“Don’t tell her to shut up,” cried Mandy. “We all did it”.
“Did not!” Gabby shrieked. “I wasn’t even there.”
“It was your idea,” shouted Bonnie.
Jed pointed at Gabby. “Now, why doesn’t it surprise me that in this scenario they’re Pinky and you’re the Brain?”
The men watched in amusement as the room erupted into a gaggle of hissing, arguing women. The Witches coven had turned feral and Riley concluded, once they’d finished with each other, there was only one other outlet in the room: the men. He tried to catch the attention of the other guys, but they were too busy enjoying the entertainment and not realizing the danger.
Christina was still pacing the room talking to herself. “Oh, god! What have I done, what have I done? What if people are hurt?”
She was waving her hands around her head and it looked too close to how he’d seen her running down the road like a mad woman. “Babe,” Riley started, but she ignored him.
“No, no, no, no,” Christina muttered. “Oh no, no, no… I knew this was stupid, but I did it anyway. I’m an idiot.”
“WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE?” Jack Martin roared. “People are trying to sleep. Have some consideration!”
Everyone froze as Jack’s presence sunk in and the babbling fell away to silence. Jack and Tessa were standing in their robes, obviously displeased at being hauled out of bed. Jack’s hair was disheveled and he looked wild-eyed, and furious.
Riley made an attempt to smooth things over with a “Sorry Jack, Tessa,” but Christina interrupted him. “Dad, you need to take me to the police station. Please.” Bonnie and Gabby screamed at Christina, telling her to sit down, but she refused.
Jack covered his ears with his hands and squinted. “BE QUIET!” He bellowed. “What is wrong with you? You’re all adults and you act like little kids. The children in Tessa’s class are better behaved than you are.”
Christina ignored everyone else and focused on her father. “Please Dad. It’s important.”
Jack glared at her. “What have you done now?” When Christina didn’t answer fast enough, Jack growled. “Christina Melody Martin, you answer me. Right now.” Christina tried to speak, but failed. She’d gone blank and Riley could tell she was panicked. “Did you do something to her?” Jack demanded, focusing his attention on Riley.
Riley could think of a thousand things he’d ‘done’ to and with her, but none of them should involve the authorities. He was about to say something smart, but decided against it. Instead he just shook his head.
“I-I,” Christina started, but Riley grabbed her. He tipped her back in his arms and kissed her until she shut up. He pulled her back on her feet and whispered in her ear. “We saw you. No one is hurt. This is a joke. We’re just having some fun.”
When her eyes came back into focus, they narrowed on him. He winked and whispered, “Love you,” making her grin.
“Well, Christina,” Jack snapped. “I’m waiting.”
“Sorry for waking you and Tessa, Jack,” Riley smiled. “We were playing a joke on the girls and it got out of hand.” He put his hands up in a placating gesture, putting on his sorriest, and most innocent expression.
Jack’s eyes narrowed and Riley could tell Jack didn’t believe him. “Funny peculiar and not funny ha-ha,” Jack growled. “Keep the noise down in here. We’re going back to bed.”
As soon as Jack and Tessa left, the men burst into howls of laughter. The women started hissing, pointing fingers, making accusations, and threats of bodily harm. “How could you?” Bonnie hissed at Jed.
“Oh, darlin’,” Jed grinned. “It’s a bit rich for you to take that tone with me when you were willing to sell out your mates and your granny just a second ago.”
Bonnie flushed and she didn’t do it often. “I did not,” she lied, pulling herself up to her full height.
“Did so,” cried Mandy.
“So did she,” snapped Bonnie pointing at Gabby. “The big radical tree protestor turned nark.”
“Hey,” Gabby denied. “I was just internalizing your panic.” Riley thought Bonnie was going to hit her, but Christina stepped in.
“Okay. Let’s all just let it go,” Christina said calmly. “None of us acted particularly well, but it’s over now, and we’re not going to do anything as stupid again.”
