Never Told You

Chapter Three

After talking to Alyssa, I had no closure. I still didn't know what to do. I decided I'd try to get my answers. This was risky; I couldn't fall in love with him. He was a player. Who's to say he's not going to play me?

I was deep in my thoughts when my phone vibrated. I looked at my phone and saw that Chance had finally texted me back. I decided to take a shower and visit with Alyssa before looking at the message. I walked to the living room and saw River sitting on the couch.

"Hey, buttercup. What's up?" I smiled, then realized pink hair and a boy, Ryder I believe, was here. Alyssa appeared behind me, and told me it was a little get together. I nodded. I sat in the armchair and listened to their conversation. My phone was on top of my legs. Not reading that message was tearing up my thoughts. I grabbed my phone and pulled up his message.

Chance: Lauren, I'm sorry. You didn't deserve to see that picture. I was going to tell you; I just didn't want to hurt you. It's been going on since a month after we started dating. One woman wasn't good enough for me. Maybe it was just you. You refused to have sex with me. I just needed a fuck buddy. You were just a bitch.

Tears stung my eyes. I couldn't cry in front of all these people.

"Lauren, Everything alright?" I looked up at Alyssa.

"I'm okay." Pink hair started talking over me.

"I'm Molly by the way, River's girlfriend." River rolled his eyes.

"We are not dating, Molly." His voice was stern.

"Goodnight guys," the words floated out of my mouth. I needed to leave. I went to my room and slid against the wall down to the floor. I cradled my head and began to cry.

"Hey..." The voice that echoed through the room was deep.

"River, why are you in here?" I quickly wiped my eyes and cleared my throat.

"I read the message. You left your phone, and it was unlocked." I sighed.

"Oh..." My voice was subtle.

"I took his number and gave him a piece of my mind. You don't deserve to be talked to or treated like that." I only nodded. River then sat by me and enveloped me into a hug. His touch sent fireworks through my body. The scent of his cologne filled my nose. When he pulled away, I felt so cold.

"Lauren, let's get out of here."

"Okay..." My voice cracked. I still felt like crying my eyes out. He grabbed my hand and led me out to his truck. Wasn't he worried about everyone seeing us? I was scared Molly was going to start drama with me. Maybe talking to River wasn't a good idea. I climbed into his car, and he started it up.

"Please put your seatbelt on. I don't need anything to happen to you." Those words sounded weird coming out of his mouth. They had the same effect on me as always. What was this boy doing to me? I remained silent, then he pulled onto the freeway.

"Where are we going, River?" He didn't smile, or smirk. His knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel too tight. I placed my hand on his forearm. "River, you can talk to me." He relaxed his grip a little bit and sighed.

"No one should get to treat you like that. You shouldn't be wasting your tears on him." My eyes widened.

"Where is all this coming from? You hardly know me." He sighed again and pulled to the side of the road. We were surrounded by woods. Where had this mysterious man taken me?

"It's a bit of a hike." I nodded, letting him know that was okay. He grabbed a backpack out of the trunk and locked up his car. There was a slight breeze, causing goosebumps to pop up on my arms.

"Hey, River? Where exactly are we?" I shivered.

"We are in the Yellowstone Forest. Put this on, it'll keep you warm." He was giving me his "treasured" leather jacket. I've heard about him beating up guys for trying to scratch it. I grabbed it from him, my fingertips brushing against his. Shocks were sent through my fingers.

"Thank you." My voice was small. He smiled slightly. We then began walking. I was praying he wouldn't get us lost. I had complete trust in this boy, but my faith was a different story. We still continued to walk until I slammed into River's back. Nothing but silence encaved my ears. I stepped around him and was purely amazed.

The trees were completely still. The animals didn't dare make a sound, not even a scuffle. There was an opening, a circle that the trees surrounded. We were standing in the middle of the opening. To my right, there were big boulders covered with green moss. To my left, there was a decently sized patch of beautiful red roses. The air smelt of them and their neighboring pinecones. I looked to the sky. It was a clear night. The moon was full, and the stars assumed their positions lighting up the night sky. How was this place even possible?

" River...this place is amazing. It's so beautiful. I'm in awe." He smiled.