Chapter Thirty-Six
River
I shouldn't have hit him in front of Bowie, but, fuck...it felt so good. He didn't say another word after he touched his lips and felt the blood streaming down. He just gave me a look of disappointment and anger. Funny, because that's what I should've been feeling.
I watched him leave, and as he disappeared out of my sight, I reached down to grab the duffle bag and started walking down the alley.
"River!" Bowie called out, but I kept walking. "River, wait." She ran to my side, holing my hand to try and keep me taking any more steps.
"You're angry. Please don't push me away," she begged.
I pulled my arm away, keeping my gaze on the floor. "I need to be alone," I told her.
"Okay. I respect that," she said, sounding confused. "But please don't stop communicated with me just because you're angry."
We were quiet for a while, then she reached up to touch my cheek. "Please let me know if you need anything. You know I'll be there," she whispered. I had no idea what came over me, but I didn't feel like being close to anyone at the moment.
"Don't worry about me," I told her.
"But I do worry, River. What just happened wasn't something I wanted you to do. No matter how angry you are...punching someone shouldn't be the solution to your problems."
I laughed, looking back into her eyes. "Maybe next time you shouldn't step in and speak your mind. That's what caused me to punch him," I told her. She looked shocked. I just blamed her for wanting to help and protect me, and I was being a jerk about it.
I needed to get my anger under control before I hurt her even more. "I'm going home," I said, then continued walking towards the main street. She didn't follow me, and I was glad she didn't. Before I apologized for being an asshole, I needed to calm down. And this time, Bowie wasn't the one to help me with it. This was all on me.
***
Bowie
"He'll come down eventually. Must've been hard for him to handle all of that at once." Whitley was holding me tight with her arms around me while sitting on the couch.
I had tears rolling down my cheeks and a heavy, very uncomfortable feeling in my chest. "This is the first time he's pushed me away. This time it's different," I told her. "I'm scared he doesn't need me anymore."
"If that's the case, I'll step into that cage with him and show him how mad I am at him for hurting you. But you have to give him time. It's obvious that you guys have been through everything together...but I think this is a matter he has to handle himself."
Her words somewhat made me feel better, but the emptiness I had in my heart was starting to get unbearable. It hurt knowing he was alone and trying to pick himself up.
"His phone is off," Aiden said. He drove us back to our apartment after I got to the bar where they were waiting for us.
"Maybe go check on him. Make sure he's home," Whitley told him, and Aiden nodded. He looked at me with a smile. "He won't be upset for long. I'll try to talk to him."
After Aiden left, I pulled the thin blanket over my legs and cuddled up against Whitley. I stopped myself from crying even more, and I tried to tell myself that sooner or later, he will come back to me.
I wasn't going to blame this on our relationship, although it was odd that the first time he didn't want me close, we were a couple. It was his dad's fault. If he wouldn't have shown up and said all those cruel things, I wouldn't have snapped at him and make River mad.
But I couldn't take it anymore, seeing River helpless and vulnerable.
Whitley's hand brushed over my hair. "I think some ice cream and wine will help," she suggested.
"I don't want wine," I replied with a sigh.
"Ice cream and cake, then." She got up and walked over to the kitchen, taking two pieces of cake out of the fridge and a big bucket of ice cream out of the freezer.
"Where did you get that cake?" I asked. I knew about the ice cream. Whitley liked to have a large amount of it in the freezer at all times. But I didn't know we had cake.
"Bought it yesterday morning at that new bakery. They were selling two to the price of one, so I had to get them," she explained.
She came back with the food and two large spoons. "Don't get any crumbs in the ice cream," she warned, which made me laugh.
Luckily, Whitley was very good at taking my mind off of River. Just what I needed.
YOU ARE READING
Always With You - A Best Friends To Lovers Novel
Romance"Unconditional love is hard to find. But I was lucky to have found it in Bowie." Bowie Aston and River Wilson have been best friends since they were kids. With River's dad blaming him for his mother's death since he was four years old, River had to...
