BEYOND THE LIGHTS «j.p.»

no one wants you anywhere

Los Angeles, 2017

"I see you," Aiden says, his hand clutching on to Rio's arm tightly, the wind whipping around them.

Rio looks down, his feet dangle stories above the ground, and below there are hundreds of people gathered below with their phone cameras pointed straight at him.

Rio turns his head to look back up at Aiden, a desperate look in his eyes. It makes Rio's chest hurt.

Daphne appears next to Aiden, looking down at Rio coldly.

"I told you." She says, but her voice sounds different, demonic. "You'll never be together. You two can never work."

"Yes we can." Rio says, but his voice gets lost and carried away in the wind. He tries to speak again, but this time no sound comes out.

"Just let him go, Aiden." Daphne says. "Do us all a favor. Do yourself a favor for sure. You'll never be great if you've got him dragging you down with him. Trust me."

Aiden looks down at Rio, and he can see his face change, the desperation turns to a look of nonchalance, like he doesn't care about Rio at all.

That makes Rio's chest hurt even more.

"Goodbye, Rio." Aiden says.

Rio tried to scream, beg for Aiden to never let him go, but he does, Aiden's death grip on his arm loosening until he's not holding him anymore.

Then, Rio is falling to the ground, it's the longest fall of his life as he tries to scream but there's still no sound.

On the balcony, Aiden and Daphne watch him with a smirk, and then together they turn and walk away.

Rio's eyes pop open immediately after tossing and turning from the bad dream. He reaches over next to me, and feels the space empty and cold. Aiden is gone.

He sits up, rubbing his eyes and looking through the darkness in the room, his eyes slowly adjusting until he could make out a few shapes. His heart is still pounding in his chest.

The door to the bedroom burst open, and James is standing in the doorway, a wild look in his eyes, and for a moment Rio wonders if he's still dreaming.

"Get dressed." James says quickly, and he sounds breathless. "Something bad has happened."

Rio doesn't need him to elaborate, he already knows what's going on.

Something bad has happened to Aiden.

Please let me still be dreaming. Rio thinks as he quickly gets up and grabs the clothes he wore yesterday and throws them on as quickly as possible, his body feels numb, and he thinks he might throw up.

•••

Rio and James rush into the hospital twenty minutes later. It was the longest car ride ever, just silence, both of them worried sick. James told he doesn't know much, just that he was on a call that went sideways.

The rush to the front desk in the Emergency Room, and the nurse sitting behind it gives them a solemn look.

"Chief Sawyer," She says softly, her eyes soft and sad. "Come right this way."

James and Rio follow her down a long hallway past a waiting room. A few people in there point and whisper about Rio, but he doesn't pay them any attention. He can't. He's only focused on one thing right now.