Riley's Box

Part 73

Jason and I rushed downstairs and soon found my grandmother in the living room. 

"Grandma! I need to talk to you about something," I said. 

My mother raised an eyebrow in interest, but didn't say another word as my grandmother stood up from the couch and walked over to me. 

"What is it? What happened, Riley?" she asked me. 

"I've sent them all back home. We did it. The world is safe from the clutches of the shadow spirits once more," I said. 

My grandmother grinned, in response to that statement. 

"I knew you could do it, Riley! I am so proud of you," she said. Her voice grew a little quieter, as she spoke again. "I think it would be best for you to hold onto the box for now. You never know when you might need it." 

"I will do, grandma. It's safe with me," I assured her. 

"You're clearly incredibly capable of helping the Sins and saving the world, so...I know it'll be safe in your hands," she said. "Now, let's take a walk for a moment."

I turned to Jason then and he gave me a kind smile. 

"It's okay, " he said. "I'll wait for you." 

I nodded in gratitude, and then followed my grandmother out into the backyard. 

We walked for a couple of minutes, before my grandmother came to a stop nearby the red roses. 

"Riley, I don't know how much time I have left on this Earth, but I love you, Riley. I want to spend as much of that time with you as possible," she said. She then reached into her pocket and pulled out a golden necklace. "I want you to keep this," she told me, as she placed the stunning piece of jewellery into the palm of my hand. 

I felt my eyes well with tears and responded with a hug, rather than any words, to let my grandmother know how much I appreciated her. 

"I'll see you soon, my beautiful granddaughter," she told me with glossy eyes, as she drew back from the hug. 

"You too, grandma," I replied. 

My grandmother and I made our way back into the house, where she told my parents that it was about time for her to get back home. 

Once my grandmother had returned home, my parents asked me for answers as to where I had been all afternoon, but I let them know that they were simply going to have to wait for now. 

I returned to my bedroom and found Jason waiting there for me. 

"Let's take a walk?" I asked him. 

"Sure," he agreed. 

So, a couple of moments later, Jason and I were out the front door again. 

I knew that my parents' list of questions was probably piling up, but I would have to try to explain things to them later. 

Jason and I walked together side by side for a while, until he reached out to entwine his fingers with mine. 

He then stopped in his tracks, so he could draw me closer to him. 

I could tell by the glint in his eyes that he wanted to do something. So, when he tilted my chin upwards for me to meet his gaze, I only smiled. 

He asked a silent question by leaning in, and I leant in further to press my lips against his. 

For a moment, we could just be two teenagers in love and content with the fact that they had just saved the world. 

No big deal. 

I felt a smile form on my lips, as I reached upwards to entangle my fingers in Jason's soft hair. 

When I drew back from the hug to catch my breath, I felt my gaze warm again. 

"I love you, Jason," I said. 

He blinked in surprise, but then soon smiled, too. 

"I love you too, Riles," he replied. 

"You're my best friend, my boyfriend, my heart. I am always going to look out for you," I promised him. 

"I love being around you, Riley, and having you be a part of my life means the absolute world to me. You're the greatest girlfriend," he said. "I'm smart enough to know not to ever let you go." 

"Good. I'll always be here for you and you can always talk to me about anything, you know that?" I asked. 

He gently tucked some of my hair behind my ear. 

"I do know that," he said, moving forward to press a feather-light kiss against my temple. 

He then stepped forward to pull me into his embrace again and I settled my head comfortably against his chest. 

When I drew back from the hug, I had trouble meeting Jason's gaze without blushing, but I hardly minded in the moment. 

A smile became present on Jason's lips and it was infectious, I smiled right on back at him. 

"What are you thinking?" I asked him. 

"I'm thinking that you're beautiful and that, for the first time in a while, I am completely, truly happy," he told me. 

I felt myself grin at that comment. He had called me beautiful. He was happy! 

Reaching out to take his hand in mind again, I gently caressed over his knuckles with my thumb. 

"I'm happy as long as you're happy, Jase," I said. "Are you sure that you're okay? Even with everything that's happened with your dad and-" 

"I'm okay as long as I have you, Riley," he said. 

"Well, good! I'm here to look out for you," I said. 

"And I'm here to look out for you," he assured me, as he started to play with some of my hair. 

Knowing that Jason was happy made me feel happy, too. It had taken us some time to tell each other how we felt, but I felt better than I ever could have expected, now that we had. 

"I'll always care about you, Jason," I said. 

"I'll always be here for you, Riles," he said. I could tell, from the tone of his voice, that was a promise.