avoidance

[Arden Patricks]

I laugh slightly at that, but shake my head. "No, too..." I shrug, unable to locate the word that I want to use. I don't think it was a serious suggestion, anyway.

[Riley Pearson]

I laughed a little and nodded. "Right.. I dunno the right word either.. well, we need something other than scrabble then."

[Arden Patricks]

I shrug again in response, looking out the window just for something to do.
"Is anyone else here, by the way?" I ask after a moment, since I never got around to asking it earlier. "I mean, where are they?"

[Riley Pearson]

I shook my head a little bit. "No.. Riyann's at work and since I went to look at the house today I dropped Lottie off at her friend's house.." I said with a small nod.

[Arden Patricks]

I nod at that, reminded of the house. "Anything salvageable there? I mean, how bad was it? And none of you were inside when it started, were you?"

[Riley Pearson]

"Riyann and I were.. the girls were actually outside.." I said with a small nod. "But we didn't know that at the time.. and um.. some of it.. we're rebiulding.."

[Arden Patricks]

"Can't have been terribly fun...." I laugh shakily without any humor, referring to the unknown whereabouts of the girls.

[Riley Pearson]

"Tell me about it.. I ran through the whole house looking for them.." I said with a soft chuckle.

[Arden Patricks]

I laugh again much like before, then look down at the floor before I can say something stupid like, 'at least you know now that they're safe.' Because that really isn't true.
"Shelby said something about the fire maybe being the girls' fault?" I ask after a moment, not sure I should but saying it anyway.

[Riley Pearson]

I didn't really like including Shelby in conversations, but I really couldn't do much about it. She was basically the reason Arden was here in the first place, so it was okay.
I nodded slightly at what she said. "It could've been.. When I went back there, I found my wand.. in the grass.. Never know I guess."

[Arden Patricks]

"Hm...." I frown slightly. "Well, it really could explain why Ariella disappeared, if so... but I guess you're right about that."

[Riley Pearson]

"Um.. yeah, I guess it could.." I said nodding a little bit, looking over to her before shrugging very faintly. "I just want to get her home.." I added rubbing my head slightly for a moment, kind of wishing I could hug someone again.

[Arden Patricks]

I nod again, seeing no need to respond to such an obvious statement - except by reaching for his hand with a very faint smile. "You will. She'll be all right."

[Riley Pearson]

I looked up at her when she grabbed my hand, smiling faintly back to her. Really, I didn't know if she was just trying to make me feel better, or if she really believed it. But wanting to believe it myself, I listened to her and nodded slightly. I stepped a little closer to her and pulled her into a light hug, so that she could pull away if she wanted. "Thank you.." I said quietly, even though there was that small bit of doubt still lingering in the back of my mind.

[Arden Patricks]

I hug him back, burying my face in his neck for a moment because I'm tired of being so careful to not make things awkward, and would like to just do whatever I feel like instead... at least for a minute.

[Riley Pearson]

I let out a small sigh, hugging her slightly closer to me when I felt her bury her face in my neck. I definately wasn't expecting that, but I had to admit that it was kind of nice and I found myself not really wanting to let go. This was by far probably the longest Arden had willingly held onto me.. at least it seemed that way.

[Arden Patricks]

I only just stop myself from kissing his cheek as I let go, and my lips do brush across his face but I'm sort of hoping he won't notice and at the same time not really caring.

[Riley Pearson]

I felt her lips brush the side of my face lightly as she pulled away and I paused for a moment, before brushing my lips softly against hers, not thinking much about it at the time.

[Arden Patricks]

Don't you dare kiss back, my own voice says severely, and I wish it would shut up. It feels perfectly right to kiss him... so perfectly right that the world will be thrown out of balance if I don't.
It's a feeling I remember from those silly, pathetic suicide "attempts" I used to make... more like threats than attempts, but still. It would feel so right to let go, to just fall... but then I wouldn't, and I always felt as though the universe has shifted somehow, as if I'd just messed with fate by not jumping when I could and now nothing would be right ever again.
But I also am quite glad I didn't jump. It would've felt right at the time, but as far as I know it didn't really mess up fate, so overall it's been a good thing and I should take from that experience a lesson that what feels right now might be very wrong.
But I've never been good at changing my ways and learning new lessons... so I kiss him back softly.

