Losing My Life

Chapter 11

It made her nervous, with only two days left before he leaves and Rory had not come close to talk about it. Ryleigh gave him the space and hoped they could move forward. She has never pushed but done enough for her to believe; he is nearly seeing sense of it. While there is silence between them, the love is still there, and she knows he still loves her.

Rory spends long hours at the studio rehearsing to take his mind off the baby, but he is overwhelmed by how patient Ryleigh has been. He couldn't kid himself that he loves her and always will. She waits for him at home and will welcome him with a peck on the cheek, and he'd also respond with a kiss.

They share a few words before Rory disappears into a small space where the piano is and starts to play and If he is not in the mood, he would sit on the couch and flick through the T.V. When he does, Ryleigh takes the opportunity to laze next to him and cuddle. He never rejects, as the soft warmth and the comfort of her body relieves him of the tension from the over-working hours he put upon himself. At night, she tries to seduce him, but some nights, it's not right for the both of them.

Her plan hasn't worked out, and she's running out of time. She looks at the kitchen calendar, showing a night shot of L.A., and next to it, his car keys hanging on the hook. Ryleigh recalls a place that they once loved, and she thought of one more thing that she could try—seeing Rory relaxed on the couch, drowning his head in dull films, a clatter of keys lands in his lap.

'Let's go for a drive.' She says, crossing her arms.

In the car, there was silence. The only thing she mentions is to go to the place where he took her with a spectacular view. Rory didn't need to question because he knew where she was talking about, but he was afraid to ask why?

Driving up the windy dirt road, reaching the top of the city with an open view and all the lights are bright enough to pinpoint every skyline the city holds. It still takes her breath away.

Ryleigh gets out of the car and sits on the hood, like she did when they were here before. This is where Rory snuck out with her during the show one night, and it holds many memories for them. He watches her sit comfortably, staring at the view happily, and with that, he joins and sits next to her. It baffles him sometimes that this is a great scene to capture, as this is home, and it never felt anything to him until he met Ryleigh.

He scans her face and notices how delighted it still brings happiness for her like the first time. She could see him watching her, and she figured it might be an opportunity.

'I've come to terms with this,' she looks down at her belly and rubs it, 'and I was wondering if you are too.'

'I don't know if I can...' he tilts his head down to look at his hands. '...I won't be here.'

Ryleigh jumps off the car and turns to him. 'Come here', she reaches out her hand, and he grabs it, pulling him off the car and takes a couple of steps forward to take in the cityscape. 'Remember the first time when we were here?'

'Yes, this is the first time we said how we felt about each other.' His mind flashes back to him, passionately kissing her as she sat on the hood.