I have never been so utterly furious at my mother. Yes, she was intrusive. Sure, she could be overbearing. But all of that has always been overshadowed by the respect I had for her. Yet, at this moment in time, all I wanted to do was scream at her. For being short-sighted. For being cruel. For hurting the woman that...
I stood by the elevator for quite a while after Riley had stormed out. Part of me hoped that the doors would open once more to reveal her. That never happened.
"It's better this way, Noah. That girl is not any good for you."
My mother's voice came over my shoulder, causing me to turn around. "How can you say that? You don't even know her?" I demanded. Her words had left a sour taste in my mouth.
"Apparently, you don't either. Don't tell me you are still interested in the snake after learning about this?" My mother crossed her arms and tapped her right foot in displeasure.
"After what exactly, mother? After you barged in here and ambushed her. You didn't even allow her a chance to explain anything?"
"Explain what? That piece of paper tells me all I need to know." She slammed her fingers into the pages in my hands. "She is a gold digger. Plain and simple. Honestly, I am just surprised you went for someone like that."
"This piece of paper." I took the pages from her hand and ripped them to pieces. Thein on this page meant nothing to me. It changed nothing. "Riley is more than a piece of paper. So much fucking more."
In front of me, I did not see my mother, but someone who had hurt the woman that I...
"If you had taken just a minute to trust me. To trust my judgment. If you had asked me about this? I would have told you not to jump to conclusions. That Riley was one of the most astonishing people that I have ever met. That she does not have a selfish bone in her body. That, if what this piece of paper says was true, there had to be a reason. But no, instead, you come in here and hurt and demean the woman..."
The words got caught in my throat at the implication of saying them out loud. But fuck did I not care anymore about hiding it.
"...the woman I am falling in love with."
It felt freeing to admit it out loud.
For the first time since my mother had walked in, her hard exterior cracked. Her eyes turned from a businesswoman into motherly ones, even if just for the briefest of seconds.
"Noah." Her voice was far more gentle now, yet its undertone was still stern. "I am just trying to protect you. I made a lot of mistakes, getting where I am. As a mother, I can't let you make the same ones."
"If I have ever been sure of one thing in my life, mother, it is that Riley is not a mistake." I grabbed my jacket and began walking out of the office.
"It will be if you leave this office. I won't let you fuck up. Will you really throw your dream of building your company away for a woman you barely know?"
I took a deep breath and turned around once more.
"You have been wondering for so long why I suddenly dropped everything. Because it was thrown in my face, the job I so proudly held was only given to me because of who you were. My dream was to achieve something that was not just given to me. Something I could be proud of. Something that would make you proud of me. So I am not giving that up by going to Riley. Because you made damn sure I never had it in the first place."
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I grunted for what must have been the 30th time. I hoped to find Riley when I rushed home. Yet, when I arrived, she was not there. So I tried the same technique as before. I waited for her by the staircase. But, it had already been two hours, and I grew restless.
Think Noah. Think. Where would she have gone? I asked myself.
Then it hit me. There was one thing that Riley liked to do when she was upset. Drink.
I shoved my phone in my pocket and ran down the stairs and out of the building. I retraced all the turns we took that first initial night we had run into each other. It was like reliving the day we walked down these streets together in reverse.
I wasted no time when I reached the bar and rushed out to the balcony. My heart dropped with disappointment when all I saw was empty space— no sight of Riley anywhere.
From my left, a waiter walked into my view. It was only when he approached the table where Riley and I had previously sat that I noticed a couple of empty glasses. A sliced pineapple wedge was left on one of them.
"Excuse me. Was a girl with brown hair here. She is about this tall." I motioned to about Riley's height. "She is wearing a blue shirt."
"You mean Riley?"
"Oh, yes, you know her?"
"Yeah, she is a regular here. She just left, actually, about a couple of minutes ago. Mentioned she wanted some froyo."
"Kay, thanks a lot, man."
I ran out of the bar and over to the froyo place. The same teenager was currently inside cleaning what seemed to be a dropped bowl of froyo.
"Oh, not you too?" He grunted when he saw me.
"What?" I asked, confused.
"Your girl came in here and tried to pour every flavor all into one cup. Made a fucking mess."
"Ahh, sorry about that. Can you tell me which way she went?"
"No," the kid said, begrudgingly returning to mop the floor. I walked out. A little annoyed at the kid's sassiness.
My chest tightened. Where could she have gone now? Of course. There was one place she liked to go when she needed to think. So, I ran towards it.
My heart pounded as I stared at the dark alley. It swallowed the light more than before. As I walked through it, it felt like the darkness was eating me. The fear that Riley would not be there built with every step I took.
