151You guys! This is it, the final chapter of Folie à Deux. Thank you for joining me on this journey and keeping me motivated with all your sweet reviews. Overall, this entire fic ended up going a completely different direction than I initially planned, but I am very happy with the outcome and I'm glad you've all enjoyed reading it. Please help yourself to the Rucas reunion and much needed Rucas fluff.
Chapter Twenty-Five
"Lucas?" Riley sighed, releasing a soft smile. She put a hand on her opposite arm and discretely pinched herself, making sure it wasn't a dream. She internally screamed when she realized that this was her reality. "You did this?"
Lucas gulped and nodded. He couldn't believe she actually showed up, especially since he didn't sign the letter with his name. He figured that the anonymity would be intriguing, but he knew it also lowered his chances of her showing up. Surprisingly to him, she did just that. And then his hope grew.
"I got you these," Lucas said nervously, handing her the bouquet.
Riley couldn't help but to release another smile, but bigger this time. She took the bouquet from him and took a whiff of the roses. She loved roses, they were her favorite flowers. She didn't recall ever telling Lucas this piece of information, but with the amount of conversations they've shared, maybe she had told him at some point. But as far as she knew, the only person who knew her favorite flower besides her parents was Maya. Maya. Now Riley understood why Maya pushed her to follow the letter. But how could she have known? Unless, she knew. Riley made a mental note to discuss this with Maya later.
"These are beautiful," Riley said, slowly turning the bouquet around to admire the different colors.
"Almost as beautiful as you," Lucas said, his voice cracking. He wasn't sure if he actually said that out loud until Riley giggled nervously.
"Thank you," Riley replied. She could feel the blood rush to her cheeks, but she didn't care. It was painfully obvious to her now that Lucas had feelings for her. And she couldn't be happier. Or more nervous. "What's all of this for, Lucas?"
"I think you know," Lucas said softly.
Riley titled her head. Lucas offered his hand out to her and she gladly took it with her free hand that wasn't holding the bouquet. He led her to the table and pulled out the chair for her to sit. He then walked over to the opposite side of the table and sat down as well. Lucas silently thanked Farkle the genius for being right about the weather being so cooperative. It was surprisingly warm for it being a February night. It was cold, but not too cold. It was comfortable enough to stay outside for a couple of hours.
"This is for the bouquet," Lucas gestured to the vase resting on the table. "Just so you're not holding them the whole time."
Riley gave the bouquet back to Lucas and he carefully placed them in the vase. When he realized that the flowers were in the way of his view of Riley, he moved the vase aside, placing it beside the wine bottle he had brought for them to share.
"So what brings the both of us here?" Riley asked nonchalantly, trying so hard to hide her anxiety. Although she had good feelings about this, she still wasn't sure what she was expecting.
"Well," Lucas took a deep breath. He thought about this a lot in the past few weeks, and he regretted not rehearsing what he wanted to say. "Last time we were up here, things kind of got messy. I mean, we kissed, and then there was this whole misunderstanding between me and you. This rooftop kind of left a sour taste in my mouth. And I want to change that. I want to associate this rooftop with a happy moment."
"Are you saying what I think you're trying to say?" Riley raised her brow, completely engaged in Lucas's words.
Lucas nodded, reaching across the table to take her hands in his. He studied her face. The last time she looked this vulnerable was that night under the stars in Texas. He continued, "I like you, Riley. I've known ever since we went stargazing in Texas and we spent the entire night talking. I've never felt more like myself than when I'm with you. And I guess that's also another reason why I decided to have this date up here on your rooftop." Lucas looked up at the sky, succeeding to view a couple of stars. "This is the only place I can think of that was the closest thing to giving you the stars like in Texas."
"You know, the only reason why I rejected you was because I thought you didn't like me back," Riley confessed, looking down at their intertwined hands. "It took me a little longer to realize my feelings for you, but I knew after spending the day with you doing winter-y things, that my friends were all right. I do like you more than a friend. I just didn't know it at the time."
"My friends said the same thing," Lucas laughed. "We're a bit stubborn, aren't we?"
"Just a little," Riley agreed. She couldn't help but to bring up the pact they made months ago. "But what about the pact?"
Lucas smiled and shook his head. He knew it was going to come up. He replied, "Honestly? I think it cancels out if the feelings involved are towards each other. Besides, I created the pact. Shouldn't I be allowed to cancel it if I wanted to? Because I have hell of a good reason to do so."
For once in what felt like forever, Riley felt her heart lighten. Although the pact did her some good in the first few weeks that they agreed on it, she had a feeling that neither of them were going to completely go through with it. And for once since she admitted to herself about her feelings for Lucas, she didn't feel guilty about it.
"So no more pact?" Riley asked with a hopeful tone.
"No more pact," Lucas confirmed with a smile, noting the glimmer of hope that was evident in her eyes.
"Yay!" Riley squealed, but then quickly retreated when she realized how overenthusiastic she was being. "Sorry. I'm just really excited. For once I can embrace these feelings."
"What have I told you about being sorry?" Lucas asked.
"That I say it too much," Riley said with a laugh, remembering the first time he told her that. She couldn't believe that so much had changed in just a few short months. She looked around the beautifully decorated rooftop then bit her lip. "So… are we counting this as our first date?"
"Well, I was hoping," Lucas shrugged with a sheepish smile. "Only if you consider it to be one."
Of course Riley wanted this to be a first date. It sure would be a very memorable one, especially with the story they had.
"So are you hungry?" Lucas asked. He grabbed the wine bottle that was on the table beside the vase, and poured a glass for himself and a glass for Riley.
Riley nodded, "What did you have in mind?"
