than anyone else.  He knew that it was a big step for him to admit that he was excited to see his father.  “That’s the point of all this, right?”

“One reason,” he nodded.  “In the beginning, I only went to help out Pappy Joe.”

“How is Pappy Joe,” Maya asked as she watched Riley lower herself into the water.

“He’s good,” Lucas began as he watched Riley pull the hair tie out of her hair.  He couldn’t explain it, but he had noticed that her entire mood seemed to shift the moment they began to talk about Texas.  “He’s just getting older and while he’s got some help around there, no one else really knows the land like he does.  Since I’ve spent most of my life there, I knew that I could help out a lot more than some random person who doesn’t even know where the property lines are.”

“What time does your flight leave tomorrow,” Farkle asked him.

Lucas didn’t answer him immediately as he watched Riley sink below the surface of the water.  He could tell that she didn’t want to talk about his impending departure.  He couldn’t blame her.  The last thing he wanted to do was to be reminded of the fact that he was about to spend the better part of three months without being able to see her.  “Early,” he finally answered as he watched her swim to the other side of the pool.  “It leaves at 7am.”

Lucas continued to watch her as she reached the other end of the pool.  Her head slowly rose above the surface as she stared up at the starless sky above them.  He knew her well enough to know where her mind was.  He glanced at the others who had already changed the conversation to the types of snacks they bought at the store.  He took the opportunity to stand up and walk to the other side of the pool.

As he sat down at the edge of the pool, he wasn’t sure if she knew he was now in front of her.  She seemed so enraptured by the darkness above her.  “Are you ok?”

“Yeah,” she answered distantly before she lowered her head to look at him.  “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I’m not ok,” he admitted before he pushed down on either side of the ledge as he lowered himself into the water.  He reached for her hands underneath the water and gave her a small smile when she immediately interlaced her fingers with his.  “I’m really going to miss you.”

“I’m going to miss you too,” she said softly as she looked down at the water.  She knew that if anyone would pick up on her despondency, it would be him.

He watched several different emotions cross her features as she continued to stare at the water beneath them.  He quickly realized that this wasn’t just about him leaving.  Something else was bothering her.  “What is it?”

She took a deep breath.  “I just…I have a bad feeling.”

He furrowed his eyebrows.  “A bad feeling?  About what?”

“I don’t know,” she answered honestly.  “The last few days have…unnerved me, I guess.  I don’t…I just have a feeling that something bad is going to happen if you leave, and I know it sounds like I’m being a brat about it, but I promise that I’m not.  I want you to spend time with your family.”

“Do you think that I’m…that I’m going to do something in Texas?”

She shook her head as she squeezed his hands.  “No.  I know…it’s not that.  I just have this feeling. I can’t describe it.  I feel like everything is about to change again…only this time, I don’t want it to.”  She swallowed as she finally looked up at him.

“What do you need me to do?  How can I help?”

‘Don’t go,’ her brain screamed at her to say.  She hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that something horrible was about to happen to them.  She wasn’t sure what it was or if it was just the fact that he was going to be gone for the next three months.  She had only had one strange dream, and that’s all it was—some stupid dream.  So, why was it spilling over into the majority of her thoughts?  It was this sense of dread that had lingered beneath the surface for several days now—a feeling that had only grown the closer his departure came.  Hearing everyone talk about Texas and how he would leave in a few short hours almost knocked the wind out of her.  She had to get away for a moment, even if it was just to the other side of the pool.  “I don’t know,” she finally answered as she slowly detached her fingers from his.  She covered her face with her hands as a frustrated groan erupted from her.  Was she going insane?  This wasn’t fair to him.  He shouldn’t feel guilty for spending the summer with his family.

“Do you need me to stay a few more days?”

Riley shook her head.  She wasn’t about to be the reason why he delayed his trip.  Whatever this feeling was had to go away, and who knows, maybe it would disappear once he left.  Maybe once she got adjusted to her life without him in it, she’d feel a little more normal again.  “I love you for even offering, but I can’t ask you to do that.  It’ll…it’ll be ok.  Maybe I’m just anxious.”  She chuckled as she tried to chase her dark thoughts away.  “Maybe I’m just going to miss you a lot and I don’t know how to handle it.”

