Right Place, Right Time - Rhea Ripley

Chapter 3 - Im a Mess

A few weeks later...

Another day at the gym was over finally, the past few weeks had been crazy, and I couldn't help but smile at my own progress. I had managed to lose quite a bit of weight, and I was feeling stronger than ever before. As I was about to head home, I noticed that Demi had not been with the group for 20 minutes, she said she was going to the bathroom but she'd been gone for too long now. I decided to go check on her, thinking maybe she was just taking longer than usual or something.

I opened the door and spotted Demi pinning a girl to the wall, making out with her passionately. I was shocked and confused, not sure what to make of the situation. As I stood there watching, Demi noticed me and quickly broke away from the girl. She looked flustered but also had a wide smirk on her face. The other girl locked eyes with me, then back at Demi, rubbing her hands up and down Demi's chest,

"See you tonight." She winked and walked off past me.

Demi looked in the mirror, fixed her black lipstick, then turned to me. She took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling slowly. "You saw that." It was neither a question nor a statement, but a simple observation.

"Yep, not much though." I said, trying to play it cool, even though my heart was racing, I couldn't lie to myself, that girl was lucky as hell. I glanced over at Demi, wondering what she was going to say or do. She seemed to be thinking for a moment before she finally spoke.

"Sorry, I know you don't wanna see me like that. But I guess it's just a part of me I can't get out, she'd been staring at me all day so I just wanted to show her what she was missing out on. I can explain if you want, or we could just... move on. It's up to you." She shrugged, trying to act nonchalant, but her cheeks were still slightly red.

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say or do. On one hand, I didn't want to push her away or make her feel uncomfortable; on the other hand, this whole thing had caught me off guard. "It's... okay," I finally managed to say. "I mean, you're you, right? I just... wasn't expecting it, that's all."

Demi seemed to relax a little at my response. "Yeah, I get it. It's not something I usually... you know, do in public. But sometimes it just happens. You know?" She smiled at me, her eyes shining with understanding. "I appreciate your reaction. Not many people would be so cool about it."

I looked down, scratching the back of my neck, the anxiety creeping up my chest. "Just make sure you don't get caught by someone who won't be as understanding," I said, unable to meet her eyes. "You don't want to ruin your reputation or anything."

Demi frowned slightly, her expression softening. "I know what I'm doing," she said gently. "I can handle myself. I appreciate your concern, but I can take care of myself." She reached out and laid a hand on my shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Thanks for understanding, though. I really appreciate it."

Her touch sent a shiver down my spine, and I couldn't help but look up at her. Despite her confident words, there was a hint of vulnerability in her eyes that made me want to protect her. I couldn't deny the attraction I felt for her.

"You know.. sometimes I don't do it because I like the person. Don't get me wrong, she's pretty but fuck.. I haven't felt true love in a long time.. I guess I sleep with all these girls to try and feel something but I never do.." Demi sighed, her voice barely above a whisper. It took me a moment to realize she was talking about me. My heart skipped a beat as I processed her words.

"You don't have to sleep with them to feel something, you know," I finally managed to say, my voice shaky. "You could... Go for dates, have movie nights, go to concerts and enjoy their company without getting in their pants. You're amazing, Demi. You don't need to do that."