Author Note: If you have never heard of the boyfriend candle, google it right now. You're welcome. Also here is some high school Rucas!

Scented

If Lucas Friar ever forgot what day of the week it was, all he had to do was get close enough to Riley Matthews to smell her hair.

He wasn't sure why, but every day she used a different scent, Monday was always strawberry, Tuesday was usually coconut, Wednesday was jasmine, Thursday was mango, and Friday was Rose, on days when she's feeling a little down, she'll use peppermint.

She's used peppermint a lot since they got back from Texas, so much show that it's starting to become her signature scent and it's not even Christmas.

That's what he's thinking as he stands behind her at her locker asking if she's ready for the test in English and what she thought of the book they read.

He can tell her mind is somewhere else as she blinks and looks back at him, "Sorry what?"

"You okay?"

"Tired, up late studying" she gives him that smile he hates this smile, because he knows it's not authentic, and she's been using it far too much lately, almost as much as the peppermint shampoo.

"I'll see you in class." He sighs, knowing he's not getting anywhere; she's building a wall between them, if she keeps this up it'll be higher than the one Donald Trump is proposing in the election.

Riley needed him to leave, he'd been too close, so close she could smell his body wash, cologne, whatever it was of his that left her with the hints of Sage and Cedar, that could calm her, but excite her, allow her to get lost in fantasies of what could never be.

She stood at her locker for a moment, knowing when he was really gone. She gathered her items for class, but all she could think about was how good he smelled. She tried not to get close enough to him anymore, but it was burned in her memory.

And if she was honest with herself she let that memory come to her every night for a half an hour before bed when she would burn what the internet had dubbed the boyfriend candle. She kept it hidden in her nightstand drawer and she'd taped a picture of Chris Evans to it, just in case anyone did find it.

But really it was all Lucas, for those thirty or so minutes a night she could pretend that she hadn't messed everything up, she could pretend to feel his arms wrap her up in a hug, the pressure of his lips against hers, the way he would smile at her and only her.

Lucas was thankful when he got to the lunch table after Riley sat down, but before Maya or Farkle could join them. He took a seat next to her; he gave her a soft smile as he watched her picking at her lunch.

"How do you think you did on that test?"

Riley shrugs, "Okay I guess, I don't know."

These are the answers he gets from her now and he's sick of it. He's tired of her fake smile, these non-answers and the smell of peppermint.

She turned to him, for a brief moment he saw a flicker of something on her face.

"How do you think you did?"

"Okay, not sure about that essay answer, but I think I did okay on the rest." He really just wants to brush the lock of hair from her eyes, kiss her forehead and tell her it's going to be okay, beg her to talk to him, really talk to him.

"You guys, did we read that book we just had a test on?" Maya slams her tray down, Riley jumps from the sound of it, but only Lucas notices as Farkle and Zay take their seats.

Lucas looks down at Riley's tray, she's barely eaten so far and she's really just pushing her food around. Does no one else see this? Maya sure doesn't, she's whining about something to Zay. Farkle seems to be picking up on it, but he's also been different as well.

He's so close Riley is sure if she let herself she could just lean into him, breathe in his scent and everything would be okay. But she can't.

She can feel him watching her, or is she just in the way of him watching Maya?

All Riley wants to do is go home, curl up on her bed and light the candle for a little while, relax and pretend today, this week, this month, none of it was happening.

As she pushed her chair out, she falls over towards Lucas just a little, but enough that he watches her.

She can feel her hands shaking, her heart racing the butterflies in her stomach as she gets that wonderful whiff of him.

Pulling away quickly, she tries to smile, she knows it's forced but no one else seems to notice, well except Farkle and they haven't really spoken since New Year's Eve. "See you in class."

"Riles, are we still on for after school?" Maya doesn't even look at her as she asks.

"No, I um have an appointment, dentist." Riley lies, she just wants some time alone.

"Okay, text me when you get home."

"Yeah, sure" Riley grabs her books and dashes out of the cafeteria, no one seems to notice.

