Since Forever Ago (24 page)

“You’re making a much bigger deal about Max sitting two feet away from another girl than you did about Noah sharing beds with, like, twenty of them,” Liz mused, a saccharine smile on her lips. “I wonder why?”

“Don’t you jump to conclusions, Elizabeth Graynor,” Riley dramatically replied, grabbing the phone back from Liz. “Because there aren’t any conclusions for you to jump to here.”

“Gotcha.”

“Ugh, I can’t study,” Riley whined, leaning forward in her seat and resting her chin atop her stack of books. “I’m not in the right mental state to be sitting in a library right now.”

“You can say that again,” Liz muttered under her breath as she returned her attention to her lecture notes.

“I’m going to go home.”

“Riley,” Liz began in a tone of warning.

“What?” she cried in response. “I just want to go home and spend some quality time with Audrey!”

Liz narrowed her eyes in an accusatory manner. “You better not reply to Noah.”

“I won’t!”

“I’m serious.”

“I wasn’t planning to!” Riley whispered defiantly. “And even if I
were
to text him back, what’s the big deal?”

“Do
not
reply,” Liz firmly repeated. “You’re just being irrational right now because you saw Max.”

“I’m completely rational!” Riley shrilly replied. “What are you even talking about?”

“You are the most indecisive human being I’ve ever met,” Liz said with a sigh. “Your head must hurt from changing your mind about Noah and Max all of the time.”

“I’m a 21-year-old girl!” Riley defensively hissed back as she began to gather her things. “It kind of comes with the territory!”

“Whatever,” Liz mumbled, shaking her head slightly as Riley rose from her seat. “Just promise me that you won’t text him.”

“Fine.”

“And no cyber stalking.”

Riley let out an incredulous scoff. “That was, like,
so
two weeks ago.”

“And no drinking.”

“We don’t have any alcohol left in our house anyway!”

“Thanks to you,” Liz said with an amused smirk. “So just go home and study.”

“That was my plan,” Riley retorted.

“Promise?”

“Scout’s honor.”

“You were never a Scout,” Liz reminded her.

“No need to get technical, Elizabeth,” she huffily replied. “But you don’t need to worry about us. There will be absolutely no texting, no stalking and no drinking.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Just me and Audrey and our piles of textbooks,” Riley theatrically prattled out as she slung her bag over her shoulder. “I’m going to make midterm week my bitch. You have absolutely nothing to worry about.”

––––––––

"W
ouldn’t it be great if there was a wine truck?"

“What?”

“You know, like a food truck,” Audrey explained as they made their way down the snack aisle. "But with rosé and white wine spritzers. Then we wouldn’t have to come all the way to the store!"

"I would pillage that shit," Riley grumbled under her breath, grabbing a bag of chocolate chip cookies off of the shelf and observing its harrowing nutritional data chart.

In sharp contrast to what she had promised Liz they would do, Riley had convinced Audrey to forgo an intimate evening with their essay prompts in favor of a prolonged trip to the grocery store. After loading up on enough wine to hydrate a small country, the two were now perusing the junk food section in search of processed crap with which to placate Riley’s broken heart.

“Ugh, I’m really not in the mood to write my paper,” Audrey groaned out as they maneuvered their shopping cart down the aisle. “I need to stop hanging out with you. You’re the queen of procrastination!”

“At least I’m the queen of something, then,” Riley petulantly replied.

“I’m going to have to pull an all-nighter,” Audrey whimpered, picking up a pack of energy drinks and placing it amongst the bags of chips and bottles of alcohol that they had amassed. “So you better stay up with me!”

“I drink, you write,” Riley said with a smirk.

“Why do we have to write papers, anyway?” Audrey continued, pouting like a sullen child. “I mean, most of them are just thousands of words of pure bullshit strung together at the last minute. My last paper didn’t make
any
sense, and I didn’t even proof-read it and
still
got a B! Like, does anybody even
read
them?”

“Beats me.”

“Speaking of bullshit, I can’t believe that Noah actually texted you
again
!” Audrey said, shaking her head in dismay. “He really has no shame.”

