Pages of Autumn

Chapter 15

I nicely excused myself, moving in waves through the crowd of people.

"What are you doing?" I spoke out of breath, stumbling behind Riley as he entered the bar.

"What does it look like." He spoke harshly. That stings.

I ignored his snappy comment, continuing to follow him like a lost puppy. He took a seat at the empty counter, asking the woman behind it for a shot of whiskey.

"Riley, this isn't a good idea." I tried reasoning with him, resting my hand on his shoulder.

"I think it's a perfect idea. And you know what an even better one is? You going back to the hotel, and I'll see you in a couple of hours." He snapped, picking up the glass of liquid.

"I'm just trying to help." I pushed back the urge to cry. I refused to let him get to me, knowing exactly why he was behaving this way.

"Well, it's not working." He said this, ordering another shot.

I shoved my ego to the side, pulling out the chair next to him.

"What are you doing?" He didn't say this nicely, annoyance grew in his voice.

"I'm not leaving you like this." I answered, trying my best to be firm but gentle. He was going through something I couldn't ever imagine feeling.

"Autumn, I swear." He paused, taking yet another shot. "I want to be fucking alone. Why can't you understand that?" He spoke with such anger, hatred in the arch of his brow.

I couldn't find words to form a sentence. I sucked in a breath, removing myself from the chair I sat on. Walking out of the bar, I peered over my shoulder to see if he held an ounce of regret.

He picked up the shot, touching the glass to his lips.

* * *

The door hitting the wall woke me from my slumber. Riley stumbled into the room, a half empty Jack Daniels bottle in hand. The shoes were kicked from his feet, almost loosing his balance.   Stumbling to the bed, his body plopped next to mine.

"Autumn." Riley muttered after a few moments of silence.

"Yes." I turned my body to face him. His glossy pupils met mine.

"I'm so sorry." He said this, salty water sliding down his cheeks.

I didn't say anything, only embraced him. His head rested on my chest, crying himself to sleep. What he did wasn't close to okay, but I can't stay mad at him. His heart is aching, his mind in a bitter place.

I ran my fingers threw his hair until I grew tired. Resting my head on the pillow, sleep came to me.

* * *

"Fuck, not again." Riley voice woke me. I looked at the clock beside me, the time reading ten-twenty.

Riley followed my action, both of us sprinting from the bed. We rushed around, packing up our things and changing. While doing so, Riley made sure there would be an Uber waiting for us out front. I can only hope it won't be the same douche from yesterday.

We ran like we were challenging one another, the driver couldn't help but laugh at us. Riley opened the door for me. Quickly, I slid across the seat to the other side. Again, luggage was shoved between us, Riley next to it.

We arrived at the airport in twenty minutes, our flight leaving in thirty. We weren't as late as our last flight, but still running a tad behind.

After getting checked through security, we handed our tickets to a lady with a welcoming smile. Boarding the plane, Riley appeared less tense than before; And I was happy for that.

I wanted to be there for him through this rough time, but he was making it super difficult. He hurt me last night, badly. I could tell it was going to be even more difficult to move past this.

Riley placed our luggage in the compartment above us, this time I got the window seat. He gripped onto my hand as the plane took off, turbulence kicking in.

"You're fine babe." I couldn't help but laugh. Being mad at him, I still found his childish actions humorous.

Riley slept the whole way home, taking NyQuil to do so. Meanwhile, I enjoyed the view; looking at the sky that went on forever.

As we began to land, Riley woke up from the turbulence- Almost breaking my hand once again.

He carried my luggage until we reached a taxi, and struggled to open the car door. What a gentleman.

"Honey, if you wouldn't mind can you get in the cab?" Riley said this as my bag slipped down his shoulder, causing me to laugh more.

"I'm sorry. I just can't help it." I responded, my face pink from laughter.

Arriving to the apartment, I had a warm feeling of home inside. A sensation I haven't experienced since I was a little kid.

Riley and I didn't bother unpacking and laid on his bed. I grabbed my phone from the corner table, reminding myself that I had to text my mother. I was supposed to do so days ago, but I held it off as I always do.

"I'll be right back." I moved my body to get out of bed, Riley's hand attached to my wrist stopping me.

"Where are you going?" He asked this with puppy dog eyes.

"I'm going to text my mom." I answered him, making my way to the window seat.

I turned on my phone, the lit screen lighting up the room. I hesitated a couple of times, trying to find the courage to open the green envelope at the bottom of my tab.

I sucked in a breath, my thumb hitting the icon. Eighteen messages from mom and thirty-two from Sky. Opening my moms messages first, my heart beat quickened.

"Autumn, darling please come home. I'm worried sick about you."

"You're brother misses you, everyone does. Sky stopped by a couple of times."

"If you come home I'll get you the help you need. You can't live like this."

My digits moved around the keyboard, typing a text to sum up how I was doing.

"Hey mom, I miss everyone too. I'm sorry I up and left out of nowhere, but I don't regret it. I have grown as an individual. My friend I told you about from before, well him and I have grown super close and I couldn't be happy. I will be back soon for a visit, no worries. I love you."

As I ended the text a huge weight lifted from my shoulders. I wish I would have done this sooner. Sky's texts revolved mostly around boy drama and how much she misses me. Also stating that I should come home. I answered her with about the same text I sent my mother, assuring her I would visit.

I padded to the bed, discovering a sleeping Riley. Smiling to myself, I set my alarm before making myself cozy next to him.