‹ Prequel: Move
Risk
Great Expectations
Riley and I stayed up on the Empire State Building for hours talking endlessly. I was sitting against the platform on which we landed earlier today. The blue sky had turned black. The city lights illuminated the sky. Riley sat next to me. I leaned my head on his shoulder looking over the gorgeous city.
"Today has been interesting." I said.
Riley sighed. "Are you hungry yet?"
"No."
"Alyssa, you haven't had anything to eat all day."
I shrugged.
Riley stood up. My head balanced back in between my shoulders.
"I'm going to get you something quick." Riley said.
"I suppose you already know what I want."
"You've been thinking about it all day. There won't be any problem getting you a BLT, cherry Pepsi, and a bag and kettle-cooked potato chips." He said.
I smiled. "Don't leave me up here too long."
Riley smiled and jumped off the side of the platform. He dropped off of the side. Riley disappeared for a moment and then came hoovering back up. He smiled at me. I tilted my head and watched my flying man zoom back down to ground level.
I smiled more and closed my eyes.
All day we just talked about our expectations and what we wanted for each other. Apparently, Riley wanted me to go back to work. I said I'd rather just keep the business and work at home. Riley was going to sell the Greenwood Ballroom although it had only been up for a month or so. He said we didn't need it now. If he needed to bring it back to life, he would. I only visited the building once, on our first formal date.
I ended up being the first girl super hero in all comic history to hold onto the Empire State Building tip. Although, I wasn't a comic. I was a so called protector trying to save my life along with other protector's lives like mine. Riley, Hunter, and Cassidy were the three lives I was most concerned about. I also had strong feelings for Peter and Sam. They were my friend's exes and they wouldn't be if it weren't for the whole power situation. You could also say I was trying to save Ann's life. I wasn't very concerned for my father. I wanted him dead and gone out of everyone's life. I just wanted Riley and I to live a semi-normal life with the friends we've made in the past couple of weeks. At least Edward wasn't around to ruin anything.
I took in a deep breath and sighed. Way to many things were happening in my life. At least I could say I had a fairly exciting life. I could also say I have a life where I couldn't get hurt. I didn't even know if I could die. Usually rapid cellular regeneration would protect the person so they couldn't die. The only way would be for me to be decapitated or shot in the back of the head with something. The thought disgusted me. I could get stabbed in the heart with a dagger and not die, but a bullet through my head would kill me. Then again, if the bullet came out it would heal itself and I would live. I guess the only way would be for me to lose my head and not have my head placed back.
I shrugged at the idea.
My eyes scanned across the city below me. It was so large. To imagine, the world was almost ten times larger than what I was looking at.
Riley caught my attention when he began flying towards me. He was flying faster than he had with me. He came up to the platform and set his feet on the platform.
I brushed my hair our of my face.
He was holding a plastic bag that looked like it was full.
"Do you fly faster without me?" I asked looking from the bag to him.
"I fly faster when I am doing something for you."
I smiled and curled my knees off of the metal platform. I rested my arms lightly over my knees.
Riley walked over to me and sat with his legs laying in front of him. He dug into the bag and pulled out a sandwich in another bag. He handed it to me.
"One bacon lettuce tomato sandwich with mayonnaise." Riley said with a grin.
"Thank you." I said taking from him and unfolding the bag in one quick swipe. My mouth opened and closed on the sandwich taking a big bite.
Riley took a can of Cherry Pepsi out of the bag and popped the top. He gave that to me too. I took a sip and placed it on my other side.
"I'm not sure if you want the chips." He said.
I looked at him as I kept chewing.
He pulled a bag of chips out of the other bag. I looked at it. It was larger than what I wanted. I frowned at him.
"You are very specific, you know." He said.
I grabbed the bag from him.
"It doesn't matter the size of the bag. You can have some too." I said.
"Nah. I got the big bag because in the little bags they only fill them halfway so, this bag is about the size of a full medium bag." Riley said with a grin.
I swallowed. "Aren't you going to eat anything?"
Riley pulled out a sub from the bag. He waved it in front of me. I looked at it and turned back to my sandwich. I took another big bite.
"I also got you another BLT because your thoughts were going wild. You are really hungry." Riley said unfolding his sub slowly.
"How do you know how hungry I am?" I asked after I swallowed.
"Like I said," he took a quick bite and swallowed. "You were thinking about it a lot in the back of your mind. Plus, I could hear your stomach." He smiled at his last comment.
We sat there for a while, just chewing on our food and drinking the pop Riley had gotten for me. We continuously shared glances whenever I thought of something random. Riley would either smile or laugh.
