Tight Strings: Rules Were Made To Be Broken (COMPLETED)

64: Don't forget me.

"Are you sure he likes me?" I asked once I got back to where Adrien was, only to receive a glare from him.

"I was told." He shrugged his shoulders the smiled. "But it did get your mind off Ash right?" He asked and I frowned at him.

He wasn't lying. But it's still the same night, so the image is as fresh as it comes.

"Could we go?" I asked as I wrapped my arms around myself. "I'm tired." I said in a mummer and he smiled slightly and tilted his head to the side.

"I'll to call the two. You head over to the car." He said and I nodded as he walked past me and back into the house.

I frowned deeply and began to walk towards the limo, feeling eaten up from the inside out that Ash and I weren't meant for each other after all.

Oh my dad's going to shame me for this...

"Riley!" I jumped in terror when my heart skipped a beat at Sarah's loud voice. Her face was drawn with worry as she jumped into the car and sat by me, wrapping her arms around me like a child. "I just heard... Are you okay?" She asked and I sighed as I looked away in sorrow. "W-Well you don't need him! Right Rhy!?"

"Uh...." Rhy blinked in alert as he glanced at me then to Sarah. "Sure."

"You see." Sarah chuckled as she glanced down at me. "Even Rhy thinks so. Don't be so sad about it.... You've got us, Adrien too." I couldn't help but glance at Adrien who smirked to himself as he glanced out the window.

"It's fine. I'll be over it." I smiled weakly and sighed as I casted my eyes at the floor.

"Did you know we were at Roman's party?" Sarah asked with a laugh as she smiled at me.

"I figured it out." I nodded then glanced at Rhy who seemed to stare an awful lot.

Gosh this kid and his silence.

"I think Roman likes you, Riley." Rhy suddenly pointed out and I stared at him.

"Why say that?" I asked, knowing Adrien must have told them about it.

"I was in his room, with Sarah, and I saw an old photo box filled with pictures you took when you were young with him and some friends. All counting up to the moment you parted ways. Seemed to be around Eight." He nodded to himself and I furrowed my brows at him.

"I don't remember him at all..." I said in a mummer as I casted my eyes down to the floor. "Even his name doesn't ring a bell."

"I remember seeing one of his childhood football shirt written Author at the back." Sarah pointed out and I gasped as I shot her a dangerous shocked stare.

It rings a bell.

A large bell as a matter of fact.

Roman Taylor was in fact Author Taylor when we were children.

He looked nothing alike with what he is today but nothing about his personality changed either. He's always been a gloomy person by nature and never had much friends in the past as well. It's not that I didn't notice him, as a matter of fact, I did, a lot.

I remembered an Author Taylor, very shorter than I was but extremely chubby to the point he had his own desk. The teacher once told his parents to keep mind of him but it wasn't their fault, with all the stress Author was going through between his parents and in his personal life led him to develop an eating disorder.

I didn't know what it was at that time because I was somewhere around five. He kept on eating and eating nearly every time he felt like it and you couldn't stop him. The kids began to make fun of him and he'd end up eating a lot more than ever that day.

Somehow, we always ended up in the same school when I transfered and yet he never spoke to me. Not even once.

When I turned eight and was about to follow my father's path to being the brains, I walked to him and finally told him my name. He smiled for the first time and told me his. We ended up having lunch together and I had made it an effort the night before to research about his disorder, thinking I could help a bit. I asked him of what his parents are like and he simply told me they were just parents. He didn't want to say much so before I could even help him out a bit more, I was removed from the school to be home schooled.

"Do you remember him now?" Sarah asked and I smiled slightly with a nod of the head.

"I remember him. Author Taylor. A once chubby little kid." I chuckled and all their eyes grew wide.

"He's the chubby kid!? I though he was the other one..." Sarah blushed as she looked away, so did Rhy and Adrien.

"Wow, he's literally changed everything about him." Adrien chuckled and I nodded as I gazed out the window.

"He's grown muscles, got way taller than Riley, dyed his hair black from orange...." Sarah pointed out and I smiled a bit just because I had nothing to say. "That guy is a hot-shot badass. Why are you attracting those people?" She chuckled and I shrugged my shoulders.

"Bad luck maybe." I sighed then glanced at Adrien who seemed to be smiling an awful lot. "What?"

"You know, as much as I like you, I think Roman would be okay for you. I didn't like Ash because of that secret, plus you don't... Like me yet...." He cleared his throat as he looked uncomfortable. "Just because you're vulnerable now doesn't mean I'll take advantage of it. You'll still end up mine but as for now, you should feel free to choose."

"Why are you saying that?" I asked as I narrowed my eyes at him in suspicion.

"I'll be in the operating room for the next six months." He said as he clenched his jaw and glanced to the floor. "This artificial heart isn't becoming as stable as it used to be. I got a message the moment you left for Ash and they told me about it. The energy it's using is far too less than it should. The excess power seems to be leaking out into my blood when I move too much. It's not damaging but if it continues I might develop a mutation in the blood." He said and I felt stiff on my shoulders as I stared at him a bit more closely.

He indeed was becoming pale.

Why didn't I notice that?

"How will they operate on you?" I asked in fear. "You need a heart right?"

"I'll be frozen, a bit. For some time and when my body realises the heart is removed. They will have temporarily fixed it to beat a couple of rounds before I'm frozen again. If things get worse I'll be given as external heart they developed since long and attach me to it whilst I'm in a coma." He said and I bit my lower lip at him.

"Aren't you scared?" I asked as I got up from my seat and sat next to him, knowing he wanted me there.

"I am." He sighed with a nervous chuckle as he held my hand in his and began rubbing my knuckles as gently as possible. "But if I have to live peacefully with you, I don't want to ever make you feel insecure." He said a bit more quietly and I smiled slightly as I reached my hand up to his cheek.

For a spoiled brat, he was actually very sweet.

"When are you going?" I asked and he glanced up to meet my eyes.

"Tonight, once we arrive ." He said than dropped his eyes on my lips, making my muscles stiffen uncomfortably. "They don't want to risk it." He looked away and I sighed out, now grabbing his cheeks to turn his face to me.

"It'll be a long wait until you can walk. So whilst you wait I want you to think of this." I said as I leaned in and gently plastered my lips on his. Without delay, he kissed me back, circling his arms around my waist to close the distance between us.

He snaked his tongue in and tightened his hold on me, deepening the kiss even further to the point I felt a knot tie up in my stomach. I dug my fingers into his hair, getting a very inaudible moan form him before let go and gently pushed him from me. Knowing too well Rhy and Sarah were still in the car.

"You should know I love you." He smiled at me and I smiled back. "So don't forget about me."

"I won't. I promise." I whispered and he nodded as he bit his lip and looked away.