“I don’t know,” Riley drawled out, meekly shrugging her shoulders. “Maybe he sees something that I don’t.”

“What do you mean?”

“Maybe I wrote him off too quickly...”

“Riley, don’t you dare think about crawling back to him,” Audrey said with a sharp gasp, narrowing her eyes suspiciously in her friend’s direction. “He’s bad news!”

“I’m just really confused. Especially after I found out about what Max said to him. Like, maybe all of that wasn’t entirely Noah’s fault. Friends can be very influential, you know!”

“Not really,” Audrey replied, frowning slightly. “I mean,
you
never listen to
us
.”

“But then Liz was going on and on about how an ex is an ex for a reason,” Riley prattled on as they made their way towards the freezer section. “I honestly think she’s just projecting her frustrations with Henry onto me, though.”

“Well, she’s right,” Audrey said. “And you can definitely trust me. I’m really good at getting back with my exes and, let me tell you, it
never
turns out well.”

“Maybe.”

“And, no offense, but the reason that Noah’s your ex is
pretty
valid.”

“But people can have lapses in judgment,” Riley began with a frown. “Right?”

“One lapse, sure,” Audrey replied, surveying the popsicle choices on display. “But
multiple
?”

“I guess...”

“And can’t you say that Max just had a lapse of judgment too, then?” Audrey cautiously asked.

“Er, no,” Riley said with a shake of her head. “I don’t even know what’s going on with him. He’s been texting and calling me, but
then
I saw him at the library with that girl earlier—”

“No!”

“Yes!” Riley moaned out. “I just... I don’t get it.”

“So he’s been acting like he still wants to work things out with you while parading her around in
public
like that?” Audrey asked with a disbelieving scoff.

“I know, right?”

“Ugh, all guys really
do
suck,” Audrey muttered under her breath as they turned the corner. “I guess even the ones you were friends with
before
you—”

“Oh God!”

“What?” Audrey asked, her eyes widening at Riley’s sudden outburst. “Did you want ice cream?”

“Hide me!” Riley hissed back, ducking behind an elaborate display of boxes of crackers. “Quick!”

“Huh?”

“It’s Noah!” Riley frantically whispered, jerking her head in the direction of the checkout stands. “What do you think he’s doing here?”

“Um, buying groceries?”

“I can’t let him see me!” Riley blurted out, still crouched down behind the tower of cardboard boxes. “I never even responded to his text!”

“Riley, get up!” Audrey instructed through gritted teeth, glancing around nervously. “People are staring!”

“Not until he leaves!”

“Riley—”

“Just stand right there and... ah!”

Audrey merely stared in horror as Riley lost her footing and fell back against the carefully arranged 3D presentation, her eyes widening to the point of looking as if they might pop out of her head as an avalanche of graham cracker boxes ensued. The deafening sound of hundreds of boxes crashing to the floor prompted every customer in the vicinity to turn their heads in their direction, including that of the one person that the perpetrator had been so determined to stealthily avoid.

“Riley?” Noah called out as he craned his neck to get a better look. “Is that you?”

Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God
, Riley lamented to herself as Audrey reached forward and helped her to her feet.
This is
not
happening right now. Please be hallucinating,
please
be hallucinating...

Definitely not hallucinating
, she silently groaned as the sound of another box clattering to the ground echoed in her ears.
Fuck.

Well, maybe he isn’t even talking to me. Yea, maybe there’s another Riley
—

“Riley,” Noah’s voice repeated from but a few feet away, causing the tiny hairs on the back of her neck to stand up in uneasiness. “Can we talk?”

“Uh...”

Riley stood frozen in that spot, her mouth slightly agape, as Noah entered her field of view. Like a true friend, Audrey stood behind him, waving her arms maniacally as she shook her head and mouthed the word, “no,” to her repeatedly. Sensing this, Noah quickly turned around to shoot Audrey a curious expression, though his ex-girlfriend’s animated roommate abruptly dropped her arms and returned his questioning gaze.

“I need to talk to you,” Noah said, shaking his head slightly as he brought his attention back to Riley’s bewildered face. “
Alone
.”