Lucas pushed up from the table and looks around at his friends, Maya is lost in whatever the hell goes through her mind, Zay has locked eyes with a cheerleader across the room, Farkle is looking towards the doors and appears to be in an internal struggle. "Farkle stay."

"I'm not a dog."

"I know, but I think I should talk to her." Lucas grabs his own books and goes to find Riley.

He doesn't check to see if Maya or Zay even notice, he doesn't care.

He searches around the school, trying to figure out where she would go when he finds her in the library, tucked near the back in the fiction section.

She's in a chair, a book open in front of her, but he has a feeling she's not really reading it.

Slowly he walks over towards her and sits across from her, "Riley?"

Her eyes are glassy with tears when she looks up and she sucks in her breath like she's trying her hardest to just breathe.

"What's wrong?"

She sucks in her lips, as she silently counts to ten before answering him. "Nothing just tired Lucas very tired."

He reaches out to take her hand but she pulls away and he feels a stabbing pain in his chest, "Riley, if you want to talk I am here. No matter what, I am here for you."

Before she can answer the bell rings and she automatically gathers her things, she takes a look at him those warm green eyes seem to be pleading with her. "I'll see you in class."

He watches her, worried for her, deciding right then and there he's going to do something to cheer her up, let her know he cares, that he's noticed something is wrong. He just isn't sure what yet though.

When school is finally out Riley goes straight to the subway, following the directions on her phone to the nearest mall. Everything is overwhelming her today and she needs the escape from her friends, from everyone. At the mall she can wander around for a while in the candle shop, in the body shop, she is almost out of peppermint shower gel.

She checks that she has her phone and wallet in her bag as she finds a seat on the train and pulls out the book she checked out earlier. It's old from the 1980s, maybe the 1990s, it's cheesy, over the top, but it's something that in a way is all her own as she gets lost in the ridiculous story of twin sisters and their high school drama. In a way it makes her feel a bit better about her own life.

Lucas can't seem to ditch Farkle once school is out, even when he tells him he's going out to the mall. So here they are sitting on the subway when Farkle finally looks to him. "You know something's upsetting Riley, don't you?"

"Of course I do, she's not really smiling, she's barely eating, and she's been using the peppermint shampoo almost exclusively." He reveals, not meaning to.

A smile crosses Farkle lips, "You've noticed that?"

Lucas stiffens, "I mean it's kind of in your face, don't you think?"

Farkle shakes in head, "I mean I sit behind her in almost every class, I don't even notice. But you sit behind Maya in another row; you'd have to get pretty close to notice."

Lucas feels the blush flush over him, "I mean I might notice when I talk to her at her locker, or in the lunch line, or when I hold the door open for her."

Farkle nods the smile on his face growing, "What scent does Maya use?"

"No idea." Lucas shrugs, "What's with the smile?"

"You've just confirmed something for me."

"Well Farkle, how about you share that information with me. What did I just—?" He stops talking as his eyes fall on Riley.

Farkle looks in the same direction, "What's she doing on this train her Dentist is like a block from school."

"Something is upsetting her Farkle." Lucas continued to watch her, "She won't talk to me, and I'm betting you know as well as I do she uses the peppermint shampoo when she's feeling down and wants to feel better."

"Yeah, she does." Farkle nodded, "So, you know all about her different scents, and nothing about Maya's. You've noticed that Riley is upset. You're sitting on a train we don't normally ride, and I have a feeling we're going to the mall, right?"

"Yeah" Lucas continued to watch Riley who was lost in her book, "Your point being?"

Farkle thought for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to put this all together. "You never had romantic feelings for Maya did you?"

"Of course not." Lucas realizes how blunt he is as he watches Riley, wondering what she's reading that for a moment brings the first real smile he's seen in weeks.

"So Riley has feelings for you, which I outed on New Year's Eve, which I didn't want to." Farkle admits as he starts talking as fast as he used, "But anyways, um you obviously have feelings for Riley, deep feelings. So why haven't you told her?"

