Left or Right

Chapter 13

James's POV:

Eight o'clock on Saturday morning, I was up and wandering around the house in my t-shirt vest and shorts. The sun had already risen and Mom was rushing around the house, entering rooms here, there and everywhere. My sisters were already up too and so was Dad, but the one person who wasn't was Riley.
Mom had said she didn't think it would be right to invite Riley along for our family day out today but I persuaded her otherwise. Dating or not dating, Riley was still a part of this family, and I somehow managed to get my mother to understand that. She's allowing Riley to come along for the day too, but only under the condition that I wake her up and so that's what I was currently on my way to doing.

Knocking on her door, I hear her groan softly from inside along with the noise of her shuffling in the bed, so I slowly and quietly open the door as best I could before entering to find her laying on her side facing the windowsill opposite to me. Smiling at her beauty, I take a couple steps forward and sit down on the edge of the bed beside her before placing one hand on her back and one on her hip lightly.
"Riles," I whisper, bowing my head down towards her ear. She moans again but doesn't move. "Ri, it's time to get up."
"It's eight, fucking, o'clock," she says, groaning and rolling her eyes as she flips herself over so that she was now laying on her back and I was hovering over the top of her. Her voice had a slight slur and it only made me chuckle as I ran my hand through her hair gently.
"We're going to the beach today. I thought you might want to come with us?"
"I think I'll choose the second option, thanks," she whispers to me before closing her eyes again, and flipping herself to the side again. 

Rolling my eyes, I stroke my thumb over her hip gently and as I bend over to view her face, I watch her lips part a little and desist from being a straight line to a vaguely curved one. 
"There is no second option, Riley," I tell her with a chuckle, using my hands to roll her back over so that she was looking up at me again. "It's my way or no way."
"Then I have one thing left to say to you," she says, making me look at her with a raised eyebrow. She smiles falsely and places her hands on either one of my cheeks, bringing my face down so that it was just brushing against hers and our noses grazed against each other's. "No. Way," she whispers. 

And I was about to kiss her. God, I was so close to doing it and far from resisting to connect our lips. The only thing stopping me was Mom walking past a few seconds later as she looks into the bedroom considering I'd kept the door open. Once she sees us, she smirks a little and rolls her eyes and after taking notice, Riley bites her lip in embarrassment, possibly chewing her cheek as she removes her hands. "Fine," she mumbles. "I'll go."
"What was that, Ri? I don't think I quite heard you," I tease, only making her bubble over as she gets out of the duvet and slaps my chest. I laugh a little, wrapping my arm over her two shoulders and pulling her in towards me. "Don't worry. We all know you're still deeply in love with me," I tell her, trying to lighten the mood and get over the fact that I had just almost kissed her. Riley's cheeks were still red from my mother having caught her doing something which might have looked inappropriate from an adult's perspective, but as she stands up she rolls her eyes, like usual.
"Don't flatter yourself," she mumbles, but for once in her life, she doesn't deny it.

. . .

For the duration of the car journey, Dad drove. Mom sat in the passengers seat at the front, Imogen and Piper sat in the middle, and Ri and I sat in the back two seats of the seven seater.
Mom had 'fallen asleep' at least in the first ten minutes of us driving. She claimed she was sleeping but in reality, I'm sure she was just resting, merely because whenever she felt a jig in the middle seating areas or heard Imogen whine about something or Piper would be talking too much, Mom would immediately jolt up again and scold either one of them before going back to sleep.
Dad was listening to his own classic road tunes on the playlist I'd put together for him. Most of them were pretty much just country music or songs from the 90s but I would be lying if I was to say none of us minded. When we communicated our feelings on such music though, he would just tell us that it was 'his car, his music, his rules'.

Riley was currently resting her head on my shoulder, slowly beginning to fall asleep herself. We had previously been talking about how life at the studio as been up to now, including all the drama starting from Amanda getting offended about being left out due to not having enough acro skills within her (to which Riley took firm sides with Amanda on) to me finding West sending love messages to Thalia.
"You're an idiot," she told me, scoffing. "Just let the two lovers date."
"That's not what you were saying before," I teased her. She used to back me up, saying I was the relationship expert hence the reason why Ri and I had been able to keep our own relationship going for the past three years. But I guess she can't say that anymore now that we're no longer together.

As Riley drifts off to sleep, her body beside mine, I smile down at her and rest my head on top of hers, pressing my lips to her head. Taking her hand in mine, I hold it in the compartment between us. When she doesn't whine, groan or complain, I just take it as the perfect moment to appreciate the fact that she's here with me right now. I'd rather have her be here where she belongs with me there to protect her even if it means the two of us not dating, than be in a long distance relationship with her where she's in a complete different city and I have no idea what's happening to her.
When she's with me, at least I know she's safe and most likely happy. That's all I truly care about.