A/N: I recommend you listen to the following songs while reading this chapter.
-Just Can't Get Enough by Depeche Mode
-Absolutely Smitten by dodie
-Someone New by Hozier
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It took five seconds after her exchange with Maya to realize she despised the girl. And Riley despised no one! Not even Jeffrey from sixth grade that threw a wad of gum into her perfectly combed ponytail!
Riley huffed as she stomped over towards her father's apartment—well—hers, too.
Just her and her father.
Only two rooms for each individual.
No one shared.
It was still something hard to process.
"Hey, Riles," her father, Cory, peeked his head towards the entrance from the kitchen with his dopey grin.
Riley smiled softly as she walked into the kitchen, kissing her father's cheek before grabbing a blueberry poptart from a wooden cabinet and unwrapping it—biting a huge chunk of the sweet treat. "Hey dad." She mumbled.
Cory furrowed her eyebrows. "That's a very not-like-Riley greeting you just gave me." He pointed out. "Everything okay?" he asked worriedly.
Riley sighed as she took another bite. "Just had to deal with a very rude stranger." She muffled while she chewed.
Cory hummed as he went back to cooking dinner. "Well good thing it was just a stranger, right? You'll never have to see them again!"
Riley nodded. "Thank goodness for that." she chuckled as her father danced along to "Just Can't Get Enough" by Depeche Mode playing from the speakers. Her father lacked rhythm and coordination with his dancing, so it just looked like he was having random muscle spasms, but Riley loved his dorky dancing anyway.
Her mother, Topanga, use to love it, too. Topanga would laugh and make fun of Cory before joining in and then convincing Riley to join in on the spontaneous dance session in the kitchen. Those were her favorite moments before dinner.
Things changed, though.
Suddenly the spontaneous dance sessions they once had turned less frequent, and, instead, spontaneous bursts of arguments between Riley's parents became more of a frequent occurrence.
"Every couple fights, Riley, there's nothing to worry about." Cory, the intelligent and wise history professor, assured back then. But as much as her father knew about the history of civilization, there was very little that he knew about the future of his crumbling marriage.
As much as Cory knew about history, he could only hope the future would have a different outcome.
Despite Topanga and Cory's long history of romance and friendship, nothing could prevent the unexpected twist of the two deciding to "figure things out on their own." However, both Riley's parents assured that this situation was only temporary. The two were attending marriage counseling sessions and they would work out whatever issues they had.
Because love always found a way to resolve itself, Riley thought.
There was not anything as strong as love, and there was nothing as strong as Cory and Topanga's love for each other and for Riley. Riley had hope for everything—especially love. And Riley knew that soon she would be going back to only having one room, not two.
They were Cory and Topanga, for god sakes! There was nothing the two couldn't fix. Their love was stronger than anything, and that was the thing Riley had the most hope invested in.
It was her hope for love of her own.
"What's going on in that little brain of yours?" Cory asked suddenly.
Riley looked up, having been dragged away from her thoughts. "Hmm?"
Cory chuckled. "You were quiet for quite some time. And you, Riley, are never quiet." He noted.
Riley chuckled. "Sorry, I was just thinking."
"About?"
"You and mom."
It was Cory's turn to be quiet.
Riley chewed on her lip. "Did I say the wrong thing? I'm sorry."
Cory shook his head. "No, of course not. I just wasn't expecting that. It's all very..."
"Fresh." Riley finished for him. "Yeah, but you'll work it out, right? You guys can overcome anything." She grinned. "You're Cory and Topanga." Riley did a little happy shimmy at the statement.
Cory nodded and smiled softly. "Yeah." He whispered before clearing his throat. "Anything else you'd like to share? I really appreciate you talking to me." he assured.
Riley tilted her head in thought. "What's the difference between infatuation and love?"
Cory hummed. "Very good question, Riles." he said before continuing to cook as he talked. "Well, the main difference between them is the feelings behind them. One is superficial and the other emotional. Infatuation is fleeting and instant. There is automatic attraction from the start and you create an idea of them in your head." he explained. "It's the butterflies and blushing and all that mushy stuff you feel at first. It's not bad, but that's not the only thing that should exist."
Riley chewed on her lip. Maya had told her something similar. Of course, she pushed it out of her head. Maya couldn't possibly be right.
"And love is a completely different thing. It develops and forms into something of commitment—of time. It lasts and it's filled with not only attraction, but loyalty and honesty. The idea you once had in your head about them changes completely once you get to know them because you no longer get to create ideas in your head and daydream—you have the real thing right in front of you, but it's your decision whether you'll take the truth or the fantasy. When you decide to take the truths about your significant other, then you love them. You love them no matter what."
