MOMENTS ( rucas )

xxiv. misguided assumptions.

a/n: i'm finally updating???? this is actually happening??? sounds fake, but it's real!!! it's been over 2 months since i updated this book and i sincerely apologize for this and hope that you all forgive me for my negligence of this book, and my account in general. hopefully i'll get back on track soon, i unpublished a lot of my books that i wasn't passionate about so hopefully that will jump start my motivation.

ANYWAYS, this is actually something i wrote last november for my tumblr account that i totally forgot to cross publish here so it's not a new fic, but i still really love it and am proud of it, so i hope you enjoy it! ily all.

...

When there was a knock on Josh's door at almost 10pm on a random Tuesday, truly the last person he expected to be on the other side was his niece. But low and behold, as he opened the door, sleep burning in the back of his eyes after his 12 hour shift, he was shocked to see Riley, wet to the bone due to the rain outside, tears brimming in her eyes and her cheeks flush from the chill. Wordlessly, he ushered her into the apartment, immediately flipping up the thermostat in an effort to get her warm.

Riley didn't say anything, she merely sat down on his couch, curling herself up into a little ball, resting her chin on her knees and looking at him with wide eyes. Josh what a loss of what to do, he had no idea what she was doing here, or what was wrong, and she didn't seem to be offering up any kind of explanation. So, instead, he ushered around her, grabbing an old pair of his sweatpants and a NYU shirt for her to change into her, and heating up some water for two cups of tea. He momentarily worried that something was wrong with either her parents or Auggie, but he knew that even then, she would tell him rather than just sit in silence.

Once she was changed, muttering a small 'thank you' to him as she moved to the bathroom, and had wrapped herself up in a blanket, he brought the cup of tea to her and sat down next to her on the couch. She didn't say anything at first, just staring at the cup as if it would suddenly give her answers.

"I think Lucas is cheating on me." The words were soft and broken and they caused Josh to freeze in place. That was far from the words he had expected to come out of her mouth. Setting his mug down on the table he turned to look at her and he could see her bottom lip wobbling and her eyes were squeezed shut to try and keep herself from crying.

"Oh, Riley..." He whispered, bringing her into his arms, rubbing his hands up and down her back as a sob escaped her. He could tell how much this was destroying his niece, but her use of the word think had him slightly hesitant. "Why do you think that?" He asked softly, not wanting to further upset, but rather help her work through it.

"He's just been acting really secretive lately, like he'll leave and not really tell me where he's going, or he'll just tell me he's hanging out with Farkle and Zay, which is fine, but three nights in row. He's hiding something I know he is, I caught him looking at something in our room the other night and when I came in he dropped it and acted like he wasn't doing anything." She sniffled and buried her face into his shirt, a small sob escaping her lips.

Josh was a little in shock, and was unsure exactly how to handle the situation. On one hand, he wanted to fully support Riley, and he knew exactly where she was coming from. But, on the other, what she was saying didn't really match up with what she was thinking. Josh knew Lucas, and knew just how much Lucas loved Riley and the idea of him cheating on her? Was pretty unheard of in Josh's mind.

Of course, he had no idea what went on between them when he wasn't there, and honestly he did his best to avoid thinking about it at all costs, because, gross, so obviously maybe there was something there that he didn't see. But honestly? From his perspective, Riley and Lucas were the most solid couple he knew, and them breaking up or not being together felt wrong.