Living the Dream

Five - Riley

After spending some time at the studio going through each dancer and fitting them into the right groups, I went back home where I found a car parked outside which must have been James's. I recognised every car here but that one silver car wasn't one I'd seen before and it was parked right outside my window.

I enter the foyer and smile at the doorman, Graham, who had a bunch of mail in his hands. He smiles at me with a grin. "Ah, miss Riley, you seem to be a hard one to catch during the day," he says with a chuckle as I take the mail from him.

"You know me, always busy working," I laugh back lightly.

I scroll through each envelope, reading the headings of each one. One was about a bill, one to do with finances with the studio, a pay cheque, and one letter from Dad. I sigh, biting my lip.

"Everything okay? Is there a problem?" Graham asks me.

I look up at him, realising he was still around and then I force a smile, shaking my head. "No, not at all. Thank you."

He nods his head at me and I walk towards the elevator. Pressing the button, the doors open and I step inside to go up to the fourth floor.

I don't know why Dad had sent me a letter, but I'll deal with that later. My relationship with him had been rocky ever since he left when I was thirteen years old. We used to have the strongest of bonds but our relationship hasn't been the same ever since.

Once the doors open again, I walk out over to my room and unlock the door to be met with the sound of music and the tv playing which makes me frown. I shut the door behind me and look around.

Piper had thrown herself down on the couch, watching some tv series, but I had no idea where James was. "Pipes, hey," I say to her, a little stunned.

I hardly ever had the tv on nowadays and I never listened to such loud music either. All the windows were open so there was a cold breeze, and their belongings were thrown all over the place.

I heave in a deep breath, trying to keep myself calm. I knew inviting them over would have its consequences but I didn't think it would be this chaotic.

"Where's your brother?" I ask her, trying to keep my cool and not tell her off for munching on popcorn over the new lilac purple couch I had just bought.

"He went to take a shower," she tells me. "He shouldn't be long." No wonder he was playing his music at top volume.

I walk into my bedroom and sit myself down on the edge of the bed, throwing the letters down above the duvet. I don't bother doing anything else before unsealing my father's letter only to take out an invitation. When I read over it, I'm met with an overwhelming feeling of betrayal.

You are cordially invited to Darren and Lisa's wedding!
Save the date: 21st July
PS: I would love for you to be a bridesmaid on the day Roo, along with your sister Emmy, let me know asap,
Dad x

I shake my head to myself but just when I was about to reach for my phone in my bag, I stop myself when the shower turns off and the door to the en suite bathroom opens, allowing James to walk through to my room with only a towel wrapped around his lower waist.

"Whoa! What do you think you're doing?" I ask him, standing back up again.

He blinks, taking in my presence. "Ri- you're home."

"Yes, I'm home. And I don't appreciate you using my shower without my permission! I told you to come over here out of good deed, that's not me telling you to play music at top volume or to help yourself to my bathroom en suite or to watch the tv at such a loud noise or eat popcorn on my new couch-"

"Ri, I'm sorry, I just..."

"No, James! I've got enough on my plate, I don't need to deal with you too."

I look at him for a lot longer than I had been before and then I take in the look on his face before sighing frustratedly. I sit back down on my bed and fall backwards onto my spine, clasping my hands together over my stomach as I thought silently to myself.

"We don't have to stay here if you don't want us to," James says quietly.

I breathe back out again, steadying my breaths. "Can you please just put some clothes on. I need to think," I say to him.

"Yeah, of course," he says softly before grabbing the same clothes he had been wearing before. He picks them up from where they had been thrown on my bedroom floor and I wait for him to go back into the bathroom before sitting myself up again.

I glance at the invite then turn it upside down and slide it under my pillow.

Rummaging through my bag, I dig out my purse and check how much money I had left, only to find I still had a couple of notes left. I wait a couple of minutes before knocking on the bathroom door again, having taken a moment or two to gather myself together.

"You can't go around wearing the same clothes, James," I tell him gently. "I'll go with you to the mall quickly. I'll buy you a few shirts or something," I tell him.

After a moment, he opens the door again, having changed into his t-shirt and joggers. He smiles at me a little. "Are you sure?" he asks. "I don't want to be a burden to you."

"You're not a burden. You haven't done anything wrong, I'm just stressed, that's all."

He steps out of the bathroom and shuts the door behind him. "Let's go for a walk to go and destress you then," he grins, taking my hand into his to give it a light squeeze. I roll my eyes at him but smile a little as he heads out of my room and I follow after him.

Piper was sat on the couch still but she had reduced the volume of the tv and set the popcorn aside. She was now cuddled up with Harper on the couch and when she sees me she offers me a small smile. She must have heard me shouting.

"It's okay, Pipes," I tell her. "Feel free to do what you like. James and I are popping out for a bit, we won't be long okay?" I tell her.

She nods her head as she strokes her hand over Harper's soft grey fur and then I unlock the door to let James and I out.

I just need to be patient. Letting two people into my home isn't going to be easy but I'll get used to it...

Right?