Lucas looks back at his friend, "I'm not sure she would believe me. She keeps putting Maya's potential happiness over her own, I'm not sure she would believe me. So that's why I said friendship, with both of them."

"Yeah . . ."

"What?"

"You need to use sense and sensibility Lucas."

"Do you really love them the same?" It had been something he'd wondered since he'd first heard Farkle say it. Sometimes he believed he did love them the same, but he wasn't sure really.

Farkle looked over to Riley who was still lost in her book. "Honestly, no. I love them both, just differently."

"Romantically?"

"Maya is my friend, and I love her, I believe in her, I want great things for her." Farkle felt a knot in his stomach, "But Riley is probably my absolute best friend, I would do anything for her, and I think she would do anything for me, but romantic feelings belong to Smackle."

Lucas breathed a sigh of relief, "Do you think the girls would be upset if they knew you loved them differently?"

"I think they might be upset for a little while since I promised to love them equally, but sometimes a person gives you 100% and the other only 84%, eventually that factors in." Farkle leaned back as he saw Riley put the book away.

Lucas did the same; neither wanted her to think they were following her. "Do you think they'd be upset if I don't love them equally?"

"Yes and no," Farkle watched as they pulled into the station, noticing that Riley was getting off at the same stop, "So what are we looking for at the mall today?"

"Something that doesn't smell like peppermint." Lucas confessed as they stood up, his eyes watching Riley as she moved towards the door.

Riley was a young woman on a mission as she navigated her way through the mall finding the candle shop.

She was assaulted by the mixtures of scents as she looked for the candle that had been her only hope for solitude the last few months. She stared at the selection of sizes, weighing her options before she decided to just go for it and get the biggest one, two actually.

As she made her way to the counter to pay, feeling like someone was watching her she turned around, not seeing anyone.

Great now I'm making myself paranoid.

As she left the store, she didn't see Farkle and Lucas go in and start looking for the same color candle she'd just purchased.

"Excuse me, we're looking for a candle, a brownish color." Farkle explained to the sales clerk, "Actually it was the same color as the one the girl who was just in here bought."

"Oh that was the Mountain Lodge candle, aka The Boyfriend Candle."

"The what?" Lucas' voice was louder than expected, he hated when that happened. "Sorry, the what?"

The clerk laughed as she went to the shelf and pulled two small votive down, "It's got this crazy following online, it's a masculine smell, that's been described as Captain America ripping a log in half with his bare hands."

Farkle and Lucas looked to each other and silently agreed that would be what Riley would buy.

"So why is it called the boyfriend candle?" Farkle was still a bit confused.

"It smells like that guy who probably doesn't really exist in this world, a good man who will carry you if you trip in the woods on a hike, or hold a jacket over your head in the rain, a guy who rides a bull, or works with his hands." The clerk got a bit dreamy, "It's the guy you can't have, but the candle gives you him with the scent, gives you that comfort."

Lucas picked up one of the small candles and smelled it, it was familiar. "Farkle, where have I smelled this before?"

Farkle picked one up, sniffing it and then rolling his eyes, "Lucas, it smells just like you."

Of course it did. He got a medium sized candle and some smaller ones. He couldn't help but wonder why Riley was so into this candle, maybe it was just her not-so-secret obsession with Chris Evans.

Riley decided to stop in the bookstore before going to the bath shop. She had finished the book she checked out from the library earlier, and wanted something to read on the way home. Not that she thought her parents would approve but she went into the romance section, picking a few where the blurbs interested her.

Sometimes you just needed a good romance to give you a little bit of hope.

"So what are you going to do, put together a gift basket for her?" Farkle followed Lucas around as he picked out bottles of the scents he loved on Riley and a couple of new ones.

Lucas sighed, "I think so, I don't know. This is silly right?"

"No, actually I think it's really sweet actually. I think she's going to love it."

"I hope so." Lucas picked up a sample fragrance and sniffed it deciding it was too spicy. As he tried another one Riley came in.

"Lucas, Farkle, what are you guys doing here?"

"I'm helping him pick out something for his Mom." Farkle sold it convincingly.

