Hello, It's Me.

Part 1

"Hey," Lucas said into the cellphone. "It's me, Lucas. I, uh, got your invitation. Wedding invitation. I don't know what to say. It's...it's... Congratulations. I'm glad you're happy. I'm glad you have your happily ever after-"

The voice message got cut off. He sighed running a hand through his hair. He looked out the window, watching streaks of color rush by. He was in New York again, after being gone for a year or two.

Honestly he lost count.

Lucas shoved his phone into his bag and a small, white rectangle with intricate gold writing caught his eye.

You are formally invited to Riley Matthews and Charlie Gardner's wedding on July 15, 2026.

Lucas wanted nothing more than to set the pretty invitation on fire. It was a testament of how he had lost someone precious to him. Someone he valued.

It was the end of May and he assumed the happy pair were more than excited about their wedding considering they chose a date so soon. It would happen in a couple of weeks and Lucas didn't know what to think of it.

He could feel the familiar buzzing and vibrating of his phone. He pulled it out of his bag, it flashed Farkle's face. It was one of many calls he had gotten from him and unlike the other calls, he answered this time.

"Lucas!" Farkle's voice was more mature now and held a hint of relief. "I've been trying to contact you."

"I know."

"So you heard then?" Farkle asked sadly.

"Yeah," Lucas swallowed the lump in his throat. His eyes fixed on the stop Riley and him first met. It was his favorite spot in the world.

"What do you think about it?"

"She's happy...isn't she?" Lucas winced at the crack in his voice. "That's all I ever wanted. "

After a prolonged pause Farkle asked what he desperately wanted an answer to. "Are you happy?"

Lucas stayed silent. Speechless. He couldn't form any words. He knew Farkle would see through his lies, even after all these years Farkle would notice the rise of Lucas's voice, the way it cracked with uncertainty when he lied. He chose another method of throwing him off.

"Our story ended," Lucas told him. "Some stories do and that's okay. She'll start a new one."

"The story was always about you two," Farkle insisted. "Charlie is a good guy but he's not you. She still loves you."

Lucas's heart stopped and his mouth dried. He still loved her. It was cruel of Farkle to say words that weren't true, especially if he knew how he felt about her after all these years.

"I broke her heart. I teared us apart," Lucas sighed running a hand through his hair. "There's no going back, Farkle. Life doesn't work like that."

Farkle started to ramble about how Charlie would never live up to Lucas and the epic love story that was Riley and Lucas.

"Stop," He said. "Just stop. She's getting married, Farkle." He felt a familiar ache in his chest. "I hope she's well and that's she's happy. We ran out of time. Tell her I said hello. I'll see you soon."

He hung up and closed his eyes, leaning his head on the cold subway window. A sea of memories and feelings came rushing into his mind. When Riley and Lucas met. Their first kiss. Their first date. The first time they said they liked each other. Their first relationship. The infamous Texas fiasco. The New Year's secret that was spilled, the one that gave him hope for them again. Their entire high school relationship and its ultimate downfall. Their broken college friendship that led to them becoming strangers. The moment he realized Charlie Gardner had finally won her over and Lucas Friar could never have Riley Matthews heart anymore.

He wished he could take back everything he did wrong, that he could stop himself from committing the biggest mistake in his life that caused him to lose the one single person who gave him her world, and made him happy. Maybe then Riley Matthews wouldn't be becoming Riley Gardner, but Riley Friar.

Except not everyone has a happy ending.

Note: I posted this on tumblr and decided to give it a try here.

Follow me on tumblr: its-beautifuldreams42