Riley could feel the vomit making its way up her throat. Candace had thrown a curve ball at her, and by the way she was feeling, it smacked her right in the stomach.

“But, he’s- no- I can’t be,” She stuttered. “The only girl, really?”

Candace nodded slowly, “He hasn’t brought home any girls that I know of and actually introduced them to us. That’s why I thought you were something more.”

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, Riley literally felt even sicker than before. Tyler stuck his head in through the crack in the door and she could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks, as he locked eyes with her. He darted his eyes between Riley and his sister, as they both sat there, smiling wearily as they both looked at him.

“I’m going out with Tyler, are you going to be okay here?” He asked, eyes locking with Riley.

She nodded her head, “I-Uh. Yeah. I’ll be fine. I’m probably just going to nap.”

He let out a laugh, “Alright. I’ll wake you up when I get back.”

He let his focus go back to his sister who was sitting in her bed, picking at the cuticles on her nails.

“Candace,” he said his voice stern, snapping her back into reality. “Take care of her for me.”

He shut the door and left.

Riley let her body fall into the soft mattress of Candace’s bed; she curled the blanket around her body and within minutes was fast asleep.

XXX

“Baby, I want you to meet my parents,” he whispered.

Their bare skin stuck together as she clung to him her head resting against his chest hearing the steady thumping of his heartbeat. He ran his fingers gently up and down her spine sending goose bumps running through out her whole body. She tensed when she heard the words come out of his mouth. She didn’t think that they were anything serious; she had just gotten over the death of her last boyfriend, and was just having fun with him.

“Yeah, maybe.” She hummed.

He pushed her away, catching her off guard and nearly knocking her off the bed that they laid on.

“You don’t want to meet my parents?” He growled.

“No babe, I didn’t mean it like that.”

He held her shoulders in his strong hands, his grip tighter than she would’ve liked. “Then how did you mean it?”

She looked into his eyes, and there was a look that she wasn’t used too, his eyes no longer had that sparkle she was used too when he looked at her, they looked almost lost, dark.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll meet them,” her voice was weak, as the grip he held on her was growing tighter and tighter.

Tyler got home at five that evening after catching up with a best friend he hadn’t seen since last summer.

“Hey mom,” his kissed his mothers cheek as she stood in front of the stove preparing dinner for the evening. “Is Riley awake?”

She continued to stand at the stove, stirring the pot that was in front of her. “I haven’t seen her all day, sweetie.”

He had taken that as she had been sleeping all day, something he probably should’ve done instead of going out, since it was starting to catch up with him.

He crept up the stairs to Candace’s room, opening to door ever so carefully to not wake her. She slept soundly; her body enveloped in the covers the only exposing of her face. He could hear her faint mumbling, from the distance that he stood, and it wasn’t until she began moving around that he realized she was having a nightmare.

“Riley,” he brushed her hair out of her face gently not to scare her. “Riles, you need to wake up.”

She jumped, startled by his presence. “Oh my god,” she breathed under her breath.

She had tears rimming her eyes, as she held her chest trying to catch her breath. It had been months since she had dreams like that, and it scared her senseless knowing that he was popping up in her subconscious.

He jumped to her side, wrapping her in his arms. “Its okay,” he cooed like he was talking to a child.

Her breath began to steady, his body somehow comforting her.

“I’m okay,” she mumbled.

He ran his fingers through her hair again and again, and she let him, the gentleness of his touch, his embrace, and the warmth of his body comforting to her.

“Dinners almost ready, if you’re hungry.”

She nodded her head. “Starving.”

XXX

Riley was curled up in Candace’s bed again that evening, Candace herself out for the night so she resided alone. Her belly was full from the welcome home dinner that Jackie had made them that evening, but her body wasn’t tired seeing as she had slept all day. The television in front of her flashed and she couldn’t find it in herself to focus on whatever cheesy movie was playing. She crept out of bed and across the hall to Tyler’s room; gently she pushed the door open and noticed him tucked under the covers, asleep.

“Ty,” she whispered hoping to wake him.

He stirred a moment before falling back to sleep.

“Tyler.”

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. “Yeah,” he mumbled voice deep and thick with sleep. “Riley?”

She took a seat on his bed as he pushed over to make room for her.

“I can’t sleep.”

“Well you slept all day,” he said eyes still closed.

“Take a walk with me?”

He threw off the covers and slipped on a pair of sweatpants, and threw her one of his old baggy sweatshirts. She smiled as she followed him out of the house and into the dark night.

“I’m sorry I woke you,” she whispered as they walked.

“Its okay, I wasn’t asleep that long anyway.”

They stayed in silence as Tyler led the way through the dark streets of Brampton. It made Riley think that this is where he grew up, he learned to play hockey, where everything got started.

“Where are we going?” She asked, getting nervous as Tyler led them through a patch of tress.

Tyler stopped a moment, before taking her hand and running off. In front of them, behind the clearing of the woods was a small playground that looked like it hadn’t been touched in years.

“I used to come here when I couldn’t sleep either.”

Riley stopped in her tracks, before looking at him. He had a grin spread wide like a four year old. “I’ll race you to the swings.”

She took off before him, laughing as took a seat in the one of two empty swings that resided in the small park.

He took a seat beside her, slowly swinging his feet around as she mimicked his motions. They fell into a comfortable silence as t the cold wind blew against their faces.

“Ty,” She said.

He looked up from the circle he’d been drawing with his foot in the dirt.

“Hm.”

“Thank you.”

He could feel his cheeks getting hot. “Riles, I’d do anything for you.”