FoA S3 Chapter 20

It’s hot and muggy, but peaceful. You can hear Miley Cyrus music inside CCL House, but it’s not crazy loud. The door opens as you approach, revealing Riley in shorts and a crop top. She’s holding a popsicle.

You stop in your tracks and an awkward moment passes.

“How did you know I was coming?” you ask.

“Could it be your motorcycle that can be heard from Nebraska?” she replies with a little tilt of her head.

That’s fair. She’s still looking at you.

You rub your hands nervously on your jeans. “I lost my phone,” you tell her.

Riley smiles hesitantly. “That’s why you aren’t texting me back?”

You nod. More seconds go by. You realize that she’s waiting for you to say something.

“I came to tell you that,” you say.

She nods. “Are you OK?”

“Long night,” you reply.

“I’ll bet,” she says with a funny look.

“It’s not what you think.”

“Do you want to come in?”

You do want to get out of the heat. She closes the door. “What is going on with you?” she asks as you just stand there.

“I’m sorry,” you say. “I’m tired.”

Riley’s expression softens and she comes closer to you. “Sorry, baby. You do look a little rough.” She smiles. “You smell good, though.”

You find yourself in her room with her, sitting on the bed with a vacant expression as you hold a cold beer that you haven’t started on. Troubled, Riley sits beside you, gently rubbing your back with one delicate hand. It’s starting to catch up with you. Everything happened so fast at the end. But there’s still a ringing in your ears from the gunshots and whenever you close your eyes, you see Z about to shoot you in the face. You shake your head and shudder.

“Adella?”

“I’m OK,” you assure Riley for the third or fourth time. “You’re beautiful.”

She looks surprised. It felt like a natural thing to say. You’re having all these thoughts about being glad to be alive. The whole point of being alive is doing the things that you want to do, and there is nowhere you would rather be than right here with her. You owe this to Fang. You wish that you could thank her, but you need a phone for that. You can’t just use Riley’s to text club members.

Riley smiles shyly, gazing at your face. You’re lost in thought, but she’s present in the moment.

“Um,” she says, and that brings you back to reality. She didn’t even notice you were gone. “OK, I haven’t taken a shower yet today,” she confesses nervously.

She misunderstood you. You weren’t trying to make a move. You were just saying what you felt. Despite everything, you almost laugh.

“What?” she asks, indignant.

“A shower? Really?” You stroke her hair and rest your hand on the back of her neck. “Like I would care about that.” You bring her in for a kiss.