Someone Like You

It amazed me how much could change in so little time.

As I stared at my computer screen in hopes of another reply from Riley, I think I knew deep down that I wouldn’t get one. That didn’t stop me from checking my email every other second for the past two days since I had received Riley’s first reply, a reply I think I was lucky I got at all to be honest.

I read over it again for what felt like the hundredth time, and more than likely was.

To: joshuafransexy@hotmail.co.uk
From: riley_hudson@gmail.com
I got your invite and after much thought I’ve decided it would be rude to decline, so yes I am coming. I’ve booked a flight and a hotel in London, I hope that’s okay. See you soon, Riley x

She was so formal, and yet so... Riley like, it was almost amazing. Almost. If I didn’t know her so well.

I looked down at one of the extra invitations that were essentially laying everywhere in the flat I shared with Charlotte. I picked it up and smiled. Everything on that invitation was the doings of my fiancee, and I’m sure Riley knew this as soon as she opened the envelope, if not before. She wasn’t an idiot, which was why we had gotten ourselves into this spot in the first place.

I’m not sure which was worse: Riley coming back to the UK or, well... Riley coming back to the UK. I guess it really didn’t matter though, because like it or not, the lass would be on a plane sooner rather than later, and I was going to have to -- as they say -- grin and bear it.

Before I even had any time at all to dwell on the subject more, I felt a pair of arms snake around my shoulders, and then before long, I felt her breath on my neck as she placed a soft kiss right below my ear.

“‘lo love,” she greeted me. “Thought you were coming back to bed?”

I laughed gently, holding onto her hands as they rested on my chest. “I am. Just had to check my inbox. I got a message I needed to respond to.”

“From who?” Charlotte asked, her curious side showing off.

I grinned, gently pushing back the chair sitting at the tiny kitchen table before I stood to face her. I wrapped my arms around her still PJ clad waist and pulled her close. “An old friend. You remember Riley? The one my mum practically made me invite?”

She nodded, and I watched as she quirked an eyebrow. “What about her?”

“Nothing love,” I laughed, placing a kiss on her forehead. Her jealousy was cute, in the most innocent way. “She just said she’d be coming to the wedding,” I informed her. “And she congratulated us,” I added quickly, despite the lie. I figured it would at least ease the tension I’m sure Charlotte was feeling. She wasn’t an extremely jealous girl, but she had her tendencies, as all women did and I couldn’t blame her for them.

She smiled, albeit tightly, and nodded. “That’s nice of her.” She placed a kiss on my lips before pulling back. “Now it’s early love, can we please go back to sleep?”

I laughed as I chased her towards our bedroom, her giggles echoing throughout the flat the whole way.

***

Of course, as much as I would have enjoyed staying in bed with Charlotte all day, I knew that wasn’t exactly practical. There was a lot to be done still to be sure that everything was in place for our wedding--the wedding that was quickly approaching with each passing day.

Charlotte had a church to check on, a reception hall to check on, and a million other bride duties to tend to, while I myself had a few things to do as well. Char tried not to leave me with too much to do, considering I still had the band to think of, but I had a thing or two to do every now and again.

Today, it was to go down to the hotel closest to both the church we were getting married in and the hall where the reception would be held at afterwards and make sure the sufficient amount of rooms we had requested for family and friends were booked and ready to go. Charlotte, the perfectionist and expert planner that she was, did not want any surprises come wedding day.

So I guess that was why I found Max and myself traveling down to the Hilton Cobham that afternoon to check on things. While I listened to him complain about me taking up his afternoon with “frivolous wedding plans”, I tried to remember why I had brought him with me in the first place.

“Max, will you stuff it for a minute? Bloody hell,” I muttered under my breath as he drove towards the hotel.

“Listen, all I’m trying to say mate is that all this wedding junk is Charlotte’s area of expertise. Not two blokes who don’t know the difference between cream and white.”

I rolled my eyes and pointed out the window. “Park there,” I told him, trying to ignore him but failing. He may have been one of my best mates, but jesus could the lad complain.

He muttered a few obscenities at me, but did as he was told, and before I knew it we were both climbing out of his car and walking towards the hotel.

I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my jacket and tried to continue ignoring Max as we walked inside of the hotel. Because as soon as we stepped foot outside of the car and got a good look of the hotel, I realized why Charlotte had picked this place.

It was bloody gorgeous.

Surprisingly, the beauty of the hotel actually shut Max up relatively quick, and therefore I could actually think straight for the first time since we started our afternoon together. When we got into the hotel, I walked straight up to the desk, leaving Max outside so he could smoke a cig, and waited patiently for the concierge to get off the phone so she could help me out.

