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Post by Riley Hart on Mar 11, 2010 21:31:23 GMT -6
Riley was working to shed some of her baby weight. She was on the elyptical machine doing her cardio. It'd been half a year since she had given birth to Alec. It had been some of the hardest, tiring, laborious, and greatest time of her life.
She loved coming to the gym. It gave her some time to get away and just think. She thought about a lot of things. Her life was complicated. She was married to a guy that she wasn't sure she was in love with, she had a baby at 17 with the guy she lost her virginity to. Her best friend was a lesbian. Her cousin, practically her brother, was paralyzed and killed. She'd almost killed the man she really loved and the strangest thing of it; she was still a teenager.
The thing she thought about most was her guilty pleasure, Chris Taylor. She couldn't stop thinking about him when she was alone. She felt guilt about it and knew it was wrong to do, but she was somewhat in love with him.
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Post by Chris Taylor on Mar 11, 2010 21:53:35 GMT -6
It had been a little over a year since he had first moved to The City. The events on his first day were long gone in the past, but the impact glued to Chris, both mentally and physically. Physically, because sitting in a wheelchair for ten months had caused him to loose his muscular physique, especially in his legs. Mentally because all he could think about was her.
Things were pretty much back to normal. After being released from the wheelchair onto crutches for the remainder of the year and then finally free from any restraints, Chris was physically back in action. His physique was back to normal, and with each day it was getting easier and easier to walk and run with strong strides. The feeling he felt from this fresh new feeling of freedom, this whole new world opened before him without being held back by his wheelchair, felt so wonderful to Chris. It was amazing how much he appreciated being on his two feet without having them for so long. But Chris' world didn't feel entirely complete. And again, it was all because of her.
It was a warm day as Chris walked into the gym. After a light jog in the morning and a fresh berry smoothie, he was ready for his daily workout. Being the definition of a true jock, Chris felt quite at home in the gym. It was one of his favorite places to go, and a day without working out was painful for Chris to get through. Being fit and healthy, strong and toned, made Chris feel good, confident and strong. And he need the gym to do that.
He quickly changed into a white tanktop, a pair of black workout shorts and tennis shoes and quickly hurried over to his favorite weight machine in the entire place. The gym was crowded, so he knew he had to hurry if he wanted to grab it before someone else did. Waiting in a line was definitely not a fun thing to do.
However, his quick pace was quickly dropped to a settle saunter before coming to a complete halt. Something more important than getting in front of a busy line caught his eye. For seconds he could do nothing but stare blankly, in surprise.
It was her.
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Post by Riley Hart on Mar 11, 2010 22:23:55 GMT -6
Riley looked at the timer on the machine. She was quite surprised when she saw that it said 56:04. She had been running for an hour and didn't even realize it. She looked over to the line, which looked frustrated and annoyed. She got off the machine and realized without the adrenaline of thinking of him, she could barely stand. She was no athlete.
She took a few gulps of her water. She went over to the scales and weighed herself. She smiled when it read 123 lbs. She was back to a normal weight.
Getting pregnant changed her life. She didn't come first anymore. She used to be a selfish prima donna, but she had changed. It had taken a life-altering event for that to happen unfortunately. She looked over towards the weights and down at her arms. They were tiny. She walked over to the machines.
She saw the image that had crossed her mind countless times today only. Chris Taylor. Her eyes widened and she trembled. She pulled herself together and said, out of her control,
"Chris!"
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Post by Chris Taylor on Mar 12, 2010 21:37:13 GMT -6
"Ri-Ri-Riley?"
His response came out in a stuttering blur, but he could not help it. The world around him was suddenly blank to him. He could not believe what was going on in front of him. After months of being away from her, she was there.
The confrontation was bittersweet for Chris. In fact, more bitter than sweet. Riley always made him feel uncomfortable. He could never forget his first day in the city, when she had been crazy over him, leading to his accident. Chris remembered wanting to consistently push her away, to tell her to stay away from him and to leave him alone. But Riley was a different girl. In fact, "girl" was not the correct word; she was a woman. The pregnancy had obviously matured her. She had gone from annoying, immature fangirl to someone Chris felt in love with. Yes, that was right. In love. It had always been there, Chris was sure of it. Her newfound maturity just made it so much stronger.
