Scandalous Love

16. | Riley

"It's nine o'clock," I say as James sat on the other side of my window ledge that same night.

We were hovering around by my bedroom but I take one look at the clock on my wall and I remember everything that pulls me back down into reality, causing me to sigh.

He chuckles softly, moving his hand to place lightly on my knee as his back leant against my wall along with mine. "What happens at nine? You always seem to disappear at that time," he says, making me roll my eyes playfully before looking down.

I link my hand together with his as it rested on top of my thigh. "My mum," I whisper so he looks at me with a gentle expression, like he could and would never hurt me.

He draws patterns over the backs of my palms and it causes me to shuffle closer to him until my head rested above his lap. "I stay with her for the night. From nine o'clock onwards. She's the moon and all our ancestors are the stars. It's silly but-"

He stops me mid-sentence by moving his free hand and allowing his index finger to come into contact with my chin, lifting my head up until our faces were only a few inches apart.

"It helps you feel close to her," he whispers, still holding onto my other hand. "That's not silly, Ri."

I look up at him and smile a little, moving my arms to wrap around his torso before burying my head deep against his chest. He sighs and wraps his arms just as much around me, holding me there still and quiet so it was just the soft sound of our breathing meshing together in the atmosphere.

He rubs my back up and down for several minutes as I keep my eyes sealed on the half moon in the sky amongst the dots that made up the stars in the darkness.

Our momentous gesture lasts until I hear the sound of footsteps, alerting me of Nana's presence and I sigh, shaking my head before looking up at James.

"You need to go," I whisper to him, running my hand down his chest, touching each one of his abs. "I don't want to get caught or for you to get in trouble."

He exhales but he knew I was right and he shows it by nodding his head slowly despite the tight embrace we kept ourselves in. "I'd cuddle you all night if I could," he whispers in my ear, making me laugh lightly.

I don't know what it was but something about James made me never want to leave his touch, even if I had to.

"We have Cotillion again tomorrow," I whisper to which he nods his head. I keep my ears out on the alert, listening out for Nana so she wouldn't just suddenly walk into the room to find a boy in here with me.

"I don't want to leave you now," he says back.

I roll my eyes at him, knowing we didn't have a choice. He had to go, whether he liked it or not.

"You have to, James. But it's okay, I'll see you first thing tomorrow morning, right?"

"Right," he mumbles. He looks me in the eyes and I smile softly before rotating my head and body enough to bring my lips to meeting his.

I reach my hands up to cup each one of his cheeks. He holds me by the waist, stopping me from rolling over into his side while we remained sat on the ledge, our legs tangled together.

He kisses me back but it's not one of those soft and tender kisses. His tongue dives in and out of my mouth, making it hard for me to breathe but in the best kind of way.

It was wrong, being with someone from South Side, but it felt so right.

When we eventually pull away from each other, a smile had become instilled on both of our faces and it was something neither of us could get rid of.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I tell him.

He holds onto my hand, not wanting to let go. "Goodnight, princess."

I reach forwards and peck his lips one last time.

"Goodnight, James," I say back, then I watch him as he lets go of me to descend down the brick wall carefully and I don't look away until he waves at me from the top of the hill.

The door opens quicker than I'd expected but to lower any suspicions she may have had, I keep staring out of the window, my eyes remaining on James while I watched him climb over the top of the gates.

"Who were you talking to, pea?" she asks, remaining stood by the door as she looked over me.

I turn around and peer over my shoulder to face her before shrugging my shoulders and rolling myself over to lie down on my bed.

"Just Mum, Nana," I tell her. "No one special."

. . .

The following day James met me in my room the same way he had grown accustomed to these past couple weeks. He climbed up the wall and clambered in through the window while I changed into my floral white and pink flowery dress for the fourth time this week.

"You look beautiful," he says, approaching me and walking carefully along the carpet to attempt staying quiet. His arms wrap around my waist from behind and I lean into him slightly, smiling at our reflection in the mirror.

After a short while, I turn around to face him before greeting him with the lightest of kisses on his lips as he looks down at me.

My hair had been styled into a tight up-do but it doesn't stop him from playing around with it when he curls the two strands dangling down by each side of my face around his finger.

"You're early," I chuckle as he moves his hands to my hips.

"What can I say? I guess I just really missed you after leaving last night."

He kisses me again, making me reach up into my tiptoes to gain as much access to his lips as I could before we're forced to break apart again.

"James," I breathe out, suddenly finding myself to be filled to the brim with guilt.

I didn't think this would happen. I didn't expect to find myself wanting to kiss let alone be with anyone from the other side of town but it's happening and it's only making things more complicated.

He looks at me with concern and I bite my lip, holding onto him closely.

"I'm meant to be meeting with Axel and his family until nine o'clock. It's something Dad called on," I tell him and instantly afterwards, all the colour drains from his face. It was like he had deflated, like he was a balloon and I had drained all the energetic air out of him.

"That's okay," he mumbles, attempting to take a step away from me. I don't let him. Instead I tug him back, not wanting him to leave me.

"It won't be long. I'll come right back to be with you, I promise. What we do, we do together remember?" I tell him, moving my hands to cup his cheeks.

He closes his eyes, hanging into my every word before he nods and I smile slightly, reaching up to kiss him one more time.

There's a knock on the door which causes us to pull apart and I hold my breath. "Riley, we're waiting for you," my sister's voice calls out, making me tense up because I really didn't want her to enter my room right now.

"I'll be right there, Em," I call back out to her.

James and I stay silent, waiting until we heard her leave and then once her footsteps drift away, I look back to James.

"I won't be long, okay?"

"I'll go wait by the hill," he says to me, making me give his hands one last squeeze before letting go so I could run downstairs while James left my room to head back outside.

God, I hate having to sneak around.