Scarlet Triangle ❀ r.a.l & r.s.l

Wild Hearts - Pt. II

"Draw a line and we'll cross for fun, let's go. Yeah, one by one they fall, taken out by alcohol. Poor souls," (R5, Wild Hearts).

Scarlet's POV

I decided not to have any alcohol. I accepted the drink so I wouldn't be pressured but I only set it down. I decided to have a little fun, let go, but I needed my sense of logic so I wouldn't do anything stupid.

After a while of dancing I was pulled aside by Ross. "Can I talk to you?" he shouted over the music.

"Sure," I shouted back. He took my hand and lead me upstairs. There was some fear in me that Ross was drunk but I hoped it wasn't like that.

We went into his room and he closed the door behind him making me cringe at the latch.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Uh," he began as he ran his fingers through his hair with one hand and leaned against his dresser with the other. "I just wanted- I mean now that you and Riker aren't, well, you know," he said sheepishly.

"No. I don't know," I said, crossing my arms in front of me.

"Scarlet," he whined, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Ross, I'm not just waiting around for my next boyfriend. I thought you knew that," I said coldly.

"I do. But Scarlet, I'm in love with you. I wasn't just waiting for something to go wrong to make my move. It's not like that. I'm simply into you and now that you're single, I just thought-"

"That it was appropriate to hit on me now that Riker isn't my boyfriend?" I interrupted.

"No," he said, pulling at his hair in frustration. "Why can't you trust I'm being spontaneous because I love you?" he shouted.

I stayed quiet and stared at him as tears built up in my eyes. "Why can't you understand I'm not ready for that?" I whispered, pulling my hands together over my chest and closing my eyes.

I felt him come close and his arms fell around me in a hug. I wanted to hug him back. Tell him I liked him too. But that would ruin everything.

All I knew is that after all this time and through all the fights I couldn't help but still love him. Riker, he was my everything, for so long, but now, he wasn't mine and I wasn't his and as much as I wanted to run back to him and tell him how much I wanted to be with him, I just couldn't.

Why? I'm not sure. I just knew I was tired and wanted to move on. It wasn't any fair.

"I'll wait for you," Ross said against my hair.

I took a deep breath and his essence filled my lungs. Ross was someone new. Never did he do me wrong. He was almost too easy to love, it felt like a crime. Maybe it was. Maybe that's what I kept telling myself. It was selfish to love Ross and as selfish as I already was I wouldn't be able to live with myself.

"Say something, Scarlet. I'm madly in love with you and I need to know what's on your mind," he pleated.

"I love you, Ross. You want the truth? I love you," I paused as he pulled away and stared at me. "But I also love Riker."

"I know but-"

"Ross. I won't let my life become a love triangle. I don't want to be in love with two people. I want one person, one person who loves me as much as I love them. It's all I ask, but-"

Ross swallowed and pulled away. "I want that too. But I'm not even lucky enough to be loved by a single girl. I'm a choice, but never the first," he said.