But as the shadows receded, making way for the light, Rileys form came into view. She laid at the center of the garden, on a small patch of grass, looking up at the night sky. Her hair was sprawled out like a bursting star. The light around the garden reflected off her eyes. They twinkled and threatened to spill with every sniffle. The way her lips lightly trembled made me wonder, how long had she been crying?
"Riley?" My voice came out low. Like I was speaking to a scared cat that could run off at any sudden movement.
She turned her head around, and her eyes immediately widened as they fell upon me. She wiped her tear-stained cheek and sat up. "What are you doing here, Noah?" She looked forward, avoiding my gaze altogether.
"I want to talk to you." I stayed at the periphery of the grass, unsure if I was welcomed inside.
"There is nothing to talk about?"
"I would beg to differ. I think an apology is owed."
"I have nothing to apologize for." Her words came out harsh. Mad even.
"I meant from my part. I wanted to apologize on behalf of my mother for how she disrespected you. It was uncalled for, to say the least."
"I appreciate that. But, you can go now if you want."
"And if I don't want to... can I stay?"
"It's a free country."
I walked over to where she was and flopped down next to her. For a while, we both stare off into the distance and observe the garden in silence.
"What are you doing, Noah?"
"I'm just waiting," I simply answered.
"For what?"
"For you to want to talk to me."
"Are you not gonna ask me about the profile?"
"I can see that whatever that was about, it is causing you distress. I don't want to force you to talk about something you don't want to."
"So, you don't think I am a gold-digging whore like your mom seems to?"
I couldn't help but chuckle at the sarcasm behind her voice. "If I did, I wouldn't be here."
I could see the sadness in her eyes begin to fade into the background. I laid down on the grass, much like she had been before, and patted the spot next to me. Following my unspoken request, she laid down. Her head now rested against my shoulders as we both watched the sky. Every so often, I would steal a glance.
Riley's lips began to tremble out of nowhere, and tears started pouring out of her eyes. I propped myself up on my right elbow so that I could look down at her. "Riley?"
But instead of looking at me, she held her hands over her eyes protectively. An attempt to cover her tears as she tried to gag down the sobs that wanted to get out. Yet, tears still flowed out from underneath her hands.
"I made that when my parents got deported."
"Riley, we don't have to talk about this if you don't want to." The way the words struggled out of her lips made my stomach constrict. My curiosity was not worth her pain.
"But I don't want you to misunderstand either. Even if you say, you don't need to ask. I know you will wonder. It's only natural. So I want to talk about it."
"Okay, if you insist. I'm listening."
"My parents had just gotten deported. I just got my current job, but there was a two-month delay before my first paycheck. So I panicked. I had no idea if and how I was to feed my brothers. A friend suggested that website. I didn't know what else to do. I would do anything for my brothers. I only went on a couple of dates, nothing more. I would do it all over again. It is not something I am proud of, but I refuse to apologize for doing what I needed to."
"Riley, can you please look at me?" I slowly caressed her hands, which hid her beautiful hazelnut eyes from me. With every brush of our skin, her fingers began to slide away. "I have done many things in the past that I regret. I wish their reason was half as noble as yours."
I rested my forehead against hers and focused on Riley's uneven breath as it brushed against my lips. "All I care about is the present. I would be crazy to give up such an amazing woman."
I leaned in further and grazed my lips against hers. Riley accepted the invitation by wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling down on my head. Our lips met. The taste of alcohol and vanilla was rich in her mouth. Almost out of breath, we both pulled away.
I stared into her hooded hazel eyes, and at that moment, I knew I was fucked. I was falling in love with this woman, and I had no desire to prevent it.
"Noah, what about your mom?" Riley asked when her breath had settled. She tried to hide her worry by playing with my hair.
"I know today may not have put her in the best of light. But once she gets to know you, she will come around."
"It would be easier to just tell her you broke it off."
I raised my eyebrow at her. "I am not going to hide my girlfriend from her. I respect both my mother and you too much for that."
"Girlfriend?" She asked, a little surprised. Yet, her lips twitched into a smile, which told me she did no longer detest the label.
"I know you feel it too, Riley. We should both stop lying to ourselves. I don't want to have to hide how I feel about you anymore. I know you don't want to be overwhelmed with a relationship and that your priority will always be your brothers. Just give me a chance. If I ever fail to be the man you need me to be, just pull my ear and tell me to do better."
Her hand moved from behind my neck to brush down against my cheek. "I would like to give it a decent try."
I couldn't help the grin that overcame my face. In the excitement, I pressed my lips into hers. "Thank god, I am well overdue for this upgrade."