Lucas’s frown slowly morphed into a small smile.  He was going to miss her more than words could ever possibly dictate.  He snaked his arms around her waist as he slowly pulled her to him.  “I’m going to miss you, too…more than last summer…and the one before that…and the one before that.”

“You hated me the one before that,” she pointed out as she wrapped her arms around his neck.  “So it was easy not to miss me then.”

“I was angry that you ran away to see me,” he acknowledged as he looked into her eyes, “But don’t doubt for a minute that I didn’t miss you when you weren’t there.  It killed me to let you go.  And now…three summers later…I’m not sure how I’m going to go one day without you, let alone three months.”

She gave him a small smile.  “Well, we’ll have July 4th week.”

“I’m already counting the days,” he murmured before he softly kissed her.

Maya wrinkled her nose as she watched Riley and Lucas kiss.  Despite the look of disgust on her face, she couldn’t help but to feel envious of them.  She knew that there couldn’t possibly be a single person on the planet who had met either Riley or Lucas who wasn’t immediately well aware of the fact that they were in love.  Riley’s parents had always been Maya’s one look into how a healthy romantic relationship worked, but now, having had a front row seat to their entire relationship, Maya knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that love did, in fact, exist.  There were some things contained within that love that could never be explained, but whenever she saw Riley look at Lucas or vice versa, Maya knew that nothing could ever tear them apart.

[gilbertandanne]

Third installment to the Serendipity/Amaranthine universe. How far would you go in order to protect someone you love? WARNING: as with the first two parts in the series, there is an overall trigger warning for abuse (physical, mental, emotional). That, combined with the adult themes in this fic (alcohol, language, situations, etc), are the reason for the rating. Primarily Rucas.

Rating: M

Soundtrack (not at all in order and will be edited as the story progresses)

Word count: 2,864

If you want to be tagged in updates, let me know your user track tag. For those who already told me they wanted to be tagged, make sure I’m tagging you right. :)

Prologue | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine |

                                                     Elysian

Chapter One: Baldr

Baldr: Norse god of beauty, love, peace, and light

Riley and Maya made it to their astronomy class with only seconds to spare.  They quickly slid into their seats as their professor stood up in order to begin her lecture.

As Riley opened her notebook, she heard the person next to her whisper her name.  A soft smile slowly formed at the corners of her lips the moment she heard it.  Only one person had ever said her name in quite that manner.  It sounded so beautiful, so loving, and so incredibly sensual.  She had never considered her name any of those things, but coming from his lips, they were all three and so much more.

She slowly turned her head around as her smile widened.  “Hi,” she whispered.

“Hey,” Lucas smiled as her eyes met his.  He knew without even having to ask that his girlfriend had overslept that morning.  Her hair was wavy and slightly frizzed instead of either curled or straightened.  While he loved every single hairstyle she attempted, he knew that she only ever wore her hair like that when she didn’t have time to do anything else with it.  Not that it mattered.  She could shave her head and he’d still find her to be the most beautiful woman in the world.

Riley Matthews.  Even the mere thought of her caused his heart to do a backflip.  She was the girl of his dreams, who had, by some miracle, deemed him worthy enough to become her boyfriend.  Now, two years after the conversation that led to their reunion, he couldn’t possibly imagine his life without her in it.  Somehow, they had managed to survive everything that had been thrown at them in high school.  All of that pain, all of that misunderstanding seemed like another lifetime ago.  They were so much stronger now.  They were so much closer now.  The last two years had easily been the happiest Lucas had ever known, and a lot of it was due to the brown-eyed girl seated next to him.

He wasn’t quite sure where they were headed that night in the auditorium at Roosevelt High.  They agreed to take everything slowly this time.  The last thing either of them wanted was to repeat the mistakes that had ripped them apart.  So, they started over.  It was strange at first.  They knew how they felt about one another, and there was an entire history that neither of them wanted to forget, but they slowly learned to let go.  They slowly learned to forgive themselves for the parts they played in their own self-destruction.