Riley gave a half smile, "That's sweet."

"What about you, I thought you had a dentist appointment." Farkle questioned as he picked up an apple fragrance to smell.

Her fingers pulled her hair behind her ear, "Um, I lied, I just had some errands to do and they're just easier to get done without Maya."

"We understand, don't we Lucas."

"Yeah we do." He watched Riley, "Hey Riles, which do you like better of these two?"

She smelled the two scents, "The coffee one is invigorating, while the ocean one is relaxing, I guess it kind of depends on who is wearing it?"

"Which would you go for?"

Riley shrugged, "I'm kind of a peppermint girl."

That's what Lucas was afraid she would say, "So coffee goes with peppermint right?"

Did he really just say that?

"I mean, never mind." He stammered as he watched her laugh just the slightest as she went to grab a bottle of Peppermint body wash.

"Starbucks and every coffee shop in the world seems to think so." She went to the counter, "I'll see you guys at school tomorrow.

Lucas watched her, at least she'd laughed. He grabbed a small bottle of both coffee and ocean as she left the shop. He went to check out and then put his purchases in his bag. He hoped this would work.

When Riley got home she pulled her purchases out of her bag in her room. She looked over her homework and got as much done as quickly as she could. Just in time to be called for dinner. She closed her bedroom door when she left, keeping the window open since she never thought of actually closing it.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Lucas asked Farkle as they snuck into her room.

"Positive, plus it means you get to keep your boot for now." Farkle explained as he helped Lucas with the gift basket they had put together.

The two boys looked around the room, both actually really liked the way Riley had updated it with the exposed brick, the toned down color scheme that still featured plenty of purple.

Lucas took the note from his back pocket and put it on top of the basket before they left.

When Riley came back after she ate what she was sure would be enough for her parents not to notice the decrease of her appetite.

She froze when she saw the basket sitting on her bed. Where had it come from? Her family had all been at dinner and they wouldn't do anything like this for her. This had to be a mistake.

At least that's what she told herself until she saw her name on the note on top.

This was really for her, but who would do this, Lucas, that's who. It was his handwriting.

She unfolded the note and took a deep breath before she started reading it.

Riley,

On Monday's you use Strawberry shower gel, and it takes everything inside of me to not kiss you.

Tuesday is your Coconut day, and sometimes I just want to pull your hair away from your neck and nibble your ear.

Wednesday is Jasmine, and I just want to hold you close and breathe in the flowery air you create around you.

Thursday is Mango, which for some reason makes me want to twirl you around a dance floor and watch you smile and giggle.

Friday is Rose, which makes me want to take you on long walks and hold your hand.

On the weekend you stick with Vanilla, which now reminds me of silly afternoon movie dates and the way you would grip my hand.

The peppermint is when you're upset and want to be perked up. I hate when you use peppermint because I know that you're upset, and I especially hate it when you won't open up to me about it. I am here whenever you need to talk, want a shoulder to lean on or cry on, someone to wrap their arms around you, or if you're looking for someone who is willing to try and rip a log in half with his bare hands, I'm your guy.

Lucas

PS I couldn't decide between coffee and ocean, but I think both would be amazing on you.

Riley was wiping the tears from her eyes when Maya came through her window and her mother came through her bedroom door.

"Riley? Are you crying?" Topanga looked concerned.

"Riles?" Maya was confused, why would Riley be crying?

"It's nothing." Riley waved them away as she looked at the basket on her bed.

Topanga moved across the room, "Where did this come from?"

"Lucas." Riley breathed a sigh of relief, "I think he left it while I was at dinner."

"Why is Lucas giving you shower gel and candles?"

"Candles?" Riley hadn't even noticed them in the basket until Maya pulled one out, sniffed it and wasn't impressed.

She had a smile on her face as she took it from Maya, "He's trying to make me feel better."

"Why do you need to feel better?" Maya looked at the stuff in the basket, "Why would he do this for you?"

Riley looked at her best friend and her mother, "Do you know I usually use a different shower gel each day?"

