1 | MESSAGE SENT ( rucas )

XXVII. TEXAS PART ONE.

RILEY COULDN'T WIPE the smile off of her face as she sat in the passenger seat of Lucas' pickup truck and she didn't want to. No words could properly describe the overwhelming sense of happiness that she felt in this very moment, she wanted to bottle this feeling up and carry it with her for the rest of her days. She couldn't seem to stop looking at him, the flutter in her heart getting stronger and stronger with each passing second. He was even more handsome in person, photos definitely did not do him justice, and as they continued to travel down the Texas highway, she had to pinch herself to make sure that she wasn't dreaming.

All of this just seemed way too good to be real.

A couple months ago she never would have imagined that she would be here, a couple months ago her and Lucas were just internet friends and he had no idea who she actually was. Now, she was in Texas and he was her boyfriend. It was surreal and honestly, if it hadn't happened to her, she would claim that stuff like this only happened in the movies she acted in. But, she couldn't be happier that by some twist of fate, this is how her life had ended up and she really wouldn't have changed any of it.

"Is it everything you imagined it would be?" He asked, tearing his eyes away from the road for a second to look at her. If he was nervous around her, he certainly wasn't showing it. He had an easy smile on his face and his tone was calm and level.

"Truthfully, I had never really imagined it at all. Overall though, any expectations that I had have been thoroughly surpassed." She gave him a smile, giggling when his own smile only grew. "And it's only been an hour, so I'm sure if this first hour in any indication, this is going to be a wonderful adventure."

A comfortable silence fell over them after the words left her mouth, and it amazed her that their silence didn't feel awkward, especially considering it was the first time they had been face to face in person. She had feared that things would be weird and uncomfortable between them and she had even fears that perhaps meeting face to face would make their relationship fall apart, but it was quite the opposite.

They came together like they were reuniting after a time apart, rather than meeting for the very first time.

They continued on the open Texas highway for about another twenty minutes before Lucas began to slow down and turn onto a side road. The sheer amount of open space that existed in Texas amazed her, and she felt a tinge of excitement for later in the evening when she would be able to see all the stars.

It didn't take long until they were pulling into a small, but comfortable looking, house that had what looked like miles and miles of open field behind it. She felt her jaw almost drop open, which caused Lucas to chuckle softly next to her.

"It's not much..." She turned her attention to him and he nervously rubbed the back of his neck and she couldn't help but be embarrassed. She felt guilty for some reason, but she quickly shook her head and swallowed the weird feeling bubbling in her stomach.

"No, it looks great. It looks very homey." She said with a grin, and she meant it. It had been so long since she had been in a real home. Sure, Maya's family's apartment felt like home, but there was still something, foreign about it, whereas Lucas' house looked so lived in that she felt like she would have felt at home even if she was a complete stranger.

"Well, it's been home enough for the last seventeen years." He shrugged, giving her a small grin. He exited the car and she took a moment to breath as he moved around the car to open her door. For the first time since she had landed, she was nervous. She hadn't been nervous when she had seen Lucas across the terminal, she hadn't felt nervous sitting in a car with him for as long as she had, but now, that they were at his house, she was nervous. "You alright?" He asked when he opened the door and caught the look on her face.