Quick and painless, I thought to myself with an easy smile. This is going to be quick and painless.

Of course it can never be quick and it can most definitely never be painless.

The concierge was a proper bitch straight away, glaring at me the second I walked up to the desk. I hadn’t even uttered one word to the lass and she was already glaring. At first I thought it was in response to the phone call she was making, but then she hung up and she was still glaring at me. “Can I help you, sir?” she practically spat while she gave me a quick, disgusted once over.

I checked my appearance and realized why she seemed so disgusted. With my mess of a hairdo that was in desperate need of a trim, my wrinkled shirt and average pants, she probably thought I was going to steal something.

Pretentious bitch.

I sneered right back before going about my business. “I need to check on some room I have reserved,” I informed her.

She sighed before turning to her computer. “Name?”

“Probably under Franceschi. There should be about a dozen or so rooms booked.”

She gave me a short nod before going about checking on what I had asked. I leaned against the desk with one arm and turned my body slightly to inspect the rest of the hotel lobby. I noticed Max was still outside smoking his cig, probably the happiest he had been all morning. But then I noticed he wasn’t alone. With a smirk, I laughed to myself. He sure could attract lasses wherever he went, that much was for sure.

“Alright sir,” the concierge said suddenly, catching my attention once again. “You have 15 rooms booked. Is that correct?”

I nodded shortly. “Yes it is. You’re sure there’s fifteeen right? Don’t need my fiancee chopping my bollocks off for not having the correct number of rooms booked.”

She smiled, but it was tight, and she nodded. “Yes, fifteen sir. Is that all?”

I laughed quietly to myself at her pushiness and nodded. I thanked her and turned on my heel to leave. I only stopped when I reached Max outside, still talking to the lass.

My mouth dropped when I finally got a good look at her. I watched as she stole Max’s cig with an easy laugh and took a long drag before passing it back to him. She threw her head back and her red hair shined bright in the sun as she let the smoke pass through her lips while it floated up into the atmosphere.

“Josh!” Max exclaimed when he noticed me standing in the doorway to the hotel, my jaw dropped slightly. “Look what the cat dragged in, aye?”

She laughed and shoved him, but then turned to me, a forced smile placed on her lips.

“‘lo Josh,” she greeted me with a small nod.

“Riley,” I nodded back. “Excuse me if I’m still a bit surprised that you’re here.”

She shrugged and I watched as she stuffed her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. “I said I’d be here, didn’t I? I don’t lie.”

I refrained from commenting on that fact and nodded instead. “So are you staying in this hotel?”

She paused and glanced at Max out of the corner of her eye. “Well, I was just telling Max about my predicament here. I was going to stay here, but apparently my booking information never went through and they never booked my room, and they’re booked solid for the next week or so.”

“You don’t have a place to say?” I finally said, filling in the blanks of what she had just told me. I watched as she shrugged and nodded sheepishly.

“Seems to be that way.”

I sighed and scratched the back of my neck, thinking of the various places Riley could stay. The first place to pop into my mind was my own flat, but that was ridiculous. I wouldn’t do that to Charlotte, not with everything going on with the wedding coming up so soon. I thought she could stay with Max, but I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.

“Well,” I answered finally. “You could stay with my mum and dad. I mean, I’m the reason you’re back here in the first place so it’s only fair I offer you a place to stay.”

I watched as her eyes widened. “Are you sure, Josh? I mean, I’m sure I could stay with a friend, or something...” she trailed off, looking around awkwardly.

“Who, Riley? Who could you stay with?” I challenged. I was almost positive she hadn’t exactly kept in contact when she had left. She was never good at things like that. She liked cutting ties and all of that.

“Well...” she trailed off. “One of the guys or something,” she answered sheepishly, because we both knew those were her only friends anymore.

I rolled my eyes. “I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy,” I told her. “Don’t be silly, Riley. You can stay with my mum and dad. They’d love having you. They always did love you more than they ever loved me anyways,” I joked.

She didn’t try and deny this, because she knew it was true and she knew she didn’t have another option. “Well, alright. If you’re sure that’s okay.”

We finalized the plans and then I sent her to gather her things. I rubbed my eyes furiously and then looked at Max as he eyed me curiously. “Sure this is a good idea, mate?”

I nodded, but didn’t say anymore. “Everything will be fine,” I assured him.

Everything will be fine, I repeated to myself. I sure as hell needed the reassurance too, because I was almost positive things had just taken a turn for the messy.