Matters of the Heart (Rucas Adult AU)

Chapter 2 - Second Meetings Aren't Always such a Shock

Riley left the bar the moment she had left the owner's office, she didn't feel right being there after that guy had come on to her so strongly. All she had wanted to do was find a song that she liked and play it on the jukebox. Instead she got a drunk guy all over her trying to get her to go to the back with him. The night had been going fine, she was having fun, the food was great, but in the end, it was ruined by one person who had too many drinks. Josh had dragged Charlie to the bar to get him to talk to the bartender, just to get a feel of the guy, because Josh was just as overprotective of Riley's friends as he was of her. He wanted to make sure that the bartender was a good guy, so they thought that Riley would be alright for a moment, and maybe if she hadn't moved from the table just to play a stupid song she would have been. But then again who knows what the guy would have done, he could have just gone to her table and went after her there.

On her way home she sent a message to Josh telling him that she was alright and just wanted to walk home while it was still warm out, she didn't want to tell him about what had happened because she didn't want to ruin their fun. She took the bus home the few stops to where their apartment was and walked inside and went to take a shower just to wash away the feeling of that man's hands on her. It made her feel dirty for some reason and if the owner of the bar hadn't been there she doesn't know what she would have done. Shawn had taught her self-defense but the moment something happened she felt herself clam up. The fear overtaking her emotions.

It didn't take long after her shower before Charlie and Josh both stormed into the apartment, luckily Isadora and Farkle weren't home or else it would be an all-out war.

"Riley," Charlie yelled out for her before walking into her room without knocking.

It was a good thing that she had gotten dressed in the bathroom or else it would have been embarrassing especially if Josh would have seen her naked.

"What happened," Josh said walking in behind Charlie. "I know you and you didn't leave because you wanted to walk, that's an excuse you came up with when you were in high school and just wanted to be alone."

Riley at that moment wished that Josh didn't know her so well, she let out a curse before Josh settled down on her computer chair and Charlie sat down on the bay window in her room. She didn't say anything for a moment, she watched them wondering how she was going to get out of the lecture but knew better than to try anything with them.

"Some guy got a little too aggressive while you were at the bar," she said after a minute of silence had passed between them. "Nothing happened, the owner of the bar kicked him out, but after it happened I just didn't want to be there."

"Riley, we've talked about this," Josh said before running his hand through his hair. "You don't runaway, you come looking for us."

"Yeah, I know it's just that you and Charlie were having such a good time that I didn't want to ruin it for you," she said sighing into her hands before Charlie took them into his and held them there for a moment.

"No one can make you feel like you're less than you are," Charlie said reminding her of that time in college during a party where one of the guys tried to drag her off into a room, but Charlie had punched the guy and broke two fingers at the same time. "No more running."

She nodded at them, "Well at least something good came out from our outing," she said smiling.

"Well not really, the moment we noticed that you were missing we left the bar," Josh said to her. "You're not allowed to be alone, we promised."

"Plus, I was too nervous to actually say or do anything," Charlie said with a shrug.

Riley could feel herself rolling her eyes at her best friend, "Seriously, all that work to get up there and nothing, you did nothing at all."