They went on a handful of dates before Lucas left for Texas that summer.  Before he left, Riley didn’t ask if she could visit him over the summer.  She wasn’t quite sure if it would be too presumptuous of her or if it would put him in an awkward position since they agreed to take it slowly.  Two weeks after he left, he mentioned the hill to her and how much he missed those evenings spent with her under the stars.  In the same breath, he told her that Farkle and Zay were going to see him at the beginning of August and that he was wondering if she and Maya would consider joining them.

He barely got the words out before she told him that Maya and she would be happy to go with them.

He must have told himself a thousand times before they arrived that he was going to continue to slow things down with her, but as soon as he saw her at the gate, the only thought that ran through his mind was how much he had missed her over the summer.  She was the last thought he had before he fell asleep and the first thought he had every morning.  He knew that the reason they had agreed to take it slowly was because they were both petrified of losing one another again.  He wanted to respect their agreement, but halfway through their visit, on one exceptionally starry night and at the same spot where they confessed their love for one another 15 months earlier, he asked her to be his girlfriend.

He knew that no matter what happened to him for the rest of his life, he would always remember the look on her face as she slowly turned her head toward him and blessed his vision with the biggest smile he had ever seen from her. Now, 21 months later, he knew that he had never been happier.  The girl next to him had completely changed his entire outlook on life.  Four years ago, he only saw the darkness, with no possible way out, but now, everything around him seemed so much brighter.  Life couldn’t possibly be any better than it was now, and it was due in large part to her.  She taught him how to forgive, how to have hope.  Those traits allowed Lucas to start down the long path to forgiveness with his father.  The former dread he felt at the prospect of seeing his father had slowly morphed into excitement.  Their relationship wasn’t perfect, but now he looked forward to spending time with him.  The man had changed, but Lucas would have never been able to give him the chance to prove it were it not for the goddess next to him.

He tore his eyes away from her long enough to reach for the folded up piece of paper on his desk.  When he glanced back at her, he stretched his arm out toward her before he looked down at the note in his hand.

Riley furrowed her eyebrows.  A note?  She could count on one hand—and have a few fingers left over—at how many times Lucas had written her a note in the last two years.  As she reached for the piece of notebook paper in his hand, her fingers lightly brushed against his.  He had entered her life over three years ago.  She knew that she should be more than used to his touch at this point, but she wasn’t.  A small chill rippled through her as she took the note from him. She could feel her cheeks redden as she turned back around in her seat.

Lucas felt it too—that little jolt of electricity that always hit him whenever he touched any part of her.  He used to be afraid of it—not the sensation, but what it meant.  He used to be so afraid to let anyone in, especially her.  She seemed to be completely bathed in the light while he had dwelled in the darkness for most of his life.  He tried to run from her, from them, but fate stepped in again and again.  Whenever his stubbornness forced himself to pull away from her, his heart only longed for her more.  They had been to hell and back, and now here they were, both happy and free from the chains that had weighed them down.

Riley slid the paper in her lap before she slowly opened it.  The classroom was perfectly silent aside from the lecture Dr. Harris was giving.  She didn’t want to bring any attention to herself, so she took her time unfolding the note.

One she got it open, she looked down:

‘I know we have to help Maya with her photography project this afternoon, but I was hoping that we could have dinner tonight—just us?  I have a surprise for you.

Love, Lucas’

Riley bit her bottom lip as she slowly folded up the note.  She turned her head back to Lucas and had to bite her lip even harder to keep herself from grinning like an idiot.  They had been dating for nearly two years, but that didn’t stop every nerve in her body from being thrilled at the prospect of going on a date with him.

Lucas lifted his eyebrows as he waited for an answer from her.  When she slowly nodded her head, he couldn’t help but to grin in response.

