With his back to the door, Michael was arranging a row of desks before he heard the sound of running feet approaching him. Turning around, he nearly lost his footing as Riley bombarded him with a bear hug. At first he wasn't sure who she was until he heard her familiar voice.
"Thank God. You're okay." She sighed in relief, burying her face into the center of his chest, then deeply inhaling his signature cologne she missed so much. It felt surreal to feel his warm, slim body embraced in her arms.
He smiled as he eagerly returned the hug. If it wasn't for his healing wounds, he would've scooped her up instead and spun her around. "Of course, Ry. The school didn't tell you guys?"
"No, they only told us you were in critical condition and in the ICU. I had to depend on the news website to keep me updated. You don't understand how happy I am to see you right now." She practically said in one breath while tightening her grip and he chuckled before wincing.
"Ry, you're hugging me just a little bit too tight." He said and she immediately loosened her grip.
"Oh! Sorry." She flushed with embarrassment, finally letting him go only to end up wrapping her arms around him again. This time she was more gentle. He laughed softly and held her for a while until they finally parted ways. "I actually went by to see you a few times."
"Really?" A small smile lingered on his lips. "I remember a nurse informing me that you came by when I was in ICU."
"Yeah, the first two times you were still asleep. After that, you had already been discharged. So, I stopped by your house and you weren't there either. I thought you were mad at me and trying to avoid me."
Michael shook his head in disagreement and took her hand. "No, I was never mad at you. You didn't ask for Javen to show up and start unleashing bullets on people." He sighed as he sat down on the edge of a desk behind him and caressed the surface of her hand tenderly with his thumb. "I was staying with my mother for a bit until a few days ago. I got your new number, but of course I had to somehow lose it."
"Life throwing some curve balls, huh?" She gave a half-smile while he chuckled.
"Yeah, you could say that. I missed you, though. Thank you for the flowers and the card." He smiled as she bashfully looked down at her shoes with a soft smile. "How's everyone else doing?"
"They're doing fine. They were worried about you, though. All of us." She sighed at the memory before suddenly laughing. Michael looked a little confused. "After you went to the hospital, I got so much hate-mail from your admirers."
He exhaled while running a hand over his face. "Seriously? I'm so sorry you had to deal with that on top of everything else."
She shrugged and smirked. "I wasn't worried about it. Your health was my priority."
She slowly glanced around before he could utter another word. The warm-colored walls were decorated with several uplifting posters, the alphabets, and numbers while from the ceiling hung tissue paper pom-poms that ranged in a variety of colors. Along one wall were his students' names written on large crayon stickers. At the front of the classroom were about several groups of desks arranged to his liking. Their first day lessons were written on the board and next to it was the calendar and agenda. The other half of the room was split between an art area and a music area.
"So, this is where you work now. It's adorable." She complimented.
He blushed and stood, letting go of her hand. "Thanks. I wasn't expecting you to be stopping by, but I'm really glad you did." His words formed another smile on her face.
"Yeah, well my baby cousin is starting school here soon and I saw you while walking down the hall. How long have you been here?"
"Not long, actually. I just got hired and I don't officially start teaching until sometime in August, but they wanted me to go ahead and get set up while meeting some of my students before their first day of school."
"So, how do you like it so far?"
Immediately, his doe eyes lit up with joy and pure excitement. "It's great, I love it. The kids I've met are adorable and sweet, my coworkers are nice, and it's everything I ever wanted... for now."
"Better than high school, huh?" She smirked and he wholeheartedly agreed.
He chuckled. "Yeah, it's a lot better. Instead of fighting over petty drama, I've already seen some kids fight over plush toys and markers. It's hilarious what comes out of their mouth sometimes."
"I bet." She smiled at the thought. "But do you ever miss being over there sometimes?"
"Ridge Blue?" He shrugged again, sitting back down. "I miss some of my students. You guys were a lot more mature than I expected, and teaching the class wasn't so bad. But after that incident, I couldn't stay there. Then add in some of the stalking students."
