Hello, It's Me.

Part 6

Riley and Lucas made it to the dinner in a short amount of minutes, they both awkwardly took up a booth. The place was quite nice and had couple of people scattered about, night owls looking for a late night meal. They ordered their meals and once they got them, ate in silence. Riley fed up with the silence decided to bring up something she wanted to know.

She cleared her throat and sipped on water. "So how's your girlfriend?"

Lucas glanced up bewildered by her interrupting the peaceful silence, his sandwich half way towards his mouth. "I'm sorry what?"

"Your girlfriend?" She tried again this time louder and clearer.

"What girlfriend?" Lucas took a swig of his coke and tossed her an innocent smile.

"Oh don't kid me, Friar." She rolled her eyes and tossed a french fry at him. It bounced off his chest and onto the table. "I mean look at you," She gestured towards him and gave him a knowing look.

Lucas laughed, his eyes twinkling with amusement and a cocky smirk formed on his lips. "What you mean by that?"

"Oh you know what I mean," She giggled. "You're amazing in every way and there is no way you're still single."

Lucas shook his head. "Nope," He told her taking a quick bite of his sandwich. "No girlfriend. Honestly, the whole dating thing in general hasn't been my thing in a while. A couple of awkward dates sure, but nothing serious."

"Oh," Riley said, her eyes showing an emotion that Lucas thought he was imagining. She seemed relieved by the new information.

Lucas shrugged. "I'm not really sure there's someone for me." Not anymore that is, he thought looking directly at Riley.

She stretched a tentative hand towards his and grasped it gently, a kind smile gracing her face. "There's someone out there for everyone," She told him, her voice soft and warm, wrapping him up like a blanket on a cold December night. "Good things come to those who wait. Something worth having takes time and life is a long story."

Lucas's eyes locked with hers and he felt his breath tangle up in his throat. She felt equally as breathless. There was something there, something neither could see, but they felt every bit of it. A warm surge that coursed through them that started from their touching hands. Their gaze was stuck on each other, a gaze that can only be described as soft summer rain.

What they had always felt like that. It was serene, refreshing and reinvigorating. Being with each other felt like going days being in a drought and finally feeling the drizzle of a summer rain on your back, the coolness of it slipping down your back and washing you in renewed energy. It was growth. Knowing each other was them flourishing like plant when it had water. Lucas knew that now and all he wanted was this annual drought to be washed away by the familiar summer rain that was Riley Matthews.

"What if I had someone and I lost them?" His eyes bore into hers with great intensity and she felt so utterly befuddled.

She swallowed and took a moment to respond, trying to reorganize her brain. "Well," She looked around the room, not being able to take the intensity in his eyes. "You don't give up on someone you love, Lucas."

"What if they already gave up on you?"

Riley's eyes snapped back to his and she pulled her hand away. He looked down at where her hand had been, hurt, but he swallowed it back and kept his expression stoic. He felt it crumbling at her distressed look and manic blinking. He braced himself for her onslaught of ticking bombs.

"Lucas," She whispered. "I've moved on."

Even though he had been prepared, it was painful blow.