Maybe she remembered what today was, maybe she didn’t.  Either way, it didn’t matter.  He remembered, and was determined to make tonight a night she won’t forget.

“When you said you needed help, I didn’t know that it meant that I had to actually be in the photos,” Lucas told Maya as he helped her and Riley get their room set up.  It had taken the three of them about an hour to throw up the black drapes and set up the lighting in their room.  He was beyond ready to be done with it all so he could ensure that everything was set up for his surprise later, but little did he know that Maya had a surprise of her own.

Maya crinkled her nose as she tried to brace herself for his complete rejection of her plan.  “Well, if I told you that, I feel like you wouldn’t be here.” She spun around as she busied herself with closing the drapes.  Maybe if they approached it matter-of-factly, he wouldn’t have much room to refuse to help her?

Lucas glanced at his girlfriend.  He furrowed his eyebrows when he noticed that she had begun to fidget.  She only did that when she was in the middle of a scheme.  “Did you know about this?”

“Umm,” she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as she turned away from him, “maybe.”

He had no choice but to chuckle at the sudden burst of meekness from her.  “Maybe?”  He turned back to Maya.  If Riley was too embarrassed to be straightforward with him, then he knew that whatever he was supposed to do would be, at best, awkward.  “So, what’s the assignment?”

Maya sighed.  “We have to convey one word into a single photograph.  Everyone received a different word and 30% of my final grade is going to be if the other students in my class can accurately guess the word.”

He frowned.  “Ok,” he answered slowly.  He wasn’t sure why Maya seemed so anxious about the project.  He knew that painting was her forte, but from every conversation he had with the blonde over the last few months, she had really enjoyed photography.  Obviously, he would help his friend with her assignment, but why the secrecy?  “What’s the word?”

“Love.”  Her lips formed a thin line.  That pesky four-letter word seemed to be her Achilles’ heel, and apparently everyone around her knew that little fact—well, at least her photography teacher caught on to it.  She sighed when she looked at the couple before her.  “While I…don’t think I’ve…experienced it yet, I know that you two have been in love with one another from the moment you met.  So, I knew that my best shot of getting an A on this project is if I captured you two together.”

He glanced at Riley once more.  That didn’t seem so bad.  In fact, he felt a little flattered that Maya came to them to help her with their project, especially considering the subject matter.  “What do you want us to do?”

She shrugged.  She had an idea of what she wanted to do, but she wasn’t about to press her luck.  She was already grateful enough that he didn’t immediately shut down her idea.  “Just be yourselves.  Act like I’m not here.”

Riley looked up at Lucas before both turned to Maya.  Neither one of them had any idea what that even meant.

Maya wrinkled her nose at her own words.  “Ok, well, know that I’m here, but just…focus on each other or something.  Don’t…Don’t do whatever it is that you two do when you’re alone.”

Riley groaned.  “Maya…do you really think that we would completely forget that you were in the room…taking pictures of us, no less?”

Maya bit the inside of her cheek.  “Actually, I sorta have an idea.”  She waited a beat as she looked back and forth between the pair.  “But you really need to trust me.”  Neither of them had any idea what she was about to ask them to do, but she hoped that they would understand that they were merely creating a work of art.

“Are you still uncomfortable,” Riley asked Lucas as Maya struggled to reload the film in her camera.  Riley knew that it was a ridiculous question, but it was one she felt she had to ask just to break the awkwardness that seemed to hang over the entire room.  She couldn’t believe that Maya was able to talk Lucas into taking his shirt off in order to take the pictures.  Even more unbelievable was the fact that Maya was able to convince her to remove her own shirt.  The blonde tried to reason that it was as if she were wearing a bathing suit top and that it wasn’t a big deal.  All of the appropriate parts were still covered up, and besides, Riley clad in a bra wasn’t anything Lucas or Maya hadn’t seen before.  It wasn’t until Maya began to shoot them that Riley realized why the blonde hadn’t enlisted Zay or Farkle’s help with the set up.  There was no way she or Lucas would subject themselves to this with their friends around.

