The Night We Met

Chapter 21

Riley's POV:

As we're driving along the roads late Saturday night, James places his hand down over the top of my knees, just below the hem of my loose off-the-shoulder, side-slit, dark blue dress. I had done my make-up a little and styled my hair into loose curls whilst wearing heels on my feet. If I was going to have to make a good impression on James's parents, I had to at least look good.

We reach a red light and James pauses driving, lifting his feet up off the pedal. He looks at me and smiles, moving his palm from my hand. "Ready?" he asks, considering we were about to take a left turn onto the high street toad where the Italian restaurant awaits our presence. Looking up at him, I smile and nod.

"Ready," I answer. He pecks my lips and then moves his hand back to my knee where he continues to rub it softly before pushing down on the pedal again, allowing us to drive towards the diner.

James's POV:

Entering the restaurant, I wrap my arm around Ri's waist and we make our way over to the front where one guy was stood in a red waist coat, white shirt, black tie and trousers. I give him my mother's surname, since she was the one who had booked the meal in the first place, and then he begins to lead us further into the restaurant until we get to a six-seater table where, surprisingly, Jason was sat there too. I didn't think he'd be coming but I guess my father and Kayleigh took it as the perfect opportunity for them to have their own date night and you know what? Good for them.

My mother greets us by standing up and pulling me into a small, light hug first before she turns to Riley and then hugs her even more tightly, as if she'd known her forever and this wasn't just the second time they'd be meeting.

I get a bit protective over Riley as Mom hugs her so tightly that she may have hurt her by putting stress on her bruise, so I take a step forward and intervene by wrapping my arm back around her waist, where it rightfully belongs. She leans back into my touch to thank me and I rub her forearm lightly. Pulling out a chair for her, I sit her down and make sure she was comfortable first before I take my own spot beside her.

"Riley, dear, how lovely it is to see you again!" Mom exclaims making my step-dad chuckle. Riley smiles and laughs a little, shuffling her seat up the smallest bit closer to mine.

"Piper's been looking forward to seeing you ever since the first time you met," I whisper in my girl's ear, causing her to laugh even more, in the sweetest way possible.

"Hey, don't judge me! She's not like your other girlfriends, James Madelyn was a bitch," my sister responds, muttering the last part under her breath as she sat opposite Ri and I.

"Don't worry. I've been looking forward to seeing you too, Piper," Riley says, ignoring my sister's comment about Madelyn before she leans over to me and whispers into my ear, "Plus, I met your sister practically on the same day I met you and you can't keep your eyes off me so let's not blame her now, shall we?" I roll my eyes at her but smirk, kissing her cheek. She wasn't lying.

Riley looks up and smiles at Piper, then for the majority of the evening, it was spent listening to my parents have multiple different conversations with her and they seemed to really be getting along. I think Riley was having a good impression on both my parents and my siblings. There were a few times where she would inconspicuously bring up my biological father and step-mum by accident, but she corrected herself in the most polite and respectful way possible, and I think that quality made Mom like her even more.

"Where are you two staying tonight then?" John asks as we're eating our dessert, which was a chocolate fudge cake with Irish Cream. Riley was the only one, apart from Piper and Jason, to not drink though, but that was understandable. The last time she had a sip of alcohol, she ended up drunk in a pub full of old men on a Friday night and if I wasn't to have found her there, God knows what would have happened to her poor, vulnerable self. The times she drunk before that, Aiden had spiked her drink and forced her into having sex, so I can't blame her for not having even just the smallest sip.

"We'll probably go back to James's apartment for the rest of the weekend. I mean, that's what we've been doing an awful lot lately, right, babe?" Ri answers, placing her hand on my knee and I nod, but Mom interjects.

"Where's the good in that? You must stay over at ours for the weekend. You did say you're only doing project work at the moment at Uni, so you'll be free as and when."

I look at Riley as she looks at me with an apprehensive look masking her smile. Sighing, I take her hand in mine under the table and just by looking at her, I can tell that maybe she's not so sure about the idea.

"Mom, really? She doesn't need the pressure of our family to add onto the pressure she already receives from schoolwork," I say, but in my head, I add: not to mention the torture she's been receiving from Aiden in the last couple months. I don't know who the guy is or who he thinks he is, but the only reason I haven't hunted him down yet is because doing so would be against Ri's wishes, and breaking promises I've made is not how I play.

"Oh no, I insist," Mom continues to try and elicit a response. "We could all go away for a week. As a small little family-"

"Even me?" Jason's six-year-old self inquires. Mom nods. Looking towards Riley, I raise an eyebrow in her direction to ask if she was up for it. She gives me a look, her eyes wide as she mouths the words 'go with it', causing me to look at her even more confusedly.

"Thanks, Deborah, but I just really need to visit the Ladies' room for a minute. It's the one disadvantage to not drinking wine but having water instead," she chuckles. Mom nods her head again, telling her not to worry and then Riley stands up in her dress and heels. She glances at me quickly to send me a hint, then about thirty seconds or so later, after she's directed to the toilets, I get up too.

"I think I'll go and use the toilet before we leave as well," I state. John and Mom both nod this time, allowing me to leave. Once I do, I meet Riley around the corner of the bathroom facilities where she was concomitantly pacing up and down the hallway. I smile at her softly and walk over until I'm stood right in front of her. "Hey, you okay?" I ask and she nods her head looking up at me.

"I want to go away with your family," she tells me concisely, making me pause all movements.

"Are you sure about that?" I question, uncertain. She already had enough on her plate. If she was to go away with my family for the weekend, she'll end up finding out even more about my two separate families. She'll most likely hear all about my dad's infidelity and my parents divorce, then onto how John and my father have this ongoing rivalry between them. She doesn't need all that right now. "What about your schooling?"

"James, to be honest, I just need a break right now. It's only for a week. I can send in an e-mail to my professor saying a family emergency came up, and I can get the girls to all cover for me," she says. As I look to the ground in disagreement, she takes one single step closer and wraps her arms around my upper body. "Please?" she says. "I need this, Jay. I need you."

It's silent for a few moments until I give up and sigh, eventually succumbing to those endearing puppy dog eyes of hers.

"Fine," I tell her, smiling as I tap her nose. She smiles up at me and flings her arms around my neck, holding me close. "But you're going to make up for every minute you miss of school next week, okay."

"Okay. Deal," she chuckles. She steps out of my grip and is about to walk away but I pull her back by the hand.

"I think you're forgetting something," I grin at her. She looks at me for a moment before everything clicks and then she makes her way back over to me, cups my cheeks in her warm hands and she connects our lips together in a sweet, passionate kiss. "You're gorgeous, you know," I tell her as we pull apart, my lips brushing against hers. She looks down towards the ground as a blush emits upon either side of her face, so I place my hand around the back and side of her neck, lifting her chin up with the forefinger of my opposing hand. "Really, Ri. You're beautiful."

She smiles then and kisses me once more before we break away for real.

To think we only started 'fake-dating' to please my parents a couple of weeks ago feels crazy now. She's the only girl I ever want to be around lately and even with everything she's been through, it seems like the more flaws I find out about her, the deeper I get pulled in and the more I'm falling for her.

It's one of the most complicated yet sensational feelings I've felt in a long time and I really don't think I ever want to let her go.