Chapter 30

A/N: I POSTED A ONE-SHOT WITH RHYS AND RILEY. I know you wanted more interaction between the boys (it's still PG-13) so I posted A Day Just for Us which takes place after the events in You are the Answer.

Link in the comments. Enjoy! :)

*****

He blinked at me several times without uttering a word and I realized my palm was still covering his mouth. But even after my arm dropped to my side, Rhys continued to stare at me, speechless.

"Yes, I want to go through the mating ceremony with you," I replied slowly and finally he spoke:

"No."

"'No' what?" I startled.

Had I misunderstood him?

Because I clearly remembered he'd said he wanted the two of us to go through with it.

"I can't accept your answer now," he clarified.

"W-why not?" It was I who felt rejected this time. "Because you didn't propose it in a romantic way?"

He sighed and shook his head.

"Because in the last two days, you found out of the existence of supernatural beings, you saw me shift and you've learned a lot about my world; I don't think you can make a clear decision, Riley, and I don't want you to regret agreeing after you've calmed down."

"I am calm." Contradictory to my words, I raised my voice. "If I am slightly not that calm, it is because you proposed to me and when I gave you my answer, you disregarded it."

"Riley..."

"I'm not a child, Rhys; I know what I want."

"Riley." He grabbed my chin and rubbed the right side of my jaw with his thumb. "Even the most rational person can make a foolish choice when they are emotional. I can't be with you if I feel I've pressured you into something you wouldn't normally give a positive reply to. So I want you to promise me that when you get home and you are on your own, you'll think this over."

I opened my mouth to interrupt him, to insist that my reply would stay the same, but Rhys hushed me and went on:

"Take as much time as you need, Riley, and the next time you give me your answer, it will be what you really want and not a 'yes' just for the sake of not disappointing me or going back on your word."

*****

I'm not a child, Rhys; I know what I want.

I groaned and turned to lie on my stomach, covering my head with my pillow.

Those were the words I'd uttered only yesterday, that I'd adamantly stood by, and that now I regretted.

Well, not thoroughly regretted, but I was beginning to see Rhys' point on the matter.

I had been overwhelmed.

I hadn't come to that conclusion solely because I'd been dreaming about wolves and some aerial creatures which in my mind I'd called 'the Great Spirits', but because now that I was back in my apartment, I realized just how serious everything was.

My whole view on the world had to adapt to the new information I'd gathered. Creatures - supernatural creatures - really existed and I'd been living amongst them.

I wondered how many more shifters and vampires, and Gifted humans there were in Woodbury. I could be living next door to a goblin and when I thought about it, the old lady to my left, with all her warts, hunched back, beak-like nose and unusually good hearing for someone her age, could indeed be some sort of a... thing.

Rhys hadn't mentioned anything about goblins, but...

I turned around with a sigh. This time the pillow went under my head and I stared at the ceiling.

I may had been over-exaggerating about my neighbor - she was probably your average creepy old lady - but Rhys' world had indeed proven a bit too much and his proposal had come way too soon.

We'd been dating for exactly fifteen days and he was already asking me to take such an important step. Apparently, it was accepted in his culture, but by human standards?

Too soon.

Way too soon.

Why, oh why, had I agreed?

Rhys had been right about that too: I now felt as if I should go through with it because I'd already given him 'yes' in reply.

For as long as I could remember, I'd wanted a committed relationship and a family and that was also a problem; was I inserting Rhys in my fantasies just because he was within my reach?

Or was it because I loved him?

Did I truly fall in love with him in the fifty-two day's I'd known him?

I had remembered the exact day I had met him, I was counting exactly how many days we'd spend together - as friends and then as something more - and I was eager to spend hundreds of times more than that amount of days with him.

Was that love or was I getting obsessed?

I'd never been in love before so how could I tell for sure?

I hoped Rhys wouldn't find it creepy I kept a list of dates of our firsts: the first time we met, the first time he came to the Milk & Cream, the first time we went on a date... The first time I saw him with fangs.

Okay, I hadn't added that date to my list yet. Perhaps I should burn the list because yes, that was definitely bordering an obsession.

Yes.

Here was that word again.

That pesky, mind-bogging word.

Rhys had told me to sleep on it and that that might help me to look at our situation from a fresh perspective.

I'd completely failed that mission.

My biggest problem was how easily I'd agreed and how - despite everything I knew about the Bullets and the fact that that information barely scratched the surface - I still wanted to say yes.

Maybe the vampires weren't the only ones with charm; maybe there was something alluring in the shifters too, something that made humans lose their sense around them.

Or maybe it was just Rhys.

The way he talked to me.

The way he treated me.

The way he looked at me.

How can you not melt when a guy looks at you as if you are his whole world?

After all wasn't that what I wanted in my partner?