Topanga and Maya both shook their heads no.

"Lucas noticed," She bit her lip as she sat down at the window, a smile fighting to come through, "He also noticed which one I use when I'm sad. He noticed that for months now I haven't been using Strawberry, Coconut, or Jasmine, or any of the others. I've only been using peppermint. I even went and bought more peppermint today at the mall."

"You went to the mall without me?" Maya asked.

"Yes, I did." Riley shrugged it wasn't that big of a deal, "I went and got more of my favorite peppermint shower gel, and I got two of my favorite candles."

Topanga looked to Maya, "Do you understand what's going on?"

"I got nothing," Maya was still trying to understand why Riley had lied to her about the dentist.

Riley rose, the note still tight between her fingers, "Maya what does Lucas smell like?"

"I don't know, boy?"

"Like Cedar and Sage." Riley felt an odd weight come off of her, "He smells just like this candle. He must've seen me buying these today."

"You go around sniffing Lucas?" Topanga really wasn't sure what to think.

Riley shrugged, "I mean sometimes Lucas is just so close I can't help but smell him. I haven't actually got up and smelled him in a long time."

"It was embarrassing, before they figured out how to talk to each other." Maya was sitting on the window seat with Topanga. "I'm still not sure I understand what's going on."

Riley started pulling items out of the basket, "Strawberry is Monday, my fresh start to the week.

Tuesday is Coconut, Wednesday is Jasmine, Thursday is Mango, and Friday is Rose. Saturday and Sunday is Vanilla. Coffee and Ocean are new; Lucas is trying to get me out of my funk, a funk you haven't even noticed I'm in."

Maya stood up, "So you use peppermint shower gel for a few days in a row and Huckleberry goes and buys you a bunch of shower gels?"

"It hasn't just been a few days Maya, it's been months." Riley just shook her head, "He's been trying to get me to talk, he's been trying to get through to me, and I think he just did."

"Because he bought you stuff?" Topanga still didn't understand.

"His note, he said it, without having to say it."

"Say what?" Maya was still lost.

Riley looked at the note, "Nothing really, I need to talk to Lucas."

"What does that note say?" Topanga realized now she couldn't remember the last time she saw an honest smile on her daughter face, had she really been in a funk for so long that she didn't even notice?

She looked up at her Mother and best friend, "That he knows which ones I use which day, and what they make him think of. That he hates the peppermint because it means I'm sad."

Looking at the note again, "And he knows about the candle, but how?"

"Okay explain the candle." Maya picked one up from the basket, "Why does this have a picture of Chris Evans taped to it?"

Riley was pretty sure her heart was going to melt right then and there, "Because, this candle is described as Captain America ripping a log in half."

"I'm still lost." Maya threw her hands up.

"It's the boyfriend candle."

Both Topanga and Maya's eyes went wide, "Boyfriend candle?"

"It's just a silly internet meme." Riley tried to wave it off, but if she was reading this correctly, and she suspected she did, he knew that the candle smells so much like he does, that she burns it at night to think of him, to calm down.

All she wants to do right now is run the seven blocks to his building, but she knows she's not getting out of the house tonight. Not with the looks she's getting.

"Riley, do you still like Lucas?" Maya's voice was accusing.

"Of course I do, I can't turn it off Maya I've liked him for over two years." She confessed, though did she really have to confess? "Did you think oh hey High School maybe she'll let him go?"

"You just haven't seemed interested in him."

Riley shook her head and opened her night stand drawer pulling out four empty candle jars. "Half an hour, every night at least before I go to bed."

"Oh." Maya didn't know what to say.

Topanga came over and looked at the empty jars, "Why is Chris Evans picture glued to all of these?"

"I couldn't put Lucas' picture on there, now could I what if one of you found them?" Riley put the empty jars back in her nightstand.

"So you like Lucas, he gave you shower gel because he was sick of your sad one, and he gave you your favorite candle, that smells just like him?" Maya was slowly trying to understand.