Riley was going to deny that because he thought Christina had acted pretty decently and he was really proud of her. She was going to own up to it instead of standing by letting someone else take the blame. He would have never let her do it, but he was impressed anyway.
Shaking his head, he laughed. It had been a long time since he’d been allowed inside the Witches’ Coven and he didn’t miss it. They were insane.
“So,” Jed began. “What the hell were you thinking? You know all of you women separate are relatively normal, but when you get together you act like crazy people.”
“We do not,” Bonnie denied, but Jed interrupted her.
“You do so,” he shook his head. You’re supposed to be adult women, but you act like teenage mingers.” Glaring at Christina, Jed pointed. “You’re a lawyer. You know better than this. You’re fine unless you’re fighting with him,” he jabbed a finger at Riley, “or with those two,” he nodded at Bonnie and Mandy. “Then… You go mental.” Dina’s cheeks color, but Jed wasn’t finished.
Turning to Mandy, Jed shook his head. “And you’re a mother and the sweetest person I know. If I had to think up a list of people committing acts of urban terrorism, your name wouldn’t be on it. Until, now.”
“Bonnie,” Jed chuckled. “You’re one of the sharpest women I know. Sure, you’re feisty and a bit of a loose cannon, but you’re not stupid. This was stupid.”
Sighing, Jed looked at Gabby and pulled a face. “You,” he pointed, “are the spawn of Satan, but I can’t blame you for this. They were like this the last time they went out and you weren’t there. What I can hold you responsible for is letting your big brain go to waste and bringing out the worst in people. Why don’t you do something good and positive with your smarts for a change? Using your brain this way is like playing poker for money in an old folks’ home.”
The room erupted in laughter from the men and catcalls from the women with do not’s and do so’s filling the room. The noise got so loud that Riley was concerned that Jack and Tessa would reappear. He ‘shushed’ over the top of them until they brought the noise down.
Riley cleared his throat. “Jed’s right you know.” He looked at Christina who was staring back at him. “You kind of do act all crazy together. I’ve known all of you a long time and every single time you get together, insanity rules. If you’d been caught… We really would be down at the police station, bailing you out.”
The women looked guilty, all except Gabby. Sitting forward in her chair, she stared hard at Riley. “Uh-huh,” she grinned. “So… what were you doing there?”
The men went quiet and looked at each other, shrugging their shoulders. Bonnie turned and looked at them with curious eyes. “Good question, Gabby. What were you doing there?”
Riley pinched the bridge of his nose. “We were going to have a conversation with Shane Palmer and Carl Beaumont.”
“That’s right,” Jed agreed quickly. “A conversation. We just wanted to talk to those lads about a few things.”
“Like what?” Christina asked. She stared intently at Riley and her eyes were dark. He held her gaze and understanding passed between them.
“I think you know,” Riley said quietly. They stood glaring at each other, trying to read the other one’s mind.
Dave broke the spell by insisting, “Never mind what we were doing. We weren’t blowing shit up.” Turning, Dave looked at everyone, shaking his head. “I think it’s time we called it a night. We’ve got a big day tomorrow.”
Riley went to Christina, wanting to break the tension between them. He leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Come on, my little criminal. Let’s go have prison sex.”
She folded her arms, whispering back, “Absolutely not.”
Chapter Nine: Loop
Riley, Shanwick, The Present, Saturday, November 10, 2012
Riley woke up to the bedroom door closing and rolled over, looking for Christina, but she wasn’t there. He glanced at the clock and was surprised to see it read 10.00 a.m. He hadn’t slept this long in months and he felt groggy.
After the events of last night, they stayed at the farmhouse, with its rising population. Riley didn’t want to cause any more trouble at the Martins’ and also, he had no intention of doing battle with Riot when he was only just healing from the last time. He tried to get Christina to talk to him about Palmer and Beaumont, but she’d been tired, falling asleep in the middle of the conversation with issues still unresolved.
