Chapter Text
After a long, sad, and crappy day at school, Riley got a ride home from best friend, Mac, so she didn’t have to walk home alone. Her boyfriend, Kalei, had told her that he was no longer happy being in a relationship with her and ended it at the start of school. She didn’t know what she did wrong, she thought she was doing everything perfectly but apparently not. Pulling the car to a stop in the driveway outside of Riley’s house, Mac removed the key from the ignition and looked over at his friend.
“Do you want me to come inside with you?” he asked, seeing her with her head against the window
Wiping her stray tear away, Riley nodded and snuffled, “Yes, please.” she said, looking at her friend
Mac nodded and gently squeezed her hand, “Okay.” he gave her a soft smile
Stepping out of the car, he walked around the front of it and opened the passenger side door to help Riley out and guide her inside. Hearing the front door close behind her, Riley dropped her bag off by the door and sat down on the couch with one of the throw pillows in her arms. Grabbing a water bottle from the fridge, Mac kneeled in front of his best friend and offered her the bottle, which she took with a sad smile. Sitting down next to her, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and felt her head lean against his shoulder.
Hearing her snuffle, Mac gently rubbed her shoulder, “Do you want to put something on?” he asked, softly
Nodding against his shoulder, Riley wiped another tear away, “The TV remote is over there.” she said, pointing towards the other end of the couch
“I’ll get it.” Mac chuckled
Grabbing the blanket off the back of the couch as well, he sat back down next to Riley and placed the blanket over himself and her. Feeling her cuddle up next to him, Mac smiled and turned the TV on before letting whatever was on their favorite channel play. Seeing that Supernatural was on, he smiled lightly and set the remote aside.
“Thank you for being my friend.” Riley said, cuddling up next to him
Pressing his lips into her hair, he smiled, “I’m always going to be your friend, Rile’s, now and forever.” he promised, rubbing her arm to show her comfort
Feeling a smile creep up on her lips, she focused on the show that was playing and continued to stay as close as possible to Mac. He was her lifeline, her partner in crime, her best friend, her anchor, he was there for her highs and lows, and she knew that without him, she would be a completely different person. After a couple of minutes of watching TV, Riley reached over Mac’s lap and hit mute on the remote which caught him by surprise.
“Are you okay?” he asked, wondering what was happening
Riley nodded and sat up, “Can I ask you something crazy?”
Mac raised his eyebrow, “Depends on what your idea of crazy is.” he said, with a slight smirk
She chuckled a little, “It’s a vow.” she confessed
“Okay... what kind of vow?”
“You can tell me to stop if you want, but here goes; if we’re not married or in a relationship by the time, we’re, let’s say, twenty-six, we get together and marry each other.” Riley explained
Mac chuckled, thinking she was joking, but she kept a calm, cool face, “You’re serious about this?” he asked, surprised
She nodded, “You’re my best friend and the only person who has never toyed with my feelings or broken my heart. It sounds crazy, I know, but you’re the only person I trust and you always make me feel safe and happy.”
Taken back by her kind words, he smiled, “What would that mean for us, we would just be married friends?”
“Yes, and it wouldn’t be a huge wedding, it would be a small, private event.” Riley explained
“Kind of like getting married in Vegas?” Mac asked, with a slight chuckle
They both chuckled, and she nodded, “Yeah, exactly like that, just without Elvis.”
Mac chuckled, “Is that what you really want?” he asked, her genuinely
Riley pressed her lips together and nodded, “Only if you feel comfortable with making this vow with me.”
Gently scratching the back of his head, he sighed and nodded, “Sure, why not.”
“Awesome, uh,” she looked around the living room and kitchen, “How do we want to do this?” she asked, wanting his opinion
Holding his hand out, Riley smiled seeing his pinky stick out, “Really?”
“Oh, yeah, you can’t break a pinky promise.” Mac smiled, wiggling his pinky
Shaking her head, a little, Riley wrapped her pinky with his causing them both to chuckle before Mac cleared his throat to speak, “For this vow, we promise that in the future if neither of us are dating or married, we’ll contact each other and marry each other. And no matter how awkward or weird it will be, we’ll be partners, but most importantly, friends.”
She smiled, “I couldn’t have said that better myself.” Riley said, moving her and Mac’s connected hands side to side
Mac chuckled and pulled her in for a hug, “Even if this vow of ours never happens, we’re always going to be best friends and if you ever need a shoulder to cry on, someone to talk too, or just someone to hug, my arms are always open.” he smiled, feeling her arms around his body
Riley looped her arms around his shoulders and closed her eyes as she smiled, “Thank you.”
“Wanna cuddle back up on the couch and watch some more Supernatural?”
She chuckled, “Absolutely.”
As they both got comfortable under the blanket, Riley got comfortable in Mac’s arms as they continued to watch their favorite show. Hearing his heartbeat through shirt and chest, she smiled and felt his hand gently rub her shoulder, the way he cuddled her always made her smile. Part of her wished the vow they created would actually happen in the future, but only time will tell.
After Mac and Riley finished school and went off to different colleges, they kept in contact and still made time to hang out on holidays or send cards to each other on their birthdays. Riley ended up meeting Aubrey, he was nice, funny, and treated her with respect, Mac thought his name was a little funny but Riley hit him back by calling him by his first name, Angus. During the second year at MIT, Mac was informed that his grandfather had sadly passed due to a heart attack and decided to drop out of school to arrange a funeral for him. Riley attended, with a few of their other friends and her boyfriend, including her mother and stepdad, funerals were always rough, especially when it’s for someone everyone loved and cared about. A few weeks after the funeral, Mac joined the army, he wanted to follow in his father and grandfather’s footsteps, but Riley expressed her worry for him, but he gave her his word that he’d come home. She was there to see him off, and it was the hardest thing she had to, watching her best friend leave, not knowing if he’d return.
While Mac was overseas, defusing IED’s and serving his country, Riley finished her last few years of college and graduated with a degree in cyber security and computer science. She was so excited to write about that in one of the many letters she sent to Mac. Her relationship with Aubrey started to get rocky after college and they ended their relationship after he decided to take a job all the way across the country. It hurt, having her heart broken again, but Mac was able to take a few hours off duty to face time her and comfort her. She missed him so much, she just wanted her friend back, the constant worry and fear of something bad happening always lingered in her head.
Getting herself an apartment and a well-paying job, Riley began her life, and spent time with her friends from college until Mac returned home, she didn’t know how long the wait was going to be.