But it would never happen. She had a child, another man in her life and a new world opened before her, without him. It was too late. The opportunity that was there was gone. And because of that, just being near her made Chris feel extremely awkward. They couldn’t just be friends anymore, because whenever he was near her, he was drawn in immediately.
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Post by Riley Hart on Mar 12, 2010 21:56:12 GMT -6
The rush of adrenaline pumped through her body once again. She had energy and without even thinking about it, her body ran over to him and embraced him.
"Chris..." she said. Saying his name out loud was the greatest thing her lips had felt since that night. Like a candy that had been forbidden and stolen as a child.
Getting a grip on reality, she let go of him.
"Wow... it's been a long time..." she said.
"Have you been good?" she asked.
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Post by Chris Taylor on Mar 12, 2010 22:30:43 GMT -6
Her embrace startled Chris for a second, yet he soon found it to be a sensation he had longed for for so long. The warmth of her beauty body against his felt so good. He wanted to draw her close, kiss her tender lips and embrace her forever. And as she said his name, her beautiful voice echoing in his ears, he found it irresistible to make love to her. He closed his eyes, turned his face towards hers and felt his lips draw closer to her.
They never touched, for reality decided to interrupt. He couldn’t do any more than hug her, not only because they were standing in the middle of a public gym, but also because he wasn’t a cheater. As much as he wanted to, Riley had a new life, and he’d have to accept that.
The hug was broken, the warmth was gone, the spell disappeared into nothing. The moment of magic a second ago had left, leaving two individuals standing in front of one another. He waited for the pass of an awkward silence.
"Wow... it's been a long time..." she said.
He nodded and grinned. “It’s amazing seeing you,” he replied.
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Post by Riley Hart on Mar 12, 2010 22:40:10 GMT -6
When she heard him say that it was amazing seeing her, every muscle in her body tingled. All the supressed feelings she'd held for so long were present now, and 6 months ago she wouldn't be able to suppress them.
Seeing his eyes and face, hearing his voice, feeling his touch... it brought her back to that imfamous evening. The person that stood in the street seemed like some past life of hers that had long since passed. The one thing that linked their beings together was they both shared the same undying love for Chris.
"You have no idea how much I missed you," she said, "Chris..."
She added the last word for her own sake.
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Post by Chris Taylor on Mar 14, 2010 11:09:20 GMT -6
Her gaze was irresistible to Chris. Her eyes glistened in the lights of the gym, and her hair sparkled with a magical touch. She was a beautiful woman. A stunning, beautiful woman. How this love arose, Chris would never know. He could not believe that around a year ago, he would’ve done anything to stay away from her. Yet, there was something about her that he couldn’t stay away from. Maybe it was her gorgeous face, the innocence and the beauty shining at every angle of her expression. Or maybe it was her smile, her white teeth glowing as she opened her beautiful lips. Chris wasn’t sure, but just being in her presence was spectacular. Love was such a mystery, but Chris was definitely love drunk.
Without thinking, he reached out to Riley, pulled her into his arms and started kissing her lips so passionately, so tenderly. He embraced her with so much love and passion without acknowledging anything going around him.
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Post by Riley Hart on Mar 14, 2010 11:37:57 GMT -6
Riley couldn't believe what was happening. Was this a dream?
For a moment, she kissed him back. She couldn't stop herself.
But then she realized what was happening. Betraying her family. She could care less about Gary. All he had done lately was yell at her and sit home instead of trying to get a job. She was very close to ending it, but held onto him for Alec's sake. But now Chris was kissing her and it felt amazing, but wrong. She kissed him back anyway.
"Chris... what are you doing?" she asked.
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Post by Chris Taylor on Mar 14, 2010 11:46:05 GMT -6
The make out scene esculated with each second, and Chris was surprised, but thrilled and relieved, to feel Riley returning his kiss. It was an absolutely incredible feeling, a moment he wanted to stay in for eternity.
