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Riley: Haha not yet.
Me: That’s comforting.
Riley: I’ll see you soon ;)
I lookup from the phone, remembering where I am, when I see Ava grinning across from me. I place the phone face down, trying not to look guilty because I wasn’t doing anything wrong, except ignoring my friend to text a guy.
She raises one brow. “And you say he doesn’t like you.”
“He was just texting me,” I say defensively, but she continues to smile.
“And he was texting back so quick, he was waiting for those responses. You mostly do that for emergencies or people you like. Say what you want, but this guy likes you and maybe you might need to make the first move.”
I don’t know why that scares me so much. I'm never scared of making the first move before. I could effortlessly go up to a guy and talk to him, get his number, or go home with him, but Riley is different. I care about what he thinks and how he feels. I don’t wanna just go up to him and flirt in the hopes of getting him into bed. I wanna make him smile. I could just stare at his smile and hear his laugh. I wanna watch a movie with him in my pyjamas, I wanna cook for him and dance with him again. I want what you see in the movies, but after spending my life thinking that won’t happen, it’s hard to think it might, that it might actually work out for me.
CHAPTER 34
MIA
“So where are we going?” I sit in the passenger side of the car, shaking my leg with nervous energy as we continue to drive through the streets in silence.
Riley focuses on the road ahead, not speaking, but I see his thoughts racing behind his eyes. He blinks and gives me a brief glance at my question before returning his focus to the road. “Just wait.”
I sigh, leaning back in my seat, and decide to look out the window, watching the houses and buildings pass by, trying to decipher where he might be taking me, but I have never been to this side of town. It's not necessarily bad, but I've just never had any reason to go here.
Eventually, I forget the passing houses and buildings, hearing Ava’s words about Riley and what might be going on with him, about Hunter and her concern for him. It's a lot, and my brain hops between the different issues, unsure of which one I want to focus on. What's going on with Hunter? Why would he be avoiding me? Did I do something wrong? And does Riley really feel something for me, or am I just imagining it? Is Ava just being an encouraging friend, trying to boost my confidence?
I don't know. Normally, I would have just asked Riley outright, and I could, but I think a part of me is scared to hear the answer. If he doesn’t, then that ruins everything we’ve built as friends and the life I have now. If he does… I guess I feel like it’s more believable to think he doesn’t.
He’s a guy that has lived and travelled. I’m a rich girl that needs help taking care of herself and can’t even drive. What do I really have to give?
I bite my lip, hanging my head to focus on the clasped hands in my lap, lost in it until the car starts to slow and Riley says, “Alright, we’re here.”
I look up to see a grey concrete building with a black and red sign that readsHit 'em with your best shot.
I raise my brows at the name and the little boxing gloves that hang in the poster beside the name as Riley speaks. “I know the name is cringey, but Travis is a friend of the owner.”
“And what are we doing here?” I finally look at him, twisting in my seat to face him fully.
Riley regards me with a serious expression. “We’re gonna teach you how to fight.”
I feel my brows touch my hairline, my heart rate spiking up slightly. “We?”
“Travis, Malcom, and Danny are there.”
I scoff. “Great, so I can make an ass out of myself in front of everyone. Thank you for this.”
He twists in his own seat. “Look, you have been attacked, and I don’t want that ever happening again, but you also can’t keep going and hope it doesn’t happen again. Chances are, it will, because there are so many fucking idiots in this world. I can’t change that, but I can give you things to help you protect yourself. I worry about the day something happens and the guys and I won’t be there or get there in time.” He lets out a slow breath through his nose, leaning forward a bit to level me with a look. “It will help me sleep at night to know you can protect yourself if needed.”
I want to say no, run away and hide, but I know he is right. There will be guys like Laurence in the future that think they can just take because they feel they deserve it, and I wanna be able to stop them. I inwardly smile at the idea of doing some Kung Fu on Laurence’s face, but that isn't the reason why I nod. I see the desperation in Riley eyes, the desperation to make sure I am okay and safe, and I hate to say that it gives me a small bit of hope that maybe this isn’t just one-sided… or maybe this is something else I’m imagining. But either way, I push my shoulders back, looking at Riley as I nod.
Before I can say anything, a shadow descends upon my side of the car, and I turn to see Travis’s cocky smirk as he says from the other side of the closed window, his voice slightly muffled but clear enough to understand, “You guys gonna come in, or stay here and make out?”
I instantly feel my cheeks go red and proceed to kick the door open and hop out, following Travis as he struts ahead of me. I look back and see Riley close behind me, dressed in workout shorts and a loose shirt, so different from his usual jeans and shirt look, but in his hand, he holds a large gym bag.
It's louder than I thought it would be when I enter what looks like a boxing gym, like I have stepped into a Rocky movie.
Big bags are hung with big guys punching and kicking so hard that a chorus of loud bangs echoes through the space and make me flinch.I would hate to be on the receiving end of that kick, I think to myself as I regard the men. There is an array of weights machine on the other side of the gym and in the centre sits two large boxing rings.
