by Avery Lane
Riley’s eyes snapped open as she sat up. The sun just about blinded her, but she forced herself to clear her vision, willing her pupils to adjust so she could see for sure who it was lying beside her.
To her horror, it was exactly whom she had thought – Brighton. In nothing but her sheets.
“What the hell!” Riley exclaimed, pushing herself off the bed. She tumbled to the floor before scrambling to get back on her feet. She herself was clothed, but not in the dress she had worn out. Instead, she was in an oversized t-shirt. The one that Gabriel had worn the night before.
She turned towards her bedroom door, only to find Gabriel sprawled out on the ground, snoring peacefully. Shirtless, but pants still on.
Oh my God, what the hell did I do? Where’s Sierra?
Riley tumbled out of her bedroom door, in such a panic that she tripped over her own feet twice before regaining her ground. She stood up to find Sierra preparing coffee in the kitchen, peacefully. Still looking neat and unwrinkled in her cream-colored jumper.
“Morning!” she declared, looking chipper. There wasn’t a hint of a hangover anywhere on her perfect face.
“What the hell happened?” Riley asked.
“What do you mean?” Sierra looked startled by Riley’s distress.
“What happened…like…last night?” Riley felt embarrassed just to say those words, especially with the quizzical manner in which Sierra regarded her.
“Oh…you woke up next to Brighton didn’t you?” Sierra laughed. “Aww, sweetheart. That must’ve freaked you out.” Riley blinked at Sierra. That wasn’t enough of an answer.
“I don’t remember anything after ordering dessert,” Riley gasped when she realized. “Did…like…what…” She felt like she was on the verge of hyperventilating.
“Okay, okay calm down,” Sierra said, suddenly taking her seriously. She poured a cup of coffee from Riley’s Chemex and handed it to her. “Everything’s fine, nothing happened.”
“Why are we all here?”
“You invited us over,” Sierra replied. “We agreed since you looked like you needed a little help home anyway. I’m glad we came now since you were apparently a whole lot drunker than we realized. Anyway, we got back, ate some leftovers, played a couple rounds of Cards Against Humanity. You passed out soon after so Gabriel carried you to bed.”
“Do you know…if…”
“No, you guys were acting like middle schoolers,” Sierra laughed. “You didn’t do anything. Not even kiss.”
“Why was Brighton in my bed…?”
“We all were,” Sierra said. “You insisted we didn’t leave. And we were all trashed at that point. Gabriel made some joke about us all fitting on the bed if we slept sideways, so we tried it. It worked for some of the night but then Brighton went to sleep on the floor. When I got up before, he got back in.”
“Well, he’s there alone now since Gabriel is also on the floor.”
“I mean, queen sized beds aren’t meant for four adults. Especially not when one of them is Gabriel’s size.”
“God…” Riley said, squinting as she sipped the black coffee Sierra presented her. She felt a whole lot more relieved despite still feeling pretty disturbed. “I haven’t been that drunk…ever. I’ve never actually blacked out before.”
“Really?” Sierra looked very surprised. “God, you must’ve been such a good girl.”
“I was,” Riley replied. “Like super straight-laced and obedient. It’s kind of ridiculous now that I look back on it.”
“Well I’m glad you got to live a little last night.”
“Too bad it hurts so much the next day,” Riley replied. “So what do people do when they’re this hungover? Because I will take any and all suggestions to get rid of this feeling.”
“Start with coffee, move onto electrolytes.”
“Like Gatorade…?”
“Yeah, that sorta thing,” Sierra smiled. “ God, you’re adorable.”
“Why, because I got blackout drunk for the first time in my thirties?”
“Yes,” she laughed. “But you know, just in general you’re just the cutest.”
“Thanks,” Riley frowned. She hated that word. And apparently she made it clear on her face because Sierra was now frowning too.
“You don’t like being called that, do you?”
“No, I’m sorry,” Riley said. “In high school, I felt like people were using it in a derogatory way. Like everyone wanted to remind me how small I was all the time. My mother did it too. And Evan. So I’ve come to hate the word.”
“Our past dictates our present,” Sierra shrugged. “I get that.”
Suddenly, her front door opened.
The chain stopped it from opening completely.
Riley’s eyes widened, in shock that this was happening once again. She had had the locks changed, how on earth?
The sharp blades of a bolt cutter suddenly surrounded the taut chain. With a loud snap, the chain was cut and the door was open.
The man who entered was not Evan, as Riley had suspected, but her landlord, Freddie.
They stood staring at each other for a beat, both confused. But then Evan came up behind him.
“What’s going on here?” Riley asked. “You can’t just break in like this!”
“You can’t break into your own home. Freddie was just letting me back into my apartment,” Evan replied.
“He didn’t tell me you were in here,” Freddie said, hands up like he realized something was amiss. “He said he thought someone broke in and locked him out.”
“What sense does that make? He doesn’t live here anymore!” Riley exclaimed. “I asked you to change the lock to keep him out, don’t you remember?”
“His name is still on the lease,” Freddie stammered. “In fact, it’s the only one on the lease.”
“That’s right,” Evan said. “You never got around to putting your name on there.”
