Double Standards

5

Riley

It's been two days since I bumped into James and Mason and dad have both been trying to get me to leave the house again but I've been extremely reluctant to go, I don't want to bump into the person who made me feel the worst I've ever felt
The person who treated shit on his shoe better then the way he treated me

I got a phone call from Shannon earlier telling me that Eldon told her James had left and gone back to wherever he went moved too
I'm glad Eldon told Shannon about it, at least I know that even after all these years the boys still have my back

I try to head downstairs attempting to make my way to the kitchen because I know the second Mason and dad see me they're going to beg me to leave the house
I make it to the entrance of the kitchen before the floorboards give away that I'm now downstairs and within seconds they're both at the living room doorway asking me to leave , I giggle at their attempts causing them both to be confused

"Uh what's funny?" Dad asks making me shake my head "The pair of you begging me to leave the house, I knew you'd do this again when I came downstairs" I chuckle
"Yeah but Riley you can't let James ruin your fun, I'll always be beside you and I won't let anything happen to you" Mason begs

I understand where he's coming from and I can't argue that he's wrong because he isn't.. after five years I'm still letting James affect my life
Im still letting James make me feel the same way I did when I was with him and I honestly shouldn't be doing that. It's just difficult to break that pattern of trauma after having it for such a long time

"Fine we'll go for breakfast but can I please have a coffee before we go?" I say making my dad and Mason jump up and down with joy like two children who finally get their mum to give in to them
"I got told by Shannon today that James went home so there shouldn't be any reason why we'll bump into him" i explain

"Ah that's why she agreed" dad joking says turning to Mason who shared the same look, raised eyebrows with a smug smile on their faces
"Yeah it explains it doesn't it Patrick" Mason playfully says as well
"Oh you two are as bad as each other" I laugh throwing a grape at each of them

"Hey we don't condone violence in this household young lady, come on Mason let's go to safety" dad says grabbing Mason at the arm playfully glaring at me.
I miss this side of my dad but I'm so glad he's finally letting it back out again

It doesn't take me long to finish my coffee to make sure I look presentable before heading into the front room to tell Mason I'm ready
As soon as those words leave my lips Mason jumps to his feet rubbing his stomach "Oh fantastic, I was wasting away waiting for you" Mason playfully says
"Oh you'd be fine if I left you for a few days so pipe down" I joke making my dad laugh and Mason gasp in shock

"Oh I see how it is, you're paying for breakfast then" Mason says before opening the front door and walking towards the car
We went to a little cafe that I used to go to all the time, it still had the same staff here and they all remembered me which really made my day

I take a photo of our food and post it on social media, it isn't often I'm out so when I do I always post it. I get halfway through my meal before I get the feeling that I was being watched
I try to shrug it off thinking it must just be the staff here but the feeling just grew stronger, it was now something I couldn't ignore

I search around the cafe just to try and put my mind at ease but once I laid my eyes on James I could feel every part of me tense up
My heart beat got louder and louder and I wasn't able to hear anything around me because I wasn't answering Mason he looked around the room and it doesn't take him long to realise what made me react the way I did

Instantly Mason gets up and helps guide me out blocking my view of James and once we're in the safety of his car he helps calm me down completely
"I thought he had left?" Mason asks "Yeah so did I.. I think he lied so it'll get back to me" I sigh