A few weeks went on, Riley was healing tremendously. Except her memory loss. There were a few other potential things that they didn't know that she had forgot, like her talent for photography, and Missy Bradford, along with Daniel Young and Conner Friar.
All gone.
Not to mention, she still hadn't remembered one thing about Lucas. It's been a total of three weeks today since the car accident, and she was finally strong enough to go home.
Cory and Topanga were loading up the car, while Lucas was wondering around outside of Riley's room. She was asleep, and they figured they would let her sleep in a bit before the move. Lucas looked down to his phone, as he let out a distressed sigh. It was already 11:00.
Lucas peeked around the corner of Riley's room, to see her lying peacefully on the bed. He bit the inside of his cheek, as he silently stepped into the room. She was asleep quietly, not moving one bit, not making one sound.
Lucas sat down in a chair next to the bed, as he intently looked at Riley.
The tears were streaming down her face uncontrollably, and she felt like she couldn't breathe. She was suffocating in this black hole, her heart breaking like never before.
Lucas took Riley's hand gently, so she didn't wake. He left a light kiss to her knuckles.
"You'll figure it out. You always did." Lucas whispered.
"I love you. I love you. I-I love you." Riley cried out, as she banged her hands against the steering wheel as hard as she could, as the pain engulfed her every vein, her every bone.
Lucas just silently sat there, before he began to close his eyes. Riley's body began to shake lightly, as she slept.
She began to cry out even louder, the sounds of Lucas' saying he loved her kept replaying in her mind like a broken record, each time more painful than the last.
The red light shone down on Riley through the glass window, before she tilted her back, more tears streaming down her face.
It was silent for a moment, as Riley held her breath.
"Lucas." Riley whispered, as one last tear fell, before a bright light shone in front of her.
"Riley?" Lucas whispered, before Riley's breathing began to pace in her sleep.
Riley's head turned to the side, and it suddenly seemed like everything was in slow motion.
She felt the hard impact come from behind her, and the sharp pain hit her in the heart, in her side, in her mind.
Riley's head began to turn from side to side rapidly, and her body began to shake quickly. "Riley!" Lucas exclaimed, trying to shake her awake. "N-No." She began to say, over and over again."Riley!" He shouted again, holding onto her face, but she wouldn't wake. She began to hyperventilate in her sleep.
One last breath slipped out of Riley's mouth, before she felt her body hit through the glass, and suddenly everything went
blank.
"No!" She shouted, before her eyes suddenly flew open, as a tear slipped down her cheek. Lucas gently grasped onto her face, as he held onto her tightly. "I'm here, its okay. I'm here." Lucas whispered, as Riley's body shook back and forth. "Riley." Lucas whispered, before Riley looked up to him, and once she saw his eyes, she let out a sigh of relief, and her body calmed down.
Lucas wiped the lonely tear that was sweeping down her face, as he caressed her cheek. The light was shining in her eyes.
Riley stared at Lucas a bit longer, before his face began to become unfamiliar once more. Lucas orbs intently glanced into hers, before the light disappeared in hers. His heart fell.
"I'm o-okay.. A bad dream, is all." Riley stuttered, as she nodded her head. Lucas proceeded to cup her face in his large hands, before he looked down, and let go.
Lucas took a step back, as Riley took a deep breath inward. Lucas shoved his hands in his pocket, wanting nothing but to just hold her, which was normally what she would ask him to do after a situation like that occurred.
Riley looked over towards the clock, noticing the time.
11:30.
"I slept in that late..?" Riley asked, before she looked over to Lucas. Lucas let a slight chuckle. "Um, yeah.. Your parents are putting your stuff in the car. They figured that you should sleep a bit more before you went back to your house." Lucas responded, before he rubbed his hand against the back of his neck, looking beneath him at Riley. He fumbled with his feet.
"So.. Why are you in here then?" Riley asked, raising her eyebrow. Lucas' immediately mouth fell open slightly, as his cheeks turned a rosy shade, not sure of what to say. "I- Uh-" He stuttered, and a smile began to curve against Riley's lips. "I was just.. was observing, I guess.." Lucas said embarrassingly as he chuckled, before he looked down to the ground and rubbed the back of his neck again, something he did quite often when he was nervous.
