The Second Tour of 44West

ch. 14 - "Ri"

Elizabeth

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    I laid in bed staring at the bumping ceiling of the moving bus, replaying everything that happened last night. Rion's performance and the outfit she wore that showed off her inked arms, her sudden change in emotion as we ate dinner and how Montoya ran straight after her, waiting up for her after Robbie asked me numerous times to go to bed but I declined, and whatever the hell happened after that.

    And I was thinking about all of this as my fiancé slept soundly beside me.

    Being around her was becoming too much. I thought I could handle it, but I don't think it would be smart to be around her much longer. She was dangerous. I felt like a moth and she was my flame, and the closer I got, would only lead to me getting burned.

    I loved Robbie, I really did. He was sweet and kind and wholesome. It was just easy with him. There was no drama or stress or tabloid rumors. However, on the flip side of that coin, there was no passion. No enthusiasm, no fire, no burning desire.

    Maybe I'm just naive, and all of that passion shit is overrated, but I couldn't help but still want it. Even if it made things more difficult and scary in the end. I believe it would be worth it.

    I thought about telling Robbie I was going to fly back home to LA, but what would the reason be? I made sure my schedule was clear for the entirety of the tour so I could be with him the whole time. My family was all busy with their respective jobs, too. There would be no good reason to go home so early.

    So, I had to set up some ground rules. I would try and stay with Robbie as much as I could, and above all else, I would not put myself in a situation alone with Rion. That's just how it had to be.

    Taking a deep breath, I swung my legs out of the bed and stood up, making my mind up to go to the kitchen area to make some coffee. As I walked through the doorway, my eyes widened and I stopped in my tracks as I heard light grunting.

    Looking to the floor, I saw Rion in the main cabin with a towel underneath her, doing push-up after push-up with perfect form. She was in a gray tank-top that was darkened with sweat around the neckline, and black athletic shorts. Her brown hair was thrown up into a messy bun on the top of her head and there were small beads of sweat trickling down her forehead and arms.

    "How long are you going to stand there and stare at me?" She asked, pulling me out of my stupor. I had been so caught up in my own thoughts that I didn't realize she had stood up and was now staring back at me.

    Shaking my head and playing with the hem of my large t-shirt, I realized I was breaking my own rules by being alone with her in the same room. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I'll leave."

    "No, no, it's fine. I was finishing up anyways." Rion replied, bending over to grab the towel off of the ground, making me look away at the ceiling. "Did you sleep okay?" She asked innocently as she reached around me to grab the pot of coffee and pour herself a mug.

    How did she do that? Last night she was teasing the life out of me with her close proximity and feather-like touches, whispering in my ear and grabbing my hip. But now, she was the picture of cool, acting like that tension never even happened. 

    "Yeah, I slept fine." I lied, pretending like I didn't wake up every two hours because I was dreaming of her skin on mine and trying not to panic about it.

    "Good." She replied, taking a large sip of her coffee and nodding at my words, watching my face intently. "The sounds you were making last night tell me otherwise." She added, making my eyes snap up to hers and my cheeks heat up embarrassingly fast.