"He's reaching out to me, he's letting me know he's seen what's going on and that he cares. I think he's trying to tell me something really important."

Topanga got it, finally it was all clicking, she had a feeling the letter had more than what Riley was telling her. "Don't rush anything Riley."

"I won't Mom, I promise." Riley had an idea for what she was going to do she looked to her best friend, only then realizing she didn't know what to say to her.

Topanga left the two girls alone, leaving the door open just a crack, just in case.

"You can't be just friends with him, can you?" Maya let the words rush out of her.

Riley shook her head, "I can't, I don't want to Maya. If Lucas is feeling the way I think he is, I don't want to hold back anymore."

"Is that what I've been doing to you, holding you back from what you want?"

Riley didn't answer.

Maya just nodded, "Oh, I um, I guess I was kidding myself all this time that he would like me."

Riley let Maya talk, didn't she see, now wasn't supposed to be about her once again?

The alert on Maya's phone went off telling her it was almost time for curfew. "I'll talk to you in school tomorrow."

"Maya, I could be wrong," but she knew she wasn't, "But I do think there is a guy out there for you."

"Thanks peaches." She started out the window, "What scent do I wear every day?"

"Peach body spray that mixes with your coconut body wash." Riley smiled, "Oh but around Christmas usually something Gingerbread."

"I never thought anyone noticed that stuff." Maya sighed, "Night Riles."

Alone at last!

Riley took out her phone, closed the door, closed the window and called Lucas, "Hey, are you okay to talk?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"The weirdest thing happened." Riley bit her lip, "I came back into my room after dinner and there was a gift basket of shower gels and stuff. I don't know who left it."

"There wasn't a note?" Lucas knew he left a note.

"I've looked, I haven't seen it. I'm a little freaked out I even closed and locked my window."

"You never lock the window. Are you sure there isn't a note? Check under your bed."

"Nope, nothing except your boots."

"That's where they are! That's it, I'm getting those tomorrow."

"Oh now you want them?"

"My Dad is still upset I lost what five shoes cause your Dad got mad I was in your room."

"Six, but who's counting."

"My Dad! He cares, come on Riles, at least one."

Riley smiled to herself, "Okay Cowboy, give me your locker combination and I'll maybe leave a shoe in there before school."

He let out of a sigh of relief, "Um, it's 12-8-1."

"Really, okay, well maybe I'll leave you a boot in the morning."

"Hey Riley, why did you call me about this?"

"Because, I know I can talk to you Lucas, I know I can trust you. I'll see you in the morning. Night."

"Night."

Riley had showered, dressed, done her hair up a bit differently then she had been lately and packed her bag for school, making sure to put in one of Lucas' boots.

As she came out for breakfast her father looked at her, "Why do you smell like coffee?"

Riley blushed at someone in her family even noticing, "Oh new shower gel."

"Where'd you get it?"

Topanga watched her husband and daughter for a moment, "Yeah Riley, where did you get it?"

"A friend gave it to me, thought it might perk me up, get me out of my funk."

"Tell me it was Farkle." Cory looked at his daughter.

"Dad, I'm not lying to you. I'll see you at school I gotta get there early for a project." She grabbed a banana, "See you in class."

Cory looked at his wife, "Lucas gave our daughter shower gel?"

Topanga sighed, "It's sweet, I think. I don't think it was a sexual thing, I think it was really a sweet thing, God I hope so. But look she gave us a real smile for the first time in I don't even know."

"She's been in that funk ever since she brother zoned Lucas in Texas for Maya."

"I think that's over."

Cory didn't know if he should be relieved or not.

Lucas sighed as he got to his locker, it was still kind of early, he doubted that Riley would've gotten here already, but he put in the combination, her birthday and opened it. Right at eyelevel was one of his long missing boots.

"Whoa is that one of your shoes Hambone stole?" Farkle came up behind him.

"Yeah, Riley left it for me." Lucas sighed as he stuffed his jacket into the locker and looked at his friend, "She called, said the basket didn't have a note. I left it, didn't I?"

