Riley Carter's always been a studious person, studying at one of the best universities in the area with great friends to match. She's popular and gets some of the highest grades in her exams, but when her bad-boy boyfriend cheats on her, she finds h...
Mr. T had booked us guys a hotel last minute but it was two rooms - one for Luke and John to share and another for Theo and I with one double bed and two single beds in each. Currently, the guys were downstairs at the restaurant for dinner whereas I was alone, scrolling through Instagram to have a look at what Riley had been up to. When I find her account, I click onto her most recent post and smile at it. She looked beautiful.
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@Riley..Carter: Saturday night out with these lot! Hasn't happened in a while but thanks to this bitch she's managed to convince me @Michelle_Lewis 🤞🏽😉@Thaliaaa
Clicking off the picture and going onto our DMs, I smile as I text her. I hadn't texted her all day and I hadn't had the chance to call her yesterday. I'm just hoping she's not mad at me because of it and I also sure do hope she's doing okay. She seems to be fine by looking at her post, but Ri's a lot more versatile and complicated than a picture. If she's feeling upset or down or anxious, she won't indicate it unless you push her. That's something I've learnt in the almost five months we've been together.
J: Hey sweetheart, I know we haven't spoken in a bit. Just checking in with you to make sure things are okay? The band's doing great, we've got an interactive with a set of kids, teaching them songs and how to play instruments all day tomorrow, it should be fun! I saw your post, you're looking as gorgeous as ever😘💞
It takes a couple of minutes before she responds but when she does, I read it and reply straight away.
R: Hey❤ I'm okay, Michelle's trying to take my mind off my studies. She wants me to have a bit of fun😂 That sounds great, James. I'm sure the kids will have great fun with you tomorrow. You need to send me pics though!
J: That sounds like Michelle! What are you doing now? Can you call?
R: I'm actually about to leave to go to the party. Michelle's begging me to get off my phone lol
J: Ahh okay. I hope you have fun! Just one question though?
R: Go on...
J: The boy in the photo - the one with his arm around you. Should I be worried?
R: Nooo. That's Oliver, he's not even into girls! You've got nothing to worry about😂😂
J: Okay good!
R: He's laughing at you right now😂
J: Just protecting my princess, nothing wrong with that! I'll talk to you later though. Call me when you get in, yeah? Love you x
R: You too (you're adorable) x
I chuckle at the same time as there's a knock on the door. "It's John. Theo gave me your key card," he says. I tell him to come in and so he does and when he sees me, he smiles a little before closing the door shut behind him. Once he enters, he makes his way over to the single bed I was sat on and takes one quick glance down at my phone where I had gone back onto Ri's profile and his smile grows wider. "You miss her, hm?" he asks and I nod my head.
"I'm due to sing the song I wrote about her soon. But every time I rehearse it, I choke. It feels wrong singing it to the public before singing it to her but the schedule's already gone out . . . She's gone to a party tonight," I say, smiling to myself. "She was so anxious about me leaving her."
"Anxious?" he asks and I nod my head.
"She's . . . got anxiety. I could tell the day I met her. It's funny . . . somehow it makes me love her even more. When she worries, fidgets, bites her lip or nails. She's not the average girl and I care about her more than I've ever cared about anyone. I love her," I whisper at the end. He smiles at that and nods his head. "The one thing I do wish she would do more often though, is talk to me. Tell me the truth about how she's feeling. If she wants me with her, or if she wants me to go and be on that stage performing," I continue. "Do you think I made the right choice?" I ask, turning my head around to face him. "Do you think it was right to come here? Be away from her when she's suffering?"
"She's suffering?" he asks as I nod my head. "What from?"
"I can't say that but . . . let's just say it was something terrible. And if she was on her own for too long, it would risk her getting hurt. Keeping all that in mind, do you think I should have come or should I have stayed with her? The last time she called me she seemed broken. She was crying and everything."
"I can't tell you whether or not you should have stayed, James," he sighs. "But I can tell you that if you feel like you're being the best boyfriend you can be for her at the moment, then you most likely made the right decision. But if you feel like there's something wrong or something's not right, then maybe you shouldn't have come. The only person who can answer your question is you - Riley too. Do you think she's okay right now, James?" he asks me and I pause.
I had no idea.
. . .
Riley's POV:
"Drink," Michelle says as we're sat in the same club bar we were sat in the night Aiden and I broke up. I look at her, then at the glass then back at her. I hadn't drunk alcohol since that night. The night I met James and my life spiralled out of control in the best kind of way. Michelle was already on the verge of being drunk herself. "Riley, drink," she instructs again. "We need to pull you out of this bubble you've got yourself stuck in. So drink."
I take one look at the glass before picking it up and bringing it to my lips. However, as soon as the scent of Vodka reaches my nose, I wrinkle my nostrils and shake my head, putting the glass back down again.
"Michelle, I can't," I mumble. "Not yet."
"Not even a little bit?" she tries to persuade me but I shake my head again. "Alright, suit yourself," she sings before taking a large gulp from the shot she had just swallowed and then she drags me by the hand and pulls me onto the dance floor, causing me to laugh in the attempts of taming her.
