All of the Lights

Chapter Eighteen

Previously...

"Yo!" Cody ran up to the car, guitar in hand. He opened up the door for me, helping me out. Sam watched him carefully.

"Help me out with this new jam I've been working on." Cody nodded towards the chairs set out on the driveway.

He must've been writing outside.

I followed him, crumpling the note and stuffing it in my pocket. I watched Sam out of the corner of my eye. He parked the car and walked to the back.

He's going for another smoke...

As I watched Sam walk away, I realized that he had the same addiction as me. We both were desperate to forget the past. I wanted pain to make me forget, whereas he wanted marijuana.

We both want to forget.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Chapter Eighteen

The next day consisted of interviews and radio promos for Sam and his band. They were releasing a new single, and trying to get it more popularity. I stayed at home and dealt with a few phone calls that were about my next movie auditions and some new song ideas. It was a pretty mellow day.

Sam came home around 3pm. I was snuggled on the couch with a blanket, watching Say Yes To The Dress re-runs, when he plopped down on the couch next to me. I looked over at him and smiled. He gave me a nod, focusing on the television.

"Rob called." He told me, not looking at my face.

Ugh. I can't deal with him right now.

"Did you answer?" I threw half of the blanket over Sam's legs. He gave me a smile and scooted a little closer.

"Yeah. I know you'll hate me... But we're getting dinner with him tonight."

"Oh. Great." I sarcastically responded. Sam nudged me gently.

"You need him, Riley."

"No, I don't."

"Yeah, you do. You should really consider telling him about... Everything that has happened."

"He doesn't need to know."

"I think it'd be best if he did. He could help you."

"I don't need anyone's help, Sam. You better not say anything to him!" I jabbed a finger against his chest.

"Calm down, I won't." He waved my finger away.

"When are we meeting him?"

"We should leave in, like, an hour or so."

"You suck." I got up from the couch and walked into our room.

I can't believe he did this. I can't believe he would arrange plans without talking to me first. Is he out of his mind?

I shuffled through my clothes, pulling out a blouse and skinny jeans. I changed and walked into the bathroom. I slowly started curling my hair and doing my makeup. I was trying to waste as much time as possible.

By the time I was finished, Sam was calling my name and telling me it was time to leave.

"Where you headed?" Cody smirked when I walked by.

"Dinner with Rob. Wanna' come?" I invited. Cody's eyes lit up.

"Yeah!" He responded. Sam heard this and groaned.

"No. You're not coming." Sam stated.

"Yeah he can. I invited him." I glared at Sam. Cody awkwardly stood in front of us.

"He's not coming, Riley."

"I think it's only fair he does, since I was given an hour's notice for this whole thing."

"He's not coming. Get in the car." Sam spoke through his teeth. I was pissing him off. Part of me was glad, because at least Sam was showing emotion.

"Fine." I spat. I turned to Cody, who was trying to hold in his laughter. "Sorry Code."

"It's fine. Have fun." He grinned and walked into his room.

..

"Riley!" Rob's face hadn't aged much. His wrinkles were becoming more noticeable, but other than that, he didn't look any older than 25. He beamed when he saw me. He immediately wrapped me in a hug. I froze, but then realized that Rob didn't know about what has been going on.

I forced myself to hug him back.

"I've missed you so much!" He told me.

"I've missed you too." I responded. I took my seat next to Sam and placed my napkin on my lap.

"How have you guys been?" Rob had a huge smile on his face. Sam gave me a glance and then focused back on Rob.

The two started to get lost in random conversations. I would occasionally pitch in, not wanting Rob to catch on about my depressed attitude. The night was long and felt never-ending. By the time we finished our meals, I was ready to leave. Sam noticed my anxiety, but didn't bother to speed up the conversations.

Gosh, when did he get so annoying?

"So Riley, what have you been working on lately?" Rob asked, taking a sip of his drink.

"I mean, nothing much." I gave him a short response. I didn't feel like talking, especially about myself. Rob probably saw right through me. He knew something was wrong.

"Yeah? And how's everything been?" Rob continued.

"It... Uh... It's been good." I struggled, giving my head a nod at the end.

"You're acting really... Quiet." Rob mentioned. My heart fluttered.

Dammit. He knows there's something wrong.

"She's just tired, man. Not a lot of sleep lately." Sam intruded. I mentally thanked him for the excuse.

"No sleep?" Rob cocked an eyebrow. He was always suspicious.

"Uh, she... Yeah. She bruised a few ribs recently. They hurt her when she sleeps." Sam scratched his head. Rob gave me a shocked look.

That's actually a decent excuse. Good job, Sam.

"You didn't tell me?" Rob seemed hurt.

"I didn't think it was that big of a deal." I shrugged.

"Riles... I wish you'd talk to me." Rob sighed. He wiped his mouth with a napkin, looking at me with puppy eyes.

"Rob, I..." I began, but was interrupted by Sam.

"How about you come over after? Visit our place?" Sam invited.

No. No. No. No. Hell no.

"Yeah! That'd be awesome." Rob's eyes had a small glint of happiness in them. I glared at Sam, mentally cussing at him. I didn't want Rob in my house.

As we finished paying and left the restaurant, I couldn't help but notice how much Rob changed. I could tell that I had hurt him when I left. I wondered what he had been going through. It was strange to think that a person so close to me has no idea about what I've been going through. That only made me realize that whatever he was going through, I didn't know about either. Rob was just another person I affected. I still am affecting him. Everything I do is going to affect him.

He's another person I'm going to hurt... He's another person who's pain I'm responsible for. I can't hurt Rob too.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Keep posted for more updates. If you follow me, you'll be able to get notifications and such whenever a new update happens. Soooo... It'd be awesome if you followed me. ;) haha. Thanks guys!

Evolislove