Mine *don't read: being rewritten*

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Hunter's POV

I close the bathroom door and walk back to the living room. "You don't mind if she stays, do you?" I ask Alex.

"Of course not. Is she okay?"

I sigh. "She will be."

"Good."

"I'm gonna start to get her settled."

I walk back to my room and unzip the bag that she packed. Some of her stuff is already here, so I just put the rest of it with her other stuff. The clothes are messily packed. All of them are thrown in at random; all balled up, not folded. Under a few shirts are picture frames. Sam's present to her. I take out two of us and place them on my bedside table.

After about fifteen minutes, Riley is still in the shower. "Rye," I say quietly, knocking on the door.

I hear a stifled sob and a quiet "yeah" over the water. "You okay, babe?"

"No."

"Can I come in?" She doesn't answer, so I open the door.

"Rye?" Behind the shower curtain, I see her silhouette slide down the wall until she's curled up on the floor. "Hey," I say quietly, still not moving. "What's wrong?" Again, I don't get an answer.

I move forward and reach behind the curtain to turn the water off. Then, I grab the towel from the rack and wrap it around her. I crouch down. "You're okay, you know," I whisper. She's crying too hard to respond. "Shh," I coo. I scoop her up, holding her close.

I bring her back to my room, and lay her down on my bed. I grab a sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants from one of the drawers that she had before. "Do you wanna get dressed?" She nods slowly, taking the clothes from me. I look away to let her change.

Her arms wrap around my torso from behind, her head resting on my back. "I didn't know where else to go. He was gonna push me over the edge; I was gonna break our promise." I place my hands on top of hers, remembering the promise we made after I got out of the hospital. To stay strong for each other.

"I can go," Riley says, starting to pull away. I turn around and wrap my arms around her.

"No, you're staying. I mean, you can stay. My offer stands, remember?" I raise my eyebrows at her.

"Right."

"Now come here and talk to me." I sit down, pulling her with me. Riley curls up on my lap, and her head rests on my chest. Her hair is wet, but I don't care. Her arms wrap around my torso.

"You know I don't feel like talking, don't you?"

"Yeah." I run my fingers through her wet hair, then make a trail down her back. I pull my hand back up so it's back in her hair.

"I'm gonna take a nap." Riley's head nuzzles her head into my chest. I release my arms from her body so she can lie next to me. She doesn't move.

"Oh," I murmur. I wrap my arms back around her. She sighs contently, and soon she falls asleep.

After about forty-five minutes, I carefully stand up and lay her back down. Riley stirs slightly, but doesn't wake up. I kiss her forehead, and finish putting her things away.

I leave the room silently. "She okay, now?" Alex questions.

"She's gettin' there." I nod.

"Am I allowed to ask what happened?"

"It's just stuff with her dad." I shrug like that's the only thing; like it's nothing much. Alex nods. He knows that there's more to it, but he doesn't push anything.