The Night We Met

Chapter 28

James's POV:

It was getting dark now being seven in the evening. Ri and I remained sat on the rocks by the pond, our feet dipped in the water as we sat beside each other. Riley had my jacket draped over her shoulders and she rested her head on my shoulder as I had my arm wrapped around her body.

After walking along the water she had changed clothes into a loose dress as I had texted her to bring spare clothes along with her before she got here. Her hair was let out and now went down past her shoulders. I knew for a fact she chose to get this new look for the good of herself and I'm one hundred percent proud of her. Slowly, she's coming out of her shell and it seems the more time I spend with her, the more she's forgetting about Aiden, just as she should.

"I can't remember the last time I spoke to my sister, you know," she whispers quietly to me. I look down at her but she remains in her position, eyes focused on the glistening water. I move closer to her so that my thigh is pressed against hers and then I move my spare hand to her knee to let her know I was listening. "It's the same for my parents."

"What happened?" I ask her gently, squeezing her knee a little. She sighs and shakes her head, biting her lip.

"Life," she mumbles. "My life. Their life. Aiden's life."

"Riley," I sigh, resting my head against hers. She rotates her head to finally look at me and as she does, she blinks, allowing a single tear to drop, making my heart break for her.

"My relationship with Aiden ruined everything, James. My parents knew Aiden was a bad influence, Em was the first person to tell me to end it with him but I didn't. I ignored them and ran away from home along with Aiden. My parents live about an hour away from campus and after leaving them, Aiden found a way to persuade me to never speak to them again. He told me that they didn't love me. He said that they didn't know what's best for me but he did. God, I can't believe how naïve I was to have believed him," she whispers.

"It's not your fault, Ri. He used you. He manipulated you and made you believe things you shouldn't have. But you can't blame yourself for it-"

"Why not?" she cuts me off, scoffing and then sighing. "I'm the one who controls my brain. I control my thoughts and opinions and I chose to believe Aiden over everyone. Even the girls -Thalia, Michelle and Giselle- they warned me about him. They asked me if I was okay and sometimes they would tell me that I'd spent too much time with Aiden so I should take a break but I never listened. I was so fucking stubborn. I almost gave in to eloping with him for Christ's sake," she curses, making me exhale and hold her closer to me.

"You can't blame yourself, Riley. You weren't stubborn, okay. You thought you loved him. Maybe you did. But the thing is that he didn't love you. He told you he did but he didn't," I tell her softly.

As soon as the words leave my lips, she buries her head into my neck and very shortly do I feel her tears dampening my skin. I place my hand on her back and draw circles over her spine while I listen to her cries, her whimpers and her sobs. All I want is for her to be happy. A girl as beautiful, kind-hearted and sweet as her deserves nothing but true happiness. Sure, I need to open myself up to the past and take in everything that's happened with my family but what Ri needs to do is let go of her past. She needs to find the light and rearrange her life.

"The last thing I ever told my mom was that I hated her," she whispers into my ear. "It was the biggest lie I've ever spoken. I don't hate her at all. I love her so much to the point where I regret everything I ever said or did to disappoint her. The person I really do hate is Aiden."

"Riley, I need to tell you something, okay. And I need you to listen to every word," I tell her. She moves her head from my neck, looks into my eyes and I watch as she swallows. Taking a hold of both of her hands, I look directly at her and bite my lip before saying what's been on my mind for a while now - something I've been meaning to say since the first time I found out about Aiden's antics. "I know Aiden was a huge part of your life," I say. "I know you loved him. You may hate him now but I know you did and you can't deny it. But what I need to say to you now is . . ." I pause and lick my lip, looking down at our linked hands.

"Is what?" she responds quietly, giving my hand a light squeeze. "What do you need to tell me?"

"If he doesn't love you . . . the way I do," I whisper to her, making her eyes widen slightly. Her grip loosens on my hands but I hold hers tighter and repeat my words. "If he doesn't love you the way I love you, then he's not the one who will make you happy."

"You . . ." she mumbles, slowly nodding her head as she takes a large swallow once again. "You love me?" she asks. I nod my head and bring her hands to my lips as I kiss it.

"I love you, Riley," I tell her. "Do . . . you love me?"

"I don't even know what love is," she laughs lightly, to get her mind off everything but I shake my head.

"I can't tell you what love is, Ri. But I can tell you that it's not about lying to your other half. It's not about forcing the person you're supposed to care about the most to get misogynistic tattoos stitched to their skin for life or pushing them into having sex. It's not about tearing them away from their family for the dominance of one's self. It's not keeping your partner away from their friends or harnessing them to their lover's body. It's everything but brainwashing them into thinking things they shouldn't. Aiden did all of those things and he does not love you," I whisper, leaning my head against hers as she starts crying once again. She lets go of my hands and grips my t-shirt, pulling me that much closer to her as she listens to my every word. "We all have our own perspective on love but I want you to know that you and I are the definition of love in my world. I love you, sweetheart, and I would never want you to go back to the guy who hurt you the most."

"James," she murmurs, causing me to pull back and look at her. She looks at me with her tear-stained eyes and then sighs. "I don't know what love is, but I do know for a fact that I'm in love with you."

"That'll do for now," I tell her, giving her a short peck on the lips. "And when you're ready to say it, I'll be listening. But I do love you, Riley. And I'm not pulling an Aiden on you."

She smiles at me softly and then pulls me by the shirt again to give me a slow, passionate kiss on the lips. Every time I think of breaking away, she only pulls me in again, the same way she's letting me into her life, allowing me to break through her walls and see through her smiles. She's letting me view her vulnerability and that shows that she cares about me. Love is still a strong word for her but so long as she knows that my love for her is real, that's all that matters.