Shit, Riley thought. He was right. Her credit had been in the gutter at the time. It was in their best interest to make Evan the sole name on the lease.
“I…” Freddie shook his head. He looked like a man who had messed up, but didn’t know exactly how he messed up. “I’ll leave you to yourselves.” Riley listened as his footsteps hurried away from the ensuing drama.
Evan looked over at Sierra, eyes questioning, before returning his gaze to Riley.
“Who is this?” he asked.
“I’m a friend,” Sierra answered for Riley.
“Right,” Evan sneered, making his skepticism apparent. Riley knew it was meant as a dig towards her, to remind her of her insecurities over her friendlessness. But it didn’t really work so well now. Not when she felt confident in calling Sierra a friend.
“What do you mean by that?” Sierra asked, stepping up closer to Evan. Riley tensed. She thought about what Gabriel had asked her the night before – are you just confident or a risk-taker? Riley wasn’t sure what it was that allowed her to get so close to Evan when Riley was still afraid.
“It doesn’t matter what I mean,” Evan said. “I don’t know you and I don’t have to answer to you in my own home.”
“This is Riley’s home,” Sierra replied. “She has as much of a right to it, even if her name isn’t on the lease.”
“I’m not asking her to leave now, am I?” Evan seethed, getting in Sierra’s face. They were almost the same height, almost eye-to-eye. Sierra stood her ground, not the least bit intimidated by him. In fact, in her presence, Evan was beginning to look smaller.
The commotion had woken up the two left in the bedroom. Brighton and Gabriel appeared at the door, both looking a bit disheveled but otherwise intimidating at their size. They were both still shirtless and Riley could now see that Brighton thankfully still had his jeans on under the sheets they were sharing just a little bit ago.
Evan looked bewildered. When he turned back towards Riley, his eyes had switched to accusatory.
“What’s this guy doing here again? Who the hell are these people?�
�� Evan yelled. “What are you now? Some kind of slut?”
“Hey!” Gabriel bellowed, marching up to Evan with such an intimidating stance that Evan actually cowered before he could catch himself. “You want me to follow through with what we talked about last time?”
“He’s done this before?” Sierra asked. Her eyes were wide with shock and anger. She stepped up into Evan’s space some more, making him back into the shoe rack behind him. The expression on Sierra’s face was scathing. She stopped only inches away from Evan’s face, excelling in the intimidation tactic that Evan had failed at before. “Does it make you feel like more of a man to bully your ex-wife?”
“We’re still married,” Evan muttered, visibly pissed that he was being threatened by a woman.
“You may have trained her to be scared of you, but you can’t fool me,” Sierra whispered. “I can see what a sorry excuse for a man you are.”
“Back off, bitch,” Evan spat. “Before I make you.” Brighton stepped forward now, his body tense and ready for a fight. Sierra didn’t even have to turn to know what was happening. Instead, she kept her face towards Evan’s and held one hand up to indicate to Brighton that he should stop. And he did.
“I’ll take that as a threat,” Sierra replied, her eyes fixed on Evan’s. But she acquiesced, backing off a little and giving him some space. Evan smiled a smug smile, as if that was enough of a win for him.
“Get these people out of my home,” Evan said, his voice flat.
“You can’t make her leave,” Gabriel said. “The law is on her side.”
“I’m not asking her to leave,” Evan said. “I’m asking you to leave. And these other mystery assholes too. Riley is welcome to stay. We’re overdue for a talk, anyway.”
“You left this space, Evan!” Riley exclaimed. “You can’t just invite yourself back in after all that happened.”
“You made me leave. Illegally. And my lawyer can attest to that,” he replied. “And if you don’t believe me, you can give him a call yourself.”
24
When Riley forced Evan out, he had his options. He had friends who were happy to house him and parents who lived nearby. She hadn’t been all too worried about where he’d end up. Wherever it was would be comfortable.
Riley, on the other hand, did not have options, so she found herself suddenly choosing between staying with Gabriel or staying with Brighton and Sierra. Evan had meant it when he said he wanted her to stay, but he had to have been smart enough to understand that there was no way that was going to happen.
Riley grabbed a small go-bag that she had packed at the height of her arguments with Evan, one that she had never unpacked even after he left. It came in handy now when she had to make the speedy exit that she did.
Though neither housing option she had was ideal, Riley settled on staying with Gabriel since he had an actual guest room, something that was considered a luxury in New York City.
In fact, everything about Gabriel’s life turned out to be quite a luxury. The fact that he owned an entire building put him in a class that few belonged to.
Riley had only really seen the lower floors of his house – just the lobby, the parlor, and the first floor living room. But now that it was going to be her new temporary home, she got the full tour. She learned that Evan’s dad, Teddy, was an heir to a textiles manufacturer which afforded him the ability to work solely on his art. He was a painter, though he worked with many mediums, and through his community of artists he met Margaret. And though most of the house retained the original, old-fashioned décor that Gabriel’s grandparents had chosen for it, Margaret’s flairs were seen in odd corners here or there.
And there was no place where it was more apparent than the guest room.