At this, Audrey let out a theatrical scoff before shooting Riley an expectant look, waiting for her dear friend to pipe up in her defense. Much to her disappointment, however, Riley shot her a hopeful smile in return, as if she were all but begging Audrey to give them some privacy. When Audrey firmly shook her head in refusal, the two began gesturing and glaring at each other in frustration until Noah awkwardly cleared his throat.

“Audrey,” he began, turning to her with a tired frown. “Some privacy?”

Directing one last judgmental glance in Riley’s direction, Audrey gave Noah a saccharine smile and turned on her heel, muttering phrases like “douche canoe” and “bag of shit” under her breath as she left to go sulk in the cereal aisle.

“Noah, I—”

“No,” he interrupted her, lightly grabbing her wrist as he did. “Just hear me out first.”

Don’t listen to him!
she urged herself
. You know that you’ll never win once he starts talking! I swear, he must have mind control abilities or telepathic powers. Cover your fucking ears!

“I know I was wrong, and you don’t know how sorry I am that I hurt you,” Noah said as he held her gaze for what seemed like hours. “But, I mean, it wasn’t
completely
my fault, you know. When people are saying things in your ear, it’s kind of hard not to listen...”

Don’t give in, Benson. Whatever you do, stay strong!

“I never realized what I had standing right in front of me,” he continued, moving his grip down from her wrist until he had lightly grabbed ahold of her hand within his own. “You’re the most amazing girl I’ve ever met.”

You’re strong! You’re fierce! You’re above petty compliments!

“And I know that you might never forgive me, but I just want you to hear what I have to say,” Noah quietly added, shooting her a tiny smile that caused her entire esophagus to tighten up. “I think, after everything we’ve been through, I at least deserve
that
much, don’t you think?”

––––––––

“S
o,
technically
, I never texted him back,” Riley stated with a resolute nod as she dropped the shopping bag full of her overnight crap on the floor.

“I can’t believe you’re back together with him,” Liz muttered, rolling her eyes in dismay.

“Not
back together
,” Riley reminded her. “We’ve just agreed to see how things go. We’re approaching the situation like total adults! Taking it slow, you know?”

“You’ve already packed up all of your shit to go spend the night at his place,” Liz reminded her in a bored tone. “You guys are back together.”

“Well, what if we are? Is that
such
a crime?” Riley defensively blurted out. “I mean, is it really
that
terrible?”

“Yes!” her friends cried out in unison.

“Talk about unsupportive,” Riley grumbled under her breath.

Liz let out a heavy sigh before shooting Riley a weak smile. “We just want what’s best for you. You know that.”

“And how are you so sure that being with Noah’s not the best thing for me?”

Neither of them even bothered to offer her a verbal response, opting instead to stare back at her with blank expressions on their faces.

“What?”

“I just don’t understand how you think this is going to work out well for you,” Liz sighed out. “What makes you think that any of this is even worth the trouble?”

“Well, he
was
the love of my life!” Riley mumbled in response. “Maybe he still
is
! I don’t know!”

“Are you sure about that?”

“What?”

“Was he the
love
of your life?” Liz flatly replied. “Or the
convenience
of your life?”

“What is
that
supposed to mean?” Riley asked in annoyance.

Liz gave off a tired laugh before leaning back in her seat. “Riley, you’re not sixteen anymore. Can you honestly say that your feelings for Noah are legit? Are you sticking with him because you honestly
love
him, or because everything’s
familiar
with him?”

“How can you ask that?” Riley demanded with widened eyes. “Of course I love him!”

“Really?” Liz squeaked back. “Because, truthfully, he’s kind of a dick.”

“Not a fan,” Audrey agreed with a tiny nod.

“So, yea, he’s a bit judgmental,” Riley acquiesced with a sigh. “And maybe he
is
a bit uptight. And moody.”

“And condescending,” Liz added, just as Audrey chirped out, “And controlling!”

“
Anyway
,” Riley began, shooting her friends tiny glares before continuing on. “He might be all of those things, but what if he’s the one I’m meant to be with?”

“As decided by whom?” Liz asked with a snort of laughter. “The relationship gods? Cupid?”