Riley bit the side of her lip, smiling. "You observe?" She asked. Lucas' eyes adverted back up towards those chocolate brown eyes he adored. "Only you." He spoke, and Riley's smile drifted away, as it was replaced with her mouth falling slightly agape, before she bit the inside of cheek. The corner of Lucas' lip lifted up shyly.
"I should probably get up.. and get dressed. If they're waiting for me." She spoke, fumbling with her fingers. Lucas stood up a bit straighter. "Um, yeah. I'll go and let them know that you're awake." He assured her, and she gifted him a grateful smile. "Thanks." She replied.
Lucas nodded his head, before he took a step backwards. "Are you sure you'll be alright?" He asked, worried. Riley let out a light giggle, which was music to Lucas' own ears.
"Yes." She replied, before she gently swung her legs over and across the bed, and began to get up. Lucas stared at her carefully, before she planted her feet, and suddenly slipped very slightly.
Lucas quickly stepped forward, holding onto her tightly to balance herself, even thought she barely moved. Riley looked up into his eyes, before she lightly giggled. "I'm okay." She said, and Lucas noticed he was being very overprotective. He laughed slightly, before he hesitantly stepped backwards.
"Just making sure." He responded. Riley nodded her head, as her lips pressed together in a tight line. "Thank you, my hero." Riley smiled, and Lucas' grin suddenly faded away as he stared at her.
She called him her hero.
Lucas' heart skipped a beat, before he snapped back into reality. "I-I'll let you change now." He says in a nervous tone, and Riley nodded her head towards him.
He stood there for another moment, as his stomach twirled with butterflies. He cleared his throat, before he started trotting towards the door. Riley shook her head with a silent giggle, before she walked over towards her mirror, that was by her bathroom door. She began to take off her hospital robe.
Lucas' mind still racing, heart still beating rapidly, he stopped in the doorway, as he tried to pace his breath. He turned his head slightly, to look at her once more,
but when he did, he saw the reflection of her almost completely bare body in the mirror. His breath was immediately taken away, and he suddenly felt like he couldn't move. She was absolutely beautiful.
Riley was focused on untying the string on her tank top that was in her hands, before her head tilted upwards, and her eyes met with those sparkling green orbs.
Lucas breathlessly stared at Riley, as her heart suddenly began to race, all these feelings began to race through her body. They both felt the tingling tension arise in their bodies.
Her cheeks began to heat up quickly, as they turned a perfect shade of pink. Lucas' lips curved upwards lightly, before he found the strength to finally turn around and walk away.
His heart was racing as he walked down the hallway. He ran his fingers through his hair harshly, before he covered his face, letting out a deep breath. Those moments with Riley, were always so intense, so intimate. They always left him practically speechless. But I suppose that happens when you're in love with someone.
"Lucas." Someone called out, which made him snatch his hands away from his face. He jumped slightly, flustered, as he turned around, but then realized that it was just Mr. Matthews.
"Mr. Matthews." Lucas said, nervously. Mr. Matthews gave him a light smile. "Is she awake?" He asked, and suddenly Topanga came up behind him, with Auggie set against her hip.
"Yeah, she is. She's ready." He replied, with a nod of his head.
"Okay. Let's go bring her home." Topanga smiled brightly, and Auggie clapped his hands. Lucas let out a laugh. They all began to head towards Riley's room again, before one of Riley's doctors, Mrs. Donovan, stopped them at the doorway.
"So she's leaving us today?" She asked, and Cory and Topanga smiled at each other. "Yep. Thanks to you, she's healthy enough too." Topanga greatly thanked the doctor. "I'm just very happy that she's okay. I was wondering, may I speak to Mr. Friar, please?" She asked, and Lucas' head perked up.
Lucas looked at all of them, before he nodded his head. "Yeah, of course." He responded, and Dr. Donovan smiled. "We're going to take her home." Cory called after him, as Lucas and the Dr. began to walk slightly away. Lucas gave him a nod upwards.
They both silently walked over towards a desk, before the Dr. took in a deep breath, and looked back up to Lucas. "What is it?" Lucas asked. "It's about her memory loss." She replied, and Lucas stiffened up. "She'll remember, right?" He questioned quickly. Dr. Donovan held her clipboard closer towards her.