“I feel like anyone would be uncomfortable being half naked while their girlfriend’s best friend took pictures of them,” he laughed nervously as he turned his head toward her.  “Let alone laying in my girlfriend’s bed while said best friend takes pictures of us.”  It was more than a little weird, but at least Maya hadn’t asked them to completely pose in their underwear.  The pictures were only from the waist up, which did ease her anxious subjects.  Maya reminded them more than once that she owed them for this, and Lucas made sure to tell her that she needed to remember this moment because he knew at some point, he would have to collect on said favor.

“Crap,” Maya mumbled as she struggled with the film in her hands.  “Um…you guys stay there, ok?  The film got jammed, and I need to go find Sadie to help me with this stupid thing.”  Before Riley or Lucas could protest, Maya sprinted from the room.  

“I’m half naked too, you know,” Riley offered as she turned her body to face him.  “Besides, we are helping her out, you know.  She’s been worried about this project for weeks.”

He gave her a half smile.  “Love, huh?”

She smiled sheepishly at him.  “Yeah.”

“I like it.”  He raised his hand to her face before he lightly rubbed her cheek.  “I like being known as that couple.”

“Me too,” she admitted as she reveled in his soft touch.

“So,” he looked up at her hair, which had been swept up into a loose bun.  “You overslept this morning?”

Riley furrowed her eyebrows.  She didn’t remember telling him that.  Had Maya said something to him when she was out of the room?  “How did you know?”

He thought about telling her that he noticed every little thing she did, but the last thing he wanted to do was freak her out.  They had been together for two years, and had several heart felt conversations about their feelings for one another, but he also knew that there were some things that were better left unsaid.  So, he simply smiled as he felt her fingers interlace with his.  “A lucky guess.”

Maya couldn’t believe that she had to go ask Sadie for help with reloading the film.  An entire semester in photography class and it was the first time she couldn’t get it the stupid camera to work.  She sighed as she reached the door to her room.  She wouldn’t be surprised if Riley and Lucas bailed since it took half an hour to track her friend down to get it fixed.  

As soon as Maya opened the door, she froze.  Laying on Riley’s bed were Riley and Lucas—both asleep, their hands clasped together over their heads.  Riley’s free hand rested on Lucas’s chest as they faced one another.

Maya smiled as she quietly shut the door behind her.  She held the camera up to her eye.  This is exactly what Ms. Miller was talking about: a candid moment that seemed to speak volumes.  Even the pessimist in Maya had to admit that the sight before her was nothing short of beautiful.  Both were asleep, seemingly unaware of the fact that even in their subconscious, they had to maintain some sort of physical contact with one another.  In high school, she wasn’t sure that she knew what love was—or even if it existed—but the couple in front of her taught her that not only was love the most powerful gift humans were capable of, but also that when you find it, you hold on to it for dear life.

As she snapped a few shots, she silently prayed that they would turn out half as beautiful as the vision before her.  ‘Maybe one day I’ll find that,’ she thought to herself as she looked at the couple through the viewfinder.

The photo - per Riley’s IG

[gilbertandanne]

AU College Fic. Farkle never figured out how Riley really felt about Lucas, so it never got out. Now she’s turning 21 and the gang decides to go to Las Vegas to celebrate. Sometimes what happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas.

Rating: M

Pairing: Rucas

Word Count: 1,684

Cross-posted at ff.net            

Soundtrack (although not at all organized and subject to edits)

A/N: I don’t think the epilogue is nearly as bad as I might have led you to believe (given some of the responses I’ve gotten since last night).  I only meant that...well...it ends on a cliff.

Since this is the last part, I want to thank @gmwpluto again for letting me bore her with the details of the plot of this fic (and for the whipped cream gif haha!) and for the initial push back on the epilogue.  You made me want to fight for this, and I think it’s what made it better.  Thank you.

