Dating The Bad Boy

n i n e

CHAPTER NINE: UNDER THE STARS

River stops his bike once we get to the park. He flicks down the kickstand and takes of his helmet. I roll my eyes, of course his hair looks perfect although it's messy. I watch his swift movements as River gets off the bike. "Need help?" he asks. I nod my head with the big helmet still on it.

River reaches his hands out to me and I hold onto them, trying to get off the bike. My foot catches on the seat and I stumble into River and he catches me before I fall. I look up at him and mumble a, "Thanks". He nods and takes off my helmet. River laughs and I meet his gaze, my hair. I try to flatten it down, stupid helmet.

"So, Turner." he starts pulling out our food, "How'd you like it?" I try not to smile, but I fail, a wide grin spreads on my face as I exclaim, "That was fucking amazing! I felt so free and it was daring." I say bouncing up and down. River chuckles and grabs my hand, as if it's natural. Our fingers lace together as we walk to the park bench.

The illuminating street lamps guide us as the sun starts to set. We sit down and River pulls out two cheeseburgers and a large basket of fries. I start to unwrap my burger and watch River pull out a McDonalds cup, filled with some drink that I think he intends on sharing. "Hey Peaches?" he says curiously. I look at him as my teeth sink into my burger. "Hmm?" I hum in response.

"We should talk about what was making you upset earlier." River addresses, trailing off at the end of his sentence. Right, the thing I forgot about, the thing that caused this whole entire visit from River. I inhale deeply, smelling a mixture of the sweet scent of grass and the mouth watering aroma of the cheeseburger I clutch ever so tightly.

"My dad is leaving Michigan for a while for work. I don't know how long he'll be gone and I—I don't know what to do." I say starting to get worked up about the whole situation that has arose. I don't know why but I feel tears starting to form in my ducts. I mentally shame myself for being so damn childish about this. I set down the remaining bit of my burger and wipe the tears that have rolled onto my cheeks. "I'm sorry" I murmur from beneath my hands.

"For what?" River asks with a pure look of heartfelt emotion strawn into his words. "I didn't mean to cry." I say, swiping more tears that continuously fall. "I just—I just don't want him to leave me." River moves the food to the left of his body and moves closer to me. He wraps his strong arms around my small figure and pulls me into the warmth of his body. "Don't worry Peaches, everything will be alright." River whispers as he rests his chin on top of my head.

••

We sit in the same position on the bench even though it's more than two hours later. I look up into the deep blue, night sky. Twinkling stars catch my eye as I stare up at their beauty. By looking up into starry sky, I could get lost, forever gazing at the astronomical object.

"Are you trying out for the football team?" I ask to River, but it comes out more like a whisper. He waits for longer than ten seconds then finally speaks, "Yeah, you convinced me enough to actually go for the team. You trying out for the cheer squad?" I suck in a deep breath and move closer to River as I get the chills. "I think so."

"Trust me, you'll be great." River days and I can hear the smile in his voice, even though I can't see it. "What about you Mr. Quarterback? Think your Manhattan skills will show off to the other players?" He wraps his arms a little tighter around me and chuckles, "Ah, let's hope so." I look up at him and he smiles.

I lean back against his chest and the warmth of River's body surrounds my own and provides a comfort I've never known. Being here with River is perfect. Being under the stars with River allows me to forget my troubles that haunt me like a ghost, trapped in a haunted house.

Am I falling for River?