"Things that someone has a very strong emotional and mental attachment too, seem to be the things they forget most often. Whether it's a good connection, or a bad one." The Dr. informed him, and Lucas ran his fingers through his disheveled hair once more.
"But she will remember, she has too." Lucas says roughly, voice stern. The Dr. pressed her lips together in a tight line. "Her memory loss is due to the injury on her brain, it's caused by the tissue swelling near her brain. She's much stronger than we thought she was going to end up being. She's healing rapidly, and she doesn't need treatment for the swelling to go down. We don't know why it hasn't before, but it's starting too, and all she can do now in go about her life normally." She replied back, and Lucas let out a deep sigh.
"What's the probability that she will get her memory back?" Lucas asked, hopes rising in the air. The Dr. gave him a reassuring smile. "Only time will tell, but normally people who have hardly no damage tend to remember quickly. So I wouldn't doubt it. Just take care of her." She patted his shoulder, and Lucas gave her a grateful smile.
"I will, always. Thanks for taking care of her, Dr." He replied, and she took a step back, nodding her head. "You're welcome." She grinned, before Lucas took a step back also, and began to head out the door swiftly.
...........
Riley waltzed back towards her bedroom, stomach full of pizza. She went and lied down on her bed, a sigh escaping her lips as she stared up towards the ceiling. It felt so nice, to be at home, in her safe place, even though something was missing, and it didn't feel safe at all.
Sadly, Riley didn't have a phone, considering the fact that it was destroyed in the crash. They were working on getting her a new one, hopefully tomorrow. She let out a grunt, before she stood up, and began to walk over towards her mirror.
She began to hum along to one of her favorite songs, getting lost in the abyss of her own mind. As she began to walk around her room more, she began to notice things that she didn't remember there being before.
Her eyes began to narrow towards something that was lying down on her nightstand. She squinted her eyes, before she picked a photo, and her heart made a light thud beneath her chest.
Lucas as tickling Riley, and she was laughing, trying to escape but he was holding onto her tightly, face buried beneath her hair, yet you could see the evident smile on his lips.
"Whatcha doing?"
Riley felt herself jump swiftly, heart pumping out of her chest. "What are you doing?!" Riley exclaimed, flustered from the sudden outburst. She held her hand over her chest, trying to breath in and out. "How did you even get in here?" Riley spat. Lucas tried to hold back his grin. "Through your bay window." He said innocently, and Riley was still trying to re-coop.
Lucas blushed slightly, as he chuckled with his pearly white smile. "Sorry, force of habit." He spoke shamefully, and Riley calmed down a bit more, as she set the photo back on her nightstand. She cracked a small smile, as she shoved her hair behind her ear.
"It's okay." She responded lightly, looking up into his sparkling eyes. Lucas glanced at her for a moment again, before his lips parted. "You promised that you'd try to remember.." Lucas hesitantly opened up the subject, and Riley's body relaxed a bit. She nodded her head.
"Yeah." She says softly, as they both sit down at her bay window. Yet, he seemed to be only but a stranger to her, there was something there, something that she couldn't explain, she was, honestly, and completely mesmerized by him.
"Do you trust me?" Lucas' voice softly cracked, and this sadness crept up in Riley. She pursed her lips. "Yes." She responded, not only knowing that that one word was a relief to Lucas, but to her, too.
"What.. what do you need me to do?" Riley spoke, as she held her hand behind her neck. Lucas looked intently into her eyes.
"All I need is to hear you breathing, to hear your voice, to feel your heartbeat, and know that you're still mine." He inched closer towards her, making both of their breathing unsteadily fast.
"I need you to come with me." He whispered, and Riley's eyes lit up slightly. He gave her a heavenly smile, which made her heart flutter.
"Now?" She asked, like he was crazy. He nodded his head. "You wanted to start from the beginning." He responded. Riley took a deep breath, as she looked out her window to the pitched black night sky, and then back to her door.
She turned her head back to Lucas.
"Okay." She whispered, before he smiled, and took her hand in his, and she hesitantly held it back, knowing that he was doing so to help her out of the window.
"This is insane!" Riley giggled, as they climbed down the fire escape. Lucas laughed. "You did it all the time before." He smiled, and Riley bit the side of her lip. "I did?" She asked, once they reached ground. Lucas nodded his head. "You did." He responded, looking down into her eyes.