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | J | Q | K | A | J |

                                           Epilogue: Wildcard

One week later…

Riley sprinted across Columbia’s campus as if she knew exactly where to go.  Truthfully, she only sort of knew where Lucas’s dorm was.  Farkle had tried to tell her which building it was, but her sense of direction had never been her strong suit.  She knew she could have waited until that night to see him, but that was just it.  She couldn’t wait another minute.  They had finished the last of their finals, and it was time to celebrate the completion of another semester of college.

Just when she thought that she would be forced to ask directions, she spotted him coming out of one of the surrounding buildings.  Her grin widened as she willed her legs to pick up the pace in order to catch up with him.  “Lucas,” she called out breathlessly.

Lucas turned around at the sound of his name.  He would know that voice anywhere, but confusion etched across his features as he tried to look for her.  Why was she here?  Shouldn’t she be packing up her clothes for winter break?  When he heard her call out his name a second time, he spun around just as she launched herself into his arms.  He stumbled backward a few steps as he wrapped his arms around her.

Riley took a moment to breathe him in.  One week.  They had managed to go a week without seeing one another.  She had always balked at the idea of those couples that couldn’t last a few days without seeing one another, but now that she was in the beginning stages of her very first relationship, she finally understood exactly what those couples went through.  They had spent one glorious night together in Las Vegas, but she couldn’t help but to dream of the next time they could curl up against one another as they slept.  She knew that they needed to take it slow, but that didn’t stop her heart from wanting to be near him all the time.

Lucas grinned as the brunette leaned back to kiss him.  “Not that I’m not insanely happy to see you, but what are you doing here?  Shouldn’t you be packing?”

“Maya and I moved out this morning,” she smiled as her eyes slowly wandered down to the envelopes in his hand.  “Got mail?”

He chuckled.  “Yeah.  I haven’t checked it in a few weeks.  Between the trip and finals, I’ve been too preoccupied to check it.”

“Anything good?”

He looked up at her.  “I haven’t gone through all of it yet.  I was pleasantly…distracted as I was thumbing through it all.”

“Well,” she smiled as she rocked back on her heels, “I’m here to help you pack up.”

“I’m not sure how much of a help you’re going to be.”

She tilted her head to the side.  “What do you mean?”

He smirked as he wrapped his arms around her waist.  “Because you are the perfect distraction.”

“So, this is your room,” Riley questioned as she stepped into the dorm room.  She quickly noticed that his room was a lot bigger—maybe even twice the size of—the closet she shared with Maya.  “This is so unfair.”

“What is,” he asked as he sat his backpack down on his computer chair and tossed the mail on top of his desk.  He glanced around the room.  It wasn’t anything special.  Two twin beds.  Two desks.  One futon.  One mini fridge.  It seemed like a pretty standard dorm room to him.

“Well, first off, my dorm room is so small that Maya and I have to have bunk beds.  You and your roommate are fortunate not to have to do that.”

He shrugged as a faint smile formed across his lips.  “That’s what you get for not going to Columbia with me.”

Riley’s mouth fell open as she chuckled.  “Oh, you’re so gonna pay for that one.”  She slid her hands into the front pockets of her jeans.  “So, what all do you need to grab?”

He smirked as he leaned against the door.  “Why?  Are you in a rush?”

She smiled.  “Maybe I have something planned once we get your stuff from here to your parents’ place.”

He lifted his eyebrows in surprise.  “Oh, really?”  She had something planned tonight?  Up until twenty minutes ago—when she launched herself into his arms—he wasn’t even sure that he would see her today.  As he watched her raise her eyebrows to mimic him, he couldn’t believe that everything had worked out the way it did, and that he ended up with the girl of his dreams.

She nodded.  “You aren’t the only one who is full of surprises, you know.”

He loved that smile.  The way the corners of her lips turned up into a mischievous smile always made him yearn for her even more.  She was always plotting or planning something.  To know that he was fully part of that world now meant everything to him.  As he walked toward her, he realized that couldn’t stand the space between them anymore.  As soon as she was within arm’s reach, he snaked his arms around her waist as he lowered his lips to hers.  “Oh, I definitely know that,” he murmured before he kissed her once more.  “You were the one who wanted to play 21 minutes in heaven, after all.”