To love me, to respect me and to take care of me just as I would love, respect and care for him. I found that in Rhys so what if we'd met less than two months ago?

He was a good man - not a human man, but a good man - and he adored me.

My phone vibrated on the nightstand and when I took it, I saw the screen alight and Winona's smiling face. I slid my finger and brought the device to my ear.

"Hey." It was barely more than a tired whisper.

"Well, you sound cheerful." She sneered and didn't give me a time to sass her as she went on: "I'm in front of your building; open up."

I sat up in my bed.

"What are you doing here?"

"I hadn't seen you since Friday and you didn't reply to my texts so I came to check on you. To be honest, I'm surprised you actually answered your phone."

I needed a break from what I'd been thinking about - that was what I'd almost replied, but I'd stopped myself on time. Winnie would've asked me what that had been and I couldn't share my problems with her, not without disclosing Rhys' secret and that I would not do.

Suddenly, I felt all alone.

If I were to be with Rhys, would I have to say goodbye to my human friends and never see them again?

The Silver Bullets didn't really interact with humans; was I expected to act the same?

I didn't have many friends, but I didn't want to say goodbye to Winnie and Tim...

Was Rhys expecting me to leave the Milk & Cream?

"Riley? Are you still there?"

"Yeah." I shook my head. "I'll buzz you in."

I got off the bed, ending the call, and headed towards the door that led to the hallway. To the right was a red button and I pushed it, sending an electrical signal to the door of the lobby. Only a couple of minutes later, I heard Winona knock and let her in my apartment.

The first thing my friend did when she stepped in was to give me a hug.

"What was that for?" I asked when she released me.

"You looked like you needed it." She reached into the paper bag she was carrying. "And this." She handed me a small bottle with tart cherry juice. "And this is for me," she added, taking out a coffee cup with a lid.

"I do have coffee here you know," I pointed out.

"And I always wonder why when you don't like that stuff. You are weird that way."

"That I don't like it, but I have it - which I do for guests - or that I don't like coffee?"

"Both." She ruffled my hair and I frowned. "It looked like a mess anyway. Now bring out two bowls."

I raised an eyebrow at her.

"The last item in the bag is ice cream." She was already walking towards the kitchen area and even though she'd told me to get the utensils, she was the one who took them out of my cupboard.

"You didn't have to bring comfort treats," I noted as I sat down, letting her serve.

"I thought you'd need them. It's not like you not to reply to my messages so I figured something was up." She slid one bowl towards me over the table and took placed her jeans-clad butt in the chair opposite me. "So what's up?"

I took my time opening the bottle of tart cherry juice and slurping a few long gulps while I contemplated on how to reply to her without giving away too much. Once again, I felt horrible at not being able to share with my friend what was troubling me.

"It seems like Rhys is taking our relationship very seriously." Was what I settled for in the end.

"What did he do?"

"He believes he wants to spend the rest of his life with me." Again, not a lie, but not too revealing.

"And you don't want that?" She removed the lid and took a sip of her beverage.

"I want that." I waited for her reply, but she simply drunk some more coffee. "But I'm afraid it might be too soon to make such an important decision."

"I see." She nodded and gulped some more. "Do you love him?"

"I... think so. I mean, yes; if I wasn't scared we were rushing into things, I'd say I love him."

"And he loves you back?"

"Yes."

"And he'll treat you right and take good care of you?"

"I know he would."

"I see."

I heard her gulping more of the brown liquid and felt like ripping the cup out of her grip and throwing it to the floor.

"That's it? 'I see'. That's all you have to say?"

"Honey," she put the cup on the table, "it looks to me like this is a no-brainer. You love each other, he's going to take care of you and make you happy; what more do you want?"

"But fifty-two days, Winnie; that's how long we've known each other."

"You still counting?" She shook her head. "You know, Riley, when I had my first shift with Tim, I thought he was sweet and a hottie, and that was it; when a couple of weeks later he was ready to step in for me as I was dealing with a jerk of a client, I thought he was really sweet so we went out; by the time he drove me home that night, I knew I'd be getting married to that guy."

She extended her hand and showed me her engagement ring; it was nothing too fancy, just a golden hoop with a white stone.

"See this? It took a while, but it's on my finger."

"Where are you going with this Winnie?" I frowned.

"Sometimes you need time, sometimes you just know." She retrieved her hand and grabbed a spoon. "The ice cream is melting."

*****

A/N: Please don't kill me! I know you were happy with Riley's answer, but don't you think it is too soon?

Do you think the Bullets are going to make Riley cut ties with the human world?

To those of you who disliked Winnie: do you still feel the same way?

Please support this chapter with a VOTE if you enjoyed it and if you want more Rhys & Riley, check out A Day Just for Us; I'd love to hear what you think of it so don't be shy to leave a comment in the one-shot :)

Have a great time wattpading, everyone!