"I don't blame you." Riley shuddered at the memory. She walked a few feet away toward the reading area and ran her fingers across the soft fabric of the quilt on a rocking chair.
"Are you okay, Riley?" He softly asked, gaining her attention.
She knotted her eyebrows and fully turned around to face him. "Better question is, are you okay? You're the one that got shot twice."
"Yeah, but I'm still alive. I bet you were pretty shaken up."
"Mostly because I thought you were going to die again." She made direct eye-contact and it prompted him to slowly start walking towards her. "You did a lot for me, Michael."
He softly smiled just before reaching her. "I did a lot because I care about my students, especially you."
She felt her face heat up from his words and peered back down at the ground momentarily before looking up at him. "But I didn't want you putting your life on the line. I told you he was dangerous."
He sighed in response before nonchalantly saying, "Ry, it was nothing but a little bullet to the shoulder and chest."
She deeply frowned and shook her head, wondering how he could be so unfazed about this subject. "It almost killed you." Her eyes began to water at the memory and she averted her gaze. It still felt like the terrifying ordeal just happened yesterday.
He stepped closer and lifted her chin, making her meet his gentle gaze again. "I'm still here, Riley. I told you I would always be here for you. Remember?"
She nodded as he dropped his hand back down to his side. "Thank you for everything."
"Anytime." He softly smiled. "And I wanted to say thanks, myself. You stayed by my side and slowed the bleeding. A lot of people wouldn't have done that."
She exhaled, then weakly smiled. "Well, that's the difference between me and them."
A comfortable silence settled over them as they both observed the decorations of the room. Riley twiddled her fingers as regret and guilt gnawed at her from the memory that continued to haunt her ever since the day of the shooting. Michael took notice of the familiar way her eyebrows furrowed and how she twisted her lips to the side.
"What's on your mind?" He inquired, cocking his head slightly. "Looks like you're thinking hard about something."
She shrugged a little. "I guess you could say that."
"Wanna talk about it?" He cautiously asked and crossed his arms as he studied her rigid posture intently. "I mean, if you don't want to—"
"I'm sorry." She blurted, cutting him off and looking deeply into his eyes.
He raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to speak before she interrupted him again.
"I know you tell me not to apologize so often and for every little thing, but I'm truly sorry, Michael. That day... I didn't mean what I wrote; I never meant to hurt you and I could never in a million years ever think to hate you." She told him in one breath, releasing a sigh of relief afterwards.
"I know." He softly responded while moving closer to her. "Really, Ry, you don't have to apologize."
"No, you don't understand." She said, shaking her head as she felt tears building and her voice becoming shaky. "What if they didn't save you, Michael? I wouldn't have had a chance to apologize and tell you that it was just a shitty thing I did. I wouldn't be able to live with myself."
He gently cupped her face with both hands and wiped at her fallen tears with his thumbs as she sniveled. "Shh, it's okay. I know that you didn't mean it and I was never angry with you. Stop crying."
"But I hurt you." She bit down on her quivering lip and broke away from his touch when she turned her back to him. She hated crying in front of him despite that she did so in the past. It left her open and vulnerable, and she hated those feelings. "I can remember the look on your face as if it just happened moments ago."
"Baby, we all do stupid things when we're upset. Don't let it get to you." He gently assured her, watching her peer over shoulder in slight bewilderment. "What is it?"
"You just called me 'baby'." She stated in shock from his term of endearment.
"You don't want me calling you that or something?" He asked, his face contorted in confusion.
"No, it's just that... I thought you said we were over?" She turned back around to face him.
"Like I said, we do stupid things when we're upset. I guess you could say we both hurt each other that day." He sighed, reaching down to take her hands into his again. "If you died, I wouldn't have been able to apologize for breaking your heart, and I definitely couldn't live with the fact I let the love of my life go."
Those last words made her heart jump.
"Love of your life?" She blinked in shock.
He smiled small and nodded before saying, "You're in such a vulnerable, sensitive place and I ended up hurting you way worse than you did me. I never wanted us to end, Ry, especially not like that. If you'd want, I'd really like to be yours again."
