The Story of my Life

Chapter 24

Riley's POV

"Thanks John." I smiled, hugging him. He was just dropping Halston and I off at the hotel after the most awkward dinner of my life. "Come on Halston, we have to go upstairs. It's past your bedtime." I told her, looking in the car window to see her still sitting in her car seat. She shook her head, grabbing James's hand, as he was sitting beside her.
"Not without daddy." She said, hugging James's arm tight. James looked at her in surprise. I sighed, licking my lips.
"Halston, now." I stated in a firm tone.
"I don't want him gone again!" Halston exclaimed, tears immediately pouring from her eyes. I took a moment, stepping away from the window and leaning against the car. I closed my eyes, taking a breath. So now if I take Halston away from James, I'm the bad guy. He cheats on me, he knocks me up at 17, then he doesn't speak to me for 5 years, but I tell my daughter he can't come up to our hotel room and I become the bad guy.
"Honey, I'm not sure if James wants to come." I said, glancing back in the window. Halston looked up at her dad with big eyes.
"Please." She pleaded.
"Okay." James agreed. I clenched my jaw, wanting to wring his neck. Halston instantly smiled, unbuckling herself and hopping out of the car. James came out, glancing at me.
"One night." I stated firmly. He nodded that he understood. I grabbed the bags, mumbling angrily to myself. Before I lifted them off the ground, James's hand was on mine. I gave him a confused look. He took the bags from me without a word, carrying them inside the hotel. Halston skipped after him happily.
"Bye Ri. I'll see you tomorrow." John said, giving me a hug.
"Uh, yeah. See you tomorrow." I replied half heartedly, my mind other places. I returned the hug, before turning and walking into the hotel. After checking in, we took the elevator to our floor. I opened the door, finding myself sighing. I'd booked a king bed, not 2 queens. I knew this.
"Woah." I heard James say as he looked around. He probably wasn't used to hotel rooms like these. He probably only ever booked standard rooms. Since I was here for 2 weeks though, I'd gone for a suite. To my left was the bedroom, separate from the rest of the room, with the one king bed. In front of me was a living room setup, along with a small kitchen. It was like a small apartment.
"Alright, Halston it's bedtime." I told her. She immediately ran into the bedroom. I think she could tell I was close to snapping. I walked in after her to help her get ready for bed, leaving James without a word.

James's POV

I wandered the hotel room, just taking it in. What the hell does Riley do? And how can she afford this? I sat on the couch, still looking around in shock. I stared for long enough that Riley had come out of the bedroom, closed the door and sat beside me. She was fully engrossed in something on her phone, paying me no attention. I looked over to her, deciding to speak. "What do you do for a living?" I asked.
"I'm on YouTube." She mumbled, not looking up from her phone. "15 million subscribers."
"Holy shit!" I exclaimed, shocked. Riley just shrugged. I let out a sigh, I wanted to talk to her. Can she not look up from her phone? "Did you mean what you said at the restaurant? You loved me?" I questioned. That got her attention. Her head snapped over to me, her eyes staring me down. "Well?" I raised my eyebrows, waiting for her answer. She exhaled, turning her phone off and placing it on the coffee table.
"I used to." She replied, pulling her knees into her chest. She moved her gaze to the floor, her cheeks slightly red as if she was embarrassed.
"I love you." I told her, the words just slipping out of my mouth.
"You mean, you used to." She corrected, looking over at me again. She looked less embarrassed now that I'd said I love her.
"No." I shook my head. "I don't think I ever stopped." Riley stared at me silently, looking shocked by my words. My life has been empty the last 5 years. I think she was the thing that was missing. I've dated other girls, I've had other serious relationships. I've never loved any of them the way I love Riley. She still means everything to me. I made a stupid mistake kissing Beth, but at the very least it taught me how important Riley is to me.
"I... I......" Riley stuttered, looking unsure of what to say. I shifted closer to her, staring into her eyes. She fell silent, watching me. Her expression was unreadable. I leaned closer to her, and we were only a few inches apart. Our thighs were touching. I watched her eyes glance down at my lips, before back up to my eyes. We were both thinking the same thing. I placed my hand on the back of her head, tangling it in her hair. Then I leaned in. I watched her eyes slowly close, before our lips met. She kissed me softly, reminding me of the 16 year old girl I'd fallen in love with. Her hands cupped my cheeks, holding our lips together. I broke from her lips, smiling down at her.
"I love you Riley." I said.
"God." She mumbled, pulling our lips together again. She kissed me with this intensity, as if she was trying to make up for the 5 years we'd missed. After a few minutes, she pulled away, sighing quietly to herself as she thought about something. "Are you dating anyone?" She asked, catching me off guard. I guess she has the right to be worried about me cheating though. Even though I regret it, it still happened.
"No." I told her. She nodded, looking relieved. Then she stood up, grabbing my hand.
"Come with me." She whispered, leading me to the shower.