Riley Cassidy is 23 years old, a business graduate and aspiring dancer. After spending four years in business school, her newest inspiration is to start a dance school of her own, combining her love for the art and children into one.
In the midst o...
"I'll see you two later," I say to Jake and Avery after we had spent the day together. They had walked me to Ri's apartment since I still wasn't exactly too familiar with my surroundings but they were heading to theirs now too.
I didn't realise they had been best friends for practically all their lives. I only just found out today. No wonder they seemed so close after just two days since the auditions.
I entered the apartment and smiled at the doorman who had grown slightly familiar with me over the last few days. At first, he had questioned me because he could tell I didn't live there but after telling him I was staying with Riley for a while he seemed to soften and appeal to me.
"Afternoon miss Piper," he says softly with a light chuckle which causes me to laugh gently.
"Good afternoon, Graham," I respond. "Is Riley home yet?"
"I haven't seen Miss Cassidy yet, no. But I saw your brother come in earlier," he replies formally with a smile. I nod my head and then he passes me a lolly from behind the counter. I take it from him and thank him before heading into the lift to make my way up.
When I entered the room after opening the door, I wasn't met with the usual amount of noise. There was no music playing and the tv was turned off. James didn't seem to be anywhere either.
"James?" I call out. "Where are you?"
He doesn't respond so I continue making my way around.
The one room I hadn't entered yet was Riley's so I wedge the door open and peer inside to find James sat on her bed with a photo album in his hand along with a bunch of photo frames scattered over the bed.
He tilts his head sideways to face me and he smiles his guilty smile. I tut my teeth, crossing my arms over my chest. "Are you seriously snooping through Riley's things right now?" I snap at him.
Riley was doing us both a favour by allowing us to stay here. We shouldn't be disrespectful by snooping through her things.
"Look, Pipes," he says softly, turning the photo album around to face me. "It's full of pictures of me and her back when we were together."
I bite my lip, moving over to sit beside him on the bed so I could take a look for myself. The last thing I wanted to do was invade Riley's privacy but something in James's tone made me feel quite sad for him.
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"I can't believe she kept them all," I whisper as I looked over them.
James smiles at each photo before coming across one of the two of them together. He stroked his thumb over Riley's cheek and stares at her smile. They were so adorable when they were together and I remember wanting to have a relationship just like theirs when I was older. But that was before things got complicated between them.
"I remember that day," he says, pointing at one specific photo. "I brought her home for the very first time and she started paying a lot more attention to you and Alyssa than she did with me," he chuckles. "But the two of you wore her out so much that when we went to my room to watch a movie she fell asleep in an instant so I switched the tele off and we spent the rest of the evening cuddling while I sweet-talked her to sleep."
James was never as smitten with anyone else than he was with Riley. He's the softest person when he's with her and it's clear how much of an effect their breakup had on him. I didn't think it would have affected him this badly but it did.
He lost track of everything and it led to him cutting his own family off while he's been living in his car. Ever since the two of them parted ways, he's never been the same. I should hate him for leaving but I don't have it in me to ever dislike him that much.
"You loved her, huh?" I whisper, looking at him as he glanced over their faces from when they were younger, some pictures from almost eight years ago.
"Of course I did," he whispers back before lifting his head up to face me. "I don't think I've ever stopped."
Just in that moment, the bedroom door swings open all of a sudden, causing both James and I to jolt upright before turning to face Riley. She looked slightly stunned herself as she takes in the view of all the photos spread out everywhere.
"What are you doing?" she asks. "Where did you get all those albums from?"
"Ri," James whispers, about to try and back himself up but I could see why Riley wouldn't be happy about this. I knew we shouldn't have snooped.
"Why are you going through my things, James? I never even gave you permission to enter my room." She snatches the photo album book out of my brother's hands and closes it shut, causing James to sigh.
"I was just looking," he mumbles.
"If I wanted you to look I would have said you could," she responds bitterly. "I don't know if I gave you the wrong idea but I really hope I didn't. I don't have time for small moments of nostalgia. I just got back from the board and there are so many things I need to deal with. I need to edit and go over my plans for the studio asap so I'm going to head to the office. I just thought I would pass by quickly to see how you both were but I guess that was a mistake."
I look down as James shakes his head. Riley's eyes fall onto one of the pictures in the photo frames and then she bites her lip before taking hold of it.
It was a photo I had taken a couple of years back where James had stood behind Riley with his arms wrapped around her waist while she cooked one of Mom's pasta recipes.
She shakes her head as she looked over it and then she glances back up at us. "Just don't touch anymore of my things please," she mumbles before turning around to make her way out. She closes the door behind her, leaving James and I sat down together on the bed.
"I'm sorry, I didn't think she would react that way," I say to him but he shakes his head at me.
"She heard me," he whispers. "She heard me say I never stopped loving her so she freaked out." He moves his head to look up at me properly and then he sighs before getting up too to head into the bathroom en-suite as I bite my lip, thinking silently to myself.
There has to be a way they'll go back to each other eventually. I know they still care about one another, it's just about making them realise it.