Riley continued to blink in response for several seconds before narrowing her eyes. "Are you really asking me that question?"
"Should I not?" He appeared slightly confused again before Riley rolled her eyes, then quickly wrapped her arms around his neck to bring him into a slow kiss.
He smiled briefly before matching his lips to the motion of hers as he wrapped his arms around her waist. The sweet kiss very gradually evolved into the use of tongue; Riley moved her hands upward to tangle her fingers into his mass of soft curls as he brought her closer to him.
She missed the warmth of his body, the security she felt when he held her in his arms, and the way his soft curls brushed against her palms and loosely looped around her fingers. He missed the feel of her soft lips against his and her loving touches that sent tingles all over his body, like one of her hands drifting down to caress his nape. Her hushed moans piercing the quiet air from his soft tongue moving against hers never failed to invoke a pleasant chill down his back.
"Wait," Michael breathlessly spoke as he pulled away, "someone might see us." He unwrapped his arms and quickly walked over to the classroom door and closed it. To be on the safe side, he locked it.
But when he turned around, Riley wasn't in the same spot. He looked around briefly to see she was sitting on his desk with her bottom lip tucked away between her teeth and her index finger sensually beckoning him over. He slyly grinned as he approached. His eyes swept over her simple attire of a black tank top underneath the thin red jacket that showcased her smooth chest, a beanie that sat atop of her long, dark hair he desperately wanted to run his fingers through, and a pair of denim shorts that showed off her long, brown legs.
Once he reached her, Riley grabbed the collar of his flowery shirt and pulled him the rest of the way until he stood flush between her legs. She teasingly pecked at his lips until the kiss gradually deepened.
Once light and slow, the kiss soon became more feverish than before. Their breathing was heavy and the soft, luscious smacks filled the silent room. Riley shivered when his hands felt up her thighs and gave it a slight squeeze. Her bottom lip was compressed between her perfect set of teeth at the feel of his soft, supple lips lingering among her heated skin as he kissed along the base of her neck before settling onto a known sweet spot.
Suddenly, he froze. The reminder of that day he unintentionally hurt her flashed through his mind and he slowly pulled away, his eyes meeting her confused face.
"I'm sorry, I just don't want a repeat of last time." He said softly as he backed up a little. "I want you to be comfortable."
"I am." She assured with a sweet smile and reached forward to grab his hand. It made her grow fonder that he still cared so much about her well-being. "You don't have to worry about me trashing your classroom or anything."
He smirked at her small joke and shook his head. "Like you said a while ago, I want to take things slow with you and go at your pace. Right now, I think it's best if I don't overstep my boundaries again."
"I know you won't, I trust you." She told him while staring profoundly into his brown eyes, making his heart flutter from that look alone.
He brought both hands up to cradle her face as he held her stare; this moment between them still felt surreal as they thought they would never be able to see each other again. His thumbs gently caressing her smooth skin rooted him in reality that she was actually here, sitting on his desk with her soft hands locked around his wrists.
"I missed you so much, Ry. Being torn away from you like that and not knowing if I'll ever see you again was so fucking gut-wrenching." He said to her, both of their eyes becoming teary-eyed. "I'm not gonna lie, I was about to be content with the fact of being single for the rest of my life because I absolutely can't picture myself with anyone else but you."
A bashful smile snuck onto her lips and she dropped her head a little as a shy laugh came out. She looked back into his face and said, "I honestly thought the same thing. I know I don't have as much experience, but you've treated me like a queen since the first day I met you. You've been clear about your intentions, always put me first, been there every step of the way, and you risked your life to protect me; I don't wanna be with anyone else. You're my soulmate."
As soon as those last words left her lips, he engulfed her with one of the most passionate kisses they've had thus far; immense love flowed through their veins as they embraced each other closer until there was virtually no space left between them and it felt as if they were the only two left in the universe. If their lungs weren't deprived of air, the intense kiss never would've broken.
Silently, they basked in each other's presence with their foreheads pressed together, eyes closed, and still wrapped in each other's arms. A lighthearted giggle pierced the air when Michael suddenly peppered her face with quick, short pecks.
