Left or Right

Chapter 43

.James.

I looked over at Ri before we were due to go on stage again for our small group. She was sat down in front of the mirror but hadn't fully changed into her costume yet.
She had the leggings on but her top had been set aside while she was in her sports bra, away from everyone else. 

I'd been looking to try and talk to her since she stormed away from the dining room last night but I hadn't had the chance to talk to her properly yet.

I knew something must have been said on that phone call with her mother which would have been enough to upset her but it's odd that she didn't turn to me the way she normally would tend to.
I guess she needs her time to process things too sometimes, and I wasn't going to be the disrespectful boyfriend who would worsen the situation but instead try to alleviate it. 

She was busy scratching her arm as the bandage lay on the desk in front of her.
I knew she had been trying her best not to scratch it, but I couldn't blame her for the sudden irritation it was causing. 

Sighing, I slowly begin to approach her before placing my hands on her shoulders.
The effect causes her to look down and bite her lip, closing her eyes while she took in my presence as I stood behind her. 

"Does it hurt?" I whisper to her sensitively before she shakes her head at me moves her hand to place on top of mine above her shoulder, lacing our fingers together.
"No, it's okay," she whispers. "It's just a little itchy but it'll be fine." 

I look at her through the reflection in the mirror to make sure she wasn't faking her expression but after taking in the sincerity on her face, I kiss the top of her hair.
"You should get ready, babe. We're on in a minute," I tell her, making her nod. 

I was about to walk away to allow her to get to it but just as I remove my hand from her shoulder and take a step away, she tugs me back by the palm and stops me from walking any further for a moment.
"I'm not in the wrong, am I, James?" she asks softly. 

I look directly at her, trying to figure out what she meant by that but before I had the chance to ask any questions, she delves into her point more.
"By distancing myself from Mom and Dad? I'm not in the wrong, right?" I shake my head, holding her hand firmly in mine while I gave it a light squeeze to reassure her. 

"You've never been in the wrong, Ri," I tell her as she hung onto my every word, wanting my true thoughts on this whole situation.
"You've always been a smart cookie. You've got a firm and innovative head on your shoulders and it's one of the things I love about you. You always put others before you because you care about them and love them but sometimes you need to be a little selfish and put yourself first instead - and that's exactly what you're doing. There's nothing bad about that," I say to her, causing her to nod as her eyes wander slightly downwards towards the ground as if in thought. 

I lick my lip, contemplating my own words to make sure I had said the right thing before I lower my hand down to place on her knee, diverting her eyes back to looking at mine once again.
"You know what's best for you. And no matter what decision you choose to make, I'll always be behind you. One hundred percent, okay?" 

She nods her head in understanding and smiles at me tenderly - the same dimpled smile I'd been missing for a while now.
"Thank you," she whispers to me before I leant down to press my lips lightly against hers. 

It wasn't one of those passionate, fierce kisses. It was more of a kiss to say 'you're welcome' and to let her know I loved her no matter what.
She kisses back for a second until we break away from it with a smile on both of our faces, a smudge of her lip-stick smeared over my lips. 

"Hey, let me," she chuckles before standing up and cupping my cheeks in her hands while her thumb dabbed away at my lower lip, swiping away the lightly coloured paint.
"Better," we both breathe out afterwards before laughing together and pulling each other into a hug. 

"You really do need to get ready for our performance though, babe," I repeat, making her roll her eyes at me.
"Get out of my dressing room then," she laughs, doing one of her little pushy things she does when she's faking her agitation and I chuckle, sauntering out through the black curtains, leaving her alone for those few moments for her to get ready.

. . .

As our dance came to an end, we all spread out along the stage side-to-side with Italy's team and Riley stood by my side, her hand linked together with mine. 

We had worked a lot on that dance and the fact they had changed the song last minute for all troupes, our original choreography seemed to be oddly fitting with it. 

As we awaited the judge's announcement, we looked down towards the flooring of the stage, breathing in and out to pacify our breathing due to the dance we had just performed.
But only a matter of seconds later, the vote fills our ears, Riley's shaking hand seeming to come to a stop the tighter I squeezed it. 

"And moving onto the semi-finals stage with 94 points is... The Next Step!" 

It was a relief considering everything we had been far these past couple days and as the crowd erupts with cheer as well as the rest of the team applauding from the sidelines, the five of us on stage all pulled each other into a group hug. 

We were one step closer to winning this thing.

. . .

"James, are you coming?" Riley asks me about to head out to the swimming pool outside with the rest of the team while she stood in her bikini, a beach skirt tied around her lower waist.

"Go ahead, Ri, I'll be right there," I say to her, giving her a light peck before she smiles and turns to head out with the girls, following closely beside Michelle.
She was still trying to rekindle her friendship with the other girls but I was blaming them for that. 

As I turned back around, my eyes land on the guy I'd been meaning to talk to the entire day.
I'd put our conversation at a hold purely for Riley's benefit but this was just something I needed to find out. I didn't like my girlfriend keeping secrets from me. 

"I think we need to talk," I grumble, meeting Harry midway through the hall, causing him to look up from his phone before his eyes meet mine, then he rolls them. 

"Look, man, the thing between Riley and I really isn't any of your concern. I didn't say anything brutal to her and she didn't say anything worrying to me. She was just looking for support," he tells me, making me frown, raising an eyebrow.
Why would Riley turn to him and not me? That didn't make sense. 

"What are you talking about? What kind of support?" I question. 

He lifts his head, looking past me to make sure Riley wasn't near us, listening in right now because honestly - if she was, I knew she would get mad at me for 'not trusting her'.
I trusted her with my life. But Harry I was sceptical about every now and then. 

"Where was she staying before Internationals, James?" he asks me, his tone subtle and light, almost caring in a way. 

"With me?" I say questioningly, but he shakes his head and sighs. 

"She still thinks your mother doesn't want her there. She stayed at mine that night before Internationals and she was asking me if it would be okay for her to stay a little while longer until she figures out what to do with her parents. She needs you, James, not me," he says, making me close my eyes and sigh in realisation. 

I was such an idiot. This entire time I thought Harry was threatening her but it was the complete opposite. He was trying to help her...
But I know exactly what to do now. 

"Okay. Thank you," I mumble, making him nod before gesturing for me to make my way over to her and I instantly do so, barely hesitating for even a second.