Jiley Oneshots

If you need me (pt. 1)

My phone pings with his response:

Ok. I'm in the junction with Piper - checking if she's alright. You wanna go back to my apartment? I need to talk to you too.

Then as soon as I'm about to text back, he adds:

Without Piper, don't worry.

I text him back:

Okay.

I avoid passing through the lounge, not wanting to come across a baffled crush of mine. Crush. How can I have a crush when I have a boyfriend who I'm in love with? I've never felt anything like this before and I don't know what to do about it. Maybe if James was here this wouldn't be happening. Maybe I've gone delusional during the course of time he's been gone, but without knowing the facts and how I'm truly feeling, I can't be sure.

Entering the junction, my gaze almost immediately lands on James where he was sat on a green sofa in the corner with his arms resting behind him as he leant back, one leg folded over the other and he chuckled with his sister laughing to the side of him. They were clearly talking about something amusing as she continued to giggle like she was being tickled with a feather. I want to smile and laugh along with them. But I don't.

If it wasn't for the current situation I probably would have made my way over and sat down sideways on James's lap, nuzzling my head into the crook of his neck and he would have instinctively wrapped his arms around me. But in this instance, I hesitantly make my way over and their laughter comes to a sudden halt. Piper looks at me, swallows and bows her head, withdrawing eye-contact from me. It hurts, but I know I deserve it. I betrayed her as well as her brother and let them both down. James looks at me and presses his lips together.

"Hey," I say in a quiet voice. 

"Hey," he mumbles in response. Piper doesn't say a word. "Are you okay?" he asks me. I'm the one who's in the wrong and yet he still feels the need to check up on me. This is exactly the reason why I don't deserve him.

"No," I answer, murmuring. "I'm not."

"Do you want us to leave and go back to mine now?" he questions solemnly. I send a partial nod. He gets up and slides his phone into his pocket after grabbing it from off the table. As he passes Piper, he rubs her arm lightly and leans down to kiss the top of her head. "I'll see you at home later, yeah?" I hear him tell her. She nods. And without another spoken word from her, James shortly joins me by my side and places a light and on my back. 

He doesn't say anything until we walk out of there with me following him. His black five-seater car was parked only a few feet away from the front of the building and once he unlocks it, I get into the front passengers seat with him walking around the other side of the road to get into his own. I don't even finish putting on my seatbelt before he shuts the car door and then places his hand on my knee, getting me to look up at him. The seatbelt compartment clicks once it's in and then he talks.

"I'm not mad," he says. I feel far-too guilty to say anything. "I want to know how you truly feel, Riles." He called me Riles. "I love you and the last thing I want to do is have a go at you for something you have no control over even if it pains me." I lick my lip.

"I love you too, James." He smiles softly. "And I never meant for any of this to happen. I've been so confused lately and I just need a reboot," I sigh. "I want to start again. Not by us breaking up but by remembering what it's like to be your girlfriend." His face softens. "I know it's only been a few weeks but without you, I've felt so lost to the point where it feels like I have no purpose at all. I want to be your girl again, James. I want to cuddle you and kiss you and make-out in the bedroom because I've missed all those things and now it feels like there's nothing that links us. Nothing that connects us. Video calls just aren't the same."