Shaking his head to wake up, Riley hauled some clothes on. He knew it was paranoid, but her walking out the door without saying goodbye opened old wounds. He walked into the kitchen to find the current residents of the farmhouse: Johnny, Lili, Jed, and now, Bonnie, sitting at the table.
“You look like you need a coffee,” Jed grinned, but Riley cut over top of him. “Where did she go?”
Johnny pointed to the door and frowned. “She’s just gone home, man. Her and Gabby have plans today. We all do.”
Riley turned, glaring at them. If they were sitting here that meant none of them had driven Christina back. “Walking?” He snapped. “You all let her walk five miles across farmland without offering to take her home?”
Jed and Johnny looked confused, but Bonnie rolled her eyes. “We offered. She said no. Something about wanting to keep fit. She isn’t a child, Riley, she’s quite capable of walking home on her own.”
Riley walked out the front door and jumped the fence. He knew what this must look like to their friends: possessive, but it went way beyond that for him. Christina had a good ten minutes on him, so he started to run.
**********
Christina
Christina was walking briskly and singing. She was practicing some of the new songs the band was working on. She had never been part of producing an album before and found the experience fascinating, if a bit disorganized.
Looking at the landscape, she smiled. It was beautiful, something she’d barely noticed before. She’d done this walk of shame not so long ago, but everything had been different then.
In this moment, Christina realized she was happy, blissfully happy, and whether she’d reached for it or not, happiness was upon her. It was amazing how the world changed, depending on your perspective. What had once appeared insurmountable didn’t seem as intimidating anymore.
Christina still held a certain amount of cynicism about love and happily-ever-afters, but she was beginning to believe she just might get one. She was nearly halfway home when she heard someone running behind her. Turning, she saw Riley sprinting toward her and smiled.
He looked like he’d thrown his clothes on and his face was set in grim determination. She walked back toward him and he stopped, breathing heavily with his hands on his knees. “I don’t know how fast that was,” he gasped, “but I think I could make the Olympics.”
Christina laughed, but he didn’t. “Me and you,” he said, wagging a finger between them, “are we good?”
“Yeah,” she nodded. “We’re good. I’ve got things to do today and I didn’t want to wake you.”
There was tightness in his jaw and his eyes were the color of cold, green glass. Then she realized how this must appear to him. Their usual pattern was they’d have an argument or disagreement and she’d walk home, leaving the anger festering between them.
“No,” she started, closing the space between them. “We’re good, really good. Better than good. You looked so peaceful. I just didn’t want to disturb you. I worry that you don’t get enough rest as it is.”
The tension left Riley’s face and body, and he nodded, giving her his half smile that she loved. It was tinged with sadness and it made her heart lurch. She’d done this, put that doubt in him about her, about them, and she hated it.
Stepping forward, Christina kissed him gently on the lips. “You ran all this way for me?” He grinned and grabbed her, kissing her passionately.
Riley rested his forehead against hers. “About last night,” he started, but she cut him off.
“Forget last night,” she joked, “except for the part where we had ‘almost’ prison sex. It doesn’t matter. None of it matters.”
They said their farewells with kisses and promises to catch up later, Christina heading one-way and Riley the other. She smiled, touching her fingers to her lips that still tingled from his kiss. She turned to watch him go and he cut a solitary figure, ambling back towards the farmhouse.
For some reason, she had an uneasy feeling and she couldn’t identify why. Everything between them was better than she imagined it could be less than a week ago. They were stronger and closer than they had been in years.
If she didn’t have a day and night full of familial obligations, Christina would be following Riley back to the farmhouse to find out what was wrong, just to ease her own peace of mind. Instead, she did what she always did, putting duty first, and headed home.
**********
Riley
As soon as Christina was out of sight, Riley stopped. He rubbed his hands over his face and head, staring around him. This time of year was difficult for him, but he needed to make sure his head was clear.
He had a tendency to become obsessive and fixate on issues, ruminating on old wounds, and resisting darker impulses. It was part of his creativity and part of his own self-sabotage. He’d spent the last few years keeping himself stable, but he knew the signs, and he was out of balance.