His sexual emotions continued to rise. He was considering carrying her into the locker room when she pulled away.
"Chris... what are you doing?" she asked.
Reality flashed back, and Chris let go of her. HIs moments of passion and lust were replaced by the gym setting, the sound of weights banging against iron and metal, the sounds of pain-filled shouts of enduring athletes and the woman who stood in front of him; the woman he could never reached.
"Oh, wow. I'm-I'm really sorry..." Chris said to Riley, his expression filled with horror and regret, "I-I should go..."
And with that, he turned away and hurried towards the locker rooms. Riley probably thought he was a jerk.
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Post by Riley Hart on Mar 14, 2010 11:58:08 GMT -6
"Wait!" she exclaimed.
She stopped him before he could leave.
"Chris you can't just run away. Remember that night after you saw Rori with Nick? You ran away there. How'd that work out?" she said.
"Chris just tell me why you kissed me," she said, declaritively.
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Post by Chris Taylor on Mar 14, 2010 12:11:09 GMT -6
Chris looked at Riley. All he could do for a few minutes was stare, his eyes filled with sorrow, his passionate lustful expressioned filled with regret. He did not know what to say or what he could say. And finally, he spoke.
"I love you, Riley."
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Post by Riley Hart on Mar 14, 2010 12:20:47 GMT -6
Riley couldn't speak.
'He... loves... me?' she thought.
A variety of emotions rushed through her body. She felt happy and guilty. Finally she could speak.
"I love you too..." she said, "but I don't know Chris... I'm married. Things between him and I have been strained and if it was just Gary and me, it would be over. But I have a child to think about... He needs a real father."
She thought about it for a moment. Gary really hadn't stepped up for them like she thought he would. After a couple of months he just kind of stopped caring. If Alec was sick or crying or he was stressed out, he'd just take off.
"Gary isn't that guy. I don't know if you are either," she said.
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Post by Chris Taylor on Mar 14, 2010 21:07:23 GMT -6
For what seemed like hours, they did not speak. Chris did not know what to say. He knew she was right. He knew that jumping into a relationship with Riley was not only wrong, as she was a married woman, but also because he knew that he was not ready to be a father. The emotions of pain, guilt and regret ran through him like a waterfall, his heart heavy with a screaming sorrow that would never seem to cease. For a second, he questioned whether or not he wanted to live.
He had never realized how strong love was. He still did not know how love came, but his emotions were so strong towards Riley. His attraction was difficult to push away. And yet, he knew he had to. It had to be done.
Chris nodded. “I understand, Riley….I guess it just wasn’t meant to be….”
He was usually good at holding back his emotions. After the age of seven, he couldn’t remember ever crying. He’d always been good at keeping a strong, stable expression on his face. And yet, for the first time in such a long time Chris felt tears slipping from his eyes. The pain he felt suddenly became imprinted on his face. He couldn’t stand being there anymore. He had to get out. And so he did.
With strong strides, with tears running down his face, he quickly headed out of the gym and down the concrete pavement. It was starting to rain, but he didn't care. He couldn't bare being so close to the woman he loved and not being able to have her.
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Post by Riley Hart on Mar 14, 2010 21:27:33 GMT -6
Riley got in her car and went home. Gary was out drinking with Luke, so Rori was babysitting. She thanked Rori and then began packing up her stuff. She took the money Tyler left for them, along most of her clothes. She took everything she needed for Alec. She wrote a letter and left it for Gary on the table.
Dear Gary,
I wish I could tell you that the last year with you has been amazing. I thought we could make it work for our son's sake. I hoped against hope that you could step up for him. He needs a real father. But all you have done for the past 4 months is drink and go out. You don't even have a steady job to take care of us. We'll talk when you have a real job and stop drinking. Your whole sweet guy thing was all just an act to make sure you could be with me, but you have blown it. It is over. I am filing a divorce and if you're smart you'll sign the paper below.
Riley
She got in her car and drove to Rori's. She was going to move back in with her.
And the whole time she was silently crying over Chris.
She called his phone. No answer. She left a voicemail.
"Hey Chris, it's Riley. I think we need to talk, so please come to Rori's,"
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