Riley gulped, feeling like Maya was going to come into the kitchen at any second with a confident smirk on her face that signified that she had been right all along.
"What if you decide to take the fantasy?" Riley asked.
Cory sighed. "Then it won't last. Because we need someone that understands us and accepts us for who we are, flaws and all. If you put unrealistic expectations and fantasies on a person, you put this massive pressure for them to be something you carved out them. The thing about carving something? You force the shape and you mold it to become what you want, but you can't change its origins. It's like that with people. You can't carve them how you want them to be like—that's up to them. You can come up with your own interpretation of an artist's work, but it doesn't change the fact that the artist has a meaning of their own."
Riley bit her lip. "Oh. I see. So...does that mean falling in love with, say, a face is bad?" Riley wasn't giving up on hope yet, she knew she was right and that her heart was in the right place.
"There's nothing wrong with falling in love with a face so long as you are able to fall in love with the rest of their being. Just...love." Cory shrugged. "Love as hard as you can no matter what. Even if you feel like falling in love is risky and scary, do it anyway. The feeling, however long it lasts, is worth it."
Riley looked at him. "Even if you get hurt?"
Cory stared at his cooking and a flash of pain appeared on his face. It wasn't physical pain, it was emotional pain. The kind of pain where you long for someone to come back to you.
"Especially if you get hurt."
Riley furrowed her eyebrows. "Why do you say that?"
"Because it's the ultimate proof that you loved. You loved so much, that when it left, it hurt. If it hurts, that means it was real. The love you felt was real. And if you loved once, you can love again and in many forms." Cory expressed. "I know you're asking this because of your mother and I. But believe me, Riley, I don't regret a single thing with your mother. Even if I end up with my heart all broken up like it is, I'd do it all over again."
"You would?"
"Some love is just too good to not want to keep reliving it. That's why memories are so dangerous, because you relive all the moments you shared with someone in your head. And if you no longer have them, it's haunting, almost."
Riley smiled softly at her father's wise words. "I promise to keep loving hard."
Cory smiled and nodded. "You do that."
Riley nodded before heading to her room with a grin on her face. If her father's words said anything, they said to keep loving. Even if it's only a face. Because who knew what that face could become? That face could become her soulmate.
But she'll only know that if she loves.
Riley walked over to her closet and opened it, reaching for a medium sized red box and opening it. Inside the red box were letters. Letters of all the faces Riley fell in love with.
Perhaps in her pile of letters, her soulmate was in there. But perhaps in a future face, a face she'll run into, there's a strong love there. A Cory and Topanga type of love.
But Riley won't ever know that if she stops staring at faces.
Screw what Maya said. Riley didn't just fall in love with faces, she had hope for them! Hope that she'll fall in love with that certain face and create a love story so amazing, and so true that everyone else could only hope to create something that powerful.
Riley hugged the box before placing it on her desk as she took out a fresh sheet of loose leaf paper and a blue pen. She began to rewrite the letter that she typed from her phone, leaving tiny hearts scattered around the sheet.
When she finished rewriting the letter, Riley hummed the Depeche Mode song from earlier as she took out an envelope and wrote:
To the bright girl with the blue hair and yellow raincoat.
Riley smiled as she doodled a heart at the end of the sentence before sealing the envelope and making a face at the taste of envelope glue. While the glue taste wasn't exceptional, the words written inside the envelope were.
Maybe the bright girl she encountered earlier was the love of her life, maybe not.
It didn't matter, because Riley just couldn't get enough of falling in love.
Riley couldn't help it.
There were so many beautiful faces she could love and so much space in her huge, loving heart.
Riley carefully placed the envelope in her box of letters and smiled before putting away the box and then putting her music library on shuffle and "Someone New" by Hozier began to play.
Electing strange perfections in any stranger I choose.
Would things be easier if there was a right way?
Honey, there is no right way.
Riley sang along to the song and spun around her room with a grin.
There is no right way to love, Riley agreed. And so Riley would love the way she loved best.
With a new face.
Hello again! This is kind of a filler chapter since I need to set up how this whole shebang is gonna go, ya know? The next chapter will be interesting. You'll kinda get a look into my life, in a sense. Only in a fictional setting--well, not fictional. It's my home, only you're going to look through it through a different lens. You'll know what I mean, don't worry. ;)
Anyways, as always
Twitter- @jenniferdontpls
Tumblr- loovelikee-fools
Take care, wonderful humans,
Jennifer