INFINITE (Eminem Fan Fiction)

Chapter 31: Crazy in Love

Chapter 31: Crazy in Love

Riley couldn’t believe she’d actually agreed to talk with him. She’d spent that entire day convincing herself that if he called she wouldn’t pick up. She thought if she just ignored whatever he had to say, it would clear her mind a little. But when that phone had finally rang, towards the late afternoon, she couldn’t’ stop herself from answering. And that wasn’t even the worst of it. She’d even agreed to meet up with him so they could talk face to face. He’d given her and address she didn’t recognize until the taxi driver pulled up to a huge recording studio building.

Nervously, Riley paid the taxi driver and climbed the steps to the main foyer. The place looked fancy, decked out with marble tiles and architectural lighting. She felt overwhelmingly under-dressed in her old blue jeans, especially when the receptionist gave her a condescending look as she made it to the elevator.

She stepped inside and hit the button for the fifteenth floor. A screen to her left buzzed, demanding a security code for entry. Cursing, Riley pulled the scrap paper she’d scribbled the code Marshall had given her and entered the six digit number. Compliantly, the elevator doors shut and it started to ascend.

Why Marshall wanted to talk to her in his studio, she didn’t know. But the more she thought about it, she realized that for him, the recording studio was a place of honesty, sincerity and emotion. It was there he had the ability to write and produce powerful music, which was such a big part of his life. So naturally, it was a place he felt comfortable being honest in.

As the elevator chimed, her nerves kicked in. She had no idea what he wanted to say. Armed with Mark’s advice and her own feelings, she had no idea how she was going to react. Were they going to break up so soon? Biting her bottom lip, she stepped out into long hallway which was lit up by overhead spotlights. Making her way down, she looked for the first door on the left. It was ridiculous that it was twenty feet up the hall.

Drawing in a deep breath, she calmed herself and settled her hand on the knob and opened the oak door. Sliding inside, she spotted Marshall sitting on the edge of an old desk directly across from the door. To her left was a huge long bench that seemingly stretched on and on, supporting hundreds of buttons and dials, facing a window into the recording space. On her right was an identical bench but it was covered in papers and miscellaneous objects.

As she shut the wooden door, Marshall sprang up to his feet, staring at her wide eyed. “Riley, you came.” He sounded nervous. Riley closed her eyes and took another breath. This was definitely a break up. Preparing for the whole ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ bullshit, she stepped forwards, remaining standing in the middle of the studio.

Marshall looked down at the piece of paper he was holding and put down the pen. Frowning at it, he immediately scrunched it up and tossed into the wastebasket under the table he’d been resting on. They remained a few feet from each other, both keeping their distance. He took a minute to seemingly gather his courage.

“I want to talk,” He insisted, obviously. It was as if he’d rehearsed everything… as if he’d rehearsed a breakup. “You don’t have to say anything, I just need you to listen.”

Sighing, Riley nodded, almost wincing at what he was going to say next. However, the words that left his mouth were not the ones she’d been expecting.

“What I did to you all those years ago was an inexcusable and dumb decision that was made by a dumb kid. Everybody makes mistakes and… the biggest one I’ve ever made was abusing you.” There was nothing but complete sincerity in his voice. It was the same tone and facial expression he’d used when he’d asked her out. Riley opened her mouth to speak but he went on.

“I always regretted what I did to you, from the moment that you threw that-” He paused, voice chocking a little. She instinctively stepped forwards, wanting to comfort him. She’d never heard him stumble over his words before. “- NWA CD at me. And when I found out you left, I wanted to push away all the memories we shared because I felt so guilty. And I forgot about us and everything we were. And when I ‘met you’ again in LA, you brought back the same feeling I got when I saw you for the first time as a kid.”

Marshall closed his eyes for a minute and the refocused on her. He had his arms by his sides, palms facing her as if to symbolize that he had nothing to hide, that he was being completely open with her. “I know I don’t deserve it and I can’t blame you if you never want to see me again. But I need you in my life. I can’t get enough of you. Those days when we don’t see each other drive me crazy. I don’t want to lose you.”

He paused again and that’s when she noticed his eyes were glassy, as if he was holding back tears. Her heart split open and the sight of his raw emotion. “I love you, Riley.”

Her whole body swayed as she heard those four words leave his lips. Marshall stepped forwards, and reached out, helping hold her steady, concern plastered on his face. She stared at the floor in complete shock. He… loved her? He really loved her. This wasn’t just some short term fling he had in mind, he actually loved her.

Trying to get a grip, she knew she’d been completely unprepared for that. She’d come in here, expecting to walk out alone and heartbroken… just like last time. But instead, she found herself still standing in the studio, Marshall supporting her, quite literally.

Despite everything that has happened, the fact that she’d yelled at him yesterday and walked out on him, he was still willing to stand here and admit something like that to her? She thought back to all the memories they’d shared together. She remembered how much fun they’d had at Santa Monica Pier, when they’d kissed in his hotel room, how he’d looked at her in the ‘criminal’ photo-shoot, how he’d answered the door in a goddamn bath towel. She found herself smiling and tearing up. She remembered playing video games with him and Proof and surfing with him in Miami. She could only recall good memories, despite one bad one in their childhood.

She remembered how he’d always been supportive of her. He’d helped her with her acting in LA, comforted her when she was nervous about the music video. He’d given up his own time to show her around California. When things had gone wrong with the music video, he’d still paid her for her work. He’d given her a place to stay when she was too scared to return home. He’d protected her from Dick.

The more thought she put into it, the more she realized that she only loved him back just as much.

“Are you okay?” She heard Marshall say.

Turning, she threw her arms around his neck and pressed her body right up against his. A tear broke free from her eye and slipped down her cheek as she whispered in his ear, “I love you too.” For a second, she stayed in is warm embrace before leaning back to see his facial expression. It was of pure shock and joy, all mixed in together.

“Really?” He seemed in such disbelief that she would even consider loving him. She understood then. He was expecting a break up just as much as she was.

Riley nodded, “We promised we would make this work no matter what. I don’t care what you did all those years ago. What matters is that you owned up to it. And I don’t want to live my life with a grudge against you because… I need you in my life too.”

Giving a sigh of pure relief, Marshall cupped her right cheek and leant down, kissing her softly. While they’d done much more before, his touch seemed so real and raw it was like nothing she’d ever experienced. It brought her a sense of comfort that she couldn’t comprehend. That moment, in his arms, she felt like she truly belonged. She was no longer wandering like she had been her whole life. She was safe and she finally was home.