Margaret had a knack for knitting wacky looking items that looked like it belonged on muppets or people marching the Rio carnival, and she had yarn-bombed the guest room in exactly that way. There was the chunky giant knit of the blanket that covered the bed and the finer, wispier knit of a throw that sat on the corner armchair.
Even the curtains were hand-knitted.
Riley was impressed that the house had maintained its specific décor even when so many people had passed through since it was first decorated. She learned that before Gabriel, his oldest brother and his wife and children had lived there before deciding to move to the west coast and that his middle brother had also hung around for a bit before buying a Manhattan penthouse – which was more “his style.”
“They’re totally the black sheep of the family,” Gabriel explained. “My parents thought my nomadic life was much more their stride.”
Riley laughed as she unpacked her small bag and set her toiletries on the windowsill. How nice it was that Gabriel got along with his parents, despite his admitted misgivings about their parenting techniques. Riley had never met Teddy, but it seemed like both he and Margaret had raised their children wonderfully, no matter how much Gabriel said they didn’t know what they were doing.
Although maybe she would get along better with Judy if it meant inheriting a family house. She smirked at her own thought.
“So if my parents moved upstate to be with your parents, do you know why your parents decided to go up there to begin with?” Riley asked.
“They wanted goats,” Gabriel replied. Riley paused, waiting for Gabriel to laugh and say it was a joke. But it was pretty clear it wasn’t.
“Seriously, that’s the only reason?”
“They wanted goats to milk so they could make their own cheese, if I have to get specific.”
“God, I wish I knew you growing up,” Riley said, a sad smile on her face. “I feel like things would’ve been different for me.”
“We would’ve had nothing to talk about,” Gabriel laughed. “The age difference might not feel like anything now, but back then it would’ve been like the Grand Canyon between us.”
“I guess that’s true.”
“Besides, now we can make up for lost time.”
“I wish you had caught me at a better time in my life.”
“When would that be?” Gabriel crossed his arms, arching an inquisitive eyebrow. “When you were still with your husband? Five years from now when you’d probably be happily settled into another relationship?”
“I don’t know,” Riley shrugged. She smiled, knowing the point Gabriel was getting at.
There was never really a perfect time for things to happen.
25
Things turned around quickly.
Living in Carroll Gardens meant a quicker commute to work. Walking with Gabriel meant feeling safe. Knowing that any attempt Evan made now to break into her home (however temporary it was) would result in something they could actually call breaking and entering or trespassing.
Riley loved her routine now.
She loved having breakfast with Gabriel and Margaret, saying hello to Penny, going to work with a clear and happy mind. She loved picking Gabriel up from work since she usually wrapped up before he did. She loved how he smelled straight out of the shower, their breezy walks home, having dinner with him and Margaret.
In between all that, she’d grab an occasional coffee with Sierra. And when they weren’t doing that, they’d text all day, remarking on everything from clothes they planned on buying to celebrity gossip. Their work relationship was falling by the wayside, feeling secondary to the true friendship that had developed between them. And though they still didn’t get a whole lot of non-working face time and only a few weeks had elapsed since they first met, their bond felt deep and genuine. It just further cemented the notion that life could change drastically in an instant.
The only thing that wasn’t ideal was that whatever romantic connection she was forging with Gabriel was suddenly suspended.
It was like they had made a silent agreement to avoid progressing anything non-platonic now that they were suddenly roommates. And since Riley had a ton of work to catch up on, she was distracted enough that she didn’t feel the immediate need t
o bring up that discussion.
Especially since she didn’t want to disturb whatever incredible equilibrium she was living in now.
Evan had backed off significantly. Maybe all he really wanted was the apartment back. Or maybe all his stalking helped him understand that Gabriel, giant formidable Gabriel, was now always by her side. He wasn’t dumb enough to risk another pummeling, right?
But what Riley loved best about the setup was the fact that she had an opportunity to help Gabriel. It wouldn’t be nearly as much as he had helped her, but it was something.
Margaret had come to remember Riley, at least on her good days, and they luckily quite enjoyed each other’s company. This meant that after relieving Penny from her shift and having dinner altogether, Riley was able to care for Margaret while Gabriel got a chance to breathe.
Gabriel was hesitant at first, as any good son might be. But it was clear that something as simple as allowing him a couple hours to play video games in his room was a necessity he didn’t realize he needed.
Margaret was usually a quiet presence. Her bad days were catching up to her and a lot of the times, she would sit in that strange silence again, staring off into nothing. And as hard as it was for Riley to witness that, she felt helpful and useful that she could just be there with her. That she could spare Gabriel of collecting on these awful moments.
She couldn’t be happier to finally be something for Gabriel the way he was something for her.
Tonight, Gabriel had a late event at the studio. It was something that was also Riley’s doing. A nearby startup had wanted to do a team-building event with their newly hired employees and asked Riley to arrange it. She referred them to Gabriel who was able to finagle a last minute class for them after-hours.
This meant Riley would be with Margaret alone. Completely alone. For the first time since she moved in two weeks before.
To say she was nervous was an understatement. Though Riley knew there was no real difference between Gabriel being home versus Gabriel being a few blocks away at the office, something about this night was giving her pause.