"Well…" Lucas's voice trailed off.
As if on cue, Auggie stepped out onto the rooftop with two plates of chicken parmesan with a side of baked potatoes and placed one in front of Riley and the other in front of Lucas.
"Auggie?" Riley smiled at the sight of her brother.
"Hi, Riles," Auggie smiled back and hugged his sister.
"You were in on this?"
Auggie nodded proudly, "I really like him, Riley. And I want you to be happy."
"Thanks again for your help, Augs," Lucas said, giving Auggie a fist bump. "I know it was last minute but thanks for coming through."
"It's nothing," Auggie replied, waving him off. "Mom and Dad are out on their date right now so just let me know if you two need anything else. I'll be back later to bring you dessert." Auggie returned downstairs.
"So Auggie made this?" Riley was pleasantly surprised at how good the food tasted.
Lucas laughed, "No, Zay helped me make it. I just asked Auggie to reheat it because I made it this morning."
"Oh, wow," Riley commented. "A cowboy and a chef? I wonder what you made for dessert."
"I didn't make anything," Lucas admitted. "Honestly, I think Auggie's just gonna bring us up some ice cream."
"Well, you can't go wrong with ice cream," Riley beamed.
The pair talked as they finished their food. They both missed talking to each other in person. Sure, they've texted frequently in the past couple of weeks, but there was nothing better than being in each other's presence and listening to each other talk.
"I've got to ask, who wrote the letter?" Riley asked. They just caught each other up with what had been going on with school, but Riley couldn't help but change the topic back to them and their date.
"I did," Lucas replied. "I knew that you knew my penmanship pretty well, so I figured I'd learn calligraphy."
"You learned calligraphy for me?"
"Kinda," Lucas titled his head. "I've always wanted to learn calligraphy ever since I was in high school. I just never had a good reason to actually do it. Until now. I'm glad you liked my writing."
"I'm a sucker for things like that," Riley gushed.
"I know."
Riley and Lucas continued to talk, about everything and anything, just as they always did. And like always, they lost track of time. They talked for hours under the few stars glistening in the New York sky, which was reminiscent of that night back in Texas.
As the clock struck midnight Lucas knew it was time for his next speech. He would've said it to her earlier, but he decided that what he was going to ask her was too cliché to bring up on Valentine's Day. And he didn't want to be another cliché.
"So, you might be wondering why all these roses are all different colors," Lucas said, holding the vase in front of him.
Riley nodded. She folded her arms on the table and urged him to continue. She liked listening to him talk. His calming voice soothed her, similar to the effect she had on him.
"Well, they all mean something," Lucas continued. "And they all mean you."
"Me?"
"Yeah," Lucas chuckled at the brunette's confusion, noting how cute she was when she was confused. "You see, the coral rose symbolizes friendship. I love our friendship, Riley. I know we've both messed it up along the way but I'm glad we're always able to talk through it even though it takes us both a while to confront each other. And if wasn't for you, I don't know if I would've survived New York.
"Then the dark red rose symbolizes unconscious beauty. What I noticed about you is that you don't know how beautiful you are. And it's a shame, because I think you're gorgeous. You're always so selfless and put others before yourself. I realize that you rejecting me was your way of putting me before your feelings.
"The white rose symbolizes purity, innocence. That's what you are. I know you're fully aware of all the things going on around you and in this world, but you choose to look at it differently. You're so full of hope and you see the good in everyone, something I wish I could do. The pink symbolizes happiness, which is something you always seem to express. I can only hope that one day I could be as happy as you are. But knowing you, I seem to be getting close.
"The orange one symbolizes desire and enthusiasm. Along with being happy, you're enthusiastic about everything! You light up every room you walk into, and the positivity that radiates off you is contagious. You make me want to be a better person because of it.
"Lavender symbolizes love at first sight. When you first fell into my lap on the subway, I had this feeling in my stomach. Honestly, I thought I just ate something bad the night before, but now I realize that it was probably love at first sight. I think back to a lot of moments we've shared and it's amazing how long it took me to realize that my feelings for you were never platonic at all.
"And finally, the yellow rose symbolizes the promise of a new beginning. And that's what I want to promise you. I know this is only our first date, but I hope it's appropriate for me to ask you this. Riley, will you be my girlfriend?"
Riley was speechless. Throughout his entire speech, Riley's heart fluttered and her smile reached her eyes, something that her smile never seemed to do since New Year's. She had no idea that Lucas thought this way about her. This whole time Lucas liked her back and she didn't know. She felt stupid for pushing him away after the kiss, because she realized they both could've avoided this if she'd had just let him talk the first time.
Riley responded in the only way she knew how. She got up from her seat and walked over to his. She sat in his lap and pressed her lips on his. It felt like the kiss they shared over a month ago, explosive. But this time, it was a lot more relaxed and more passionate, since they both knew their feelings for each other weren't one sided.
When they both pulled away after what it seemed like forever, Lucas couldn't help but nuzzle his face into her neck and smile. This caused Riley to giggle at the sensation and pushed his face away from her neck.
"I'll take that as a yes," Lucas grinned as he returned to look into her chocolate brown eyes.
Riley nodded then threw her head back as she laughed. She took his face in her hands and told him, "I'm glad I fell into your lap."
"Me too," Lucas smiled.
And that's it! I hope you all enjoyed it. I tried tying in a lot of aspects in their relationship and I'm very happy with how this turned out. I tried avoiding clichés, and I think I only succeeded in that department by making Lucas ask Riley to be his girlfriend on February 15 and not 14. Anyway, stay tuned, the epilogue will be up tomorrow! Expect more cheesy author's notes from me.