Jiley Oneshots

More than friends

Season 1

James's POV:

"Hey, Emily, is Ri home?" I ask as I stand by the doorway of their house. My hands remained in my pockets while I patiently wait for Emily's answer, but she rolls her eyes and moves away from the door to enter the kitchen, still in eyeshot of me. 

"In her room," she mutters. I decide to let myself in after she doesn't and then I close the door behind me before making my way to the staircase, but not before she adds, "Be careful with her though. She's been acting a bit strange lately, I'm not sure why though." I nod my head, knowing that she must be right, considering Riley hasn't come to dance for almost two weeks now and hardly ever responded to my texts or calls.

I knock on her bedroom door, waiting for her familiar soft, angelic voice to radiate it's way through the hard, white-painted wood, but I don't hear anything. I knock again, thinking my first knock must have been too-light for her to hear, but it still stays silent. 

"Riles, it's me. Are you in there?" I ask gently. Several seconds later, the door opens and I'm met with her small, meek body. "Hey," I say with a light smile. She doesn't smile back despite letting me in and closing the door firmly behind her. "How are you? Are you okay? You haven't been at dance at all lately?" I ask as I sit down on the edge of her bed. 

She remains standing, crosses her arms over her chest and raises her shoulders before giving me a small shrug. I nod my head a little, taking a look around the room before my eyes fix on her diary and I smile at it. I look back at her, but clearly having noticed me looking at her personal journal, she shakes her head violently, and I get the hint. 

"So . . . what's the matter?" I question her. She bites her lip, still not saying a word. "You haven't been at the studio ever since we, you know . . . kissed," I say slowly. She glares at me when I say the last word; it was such a stern stare that I begin to get slightly uncomfortable. "Um, so I see that you've painted your room since the last time I've been here," I state, trying to switch the subject. In the past, it had been a light blue colour, but now it had been painted lilac. As she still doesn't say a word, I look up at her, but her eyes don't meet mine. It's almost like they're hollow and there are no emotions inside of her at the moment.

"Riley, I'm going out with Steph! Mum said she'll be back soon, just letting you know!" Emily shouts up the stairs. Riley doesn't move, let alone say a word, and then before I know it, the sound of the front door being slammed shut is heard, and Riley and I are soon left alone.

"What's wrong, Ri?" I ask yet again. "Are you going to talk to me at all?"

"Maybe you should go," she mumbles. 

"What? Why? Riley, I'm not leaving until you talk to me. We can't have just kissed one night and have it feel amazing but then for the next two weeks you block me out like it never happened-"

"I said you should go, James," she repeats, but still, her voice is emotionless. Like she almost sounds tired and weary. Her eyes look exhausted, just like her body, and the command that leaves her mouth sounds like a strain.

"Has someone said something to you?" I ask, going soft on her again. She shrugs, and we're back to the start. "Why won't you talk to me? I care about you, you know that, right?"

"Someone who cares about me wouldn't make fun of me with his friends," she mumbles. I raise an eyebrow and then she looks up at me for a brief moment before looking back down again. "Just leave, okay," she sighs.

"Riley, what are you talking about? I don't make fun of you."

"Yes you do," she persists. She walks over and sits down beside me, looking into my eyes and then I can see the tears building up inside of them. "You always do. When you're not with West, Eldon and Daniel, you act so sweet with me. You make me blush and give me butterflies and treat me like I'm the only girl in the world. But it's like you think I don't know when the guys tease me in Squeezed and you laugh along with them. You think I don't know about all your texts on the group chat you're all in. You think West doesn't come up to me and tell me everything you've said about me-"