Riley's lips curved upwards into a smile, before Lucas lead her to his truck. He quickly unlocked it, and held the passenger door open for her,
"My lady." He spoke, which made Riley erupt in giggles. "Thank you, kind sir." She replied, taking his hand which he offered to help her up, considering her leg was still sore.
He closed the door, grinning up to her through the window, before he quickly ran over to the other side, not wanting to waste one moment of time with her.
He hopped into his truck, shutting the door besides him, before he put the keys in the ignition.
The truck rallied up, before Lucas turned his head over to Riley.
"Back to the start." He whispered softly, looking into her brown eyes that made him go weak at the knees. She smiled, before he leaned over, and turned on the radio, preferably Photograph by Ed Sheeran. He bit the edge of his lip, memories flooding back. Lucas began to drive off, before he heard the sweet sound of Riley singing beside him, making his heart thud louder and louder.
It was their song, and it always will be their song.
...........
Lucas suddenly pulled up in front of a Chipotle, and Riley's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why are we here?" She politely asked, glancing over to Lucas. Lucas gave her a sly smirk, as he shut off the truck.
"Starting with our first date." He spoke, and Riley gulped. "Our first date?" She asked again, before Lucas looked in front of him, chuckling as a dimple showed through his cheek. Riley blushed. Lucas quickly hopped out of seat, as he trotted over to Riley's side, opening the door for her.
"Thank you." She says, before stepping out. The chilly air immediately slapped against her face, so she quickly sucked in a sharp breath.
"This is where we had our first date?" Riley asks. Lucas looked over to her, before they began to walk on the sidewalk. "Well, it was our first date, but you didn't know that. We went to the movies, and then we came here afterwards." He informed her, before he began to completely avoid the door. Riley furrowed her eyebrows. "Oh.. I'm not hungry." She spoke, shaking her hand in front of her.
Lucas pressed out a laugh, as he shook his head. "No, that's not what we're doing. Here, follow me." He reply's in a soft tone, as he put out his hand. Riley looked down to his hand, before she hesitantly held onto it, as he guided her down the street.
They walked in silence for a moment, Riley being polite to not ask any questions at the moment, even though she was more confused than ever before.
She let of Lucas' hand, to rub her crossed arms. Lucas looked down to her worriedly, before he quickly took of his jacket.
"Here." He whispered, softly setting it on her shoulders. Riley looked up to him with a grateful smile. It still a warm summer night, but she always got cold, Lucas always kept an extra jacket in his truck for her sometimes.
"So, where are we going then?" Riley finally asked, as Lucas smirked, before he glanced down to her.
"We were walking down this street, you were telling me about some fight you were in with Maya. I was barely paying attention, your mouth was moving but I couldn't hear anything.. Not on purpose, but I was too focused on you, your eyes, your hair." Lucas spoke, and Riley looked back up to him.
"I don't remember this side of New York." Riley said, scanning her boundaries. Lucas bit his lip. "Yeah, well.. It's our safe side of town, is what we used to call it. We knew we were safe to walk down these streets, simply because its just a little area. Hardly no people, its quiet, full of trees and street lights, yet small. You loved to just walk here, and you especially loved that coffee shop across the street." Lucas told Riley, the excitement evident in his tone. Riley smiled at that, yet frowned, because she felt this part of her had disappeared, but she was trying to believe this all.
"So we were walking down this street on our 'first date'?" Riley spoke up, pointing to the ground below her. Lucas nodded his head, before he couldn't help but smile.
The memories came flooding back.
"Yeah.. I want to show you something." He spoke softly, and Riley looked up to him again. Lucas stopped in front of the park, pointing over towards a fence. The park inside was lit with streetlights. Riley's forward crinkled with confusion.
Lucas was pointing to a large deck in the park, that was empty.
"You want to show me an empty deck?" Riley spoke bluntly, before she covered her mouth. Lucas smiled at her cuteness. "It's not just an empty deck.." He whispered, glancing down at the ground before he looked up into her eyes.
"We were walking down the street, talking. You were humming along to a song, before we both began to hear Give Me Love. You were standing right here," Lucas told her, marking the spot where she once stood. Riley let out a giggle.
