Fix You

"Jack Daniels, on the rocks" She called to the bartender.

He quickly went to get her order, so she slipped a $10 towards him and took a seat.

"What's brings beautiful girl like you to a bar this late at night?" She heard a voice ask from beside her.

"Life." She said simply taking a sip of her drink turning to the surprisingly attractive stranger sitting beside her. "What about you?"

"Tough game." He shrugged waving over the bartender.

"You play a sport?"

"Yeah." He grinned before taking a sip of his own drink. "Hockey."

"Interesting, you any good?" She asked with a smirk.

"I'd like to think so." He smiled

"So what's your name?" He asked after a moment of silence had passed.

"I just met you." She laughed "I'm not telling you my name."

"Would it help if I told you mine?" He offered

"Maybe."

"Well I'm Gabriel." He said sticking his hand out for her to shake. "But you can call me Gabe."

"Well Gabe, I'll decide when I want to tell you my name." She answered shaking his hand.

"Fair enough." He said before asking "What do you do?"

"I'm a dancer." She replied as he nearly choked on his beer trying to hold back a laugh.

"Are you laughing at me?!" She asked turning to him and wacking him playfully on the arm "You jerk."

"I'm sorry." He apologized earning a glare from the girl.

"I'm not talking to you anymore." She huffed jokingly turning away from him.

"I'm sorry." He said again "I shouldn't have laughed it's just...well you kinda caught me off guard with that one."

She tried to hold back a smile with her back still to him as he pleaded with her.

"Please." He asked "I'll buy you a drink." He said in a sing-sing voice that made her roll her eyes before turning and facing him again.

"You win." She said as he smiled triumphantly waving the bar tender over yet again. "This time." She added as a warning earning a chuckle from Gabe.

"Where are you from?" She asked taking a sip of the martini he had just bought for her.

"Sweden." He replied as her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Really?" She questioned

"Yup." He said "I know I don't have an accent, I guess I just lost it over the years."

"Still, Sweden." She said with a grin "That's pretty cool."

"Yeah, I guess." He laughed. "What about you?"

"Canada."

"The true north strong and free eh?"

"Are you mocking my country sir?" She asked with a smile playing around her lips.

"I'm swedish I'm too nice for that." He said as she laughed.

"Touche." She grinned clinking her glass lighty with his bottle.

"Will you tell me your name now." He asked looking at her hopefully.

She thought for a minute pursing her lips before she decided that he was nice enough.

She opened her mouth to tell him but a voice interupted beating her to it.

"Riley?"

She looked up and locked eyes with the last person she expected to see tonight, or anytime for that matter.

"Matty." She whispered using the nickname almost by instinct.

It felt like the floor had been ripped out from under her and all the memories came flooding back.

* * *

"Do you have to go?" She'd asked as he packed his bags his back facing her.

"Baby, you know I'd love to stay but...this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, you know how hard I've worked for this." He sighed turning to look at her.

She knew she was being selfish, she knew she was being greedy but she didn't want to see him go. Couldn't see him go.

"Matt please." She begged tears brimming her eyes.

"Riley I'm sorry." He said sadness evident in his eyes. "But I don't have a choice."

"Yes you do." She choked out unable to hold back the tears. "Stay here, with me."

"Please don't." He whispered closing his eyes "Please don't make me choose."

"What would you choose Matty?" She asked taking in a shaky breathe almost afraid of what the answer was going to be.

"Riley please don-"

"What would you choose?" She said again with more force cutting him off.

The silence that filled the room was agonizing and as it stretched on it was clear to her what the answer was.

Without another word she ran out of the room ignoring his calls.

Tears blurred her vision as she ran, she didn't know where she was going, didn't really care. She just needed to get out.

So she ran until her legs couldn't carry her anymore.

* * *

She was woken from her trance by a hand snapping in her face.

"Hey...you okay?" Gabe asked scanning her face.

"Uh...y-yeah." She stuttered "I'm good."

"You two know each other." He said looking between her and Matt.

"Yeah..." Matt breathed out his eyes still locked on Riley. "We grew up together."

"Cool..." Gabe mumbled noticing the tension between the two.

"I'll let you catch up." He said slipping off his stool "It was nice to meet you Riley."

All she could do was smile at him afraid that if she spoke her voice would crack.

"Long time no see huh?" Matt said letting out a shaky laugh as he slipped into the seat beside Riley who was silently praying that if she stayed quiet he'd just leave her be.

She remained silent as she sipped at her drink suddenly becoming very interested in the pen sitting on the table in front of her.

He sighed when she didn't respond staying quiet himself but making no move to leave.

"You look...different." He commented when the silence became too much for him to bear.

He knew it was a lame excuse to try and get her to talk to him, but he did mean it.

Her naturally brown hair was now blonde and she had a nose piercing as well as a line of tattoos that trailed down her side towards her hip.

"That's what happens when you haven't seen someone for five years." She said now clenching her glass so tightly she was surprised it didn't shatter.

"You look good, different but...good." He said as she rolled her eyes.

"What do you want?" She asked not in the mood for his compliments.

"Talk to me."

"Theres nothing to talk about."

"RJ please just-"

"Don't call me that." She snapped her body going rigged at the sound of the childhood name he gave her.

"Just work with me here." He said

"If I do will you leave me alone."

"No."

She sighed and slumped in her chair waiting for him to start talking.

"Do you hate me?"

"No."

"Really? Because it sure seems like you do." He said

"I don't hate you Matt." She shrugged "I've never been one to hold a grudge."

"Then why won't you talk to me?"

"Because I've spent the last five years of my life trying to forget about you."

This time it was his turn to stay silent, he hated himself for leaving her. He'd never been able to forgive himself for leaving the one thing in his life that meant more to him than hockey.

"Look it's getting late." She said sliding out of her seat before downing the last of her drink. "And I've got rehearsal tommorow."

"Riley wait." He said grabbing her arm lightly. "Just...how can I make this better?"

She retracted her arm from his grasp taking a deep breath before answering.

"Leave me alone." She whispered trying to contain the emotion she'd been holding in for so long. "Just, please...leave me alone."

And with that she left, In the blink of an eye she was gone and too Matt it was eerily similar to that dreadful night five years ago.

Notes

Let me know what you think!
Comment, Rate and subscribe :)