Riley’s P.O.V
I watch outside through the transparent glass wall of the café, the pristine water of the lake reflects the trees and sky onto it, there are few people wandering about, and there I recognize two familiar faces. The reporters believe they are well-hidden, but they are always discovered by me; the same thing occurred when I went out with Mira, and our relationship was all over media the following day. My sight shifts to the lady sitting across from me, leaving the corner seat unoccupied. She looks around as she strokes her hand through her short black hair. My view follows her gestures as she removes her black leather jacket, revealing a simple white t-shirt.
Her fashion sense is usually off.
“I can’t believe my girlfriend dresses like this,” I sneer, letting out a big theatrical sigh. I bend back, my gaze shifting down and up at her.
She furrows her brows and looks at me for a moment. “Are you expecting a little skirt and a sleeveless blouse?” She perfectly arches her brow.
I lay my arms on the table and lean forward, intrigued. “I just imagined,” I respond, struggling to visualize her in the attire because she normally wears jeans and shirts.
The edges of her mouth twitch slightly upwards. “It’s wild,” she blurts and turns to her left.
My attention wanders up to her eyes, and the little eyes that I deemed repulsive now appear gorgeous. Her jawline is sharp enough to cut through the flesh if I caress it. Her hair kisses her pale skin. She brushes it behind her ear.
As I recall the incident happened a few days ago, the day she caught me off surprise, my mind goes blank. My heart rate increases as my imagination replays the scenario; when she seized my lips, my body came to a halt. My gaze is fixed on her, as my mind replays the sensation of a summersault in my gut. It was only a kiss, and I’m sure she didn’t feel anything, so why should I? Why do I get nervous when I’m around her? Why is my pulse rate increasing? Why am I so excited to meet her?
My thoughts drift away when the sound of cutlery hit my ears, As soon as she turns her head away from the outside, I sit up straight. I look at the dishes on the table while rubbing the back of my neck and batting my eyelashes. My eyeballs slowly lift to glance at her as I stir the boiling vegetable soup. She devours the sandwich in one large bite. I crease my lips into a flat line and look down at soup. I take a sip. Once more, my eyes move, and I cast a quick peek at her.
“What’s up?” She asks dryly as she moves the can of cola she drank aside and plants her hands on the table. She moves her head forward.
“I..,” I scratch the back of my neck “I just want to ask about that day,” I say.
“Which day?”
I bite my lower lip feeling shy to ask about it “When you ki....,”
“Hey,” an unknown voice interrupts.
My brows knit as I swivel to the left, following Aiden’s movement. A man dressed in a uniform, his hair gelled backwards, perspiration trickles down his fair skin. He walks up to us, a broad grin on his face. Aiden stands, she grabs his arm for a handshake and advances forward, hitting their shoulders.
“Sit,” she says as she takes her seat and motions with her eyes for him to do the same. “How’s everything going?” She inquires, sliding a plate of crispy drumsticks in front of him.
“Nothing much,” he exhales as he takes a drumstick. “Harry is like being on home arrest. He cannot stay in anymore.” he quips, and she concurs. I sit opposite them, as if I’m invisible..
I ignore their presence and continue to eat my vegetarian sandwich.
Aren’t we supposed to act like a couple?
“Aiden,” I interrupt their conversation without thinking twice, and both of them turn to face me.
I inspect her, an internal grin arises as I detect the cheese cream at the corner of her lips. I lift my hand, and my body gradually slides away from the chair. My activities come to a halt as she sticks her tongue out and licks her bottom lip, cleaning it.
“What?” She asks, her brows furrowed.
I mentally slap my face as I sit down on the chair. “Nothing,” I blurt softly as I load my mouth with soup, oblivious to the two of them in front of me, but my ears are functioning.
“Eric asked me about you,” The boy speaks “I told him I never met you after you resigned.”
“What is he up to?”
“I don’t know, they are investigating on what happened by the harbour that night. He is suspicious of you,”
“I know,”
“Are you sure that there is no clue about you?”
“Hmm,” she hums in reply, I look up slowly at them, taking a sip of the Americano Aiden nods “Tony should have been punished a long time back for the murders he did, but it’s just too late,” she states.
I couldn’t comprehend anything they said, but I’m sure it is something important.
“Did you murder him?” he inquires nonchalantly.
I choke without realizing it, she smacks him on the shoulder, and I gulp down the water in the glass.
Murder? Did she really kill someone?
"Are you all right?" She inquires quietly and grabs a tissue from the holder. She passes it to me..
I wipe my lips, staring at her, then at the person next her, then back at her.
What am I supposed to do? Should I ask what they were talking about? Should I speak my mind out? Or should I act like I heard nothing?
“You alright?” She asks again, her gaze fixed on me.
I nod in response and move my gaze away as if I’m not interested, but my mind won’t let me. My lips starts to ask questions about it, but I attempt to keep it under control since I know she’ll tell me it’s none of my concern.
“Blake,” she says, drawing attention to the stranger. Finally, his name is announced. "You're on duty right now. "Go," she orders, and he obeys.
We eat our meals in silence, my obstinate inner self still inquisitive about the issue they discussed. I let out a loud sigh, drawing her attention, and she finally looks at me, as if I had materialized out of nowhere just now.
“Aren’t we supposed to...,” I take a look around. I lean in and whisper, “Be like a couple.”
“Oh,” she raises her brows “I almost forgot. Why don’t we...,” She comes to a halt as the waiter brings the bill on our table. Aiden snatches the book and keeps the cash in before I scan the code.
“Go out for a walk,” she completes her sentence as she stands and retrieves her jacket from the vacant chair. She walks out wearing the jacket. I follow her out the door.
The chill wind caresses my skin, and I can hear nature singing. I quicken my pace to match hers, and a smile makes its way onto my lips when she slows down.
“Is that person picturing you?” She asks quietly, leaning backwards.
We come to a halt as I look towards the location to which she was pointing. “Yeah,” I nod, noticing the reporter.
For a while, she remains mute. She abruptly tugs my arm, a shriek leaves my lips, my eyes close on their own, and I yelp as my back meets the hard trunk of the enormous tree near the lake. My eyelids instantly raise.
“Let’s showcase,” she whispers and advances closer. The subtle difference of our height match when she steps on a root over the ground and places her palm on the trunk over my shoulder.
I attempt to look away from her stare, but my eyes are rebelling against my brain. The pair dark black orbs stares into mine. I gulp down my saliva as her scent hits my nostrils, the smell of vanilla clouding my mind. She takes another step forward amd shortens the decent distance between us. She closes her eyes and moves her head near mine.
“Is this how you showcase?” When my words reach her ears, her eyes quickly open. She glances at me, her brow furrowed, bewildered.
The next minute I snake my right arm around her waist, When her body brushes up against mine, my pulse rate quickens. I urge her towards me, and she remains still, interpreting my movements. She glances up from my hand, facing me, and I examine her keen features.
My goodness, what’s happening to me?