Riley knew he should be holed up in solitude by now and away from everyone, but his desire to be with Christina over-shadowed everything else. If he smothered Christina, he could drive her away, or worse, and he’d done everything in his power to bring her back to him. “Get it together,” he told himself. “Get it to-fucking-gether.”
He had some hard decisions to make, but he needed more time, and he felt it slipping through his fingers. Heading back to the farmhouse, Riley went up the steps and heard part of a conversation that surprised him. He was about to make himself known, but hesitated, feeling uncomfortable to enter his own house. Instead, he stood there listening as his friends argued about his relationship, dissecting him and Christina like they were objects.
‘They were never over, Bonnie,” he heard Johnny say. “Well, I never thought they were. A love like that doesn’t go away. I just thought of them as being on a long break. I knew if they ever saw each other again that would be it.”
“What happened to them?” Jed asked. “It’s like they’re meant for each other. I’ve never seen two people more suited and I don’t understand how they could have broken up.”
Johnny sighed loudly. “I don’t know. They were fine. Perfect. Then they got married and it all turned to shit. It was like watching one long, torturous break-up, and it went on for years. Then, my mother died and it was all over after that.”
“But doesn’t it worry you?” Bonnie asked, her voice firm and insistent. “It has to concern you. I know it concerns me-”
“Leave them be, Red,” Jed groaned. Riley tried not to laugh because he could tell by the tone of Jed’s voice that Bonnie was testing his patience. “I’ve seen Riley with a lot of women, more than I thought healthy, but I’ve never seen him act this way. Hell, I loved his ex-girlfriend, Bianca. I thought she was the one for him, until I saw him with Christina. I didn’t think he was capable of falling so hard for someone.”
Bonnie sighed exasperatedly, “That’s what I mean. It’s all or nothing with them. It’s like they love each other the way teenagers do. It’s like they’re still in love with their fifteen and sixteen year old selves-”
“That’s love, Bonnie,” Johnny laughed. “They’re passionate people and they’re passionate about each other-”
“It’s more obsession,” Bonnie cut over the top. “They just disappear into one another and he looks at her like she’s his ‘precious’. Aren’t you worried it’s going to get dark and twisted? I mean when it’s love, it’s all sweetness and light, but when it isn’t, there’s a darkness there that scares me. They can bring out the worst in each other.”
“There’s no reason in love, Bonnie.” Johnny groaned and even from this distance, Riley knew Bonnie was getting on Johnny’s nerves. “They have crazy-love. When you feel that kind of intensity it can be creative and it can also be destructive. The former love of my life’s name was heroin and she inspired me to great music, but nearly killed me in the process.”
“What about him dragging her back here? If anyone else had done that, she would have killed them,” Bonnie argued.
Jed groaned. “They’re in a relationship, Bonnie. You make compromises in a relationship.”
“Really?” Bonnie retorted. “Because I see Dina making all the compromises and none from Riley.” Johnny and Jed start arguing with Bonnie, but she was adamant.
“He’s got everything he ever wanted,” Bonnie insisted. “Dina back here and under his control. Now, she works for him, she is totally dependent on him, which is how he likes it. Can’t you see? There’s a massive power imbalance here. What about what Dina wants or doesn’t that matter? I wonder if he’s even asked what she wants?”
Clenching his jaw, Riley closed his hands into fists. He accepted some of what Bonnie was saying could be interpreted that way, but it didn’t make it true. He was about to make his presence known, when Jed spoke up for him.
“Sweetheart, you don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jed laughed, but there was an edge to his voice. “From what I can gather, he brought her back here because of a conversation he had with you.”
“Me?” Bonnie squawked.
“Yes,” Jed stated firmly. “You. He had some conversation with you in Seattle and he got it in his head that Christina needed taking care of. So, the way I see it, if you don’t like what’s happened, you need to be more careful with your words.”
Ties That Bind Page 17