Left Behind (Completed) *editing*

Chapter Five

Things were getting heated. Riley's hands roamed all over my body, exploring me as we kissed. He was sweet and gentle but I was turned on. I grew more aggressive, kissing him harder. He let out a low moan and I followed his cues, moving down to kiss his neck. I kissed his neck roughly and his hands tangled into my hair as he breathed heavily. I felt such a strong connection to him, which wasn't surprising as I had felt the chemistry between us for years. I heard myself let out a cry of pleasure when he returned to kissing me, his tongue worked its way back into my mouth and he moved on top of me, positioning himself in between my legs. I couldn't take it anymore, I reached for his belt buckle to remove it and felt his hand grab firmly onto mine pulling it away. He stopped kissing me.

"Valerie, stop." I met his blue eyes, now realizing we were completely in the dark. The moon was our only light. He rolled off of me. I felt disappointment settle in as he sat up. "I like you. I always have... You don't need to do this." His fingers laced with mine and he pulled my hand to his lips, kissing my hand sweetly. I pulled myself up to him, embracing him. I felt the disappointment floating away as he put his arms around me and kissed my cheek.

"I've liked you for a long time too," I admitted. I felt happy. The weight on my shoulder felt lighter now that the truth was coming out. "Sorry if I was a little... forward."

Riley sighed, "It's fine. I'd just be like every other asshole who hurt you if we had sex tonight. It's not that I don't want to - I just don't want to be that kind of guy." My head melted into his shoulder as he ran his fingers through my hair. "So does this count as a first date or can I take you out on a real date?" He asked me.

I smiled. "This counts," I replied. I didn't need him to take me anywhere. He made me happy just by being him.

I heard a buzzing sound and Riley moved from me, pulling his phone out of his pocket. I saw the name Kelly flash on the screen. I felt my heart sink into my stomach. Kelly and Riley used to date. Kelly was my friend until they split up - she never spoke to me after things ended between them. I pushed Riley to go out with her, although he insisted she wasn't his type. Their relationship lasted for about 4 months and ended in the middle of the summer.

It broke my heart when Kelly told me about how she took Riley's virginity. They broke up a few weeks later and she stopped answering my calls. Riley only ever told me that she was crazy and he broke up with her. He refused to give me any other details, telling me that it was private. Colin was more open and never really kept secrets from me when it came to the girls he dated. "Answer it," I snapped at Riley. I felt slightly betrayed. I didn't know that Riley and Kelly still spoke.

"Hello?" he spoke into the phone. "No. I'm hanging out with Valerie right now, why?" He grew flustered. "I'm sure she doesn't have any interest in talking to you. What do you want? I'm not home. I'll check and text you when I get home. I don't know, probably not until later. No," he seemed irritated. "That's enough, I'm going to go. I'll text you later. Bye."

I looked at him, hesitating to ask questions. I knew he wouldn't answer the questions I had burning in my mind. Didn't I have the right to know? "She wanted to talk to me?" I asked. Riley was looking at his phone and nodded, returning the phone to his pocket.

"Like I said, you didn't do anything to her. She's crazy." He shrugged.

"Can I ask what she wanted?" I bit my lip, looking away.

"She thinks she left a book at my house. It's really just an excuse. She wants to come over. There is no book there. I'll tell her and she may even come by, demanding to look in person. My parents won't let her in the house though," he replied. He looked a little amused. "So, when can I take you out on a real date? Are you free tomorrow?" Riley was just trying to change the subject, I assumed.