Two Steps Back

Habromania (JxR)

Habromania—delusions of happiness

"How's Alfie? James asked cool and detached. At least that's how he hoped that he sounded but he had come dangerously close to loosing his cool when Piper told him about what had happened. His little sister had been like a rag doll crushed under Riley's secret that she had forced her to bear. This was why he hadn't wanted Piper to come to the Next Step because as much as he loved the place he had known that it would chew her up. The girl was far to sweet for this place and despite what she thought too young.

It had taken him far too long to be able to face Riley and her damn face which would crumple up when she cried and made him feel like the bad guy even when he hadn't done anything wrong. But the band had judged him ready to talk to her and James trusted them mostly even though they were all utter idiots sometimes. They were his boys though so that didn't matter. Without them, Eldon and West James didn't know where he would be. Hell they'd even reached out to Hunter who'd checked on James t offer his support.

Riley looked confused, "What do you mean." He could see the thoughts ticking inside her head. Riley had always been smarter than him—maybe that"s why he had missed it for so long and she'd been able to keep so many secrets.

He scoffed loud and deliberate. How did she not know what he was talking about? Could't she see what she had done? Was she that blind? "I talked to Piper." Shed tried to make his baby sister keep secrets from in order to maintain her reputation after she got involved with one of her dancers. She hadn't just cheated on him but she had broken studio rules for him. Did she not see how wrong and even inappropriate her actions had been. She'd thrown him away on what a whim and momentary infatuation.

A small manicured hand slipped up to cover her mouth in shock and they stood still for a second. James could feel Riley putting the clues together and whilst normally her gaze was comforting and familiar now it made his skin crawl. "She said she wouldn't say anything," Riley said ducking her head.

"She's my sister and a kid. How did you expect her not to tell me," James felt sick though as he spoke. He hated doing this but he had to. Riley needed to understand her actions. "She stressed so much about telling me but she was scared and she couldn't look me in the face. She was terrified of letting you down and you didn't even care did you. As long as you could get your way and keep your little fling a secret you were happy."He dropped his gaze at the end. He'd been able to maintain eye contact throughout the entirety of his tirade but he couldn't look at her anymore. He didn't want to look at her anymore.

"I'm sorry," she wasn't though was she. She'd done it. She could have backed out of whatever was going on between her and Alfie any time but she hadn't. "It just happened."

"Well that's not enough," James's voice was resolute and hard as he spoke. And it wasn't enough to just say that she was sorry. They're been together for years and they talked to each other. At least he thought they did.

She was crying now with tears trickling down her cheeks. The sight was supposed to fill him with pity but he just felt disdain for her and everything that she had been brought down to. "What do you want me to do?"

"Anything Riley," James said his voice desperate now as though he was verbally shaking her to move her into action. "Because hell I did those stupid tasks and what I did Beth was a hell of a lot better than you and Alfie."

"This is nothing like you and Beth," Riley said. She was visibly pulling herself together and she wiped away her tears as though she was unveiling her war paint.

James laughed at her now incredulous, "No it isn't. Because there never was a me and Beth. It was all in her head but as far as I can tell you believe in whatever Alfie's told you."

"I do believe in us," Riley said her voice escalating in both pitch and volume. "At least I did," her voice broke on the last word but she didn't cry again and James could imagine how she'd be feeling right now. He was always the one to hold her whenever she felt upset and he could feel his limbs wanted to revert to habit and hold her again. He held himself still though and instead waited face hard for the girl to pull herself together and through this. "Archie was just so sweet and he was always here. I needed someone and he wanted to be that someone."

Now James was angry. That was his role and Riley was supposed to need him not stupid Swiss Alfie who would understand her anyway. Not like he did at least. "I was always there for you Riley. You just never asked."

" Did I need to ask for your help? You say all this shit but you don't know me James," Riley said her tone combative. "If you did you never would have left."

"I was on that laptop night and day Riley," James reminded fiercely. "Whenever I could I'd be talking to you helping you and doing whatever you needed. I loved you but that doesn't make me a superhero."

"But you weren't there. You couldn't hold me, brush the hair out of my face or wipe away my tears," Riley said. Her voice was small and empty and broken. "He was."

"You said it was okay that I went," James said bitterly. He hadn't wanted to go to London initially but Riley had promised him it'd be okay and that it's be good for him to compete in that hip hop competition and long distance would strengthen their relationship. "You can't say one thing and then blame me when I do it"

Riley brushed her hair back from her face, "But you were supposed to know." She paused almost as though she realized that James wouldn't buy whatever she was saying. "It wasn't supposed to work out like this."

"I know," James said the two words almost silent. Neither of them had wanted this—they'd always been the couple that everyone thought would last and they'd wanted to. "But you betrayed me and you lied to me."

"I'm sorry I don't know what was ging through my mind," Riley said desperately but James' had lasted this long without cracking so he crossed his eyes and merely watched. "It was just like a crazy delusion in which their weren't consequences."

"No Riley you're not the one with delusions" James' voice grew in anger and frustration and Riley flinched. "I'm the deluded one because I still fucking love you." He ran a hand over his head and with an expression of regret left.

Riley collapsed.

A.N. so I'm not quite sure what happened here as this was initially going to be a fluffy story which might be stupid considering my other next step one shots which aren't very fluffy even when I loved the couples i.e. Hunter and Emily or Richelle and Noah. However, Jiley isn't one of my favourite couples personally as I never really liked Riley as a character and her development even though I know that in this fandom it is the dominate ship and I got asked to do this as a result. The moment between the pair which I wanted to know more about which is often what I develop or scenes they don't get in the actual show was this as I wanted James to be more angry at Riley and kinda to make her understand what she'd done as I don't think Riley ever really gets shocked into the reality to the degree that I wanted her to be. So this came about and I basically said via James everything that I wanted Riley to hear and yeah. Not all together happy with this as it's quite short especially in comparison to other stuff that I write but I was trying a different structure for the chapter and writing a scene which wasn't in the show. But yeah if anyone wants a more fluffy happy Jiley pm or review and I can.