The Night We Met

Chapter 60

Riley's POV:

Since the whole Charles encounter hadn't gone the way we had planned and his house was two hours away from either one of our campus's, including James's apartment, it meant we were going to be staying at another hotel. Deborah had previously booked it as a backup and I'm so thankful that she did otherwise we probably would have had to sleep in the car tonight. 

As James drove, his muscles were tightened again. He was clearly tense but I didn't know what to do right now. He wasn't being his usual self with me. He was much angrier and I was afraid that if I was to speak and say something, it would only trigger him more. So instead we spend the entirety of the ten minute journey sat in a painful silence. 

All I want is to know what's going through James's head right now but he won't talk to me. I guess now I understand the feeling of your other half closing up and not wanting to communicate with you. It's not a very good feeling at all.

At the hotel, James and I brought the suitcases inside. I think we'll be spending two nights here but since we never stopped off at my campus, it meant I still had the two suitcases I had taken with me to Montreal, just like James. I'd put the suitcases down on the floor and arranged them in a certain order so that they wouldn't fall or topple over the top of each other, and after taking off my coat and shoes, I sighed to myself as I watched James through the mirror. Without saying anything, he headed over to the side before placing his hands on the desk to hold himself steady. He bowed his head, looking down and I watched as the muscles of his arms twitched every few seconds. He needed me. So I had to at least try to get through to him.

Biting my lip, I take a few steps closer to him but as he listens to my feet moving, he shakes his head, still not turning it around to look at me. "Don't come anywhere closer, Ri," he says, but I don't care. I take another two steps, only making him flinch again. "Riley, don't," he whispers. "If you come near me, I'll only end up hurting you."

"James . . .-"

"Riley, step away from me."

"But-"

"I said don't come near me!" he yells suddenly, slamming his hand down on the desk and turning around to face me. Biting my lip, I swallow and breathe in. I'd never seen him this angry before, especially not with me, but that's the thing. He's not angry with me. He'd never be angry with me.

As soon as his eyes connect with mine, he lifts his hand up from the desk and then his entire body begins to loose its weight slowly before he lowers himself onto the floor. He slides his back down the surface of the desk and then buries his head in his hands as he sits with his legs slightly apart but pulled up to his chest. I take a step forward and lower myself down to sit beside him. Breathing in, I try not to let myself cry as I watch his whole body shiver. It was like watching one of my panic attacks but this wasn't from panic. It was from anger.

Lightly, I lift up my hand and move it to hover above his knee before placing it down but as soon as I do so, James lifts his head up again. He nudges my hand off of him and then he stands up. "James, where are you going?" I call after him but he just shakes his head roughly and grabs his phone and the hotel key card from off the table.

"I can't be here with you right now," he says. "I'm only gonna hurt you." Before I can get another word in, he's heading out for the door before shutting it behind him, leaving me sat on the floor alone with the picture of his childhood self and Piper in my hand.

What happened to everything being perfect? Us being the perfect couple? How have things managed to change so drastically from this morning to now?

. . .

At eleven o'clock at night I was lying down in the double bed alone. James still wasn't back from wherever he had gone. He'd been out for five whole hours now and I hadn't heard a single peep. I'd called Piper on my phone to ask if she had heard from him but she said she hadn't. She even sent me Charles's number for me to call him and ask if he knew where James was but he had no idea either.

I couldn't sleep. Not like this. He's supposed to be here right now, in bed, laying down beside me. We should be cuddling, spooning each other, his arms wrapped around me from behind. But instead I'm worrying about where he is. He could be absolutely anywhere but the worst part is that he's ignoring me too. I'd called him multiple times and left tons of voice messages but he hadn't replied once and I don't understand why.

Sitting up in the bed with my legs tucked under the duvet covers, I read through my text messages to him again as tears fill my eyes.

R: James where are you?
R: Please just come back okay
R: We can work things out together, just you and me
R: I'm here for you no matter what
R: James answer me!
R: I'm really worried right now
R: You've been gone for 5 whole hours!!
R: James... I love you okay... I can't do this without you. I need you. I'll help you. Just come back to me.
R: James...

I stop when a tear drop lands onto my phone and so I quickly wipe it away before shutting my phone off. Quickly turning it back on again to check the time, my eyes water even more as I look at the photo of us . . . the precious photo of the two of us kissing. I thought this was the end of us three days ago but it wasn't. This is the second time it seems to be happening but please don't tell me it's the end of us this time around.

Not being able to bare it much longer, I call him on the phone again only for it to go straight back to voicemail.

James . . .
Where are you?