She met his warm gaze again and opened her mouth to speak, but a sudden knock on the door startled them back into reality. They both turned their heads to look over it. Michael assumed that it was probably a random student wanting to meet him, but then Riley heard her aunt's voice.
"Riley, you in there?" Tia asked, making her grow a little nervous. "I swore I saw you come in here earlier."
She turned to Michael's bewildered face and whispered, "Don't worry, it's my aunt and little cousin."
"Ooh, okay." He mumbled and stepped aside as she hopped off the desk.
"Yeah, I'm in here." Riley answered. Her fingers grazed over her swollen lips and she prayed that Tia wouldn't notice them. She started to make her way towards the door.
"I thought so." Tia muttered as she tried to open the door, but then realized the door was locked. Her eyebrows deeply furrowed as CiCi began banging on the door with her tiny fists.
Riley suddenly yelped loudly when she felt a sting on her ass from an unexpected smack and turned to give Michael a warning glare as he coyly smiled in return.
"Sorry, I had to for old time's sake." He did a small shrug to minimize the pain in his shoulder with his hands raised.
Tia gave an odd glance at the door just before she got CiCi to stop banging on it. "What was that?"
"Nothing, just tripped over a rug." Riley replied, rolling her eyes at Michael's soft laugh as she finally crossed the rest of the way and opened it with an uneasy smile. "Hi, auntie."
She raised one of her brows. "Hi. Why was the door locked?" Her aunt immediately questioned as she walked in with her daughter trailing behind.
"Oh, um, Michael and I were catching up on some things and didn't want anyone to interrupt. Plus, I was helping him decorate a little more to give his students an element of surprise." She shrugged nonchalantly, ignoring Tia's brief skepticism as she turned to meet Michael halfway across the room.
"Wait, is this the same teacher that you said took two bullets for you?" She followed behind Riley with widened eyes. Her niece nodded with a wide smile.
Tia let out a loud gasp before quickly pulling Michael into an unexpected hug, though she was careful not to hurt him in any way since she didn't know how well he recovered. "It's so nice to meet the man who saved my niece."
"Oh, it was no problem." Michael sheepishly said, then looked at Riley with a sly wink. It made her heart beat faster as she looked at the floor again.
"Hi, I'm Ciara!" CiCi piped up and held out her tiny hand for Michael to shake after her mother stepped back.
He squatted down and engulfed her small hand into his. The shocked look on her face caused him to softly laugh as he shook hers gently. "It's great to meet you." Michael smiled. "What grade are you going to?"
"First!" CiCi grinned, clearly excited that she was moving up the ladder.
"Awesome! You're going to love first grade!" Michael shared her enthusiasm, playfully pinching her cheek that resulted in a cute giggle. "Maybe you get to be in my class this year, huh?"
"I hope so." The youngster happily grinned, then turned her attention away from him and to his decorated room. Michael chuckled at her look of awe before straightening his posture again.
"Well, anyways, we should get going." Tia said and Riley suppressed her frown. "I'm glad I got to meet you, Michael. Riley has talked so highly of you."
He smirked a little and tossed a coy glance towards Riley, making her blush for the umpteenth time today. "Oh, she has?"
"Mhmm, I've never seen her praise any teacher like that. We should treat you to lunch or something, it's the least we can do after everything." She suggested, but Michael shook his head with a thankful grin.
"No, it's alright. But I appreciate it. It was nice meeting both you and little CiCi." He reached back down and playfully tapped CiCi's nose, which she grinned to. "And it was nice seeing one of my best students again."
Riley briefly tucked her lips in to hide her bashful smile as Tia took her daughter's hand to head towards the door. With their backs turned, Michael subtly snuck his hand onto the small of Riley's back and quickly yet tenderly kissed her while slipping a small piece of her paper in her hand. His soft voice lowered only loud enough for her to hear. "I'll see you later, Ry."
"I hope so." She whispered to him and he winked, watching her walk out his classroom with a radiant grin on her face.