Losing My Mind

Chapter 10

At least everything felt back to normal for Ryleigh; with the jet lag gone, the second-guessing and fighting with Russell had stopped. Although, she wondered if normal was the right word yet. Still, being in LA and being on a TV show isn't normal, so she most likely meant emotionally stable.

They're back on set the next day, and the cameras are rolling for the next challenge.

'Now you've seen what the competition can do, and there is no safe place.' Bruce tells them all.

'For your next challenge, we want you to write a song to someone you appreciate.' Aimee says. 'It can be anything from your mum, best friend or a pet.'

'When I wrote the song, "letting you go", I recorded this when my dad was in the final days of his death, and I appreciate everything. He saved his money to buy my first guitar and rode my first tour bus around the country.' Marcus explains, and Ryleigh remembers the day their song was released. It made her cry because of the trauma and the power of his voice. 'So, think about what you want to say and who to.'

Ryleigh had a new schedule to follow and sat at the balcony, exposing her shoulders and pinching the warmth from the sun, allowing her fingers to relax against the plucking strings.

'How's the song coming along?' Rory called out, admiring her as she played in her world.

'It's okay. I think I'm overdoing it.' She removes her guitar off her lap, 'I might take a break. It might come to me when I'm not thinking.'

Rory took her guitar and sat down next to her, playing chords. She watches his fingers picked between the strings and how raw from playing for so long.

'Who are you writing your song for?' Ryleigh asks, and he smirks.

'You'll have to wait because if I told you, it seemed too obvious. Guessing what the meaning behind it is the fun of it.'

'I can't wait.' She jokes. 'I'm going to sit by the pool for a bit. When you're done with it, put it back in my room, would you?'

Ryleigh walks out the door and into the girls' room. She approached the locked door and knocked on it.

'Hey, is anyone in there?' She pressed her ear against the door, but no one answered. She tries again. 'Anyone?'

She shifted her gaze to Rory, holding her guitar.

'I was going to join you and return this.'

'Well, I can't see to get in, so no pool time for me.'

'I have some spare shorts you can borrow.' Rory suggested.

Ryleigh lifted an eyebrow, 'Right, and what am I going to do from the waist up?'

'Keep your bra on and wear a t-shirt I have.' He shrugs.

Ryleigh agreed with his plan and returned to the boys' room with him.

Rory turns around and hands over a pair of white shorts and a baggy black t-shirt so that she can change. When she was changing, the anticipation of him looking back remained challenging. After securing the shorts to her waist, she tied the front of the t-shirt into a knot. When she's done, he looks at her, and his stomach flutters from wearing his clothes.

They arrived at the pool, and she sat next to Ester on the sun loungers, taking another brief look at Rory as he stripped off his t-shirt, revealing all of his tattoos. Ryleigh is curious what each of the tattoos on his body means.

'Is that a new costume?' She joked to Ryleigh.

'No, can't get into our room, so Rory gave me this for now. Do you know why our room is locked?'

'Take a look around and see who's not here.'

Ryleigh scans around and notices Harper and Blake aren't here, and Kaylin is at the recording studio.

'Oh my god. Really?'

Ester nodded, and she rolled her eyes. She needed to cool off in the pool as the sun began to make her sweat, so she slowly made her way in. Rory was already there, clinging to a doughnut float and chatting with Elliot and Ashton. Even though he was only slightly paying attention to Elliot, his gaze was fixed on Ryleigh.

The nerves progress in her as she moves further into the water, as she wants to join the guys, but they are in deeper than she expected. Rory handed her the float without thought because he was happy to be near her again.

'Thanks, for letting me borrow your swim stuff.'

'It's alright, and I think we might know why it's locked then?' Ryleigh just rolled her eyes, and he chuckled. He holds onto the float, too, facing Ryleigh. 'So, who are you writing for?' Rory teases.

'I'm not telling you.' She teases back.

'I don't want you to tell me. I want you to sing it.' He grins at her.

She bits the bottom of her lip. 'Right now?' He nods, and Ryleigh becomes shy and blushes. 'No, I can't.'

'Yes, you can. If you can sing in the most random places, you'll get confident on the stage.'

'Is that so?' She teases again.

'Maybe.' He smirks back. 'Go on.' She couldn't take her gaze away from his coffee-coloured eyes.

She sings about her distance from being from someone and tells them to believe that Ryleigh still wants them while chasing her dreams. Also, she talks about their gratitude for taking care of her when she fell at her worst.

Rory smiles from ear to ear. Her inspirational words raised the hairs on his neck, and her voice rushed through his veins. She looked into his eyes as she sang, almost as if it were for him, and she wished it was. But it's a way of apologising to Russell.

'Nice one.' He tells her, and Ryleigh couldn't help but smile.

'I think it's your turn.'

'Nah.' Rory taunts her.

'No, you'll have to too.' She says and splashes him, and he got the chlorine out of his face and had an idea.

He went underwater, and she became terrified because she couldn't see him. She felt a grasp around her waist and was yanked down into the water. Then he shoots her up and launches her across the pool, causing her to scream and crash into the water.

She cries his name after reaching the surface and struggles to keep her head up in the deep end because she hasn't told them she couldn't swim. Rory swam to her after seeing her struggle.

'Hey, I got you.' He grips, supporting her back and legs in front of his body, as she wraps her arms around his neck. 'Sorry, I wouldn't have done that if I knew you couldn't swim.'

'It's fine.' Ryleigh spoke nervously, and being so close to each other filled them with fear and excitement.

She didn't seem to mind because the way Rory was holding her and saving her gave her even more reason to trust him. Rory could almost taste her, and his mind was racing with excitement as her emerald eyes expressed the meaning of forgiveness and compassion.

She sees a bird wing on his neck, and its image escaping from a cage runs across his throat. 'What's the bird for?'

'I got that after I was released from prison as a mark for being free.' He didn't have to say anything more; she understood like a bird trapped in a cage longing to escape.

'I get it. I feel the same too.'

'What being in prison?'

'No. Being trapped and trying to find a way out. Once you do, you become invincible.' She looked back at his tattoo on his neck and then back at him, and she sensed his sadness slipping into the whirlpool of emotions he feels, and he does the same with her.

'Do you feel like that now?' He asks her a delicate question, and she nods.

'I do.'