thief {f.w}

chapter 5

*rivers pov*

i wake at 10am and decide to go for a walk. it's empty apart from the few people going to and from work. it's nice and warm, i didn't even need a jacket, i threw on my favourite short overalls and a plain white vest underneath, i pair it with my white pumps and braid my hair. millie taught me how to do the dainty dutch braids and now i love wearing my hair like it.

i didn't have any breakfast so i go to the corner shop, the bell rings loudly, echoing through the empty shop with just a couple people in. 
i wonder through the isles, until i come across one with a curly haired boy, not finn though.
he was humming a song quietly as he searched for a chocolate bar, "what can i say except you're welcome"

wyatt.

i laugh, "hi there wyatt" he looks up and smiles, "hi, river right?" i nod and i smile back, "you were the pretty girl i bumped into a couple months ago right? we've never really spoke" he says and i blush at the compliment, he looks around and whispers to me, "finn said a lot about you, he never stopped talking about you. jaeden doesn't shut up about you now, i rarely see finn anymore come to think of it" he says and i giggle nervously, "jaeden talks about me?"
"all the time" he says, dragging his words to over exaggerate.

we pay for our food and begin to walk down the street.
"so what does he say?" i ask him and he grins.
"you can't tell him i told you any of this, he'll kill me, it was guy code" he says and i nod
"guy code?"
"yeah like girl code but much better"
"oh is that so?" i joke, folding my arms and raising an eyebrow at him and he nods
"anyway, he really likes you. do you like him?"

of course i like jaeden so im not sure why that question stunned me so much. i really like jaeden...but finn. i don't know why, but part of me wants to hang on, part of me will always love finn, part of me will always want him back. but he's moved on, so it's time i did too.

"yes. i really like jaeden" i say, the words tasting like honey on my tongue.
"great!" he says and claps his hands together, "look like im going to have to play Cupid" i head him mutter and i burst out laughing.
"what's funny?" he asked in all seriousness.
i shake my head, "you're too funny wyatt" i say, ruffling his curls and he tries to dodge me.
"hey hey!! not the hair" he says, chuckling.

*finns pov*

"so do you wanna hang out today?"
im on call to daisy, she wants to hang out again today, i just saw her yesterday.
"uh yeah sure, where you wanna meet?" i say and she shrugs.
"there's this new food place we can go if you want?"
i nod and now i shrug, "yeah whatever" i say plainly. to be completely honest, i don't really care anymore.
"gosh you don't sound very excited finn im your girlfriend. i bet you were way more excited when you were with river" she says sharply and i breathe in deeply.
"no i am excited daisy" i say, making myself feel as excited as possible. it was hard. especially when she brought up river.
"great!" she says, suddenly returning back to her normal self.
"meet you in 10. love you bye" she says and i hang up without saying another word.

i throw on a old jacket, my favourite green one, i thought id lost it but it was still hanging up. weird.
i regret wearing this jacket, it's way too hot outside, hotter than i expected it to be. actually, i don't know what i was expecting, it's the middle of may, the suns bright.
i meet up with daisy, she's wearing a pretty pastel yellow dress.
"hi finnie" she coos and I cringe.
"hello daisy" i say, smiling at her. she was pretty, but that was about it, there was no connection or chemistry. i was just with her because....in fact i don't even know why im with her, i like her and all but shes just not river.
wait that's mean, of course i love her, it's just sometimes, it's hard for me to love her.
rivers moved on so i guess i should too.

"so yeah, maddie was sooo mad and Lolas in New York so I'm alone..." she's rambling on but a certain names catches my full attention.
"lola?"
"yeah...your co-star?" She frowns and sips her pink milkshake.
"yeah...I didn't know you knew her personally" i say, trying to act like i was completely interested.
"oh yeah lola and i go wayyy back" she says, it irritates me when she drags out her words.
i don't say anything, i just sit sipping my chocolate milkshake.

we get ready to leave and pay when we get to the counter, daisy's money has mysteriously disappeared.
"oh no i must've left my purse at home, you got this one right finn?"
the guy on the counter was looking at us expectantly. i guess as her boyfriend it shouldn't be a problem but she does this every time.
"of course" i say, handing him the notes.
we leave and she links arms with me, resting her head on my shoulder.
i spot wyatt and river, laughing and joking, and i get a surge of jealousy run through my body, i clench my jaw.
wyatt spots me and waves, i give him a fake smile, river continues walking without looking over at me.
we walk on, ignoring anything else that happened, "so can we go to the mall?"
"i thought you left your purse at home?" I ask her, already knowing the answer.
"well it's my lucky day because i found it again" she grins at me and drags me along with her.

*time skip to that evening*

*rivers pov*

i sit at home with harper, we're sketching with "IT" on the tv, i try not to watch it but i can't help it, i tell myself I'm watching it for jaeden but we all know why i was so keen to put it on.
"so, you went out with jack today right?" i ask and she smiles.
"sure did"
"so what are you two like, dating now?" i ask and i see her blush
"nope, just friends" she says, but I raise an eyebrow at her.
"we are" she insists, and she flicks water at me
i flick the water back at her and she squeals
"ok then what about you and jaeden?" she says and my heart flutters.
"what about us?"
"oh us then huh? are you two a thing"
"what no! i just said us because i did. stop smirking at me!!" i laugh at her.
"your complicating things harper" i let out a sigh but i can't stay annoyed at her for long.

my phone buzzes and i see a text from...finn? i open it in a heartbeat, but regret it after.

                                       finn
i need to talk to you. meet me outside?

the text is painfully short but at least he texted first. 
                                                                   now?
yeah, im outside.
                                                                   oh ok
bring a jacket. it's chilly.

i smile stupidly.
"ill be back one sec" i say to harper who nods and flicks through the programmes on netflix, i don't know why she looks through them so many times, she and i both know she'll end up watching stranger things again.
i shut the door quietly, "finn?"
"Finn!" i whisper loudly.
"why are you whispering?" he whispers next to me, making me jump slightly.
"you scared me!"
we laugh and everything fits perfectly back in place, the emptiness ive been feeling vanishes.
i clear my throat and we break eye contact.
"so what did you need to talk to me about?"

*finns pov*

how do i tell her i only called her out because i wanted to see her alone, just us?
"um i saw you walking with wyatt earlier"
"yeah?"
crap. i got nothing.
"i-i miss-"
she looks up at me with hopeful eyes, our faces close, painfully close. my heart pounds in my chest.
i could literally just kiss her right here, right now.

what are you stupid???

"him, i miss him, can you ask him if he wants to catch up?"
she frowns, "no. you ask him. it's sunday tomorrow, go out for lunch or something" she says sharply. i take a deep breath.
"river, im sorry we ended it the way we did-"
she cuts me off, "i didn't want us to end like this either. this is exactly what i was afraid of. i didn't want us to end up like strangers, or what seems like less because we can't even hold eye contact, because we can't ever talk properly again, because we can't ever know each other the way we used to. and maybe i loved you so much, too much, that i wish we hadn't fallen in love, just so i could keep you by my side, even if it wasn't as a lover"

she's crying as she runs off into the house, leaving me in tears and speechless.

~Word Count 1596~
☹️☹️ im on major writers block, i don't know if half of this chapter made sense? but oh well
over and out,
-L💛