I crumpled up the second BLT wrapper and threw it in the larger bag. I leaned my head against the hard building. My eyes stayed on the shiny diamond ring on my left hand that even glowed in the dark. Riley looked at it too.
"Do you like it?" Riley asked for the first time.
"It is beautiful." I said.
"When do you want to start talking about plans?" He asked.
I lifted my head and turned to him. Our faces were inches away from each other's. I could smell his breath. It was still intoxicating even though he just ate a foot long sandwich. I was glad my breath smelled the same since I just engulfed two sandwiches and half a bag of chips along with a soda.
"Whenever we get free time."
"We're free now." He said.
I shook my head and looked at his lips. "When we're free of running away from everything. Free of having to take risks to save our lives. Free to roam the streets without being noticed from our beauty or scent."
Riley looked at my lips. My eyes drew to his deep eyes.
"I suppose it really isn't a good time. I just almost died last night, then you come and fix me up and strip me down." Riley said.
I smiled remembering last night.
"We aren't normal, Riley. I don't even know if we should have a normal human wedding." I said.
"You could invite your friends." He said assuringly.
I nodded. "I could, but we still wouldn't have that many people. If I invite Sam and Peter, it might end up in a tug-of-war match between them and Ann and Bria."
"It might not, though. Try to think a little more positive." Riley said.
I smiled. "Who are you going to invite?"
Riley looked up into the sky and shrugged. "I'll invite Lauren."
I laughed. "Lauren? The receptionist?"
"Why not?" He laughed out.
I shrugged and smiled. "We barely even know her."
"I know everything about her." Riley said.
I smiled more. My jaw began hurting from smiling so hard. "Have you been readin her mind a lot?"
"I need to know if I can trust people. She's a very interesting girl."
"I'm not?" I asked teasingly.
"Well, she is a human." Riley said.
I let out a breath. My mouth opened and I punched him in the arm jokingly. His arm was hard. I suppose mine was too.
Riley enveloped me in a hug. I laughed a little more. I fell deep into his chest. My body curled up on him. He hugged me tight. I felt so protected as if nothing could touch me. My head shrugged into his collarbone.
"Ready to go home?" Riley said in my ear.
"Yes. I'm tired." I mumbled.
I stood up off of him. Riley stood up next to me and brushed his shirt down. He turned around. I ran quickly and jumped back up on his back. He held onto my legs tight. My arms wrapped around him again. My head fell against his shoulder. We were off into the air as soon as he lept off of the edge.
My eyes closed and I fell into a deep sleep from his scent and the late meal in my stomach. This was almost too perfect.
"Today has been interesting." I said.
Riley sighed. "Are you hungry yet?"
"No."
"Alyssa, you haven't had anything to eat all day."
I shrugged.
Riley stood up. My head balanced back in between my shoulders.
"I'm going to get you something quick." Riley said.
"I suppose you already know what I want."
"You've been thinking about it all day. There won't be any problem getting you a BLT, cherry Pepsi, and a bag and kettle-cooked potato chips." He said.
I smiled. "Don't leave me up here too long."
Riley smiled and jumped off the side of the platform. He dropped off of the side. Riley disappeared for a moment and then came hoovering back up. He smiled at me. I tilted my head and watched my flying man zoom back down to ground level.
I smiled more and closed my eyes.
All day we just talked about our expectations and what we wanted for each other. Apparently, Riley wanted me to go back to work. I said I'd rather just keep the business and work at home. Riley was going to sell the Greenwood Ballroom although it had only been up for a month or so. He said we didn't need it now. If he needed to bring it back to life, he would. I only visited the building once, on our first formal date.
I ended up being the first girl super hero in all comic history to hold onto the Empire State Building tip. Although, I wasn't a comic. I was a so called protector trying to save my life along with other protector's lives like mine. Riley, Hunter, and Cassidy were the three lives I was most concerned about. I also had strong feelings for Peter and Sam. They were my friend's exes and they wouldn't be if it weren't for the whole power situation. You could also say I was trying to save Ann's life. I wasn't very concerned for my father. I wanted him dead and gone out of everyone's life. I just wanted Riley and I to live a semi-normal life with the friends we've made in the past couple of weeks. At least Edward wasn't around to ruin anything.
I took in a deep breath and sighed. Way to many things were happening in my life. At least I could say I had a fairly exciting life. I could also say I have a life where I couldn't get hurt. I didn't even know if I could die. Usually rapid cellular regeneration would protect the person so they couldn't die. The only way would be for me to be decapitated or shot in the back of the head with something. The thought disgusted me. I could get stabbed in the heart with a dagger and not die, but a bullet through my head would kill me. Then again, if the bullet came out it would heal itself and I would live. I guess the only way would be for me to lose my head and not have my head placed back.
