The Night We Met

Chapter 35

James's POV:

After washing the plates once Riley and I had finished eating the pasta I had cooked back at the apartment, I joined her on the bed where she remained sat in a tank top and shorts, her hair thrown in a high ponytail. Shuffling up, she allows me to sit down beside her and stretch my legs before she decides to move her head and rest it above my thighs, bringing me to lightly stroke her brown locks. 

We hadn't spoken about the panic attack she had earlier today but I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. She'll talk to me when she's ready. The bigger worry at hand is the fact that I'll be leaving her next week and I don't feel at all too comfortable about leaving her here on her own with Aiden around the corner from her.

"Oh, I almost forgot," she mumbles before sitting up and grabbing her phone off the bedside drawer. She goes onto it and then smiles at me, crawling back over and bringing her face up close to mine. When I look at the phone screen which she held in front of us, I notice it was on her camera. "I want to make it my home and lock screen," she tells me, so as she's looking away, I take the phone from her and hold it myself.

"Well, since I'm taller, it might be better if I take it then, won't it?" I tease. She rolls her eyes at me but chuckles, so then as I keep my legs stretched out on the bed in front of me, I pull her down onto my lap. As she smiles in the direction of the camera cutely, I nuzzle my head against her shoulder into her neck and take a couple of photos in that position. After a few, I then choose to start kissing her cheek instead. At first, it takes her by surprise, only making her look more adorable, then eventually, she rotates her head around so that her lips met mine and we kiss as I take a few pictures.

Once we pull away, she smirks at me.

"If you wanna take a cute picture, that's how it's done, James," she says, pecking my lips once again before rolling off of my body and then laying down by my side.

Handing her phone back to her, she scrolls through the pictures and smiles at them, making me smile too, until the smile on her face falters into a frown. I watch her carefully, unsure of whether it was safe to question her. Moving my hand to her arm, I stroke it softly, getting her to look up at me as she bites her lip. I move my head closer to try and see what was on the screen and though she pulls away from me a little, my gesture was quick enough to capture a glimpse of her and Aiden in a photograph.

"Are you okay?" I ask her softly, the picture of Riley on Aiden's back with her arms flung across his neck now instilled in my mind. She sits up and sits with her back against the wall as she pulls her knees up to her chest. I copy her, sitting beside her before she moves her head to rest by my shoulder.

"What do you mean by 'okay'?" she whispers. I sigh and rest my head on top of hers, shortly making her move closer as she wraps her arms completely around my torso. "I'm going to miss you so much," she tells me. 

"I'll miss you too," I say, mumbling over the top of her hair. "It'll only be two weeks. By the time I come back, you won't even realize I was ever gone."

"If that's so then why do I feel so scared?" she asks, closing her eyes as I feel her grip tightening all the more around me. "What if he hurts me?" she says and I immediately know who she was referring to. "What if he doesn't leave me alone and you're not here to stop it?"

"If that happens then I'm only a phone call away. I'll get the next flight back in a heartbeat if he does something to you but I can promise you that he won't. If he wants to hold at least the smallest bit of dignity then I doubt he'll think about touching you. You're too precious, Riley," I tell her. After kissing her cheek a number of times, she slowly lifts her head up to stop me and then moves her hand to my cheek.

"You promise I won't get hurt when you're gone? Because that's a big promise to make, James."

I bite my lip and place my hand on top of hers on the side of my face, warming up her cold knuckles. "I can't promise that. I don't know what goes through Aiden's head. But I can promise you that you're the bravest girl I know and if anything was to happen to you and you let me know I would drop anything and everything for you to be in my arms once again. And I'm not bluffing."

"I love you," she whispers, removing her hand and moving forward to fling her arms around my neck and hug me with our bodies merged together. I hug her back, wrapping my arms around her lower body and tightening my grip around her, not wanting to let her go. "It's strange, isn't it? You know what love is," she mumbles, sniffling slightly. "I still don't even know what the word means."

"Riley, you know what love is," I tell her, moving back and holding her hands.
"I don't, James."
"You do. When you're upset, who's the first person you turn to?"
"You . . ." she whispers.
"When you need a hug, who do you ask?"
"You . . ."
"When you feel the need to cry and rant or let your anger out, who lets you do that?"
"You." 

I smile at her softly, nodding before continuing.
"And when I get angry, who calms me down?"
"I do. . ." she whispers.
"Who do I plan on seeing at least every other day?"
"Me . . ."
"Who's in the photo you're going to make your home and lock screen wallpapers?"
"Us."

"Exactly," I say, giving her hands a gentle squeeze. "It's us. And all of those things I've just mentioned is what love is, Ri. So look at me and say what you told me in the beginning again."

"I love you?" she says, though as more of a question. I raise an eyebrow at her so she chuckles a little before shaking her head, brushing loose strands of hair out of the way of her face before she says it again. "I love you."

"Do you?"

"Yes."

"And do I love you?" I ask her. It confuses her a little bit as I watch her face contort but after the two of us let out a little shared laugh, she nods.

"Yes. You love me."

"And do you love yourself?" I ask, making her pause.

"I . . . I don't know about that just yet," she answers honestly. I nod my head and then attentively pull her onto my lap so she was sat sideways. I place my index finger under her chin and raise it for our eyes to draw together.

"That's my mission then. If I can't get you to love yourself by the end of the semester then I've officially failed," I say, making her roll her eyes but laugh nonetheless. 

"And if you are able to?" she questions, making me smile.

"Then you've won my heart," I answer, kissing her cheek so that she then rests her head against my upper torso straight afterwards.

"It's a shame you've already won mine then," she whispers, fluttering her eyes shut, making my heart melt. 

I've never felt this way before, not even with Madelyn. That's how I know Riley's special. Taking her home from the club bar that night three and a half months ago was quite possibly the best decision I've ever made. It was a decision I will never be able to regret.

"Are you going to cuddle me back or what?" she asks quietly, causing me to chuckle as I wrap my arms around her.

"Better?"

"Much."