Chapter 42 42

Chapter 42 42

Easton's POV

I stepped out of my room and saw Riley standing right in front of my door with her eyes full of surprise. My heart jumped inside my chest like it wanted to come out. She looked like she had heard every single word I said to my dad on the phone. I held the phone tight in my hand and stared at her without moving.

Riley stepped back a little with her hands moving nervously at her sides.

“I am just passing by,” she said quickly in a soft voice. “I did not hear anything at all.”

Then she turned around immediately and walked away down the hall with her shoulders a little high. I stood there and watched her go without saying another word even though I wanted to call her back.

The memory of the garden came rushing back to me like a strong wave. I remembered pulling her close with my arms around her waist. My lips pressing on hers softly at first then grew stronger with hunger. When I felt her body melt into mine, it made my heart beat faster than ever before.

I remembered how my hands slid up her sides and held her tight. Her lips tasted sweet and warm when they touched mine. I wanted her so much that my whole body became hot and alive. My fingers tangled gently in her hair and I pulled her even closer because I didn't want that moment to end even though I stopped and pulled away like a coward.

But somehow the guilt of what I did washed over me like cold water right now as I stood in the hallway. I shouldn't have said sorry and walked away that night without any tangible reason.

But when I remembered my father's threat and Cass, I had no choice but to stop myself that night because that's the only way I could protect her from my dad. But now it felt so wrong inside my chest.

I went back inside my room and sat on the edge of my bed as I rubbed my face with both hands. My feelings for Riley kept growing stronger every single second no matter how hard I tried to stop them. Even though I had to keep my distance to keep her safe from my father’s control. My shoulders still felt heavy as I thought about what would happen when Dad came back and found out my feelings towards her.

The next few days became very hard for me both at home and school. For instance, one night I saw Riley and Lila laughing together in the living room. Lila hugged her tightly, like too tight as they played a simple game on the ground.

Immediately my stomach began to turn for no reason because Riley's smile looked so real and bright as Lila hugged her.

As if that wasn't enough, at school I saw Riley rolling with some students during lunch break. They laughed at something she said which I believed was funny while she looked extremely happy too. looked like she was getting along with everyone so well now and it made me clench my hands into fists at my sides.

“Why did seeing her happy with others bother me this much?” I wondered.

Even with everything, I maintained my distance from her at home like I had planned in my head. But every time I heard her soft voice in the house I wanted to move closer to her. I kept reminding myself it was for her own good to stay away. But I couldn't refrain myself for long.

One Saturday afternoon I walked into the sitting room quietly without making any sound. This has been my latest habit now because I wanted to stay out of sight as much as possible.

But Riley was in the sitting room, laying on the big couch with her phone in her hands. She smiled while chatting and didn't notice me standing behind her at all. I crossed my arms over my chest and looked at her for a moment.

Her phone made a notification l sound indicating a new message. I saw Blake’s name appear on the screen before she could swipe it away.

“Coffee date this evening?” the message said clearly. My body tightened up with anger, and my jaw turned into a rock as I saw the message.

I spoke without thinking about it at first. “Don’t go,” I said from behind her in a strong voice.

Riley jumped a little in her seat and turned around quickly to look at me. Her eyes looked surprised at first then quickly changed to anger.

She stood up from the couch slowly with her phone still in her hand. “Why shouldn't I go, Easton?” she asked with her arms crossed over her chest. “You do not get to tell me what to do after everything.”

I stepped closer to her but stopped myself halfway with my hands at my sides.

I opened my mouth to speak but the right words would not come out easily. My heart beat very fast in my chest and made it hard for me to breathe normally. I wanted to tell her how much I really liked her, wanted her and cherished the kiss we had but the fear of my dad ate up all the words in my lungs. Riley looked right into my eyes while she waited for me to answer. She didn't blink.

After some moments of no response from me, she took a deep breath and her shoulders raised up slightly.

“You can't answer me right? Do you even like me like you said in the garden that day?” She asked with her voice sounding hurt and strong at the same time.

My chest tightened with pain when I saw the look in her eyes. My hands wanted to reach out to her but I held them back.

Finally I summoned the courage and reached out my hand toward her arm but she stepped back quickly with her eyes red.

“Answer me, Easton,” she said louder with her voice shaking a little. “Do you really like me or was that kiss just another way to play with my feelings?”

She stood there waiting with her arms still crossed tight and her body tense like she might cry or run away at any moment.