Lucas smiled. "And you turned your head, and there was an old peoples banquet going on, right there on that deck. There were some younger people there, but you saw all the old people and thought it was the most adorable thing, but you were in awe. There were Christmas lights strung around, making your eyes sparkle with excitement. You were so engaged in that moment, I couldn't help but notice ever little detail about you. The way your body began to sway along to the music as you watched the old couples dance along together." Lucas began to passionately tell Riley,
"Then what happened?" Riley hummed, nodding her head towards the park. Lucas scooted his teeth along his lower lip, as he glanced at Riley.
"Your eyes lit up as you watched people dance around, and you couldn't help yourself, so you ran off to the deck, the moon from the night sky was shining down on you like this ray of light, and you turned around, and then you looked at me."
Lucas whispered, as he took Riley's hand, and leaded her over towards where she was standing. Lucas then took a few steps backwards, and Riley tilted her head, as she watched him intently.
"You looked at me... and God, I never thought I could love someone as much as I loved you in that moment." Lucas spoke in a whisper, as he began to walk towards Riley. Lucas could practically hear the sounds of the song ringing through his ears, as the precious memory made a kaleidoscope of colors in his mind.
He stared at the love of his life right in front of him. "I still do." He whispered, and Riley's facial expression went from blank, to a small, ever so slight smile. She wasn't sure what to say back.
"You gave me this infectious smile, before you swiftly turned back around, and the music took you in after that. You were glowing, you looked like an angel.." Lucas smiled as he let out a light laugh. Riley fumbled with his fingers, trying to take everything in.
"As you were dancing around, I came up behind you, and I took you like this." Lucas says, before he took Riley's hand and waist, and dipped her down.
Riley began to giggle loudly, "Smooth, Friar." She replied. Lucas grinned, before he picked her back up, and spun her around, and back into his chest, so that she was safe in his arms.
"And then we danced along to the music.. It felt like nobody else was here, as if time was at a standstill. It was just me and you, you and me. Taking on the world one step at a time." Lucas says in a soft tone, which made Riley's heart warm. She felt like he was some sort of a stranger, yet he wasn't.
"It's one of my favorites memories of us, even though every moment with you is my favorite." He sweetly smiled, which made an innocent blush creep against Riley's cheeks, before she took a step back.
"I know I said that I trust you, and I do.. But, what's the reality of this all? I still barely remember the crash, and why It happened." Riley asked, and Lucas bit the lower edge of his lip.
"Want to know the reality?" He whispered, and Riley eagerly nodded her head. "Then follow me." He said, before smiling. Riley raised a single eyebrow, before she agreed. "Okay." She spoke, before Lucas placed his hand at the small of her back, and guided her back towards his truck.
Lucas turned his head back behind him once more, as he stared at the bare deck. The memory was so fresh in his mind, he couldn't believe that Riley had not one memory of that moment.
It was one of those moments some people only get to experience once,
yet they have experienced it infinite times.
........
Lucas pulled up into a parking lot, right near the beach. Riley, still puzzled, looked over to the mysterious guy next to her.
Lucas glanced over towards her. "Don't question, just follow me." He said, with a light smile. Riley sucked in a sharp breath, before they both continued to hop out of the truck.
Lucas took Riley's hand, and lead her up onto a grassy hill. Riley's leg was still limp, and Lucas didn't want her to walk too far, so he turned around, and quickly swept her off her feet into his arms bridal style, as she laughed.
Once Lucas carried her to the top of the hill, he set her down gently. Riley, speechless, tilted her head to the side in awe.
The sky was completely pitched black, and stars were beaming allover the night sky. And then, to top it all off, the sand was below them, while the moon was set on the horizon, larger and brighter than ever, as it beamed off of the ocean waters. It was stunning.
"This.. is so beautiful." Riley whispered, staring at her surroundings in awe. Lucas would have looked at the sky, but it didn't compare to the sight in front of him. "It is." He whispered, staring at her intently. Riley turned her head to look at Lucas, before she noticed he was already staring at her. She softly smiled.
"The stars are so bright." She spoke, looking back at the ocean. Lucas looked up to the sky. "You are my stars in the sea of dark, Riley." Lucas suddenly said, and Riley tilted her head over to him.
"You know I don't know how to reply to that.." Riley whispered. Lucas sweetly smiled. "I know, but its the truth. And that's why I had a star named after you." Lucas said delicately, and Riley let out a light gasp, as Lucas pulled out the certificate from his pocket.
