Three Perfect Days (A Riley McDonough Fan Fic)

Week 5: Day 2

Today's the day. I sat up straight in bed and padded to the bathroom in my nightshirt—mentally blocking the fact that I leave for Europe in about 6 hours—and sped through my morning routine. I splashed cold water on my face to keep me awake, scrubbed my teeth, and tied my hair back into a rubber band. I pulled on a clean white tank top and some summer shorts.

                "Chloe!" my mom's voice echoed from downstairs. "Someone's at the door for you."    

                My mind went to confusion. I wasn't expecting anyone at all. Nora knows that it's my flight day and promised to meet me at the airport after school, so it couldn't have been Nora. Austin and Daniel had classes too. I hurried downstairs and I saw him. He was wearing a white t-shirt with a black leather jacket and black Levi's. His eyes were covered with black sunglasses so I couldn't see his reaction.

                "Can we talk?" Riley said.

                I nodded and stepped outside. I closed the door behind us and sat down at the steps in front of my house. He sat next to me and took off his glasses. There was silence for a while. He turned toward me and for a moment we were locking eyes. His eyes were bloodshed, I didn't know if he was crying last night or he just lacked sleep. I was too scared to ask.

               

                "Connor told me everything," he said with his voice shaking.

                I waited for him to continue but he didn't. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know how to tell you."

                "How many hours left?"

                "6. Why?"

                "Can you come with me for a while? I promise to bring you back before your flight."

                He brought me to the park. We were standing at the edge of the cliff overlooking most of the city. It was early morning and I could hear birds chirping. Riley was standing behind me, his hands on my hips, his body relaxed. He whispered to my ears, "I'm going to miss you."

                I looked up to him; he was 2 inches taller than me. "So you're not mad at me?"

                He looked at me like I was crazy. "No, I would never be."

                He kissed the crown of my head and for a moment we stayed frozen. I could feel his heart beating against my back. The wind was peaceful and quiet. I closed my eyes, cherishing every moment so that I could always remember.

                I turned around to face him. I stood on my tiptoes, lifted my head, and kissed him. Our lips touched, and there were fireworks. He gave me innumerable soft kisses reminding me that I will forever be part of him. I pulled away first, trying to catch my breath. He pulled me against his chest, gathering me into his arms. I laced my hand at the back of his neck, my cheek against his chest. His fingers slid down my arms, and he held me by the small of my back.

                Despite the fact that I routinely tried to deny it to him, I felt for him. The more time I spent with him, the more I knew the feelings weren't going away. One last pleasure, I told myself, please just one last. I allowed myself to surrender to those feelings. It was, after all, over.

                "I love you." I whispered to his ears. It seemed to have caught him off guard. He leaned and tipped my chin up to meet his eyes. I could see his eyes were watery but I decided not to say anything. He stayed silent. His muscled arms circled my waist. He drew me closer to him and the look in his eyes was so alluring. He put his hand on my cheek and kissed me on the forehead then to my cheeks-slowly savoring every moment with him. Finally, our lips met once again.