The Night We Met

Chapter 31

Riley's POV:

James gets back ten or so minutes later, just as Thalia, Giselle, Michelle and I had finally calmed ourselves down. We were all crowded on the bed, legs in each other's faces and heads rested on each other's feet. But when I look up once James enters the room, I could tell something wasn't right. He looked a lot angrier, his face was red and his chest was tense. I knew him well enough by now to know something had happened, otherwise he wouldn't look as aggressive.

He sets the food down on the table as silence fills the room. I sit myself up properly as he doesn't say anything, just stands there looking around the room awkwardly. I look around me at the girls but neither of them say anything. Clearly, they knew something was up too.

"Uh, here's your change, Ri," James says, handing it out towards me. I gesture for him to put it down on the table so he does but once his eyes meet mine again, I bite my lip.

"Can I talk to you outside for a moment?" I ask him. He looks down, then back at me, then at Michelle, before looking at me again and nodding.

"Okay," he says. I smile at him softly and then get up off the bed. As I approach him, I take his hand in mine and lead him outside the room so we were out of earshot from my friends and then I stand in front of him with my back against the door whilst he stands in opposition to me, now holding both of my palms.

"What happened, James? Cause I know something did," I state.

"I may or may not have got myself in a small encounter with Aiden," he mumbles. I sigh and shake my head.

"You really couldn't help yourself?"

"I had to find out what he was saying to you earlier, Riley. I don't want any secrets in our relationship," he says, so I bite my lip and cup his cheek with my hand - the same cheek which was currently throbbing. "He didn't slap me if that's what you're wondering," he says. "He just pinched my skin a little, that's all."

"James, I told you to stay away from him. I know what he can do to you. If a little pinch is making you go red then what will a full-on fight do to you?"

"I was just telling him to stay away from you," he whispers to me. "I don't want him hurting you any longer, Riles. He's hurt you enough already."

"I know. But he can't hurt me. I have you. I have my friends. The teachers are aware of the situation now. Everything's fine," I say. I kiss his cheek and then run my fingers through his hair delicately. "I need you to trust me for once, okay."

"Are you sure about that? What if he pounces on you when I'm not here?"

"I won't let that happen. And neither will Michelle - the girl's like my own personal bodyguard," I laugh and he smiles slightly in response. "Just trust me with this, okay. I've got this."

"Okay," he replies. I was about to head back into the room to eat but as my hand brushes the doorknob, he quickly turns me back around again by placing his hand on my hip and then he crashes his lips against my own. "Promise me you'll be extra cautious around him?" he mumbles. I smile into the kiss and nod my head.

"Always."

We re-enter the bedroom and make our way onto my bed where I immediately fit myself between James's legs. Giselle passes us our bag of food and I take out the box of noodles to help myself to while James scrummages the bag for his own food.

"So, Michelle, what are you doing tonight?" I ask her, smirking.

"What?"

"I mean, Thalia and Giselle have a double date. I'm spending my own time with James here and it's kind of a date night so you're not really allowed to be here . . ."

"Oh thanks, Ri. I manage to get you away from doing the project with Aiden and you repay me by kicking me out of my own bed?" she says. I laugh a little, shrugging my shoulders, but she laughs along anyway. "Nah, it's fine. I'll see if I can meet up with someone. No biggie."

"You sure? You can stay if you want?" James speaks up, making me instantly whack him in the chest. "Whoa, Riles, calm down. I'm just being nice."

"Okay, but I want you to myself for a bit. Is that so much for a girl to ask her boy?" I respond. He stares at me lovingly for a moment or so before giving in and kissing me once again. "See. You can't say no to me," I whisper.

"That's right I can't," he says, kissing me again.

"Okay, uhm, gross. I think that's my call to leave," Michelle states as James and I continue kissing nonetheless.

"Yeah, I think that's our cue to start getting ready, Giselle," Thalia says. "Things are getting a bit too heated for me."

"You can say that again," James says, his voice sultry. Just as he was about to extend the kiss to a make-out by lowering his hands to my waist where he begins to draw circles, I pull away and press my finger to his lips.

"Wait until they're gone," I mouth so only he can understand. Once he gets the message, he smiles, pecking my lips quickly one more time before pulling me into him, allowing me to rest my body against his own as I continued to eat.