Pluto°(BWWM)

Chapter°Fifteen

The holidays are the one thing that brings people together. It's always filled with bright and happy atmospheres and there's no avoiding it, especially since the next holiday approaching around the corner is Christmas. Though like some people holidays were just not for them. My dad hates holidays, he says it's a waste of time. It's the complete opposite from my mom though, she's always excited to buy gifts for my brothers and I, and she even buys one for Daylyn every year.

Speaking of Daylyn, it's been a week since he's been gone. His things slowly started to disappear out of our shared apartment.  His bedroom was practically empty, all that was left in there was a desk and his bed. I missed having him around, but this is what I get. I can't expect everything to go my way, but I don't want to be completely doubtful of what I want.

I stared fondly at Riley's necklace. Today she wore it more proudly. She wore a white sweater so the blue tints of her necklace shown brightly. Christmas was a few weeks away and our trip was less than a few days away. Maybe I could surprise her with something, but now that I think about it I hardly know anything about Riley. All I know about her are a few basic things. I don't know her favorite color or her favorite food. I don't even know her last name. I mean shouldn't  I at least know that?

But I don't, I don't know anything.

She was writing in her notebook and giving me stuff to type on my laptop. I stopped typing and looked at her seriously. She looked at me confused before looking at the laptop then at me."Riley what do you like?" She laughed at me like I just asked an obvious question,"What do I like? I like a lot of things, you have to be more specific Mr. Henry."

Nicknames already?

I like where this is going.

"Like, for instance, do you like animals?" I asked and she only looked at me suspiciously."I do have a favorite animal, I like albino lions, their really pretty." She smiled and my whole heart did a back flip."You're really pretty." I said, not realizing what I said."What was that?" I panicked when she heard me,"Um, what's your favorite color?" I said completely avoiding her question.

"What's with all the questions?"

"Well, I got to get to know you first before I make you mine." I said as I smiled brightly. I felt a sudden boost of confidence when I said that. She looked taken aback before she started to laugh."I rarely get to see this side of you, why don't you show it more often?" She said as she rested her chin on her palm and stared at me with hooded eyes.

That's when all of the confidence I built up had fallen off a cliff."W-well you see, u-um, you k-know you're--gorgeous, you're very pretty--" Suddenly she started to laugh a little more loudly."No one really knows this side of you do they?" She said and I nodded my head. Everyone else knows me as the sweet, kind and considerate, Liam Henry. The son of a CEO and the big shot of their time.

But, their all wrong.

I'm just Liam Henry, a 23 year old guy who knows absolutely nothing about anything.

"I just want to know more about you," I studied the soft features of her face while she smiled at me."Why do like me so much? You can't just like me for how I look." She's right I need a good reason to like her, we all know she's pretty. 

Riley's fun to be around, she's a hard worker, and she's caring. Not many people are willing to be caring enough as her. So why do I like her?"I like you because, you're different." I said and she scoffed."Different? As in I'm black," she said and began to laugh,"No of course not! Your different because you don't see me as a rich white boy who you can profit off of." I said and traced the lines of the notebook with my pen.

"Then if your the rich white boy than what am I?" She said as she raised a curious eyebrow at me.

"You're the pretty black girl with the caring smile." I said as I smiled at her. She began to laugh and shake her head,"I'm not that pretty, you're exaggerating." I looked at her confused,"But I'm serious, out of all the things you could be, ugly is not one of them." I said and she rolled her eyes."Nice backhanded compliment." I avoided her eyes realizing what I just said.

Soon the library would be closed and I couldn't be more excited.

Today Riley and I were going out for winter shopping. I know that I clearly stated that I didn't want to shop in the outdoors, but if it's for Riley I'd do it. Thinking about how far I'd go for this girl is insane, I've basically been a homewrecker without even realizing it. I've tried to break them up so she could come to me. If this  happened in another way then I would've ruined there relationship and not get the girl.

And I still don't have the girl.

"If we want to have fun we have to stay warm, because I am not about to catch a cold in this weather."  She said as she skimmed the rack of coats with her eyes."You know, you're a sweet person and all, but you have the worst sense of style that it physically hurts me." I rolled her eyes at her remark, my clothes aren't that bad.

I looked down at my hoodie, I wore a red hoodie, khaki pants, and black shoes. 

Okay, it's bad.

"I just don't understand why I need new clothes, I have warmer clothes at home." She laughed as soon as I finished my sentence,"Just because it's warm doesn't mean it's cute." She continued to skim through clothes until she picked up a black coat. She rose it up to my neck and inspected it."This is it." She said and lead towards the cash register. She practically made friends with her as they talked about clothes. Maybe I was wrong about shopping with Riley.

When we were walking on the cold street towards my car Riley suddenly stopped in her tracks. I turned around to look at her with a worried face,"What's wrong?"

"It's Seven, he's here." She said as she looked past my shoulder. I turned around to look in the same direction--and it really was Seven. He had his arm around a girl with tan skin. He smiled brightly and I turned to see the expression on Riley's face. She looked dull, she looked like she got stabbed in the heart twice.

Once by Seven.

Once by me, because I decided to ruin what she had with that guy."Riley are you okay?" I stepped closer towards her and I saw her hands visibly shaking."No I'm--I'm not sure--"

"We can leave," I said and she looked up at me with tears filling her eyes."We can leave now, we can go anywhere we want." I grabbed her shaking hand and held onto it firmly. We eventually made it to my car and I looked at her and smiled. She wiped her tears with her cold glove and sniffed."Thank you, I probably would still be standing there if you hadn't pulled me away."

"I'm sorry for ruining what you had with him," I said as I looked into her worried eyes."It's fine, if you hadn't come in between or interfered, I would've still thought what he was doing to me was normal.." She wiped her eyes one more time before sobbing. She looked at me sadly and I leaned closer to her.

"Please make me forget him, I don't want to remember anymore." She said and her eyes began to water again."I will," I said and grabbed her hand in my right hand and pulled her head closer with my left hand. Her eyes closed and I took that as a sign to connect our lips.

I felt a tear fall on her cheek and I squeezed her hand.

Riley won't have to remember, I'll help her forget.