I shrugged at the idea.
My eyes scanned across the city below me. It was so large. To imagine, the world was almost ten times larger than what I was looking at.
Riley caught my attention when he began flying towards me. He was flying faster than he had with me. He came up to the platform and set his feet on the platform.
I brushed my hair our of my face.
He was holding a plastic bag that looked like it was full.
"Do you fly faster without me?" I asked looking from the bag to him.
"I fly faster when I am doing something for you."
I smiled and curled my knees off of the metal platform. I rested my arms lightly over my knees.
Riley walked over to me and sat with his legs laying in front of him. He dug into the bag and pulled out a sandwich in another bag. He handed it to me.
"One bacon lettuce tomato sandwich with mayonnaise." Riley said with a grin.
"Thank you." I said taking from him and unfolding the bag in one quick swipe. My mouth opened and closed on the sandwich taking a big bite.
Riley took a can of Cherry Pepsi out of the bag and popped the top. He gave that to me too. I took a sip and placed it on my other side.
"I'm not sure if you want the chips." He said.
I looked at him as I kept chewing.
He pulled a bag of chips out of the other bag. I looked at it. It was larger than what I wanted. I frowned at him.
"You are very specific, you know." He said.
I grabbed the bag from him.
"It doesn't matter the size of the bag. You can have some too." I said.
"Nah. I got the big bag because in the little bags they only fill them halfway so, this bag is about the size of a full medium bag." Riley said with a grin.
I swallowed. "Aren't you going to eat anything?"
Riley pulled out a sub from the bag. He waved it in front of me. I looked at it and turned back to my sandwich. I took another big bite.
"I also got you another BLT because your thoughts were going wild. You are really hungry." Riley said unfolding his sub slowly.
"How do you know how hungry I am?" I asked after I swallowed.
"Like I said," he took a quick bite and swallowed. "You were thinking about it a lot in the back of your mind. Plus, I could hear your stomach." He smiled at his last comment.
We sat there for a while, just chewing on our food and drinking the pop Riley had gotten for me. We continuously shared glances whenever I thought of something random. Riley would either smile or laugh.
I crumpled up the second BLT wrapper and threw it in the larger bag. I leaned my head against the hard building. My eyes stayed on the shiny diamond ring on my left hand that even glowed in the dark. Riley looked at it too.
"Do you like it?" Riley asked for the first time.
"It is beautiful." I said.
"When do you want to start talking about plans?" He asked.
I lifted my head and turned to him. Our faces were inches away from each other's. I could smell his breath. It was still intoxicating even though he just ate a foot long sandwich. I was glad my breath smelled the same since I just engulfed two sandwiches and half a bag of chips along with a soda.
"Whenever we get free time."
"We're free now." He said.
I shook my head and looked at his lips. "When we're free of running away from everything. Free of having to take risks to save our lives. Free to roam the streets without being noticed from our beauty or scent."
Riley looked at my lips. My eyes drew to his deep eyes.
"I suppose it really isn't a good time. I just almost died last night, then you come and fix me up and strip me down." Riley said.
I smiled remembering last night.
"We aren't normal, Riley. I don't even know if we should have a normal human wedding." I said.
"You could invite your friends." He said assuringly.
I nodded. "I could, but we still wouldn't have that many people. If I invite Sam and Peter, it might end up in a tug-of-war match between them and Ann and Bria."
"It might not, though. Try to think a little more positive." Riley said.
I smiled. "Who are you going to invite?"
Riley looked up into the sky and shrugged. "I'll invite Lauren."
I laughed. "Lauren? The receptionist?"
"Why not?" He laughed out.
I shrugged and smiled. "We barely even know her."
"I know everything about her." Riley said.
I smiled more. My jaw began hurting from smiling so hard. "Have you been readin her mind a lot?"
"I need to know if I can trust people. She's a very interesting girl."
"I'm not?" I asked teasingly.
"Well, she is a human." Riley said.
I let out a breath. My mouth opened and I punched him in the arm jokingly. His arm was hard. I suppose mine was too.
Riley enveloped me in a hug. I laughed a little more. I fell deep into his chest. My body curled up on him. He hugged me tight. I felt so protected as if nothing could touch me. My head shrugged into his collarbone.
"Ready to go home?" Riley said in my ear.
"Yes. I'm tired." I mumbled.
I stood up off of him. Riley stood up next to me and brushed his shirt down. He turned around. I ran quickly and jumped back up on his back. He held onto my legs tight. My arms wrapped around him again. My head fell against his shoulder. We were off into the air as soon as he lept off of the edge.
My eyes closed and I fell into a deep sleep from his scent and the late meal in my stomach. This was almost too perfect.