"Yeah, right on top maybe a breeze blew it away, it's got to be in her room, right?"

"I guess." He started arranging his books and went to move the boot, feeling it heavier then he remembered.

Pulling it down he looked inside and saw something, pulling it out he realized it was one of those candles.

"Oh she's good." Farkle had a huge smile as he watched Lucas pulling out the candle.

"Why?" He looked at it, nothing seemed weird about it.

Farkle took the candle from his hand and turned it around so he could see the picture Riley had glued to the other side of Lucas.

He smiled, "She is good." He made sure nothing else was hidden in the boot and then opened the lid of the candle to smell it when he found a piece of paper.

Lucas,

I think I know what you're trying to say, at least I hope I do or I'm making a major fool out of myself.

I don't want to hold back anymore, I don't want to pretend that I can just be your friend because you are so much more.

Cedar and Sage is your everyday scent, it's just your body wash and you together and it makes me weak in the knees, it excites me, it calms me down.

When we would go to the movies you would put on cologne, it was a fresh, clean scent and it always made me smile to know you thought enough of me to put it on.

I'm curious what Coffee will make you want to do.

Riley

"She's a minx." Lucas folded the letter up and put it in his back pocket.

"So, what happens next?" Farkle looked around trying to spot Riley she had to be around here somewhere, right?

"I have an idea, I gotta find her. I'll see you in homeroom." Lucas grabbed his books and went straight to the library, she was in the same couch as yesterday, she looked different, relaxed, her hair pulled up in a bun instead of down, when was the last time she wore it up?

"Hey, thanks for putting my boot in my locker." He sat on the couch, forcing her to have to shift position and look at him. "You ever find that note for that mystery basket?"

"Nope" she closed her book and looked at him, "What?"

He leaned in closer, getting the first whiff of the coffee shower gel, he licked his lips as he looked into her brown eyes, "That's new, out of the peppermint obsession?"

"I think so, you noticed?"

He nodded, "Of course I did."

Riley felt the whirl of butterflies in her stomach as his green eyes locked on hers, "So, your locker combination?"

"Your birthday had to pick something I would remember. What's your combination?"

"Well," she let her eyes fall on his lips for a moment as he seemed to be leaning in even closer, "It's not my birthday, but I think you could maybe guess whose it is."

"Maya's? Farkle's?"

She shook her head.

"Auggie's?"

She shook her head again.

"Chris Evans?"

"I mean I do tape his picture to boyfriend candles."

He caressed her face, "You tape anyone else picture to one of these boyfriend candles."

"Maybe; why you jealous?" She felt her body shudder at his touch, she couldn't keep this up for long.

"Should I be jealous of myself?"

"So you looked in the boot huh?"

He nodded.

"Did you smell the candle?" If she couldn't smell him right now she wouldn't know she was even breathing.

"Coffee is making it very difficult for me to not kiss you."

She tried not to smile, "I thought Strawberry made you want to kiss me?"

"Not like this" his fingers slid down under her chin tilting her head so she looked right at him.

"I don't think I know what you mean, you might have to show me." She hoped to God she didn't sound ridiculous, but she didn't have long to think before she felt his lips on hers.

Electrifying, soft, summer rain, fireworks, a grand slam in the World Series, the only way either of them could describe what if felt like to finally kiss again. It was longer, different then their first and as they both pulled away at the same time they looked at each other and in unison said, "Wow"

"Coffee is a good one." Riley smiled, "Thank you."

"Your welcome, so you lied to me last night Riley."

"I needed your locker combination, I had a plan and it worked, I think, maybe."

"Well," Lucas took her hand in his, a relief washing over him to finally feel her hand in his again, "I'm thinking if you're going to go around calling this candle the boyfriend candle, you shouldn't be putting Chris Evans on them, you should put a picture of your boyfriend."

"Yeah?"

"So if this was you asking me to be your boyfriend, yes Riley, I will be your boyfriend."

Riley felt her smile hurt her cheeks it was so big, "So if your my boyfriend, what does that make me?"

"My girlfriend" He kissed her forehead.