Riley’s lips formed a thin line as her cheeks reddened.  When she heard him softly chuckle in response, she playfully pushed him back.  “Go pack your bags, Friar, before I change my mind.”

“Oh, if you change your mind, I’m sure I can change it back,” he grinned wolfishly.

She rolled her eyes.  “You think you’re so smooth, don’t you?”

“Not even remotely,” he laughed as he turned away from her and walked toward his closet.

Riley glanced around the room for a moment as she listened to him stuff some clothes into a duffel bag.  She lightly patted the palms of her hands against her thighs as she slowly wandered around the room.  She smiled as she looked at the handful of pictures Lucas had scattered throughout his side of the room.  There were some of him in Texas—a few of him, Zay, Asher, and Dylan—and then there were some of his life in New York.  She stopped as she looked at one picture in particular from their middle school graduation party.  Riley smiled as she remembered one particular moment from that night: for one fleeting second, their fingers brushed against one another as they both reached for the same bag of chips.  She remembered experiencing that little spark even then—back before she really knew what it meant.  It seemed like another lifetime ago.  As she glanced up at the closet door that her boyfriend was hidden behind, she knew that everything had happened the way it did for a reason.  They weren’t ready back then, but she knew that they were now.

She bit the inside of her cheek while her fingers brushed against his desk as she slowly walked around it.  A minor crash made her head snap up in the direction of the sound.  “Are you ok in there?”

Lucas laughed.  “Yeah.  Yeah.  Just knocked over some old books.”

She smiled as she glanced down at the desk where he had sat the mail down.  Her smile slowly faded when she noticed a familiar insignia stamped on the upper left corner of an envelope that was mostly buried underneath a flyer for transfer student move in.  She cut her eyes back to the closet before she turned back to his mail.  She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as she slid the envelope out from under the flyer.

Her hands shook as she lifted the envelope.  Her breath caught in her throat as she read the return address underneath it:  Texas A&M Office of Admissions.  She closed her eyes as she desperately tried to remember how to breathe.  When she opened her eyes, she could have sworn that the maroon label was taunting her.  She knew that she didn’t need him to open it to know exactly what it was—an acceptance letter.

“Riley, did you hear what…” Lucas’s voice trailed off as he stepped out from behind the door. He frowned the minute he laid eyes on her.  Even from where he stood, he could tell that all of the color had suddenly drained from her face.  “Are you ok?”  She didn’t acknowledge him at all as she continued to stare down at the envelope clutched in her hands.  “Riley, what is it,” he asked as he quickly closed the space between them.  When she still didn’t respond to him, he gently pulled the envelope from her grasp.  He took one look at the return address before he cut his eyes back to her.

After a minute, which felt like an eternity for both of them, Riley slowly looked up at him.  As their eyes met, she knew exactly where they would be a month from now.  A rush of words quickly tumbled from his lips as he desperately tried to explain to her why he applied to transfer to Texas A&M for the spring semester and why none of that mattered now.  She was his priority.  She was what he wanted.  He could get his education anywhere, and Columbia was a great school.  He tried to explain to her that the reason why he applied in the first place was because he thought that was what she wanted.  He knew that she was pulling away from him, and he thought that maybe it was time to get some space and move on.  He never took a breath as he assured her that the trip to Las Vegas had changed everything.  As he pleaded with her to forget that she ever saw it, Riley’s eyes slowly drifted back down to the envelope in his hands.  His words began to blend together as her mind drifted back to something she had learned while they were in Las Vegas—the house always wins.

One month later...

A/N: Yeah, I don’t like doing two notes, but when I originally planned this ending, I had zero plans of continuing it. However, my brain likes to disagree with me quite often, and I have thought about doing a continuation.  I do have a vague idea for it, but at the same time, I’ve done so so so many fics about him being in Texas and her being in NYC that I feel like it’s becoming a broken record.  So, I’m not sure about the interest and I’m not sure if it’s something worth doing.  That’s why I warned you about it.