Her Absent Memory

Chapter Sixteen

Riley and I stand in the hallway and try to think of a place we can go to talk. She doesn't want to go back into her room because she thinks she might wake up her mom. I lean into her as we devise a plan. We consider going into the stairwell, but both of us get a devious idea when we watch a housekeeper wheel a cart into the hallway and leave it unattended. Riley sneaks over to the cart and rummages through it for a minute. After a thorough investigation of the cart, she holds up a small plastic card and smirks at me. I deviously grin back at her and we take the elevator up to the fifth floor of the motel. In a fit of laughter, we hurry to the end of the hallway and Riley uses the housekeeping room key to unlock a suite. We venture into the room and gasp at how surprisingly spacious it is. On one side of the room, there's a big couch and a flat screen TV on the wall. Then, through another doorway, there's a decent sized bedroom with a huge bed. Connected to the bedroom is a luxurious bathroom with a waterfall shower and a jacuzzi bath. Not even my parents' bathroom is this nice. We both gawk at the room in disbelief until Riley takes off running for the bed. She turns on the second TV in the bedroom and puts on some music. Then, she starts jumping up and down on the mattress and flinging pillows at me.

I join her and we jump until we both flop on our butts from exhaustion. I scoot over and rest my head on Riley's stomach as we try to catch our breath. Her fingers find my hair and she plays with it gently. I roll onto my stomach and look up at Riley as she looks back at me. I smile and she runs a hand through my hair.

"I'm glad you're here," She tells me.

"I'm glad I'm here, too. I missed you."

"I missed you more." Riley says, scooting down a little bit and kissing me on the cheek.

"So, you're here with your mom?" I ask.

"Yeah... It's crazy. I didn't think I'd ever meet her." She sighs.

"How are you feeling?"

"I was confused, but I got better... And I'm even better, now." Riley wiggles her eyebrows at me and I roll my eyes.

"What's going to happen with your mom, then? Like, is she living here?" I prop myself up on my elbows.

"Ah," Riley sits up and places a pillow behind her back, "I'm not going to live with my dad anymore... They're removing me from the home. My mom recently bought a house out here, so I'm going to be moving in with her as soon as possible."

"Removed from the home?" I raise my eyebrows, "Why?"

"My dad was just a dick is all," She trails off, averting my gaze.

I sit up and look down at her. She slowly moves her eyes to meet mine. I tilt my head a bit.

"Riley, you know you can tell me anything, right?" I say, taking her hand in mine.

"I know that. There are just some things I don't like to talk about. He's one of those things." She tells me.

"Okay, I understand. But if you ever want to talk to me about it, I'm here." I remind her.

Riley smiles half-heartedly and kisses me on the forehead. I place a palm against her cheek and rub my thumb across her skin. She takes a deep breath and places one arm behind her head.

"I got removed from the home because he'd beat me." She admits, once again casting her attention elsewhere.

My expression grows solemn and I can barely comprehend what I've just heard. To be honest, I'm not all that surprised considering my first encounter with Riley's dad. But the fact that this even happened is enough to make my heart ache. I squeeze her hand and lie down beside her.

"You're the strongest person I've ever met... And the bravest person I know," I tell her, getting a half smile in response.

"That's funny, considering the fact that I'm terrified of you." Riley chuckles, her voice low.

"Terrified of me?" I scoff, "How come?"

"Sutton, there's really no easy way to tell you this..." Riley begins, "But..."

"But what?" I ask, feeling a bit uneasy, "What's going on?"

"I'm think I'm falling in love with you." She says in a hushed tone.

My heart starts drumming faster than ever inside my chest and I feel my eyes go wide. She gives my hand a little squeeze and I crawl up to face her. Riley smiles wide at me before I connect our lips in a much-needed kiss. I close my eyes and recognize the familiar taste of vanilla on her lips. After a bit, we part for a moment.

"I think I'm falling in love with you, too..." I breathe.

She captures my lips again and this time there's a lot more passion between us. We kiss each other hard as I move to straddle Riley. Amidst the intense kisses, I manage to pull my shirt above my head. Riley admires my body as she sits up and runs her hands up my stomach. Her fingertips on my skin send chills down my spine. Goosebumps rise all over my body and I shudder. Riley slides one hand beneath my bra as she kisses my neck. I let out a soft moan, feeling her teeth graze my skin. She moves to my collarbone and one of her hands trails lazily down my side.

"You're so beautiful," She mumbles against my chest.

I unclasp my bra and Riley pulls it off of me, dropping it next to the bed. Her eyes examine every inch of my exposed skin until I push my lips against hers once more. Her tongue slips past my parted lips and I tangle my hands in her hair. She starts unbuttoning my pants and I break the kiss for a moment.

"You're really going to make me be naked all by myself?" I pretend to pout.

Riley smirks and allows me to pull her shirt above her head. She tugs off her sports bra and begins unzipping her jeans. In a matter of seconds, the two of us are engaged in another heated lip lock. Riley grabs my hips and pulls me closer to her. Our bare bodies press together and our noses bump as we kiss. I cup the side of her face and we share a brief laugh before things heat up again. Riley's hand slides between my thighs and I gasp.

"Do you want me to stop?" She asks quietly.

"N-No." I huff.

"Alright then," She chuckles.