Riley couldn't keep the smile off of her face, as she suddenly felt the tears rise in her eyes. She doesn't remember what she had with Lucas.
Lucas looked up to her, and smiled softly, as he handed her the certificate with her name. Riley looked up to him, as lonely tear fell down her cheek.
"I can't thank you enough for this, Lucas. But I don't remember us, and this is a lot to take in. I can't just stand here and believe it's all a fairy tale." Riley says. Lucas bit the edge of his lip.
"You asked me the same question, a long time ago, and I brought you here. You asked me what the reality of it all was." Lucas replied, before he turned his head to look at the ocean. Riley turned her body to face the moon, glancing where Lucas was.
"This is the reality of us. You see the moon? The stars? You're the moon, you're the stars. I'm the ocean, I'm the sky. We've had our ups and downs, we've fought, I've left, you've left. But no matter what, we don't go anywhere. We're always there, even though the moon rises down and the sun comes up in the morning, we're still going to be there for each other no matter. Our love just doesn't disappear." Lucas said, and Riley silently stared at him as she listened.
"The reality is we've had a lot of shitty things happen, but we've also had these happy moments, these memories and things that we won't ever be able to explain to anyone else. Because they're indescribable." He says breathlessly. Riley shifted her eyes upwards.
"Lucas-" "Sometimes you're hair is going in twenty different directions, sometimes you're mean to me and sometimes you're a mess," He cut her off, and Riley let out a slight gasp. "But you're a beautiful mess, you're my mess. And that's the reality of it all." Lucas brushed his finger down Riley's cheek.
Riley wasn't sure what to say, so all she did was softly smile.
"I like that reality." She whispered.
....
Riley stepped in front of Lucas, who was holding the apartment lobby door open for her. "Thank you." She said, with a smile. "Anything for you." Lucas replied, which made Riley intensely blush.
They made their way up to Riley's apartment, as they looked up to her door. Riley turned around, as she looked into Lucas' eyes.
"Thank you for everything, tonight. At least it gave me some sense of an idea of us." Riley gifted Lucas a small smile, and he nodded his head quietly. "You're welcome." He spoke gently, and Riley pressed her lips together tightly.
"So.. I guess I'll see you later then?" Riley asked, as she began to open up her door. "Uh-uhm, yeah.. Later then.." Lucas said, in a nervous tone. Riley nodded her head, giving him an odd smile before she began to walk inside,
"Wait, Riley." Lucas called after her, making her stop. She turned back around, shutting the door behind her lightly again. "Yeah?" She asked, staring up at him blankly. Lucas fiddled around with his words for a moment, not sure how to ask, considering that he's dreamed of this moment for as long as he can remember.
Riley raised her eyebrow higher at his silence. Lucas let out a deep breath.
"I never got to do this before so, I guess this is how to start it off the right way.. W-Will you go, out with me? Next week..?" Lucas stuttered, as his hands began to shake nervously. Riley was slightly shocked at first, but then, she smiled.
"I will." She said, and Lucas felt a huge weight lift off of his shoulders. "G-Great! Perfect!" Lucas exclaimed nervously, not sure of what to say. Riley smiled, she thought it was cute.
"So It's a date." He said softly, and Riley nodded her head. "It's a date." She spoke, and Lucas smiled widely.
"Alright, well.." Lucas said, awkwardly moving his feet and hands, not sure of what to do, considering that Riley didn't remember anything he didn't want to make her uncomfortable. Riley just stared at him with doe wide eyes.
Lucas finally realized, why was he so nervous around her? He suddenly glanced into her brown eyes, and everything felt okay. He wasn't nervous anymore.
Lucas moved in a bit closer, before he bent down and placed his lips softly against her cheek. Riley's breath was taken away at the sudden impact.
"Goodnight, Riley." He whispered, as he pulled away slowly, staring down into her eyes. Riley had no words, she couldn't move, she couldn't breathe. All these feelings came rushing into her mind, her soul, her heart.
Lucas glanced at her one last time, before he began to slowly walk away. And suddenly he was gone.
Riley just stood there for a moment, staring at where Lucas once was, before she turned around, and walked inside.
She shut the door silently behind her, back lay against it as she stared straight in front of her.
"Goodnight, Lucas..."
She whispered.
.......