[Riley Pearson]

I knew that I shouldn't be doing this, not again at least. Yet, there I was, kissing Arden again. But at that very moment, it really didn't seem all too bad. There was part of me, of course, that was telling me to stop, part of me that knew this wasn't a good idea, but I wasn't exactly listening to those parts of me at the moment.
She kissed me back softly and I placed a hand gently on the side of her neck, deepening the kiss only slightly more.

[Arden Patricks]

Really really really bad idea, Arden.
I don't think I've ever really heard voices, but never has my feeling that there is a separate voice inside my head been so strong. I'm not telling myself that, somebody else is. I just tune her out so I can continue kissing back, arms still loosely wrapped around his neck from the hug I never quite finished pulling away from, despite the growing feeling that I'm really going to regret this.

[Riley Pearson]

There were only a few other things that I could be doing that were worse than this, and right now, that voice inside my head couldn't think of any of them. But that still didn't stop me from breaking the kiss and just continued to ignore the voices. Her arms were still wrapped loosely around my neck and still not pulling away, I slid the hand that was on her neck lightly down her side, pulling her faintly closer to me.

[Arden Patricks]

The voice has now ceased to bother with actual words, instead just making one continuous sound of protest as he pulls me closer... which works, I suppose, where the words did not. I finally break the kiss, pulling away just a little and looking off to my right, biting my lip. I'm not really sure now if this should continue or not.

[Riley Pearson]

She pulled away a moment after I pulled her closer and let her back away a little bit. I watched her look off to the right for a second or two before looking down at the floor for a moment, down at our feet.
I bit my lip a little bit, slightly surprised when I still actually want to keep kissing her. Now I was even more confused than only a few minutes ago. I knew I still loved Riyann, I really don't think I could stop that, especially considering how many things I went through and still loved her. But I apparently like Arden enough to want to kiss her again and I was so sick of thinking about it now that I tried not to. Again, not the best idea I could've come up with.

[Arden Patricks]

Reluctantly but more sure than ever that it's probably a pretty good idea, I pull away a little farther, crossing my arms and looking down at our feet now.
We really shouldn't be doing this.... I say slowly in my head, not actually wanting to say it because I still don't want to really stop.

[Riley Pearson]

I bit my lip a little bit again and looked back up to her as she pulled away even further, really not wanting her to. I really was quite confused. Maybe this was what Riyann left like all those other times she cheated on me.
But nevertheless, I let her back away and moved my hands off her, greatly thinking of moving closer to her again and kissing her again. Now I felt like this situation was even more unresolved than before and I want to kiss her again merely because I want to compare just exactly what I was feeling with her with what I feel like Riyann. Compare, that really doesn't sound too great.
I ruffled my hair slightly, ".. I really want to kiss you again..." I said quietly, staring at a section of the flooring, glancing up to her for a moment.

[Arden Patricks]

"Same," I say quietly with a small nod of acknowledgment. I really kind of wish he hadn't said that, though, because anything we say is just likely to wake us up to the fact that we really shouldn't be doing this. And then of course we won't.

[Riley Pearson]

".. So kiss me." I said quietly back to her, looking at her now instead of at the floor, which I found to actually be mildly interesting a moment or two ago.

[Arden Patricks]

I laugh very slightly at that, unable to help it, and shake my head. "Not sure that I want to if you know that little about me. I'm a contrarian, remember?"

[Riley Pearson]

I chuckled faintly, ruffling some of the hair on the back of my head, walking a little closer to her. "You sure that applies in a situation like this?" I asked, looking down to her with a faint smile, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear.