Status: In progress c:
Heart's in Baltimore
nothing like us.
“You seriously hit the speaker and got a concussion? And finished the set?” Riley asked Alex, full of disbelief as he recalled the distant memory.
“Yeah! It was crazy. Scariest thing ever,” Alex let out a soft laugh. “What about you? What are some crazy things that you have going on in Seattle?” the man asked, adjusting himself in the booth that the two were seated at in the diner.
“I don’t really have anything crazy going on,” Riley laughed awkwardly; it was true. When she resided in Maryland with the boys of All Time Low and Jared, she had been insane. She was always doing something new. Once she took off for Seattle, though, she hadn’t done anything crazy. “After I left Baltimore, I got really boring,” she teased.
“Well, then we’ll have to make up for lost time while you’re here then!” Alex spoke, a little too enthusiastically, just as Nicole, the owner of the diner, had ambled over to the pair.
“Alex Gaskarth? Riley Nichols?” Nicole questioned, her blonde hair resting in a tight bun on the top of her head. “Are you guys finally back together?”
Riley’s body tensed up, as did Alex’s. It was obvious that the two adults still had feelings for each other, but the way they saw it, there was nothing they could do about it anymore. It was too late.
“Um, no,” Riley forced a smile at the older woman. “I’m just in town again and I thought Alex and I could spend some time together, you know?”
“Oh, of course,” Nicole spoke, but the look on her face made her appear a bit skeptical to the news.
Years back, whenever Alex and Riley were still teenagers in high school, Nicole would have promised you that the two teens would end up together in the end. She was almost certain that no matter what life threw at them, they’d make it through.
Even when Alex came in one day saying that Riley was gone, that she was gone and wasn’t coming back, Nicole knew they’d find their way back to each other.
Seven Years Ago
A grief stricken 18-year-old Alex Gaskarth entered the familiar diner, trying to hold back the tears that had been escaping throughout the day. “H-hey, Nicole,” the boy choked back, avoiding eye contact with the diner’s owner.
“Alex? You okay, honey?” the woman’s nurturing voice called from behind the counter where she sat.
Sitting at the bar at the front of the eatery, Alex thought of lying at first, but he couldn’t lie to Nicole. He didn’t have it in him at the moment. “Riley left… She’s not coming back, Nicole.”
Immediately stopping what she was doing, Nicole stared at the broken boy in front of her. “What do you mean ‘she left’? She has to come back eventually, Alex.”
“I mean just that, Nic. She’s never coming back. She left me. She left Jack… Rian… and Zack. Fuck, she even left Jared! You and I both know if she was coming back, she would’ve at least said something to Jared,” Alex ran his hands through his messy hair.
“Did she leave a note or anything?” Nicole asked worriedly; both Alex and Riley had become like her own children.
“Yeah, here,” Alex spoke, bitterness seeping through his own words.
“I’m not coming back, Alex. I’m sorry. I know I’ve messed up big time by leaving. I’m so, so sorry. I’m sorry that I’ve resorted in giving you this note and not saying goodbye in person, but I’m too scared to speak to you. I love you. – Riley,” Nicole read out loud. “Alex, can I tell you something?”
“Sure.”
“I know it may seem like she’s never coming back, that she’s really gone for good. I just want you to know that, I’ve seen a lot of couples walk in and out of this diner. I’ve seen a lot of teenagers walk in and out. The difference between those couples and you and Riley is that I’ve never seen any of them look at each other like you and Ri do. You just have to have faith, Alex. I think she’ll find her way back here.”
“I’m, uh, gonna go to the bathroom. I’ll be back,” Alex interjected, breaking the awkward silence.
As soon as he was out of ear shot, Nicole faced Riley. “He still loves you, you know that, right?”
“Nicole,” Riley took a deep breath, rolling her grey eyes. “He loves Lisa. I love Noah, my boyfriend back home.”
“If telling yourself makes you feel better,” Nicole shrugged at the teenager’s words, turning her back to walk back to the counter. Turning back once more, she added, “If it tells you anything, though, he hasn’t brought Lisa here, ever.”
“So? What does that have to do with anything?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he doesn’t want to tamper with memories that you and he both have here. Or maybe because she’s not you,” and with that, Nicole disappeared behind the counter and Alex reappeared from the swinging red door from the back of the restaurant.
“Yeah! It was crazy. Scariest thing ever,” Alex let out a soft laugh. “What about you? What are some crazy things that you have going on in Seattle?” the man asked, adjusting himself in the booth that the two were seated at in the diner.
“I don’t really have anything crazy going on,” Riley laughed awkwardly; it was true. When she resided in Maryland with the boys of All Time Low and Jared, she had been insane. She was always doing something new. Once she took off for Seattle, though, she hadn’t done anything crazy. “After I left Baltimore, I got really boring,” she teased.
“Well, then we’ll have to make up for lost time while you’re here then!” Alex spoke, a little too enthusiastically, just as Nicole, the owner of the diner, had ambled over to the pair.
“Alex Gaskarth? Riley Nichols?” Nicole questioned, her blonde hair resting in a tight bun on the top of her head. “Are you guys finally back together?”
Riley’s body tensed up, as did Alex’s. It was obvious that the two adults still had feelings for each other, but the way they saw it, there was nothing they could do about it anymore. It was too late.
“Um, no,” Riley forced a smile at the older woman. “I’m just in town again and I thought Alex and I could spend some time together, you know?”
“Oh, of course,” Nicole spoke, but the look on her face made her appear a bit skeptical to the news.
Years back, whenever Alex and Riley were still teenagers in high school, Nicole would have promised you that the two teens would end up together in the end. She was almost certain that no matter what life threw at them, they’d make it through.
Even when Alex came in one day saying that Riley was gone, that she was gone and wasn’t coming back, Nicole knew they’d find their way back to each other.
Seven Years Ago
A grief stricken 18-year-old Alex Gaskarth entered the familiar diner, trying to hold back the tears that had been escaping throughout the day. “H-hey, Nicole,” the boy choked back, avoiding eye contact with the diner’s owner.
“Alex? You okay, honey?” the woman’s nurturing voice called from behind the counter where she sat.
Sitting at the bar at the front of the eatery, Alex thought of lying at first, but he couldn’t lie to Nicole. He didn’t have it in him at the moment. “Riley left… She’s not coming back, Nicole.”
Immediately stopping what she was doing, Nicole stared at the broken boy in front of her. “What do you mean ‘she left’? She has to come back eventually, Alex.”
“I mean just that, Nic. She’s never coming back. She left me. She left Jack… Rian… and Zack. Fuck, she even left Jared! You and I both know if she was coming back, she would’ve at least said something to Jared,” Alex ran his hands through his messy hair.
“Did she leave a note or anything?” Nicole asked worriedly; both Alex and Riley had become like her own children.
“Yeah, here,” Alex spoke, bitterness seeping through his own words.
“I’m not coming back, Alex. I’m sorry. I know I’ve messed up big time by leaving. I’m so, so sorry. I’m sorry that I’ve resorted in giving you this note and not saying goodbye in person, but I’m too scared to speak to you. I love you. – Riley,” Nicole read out loud. “Alex, can I tell you something?”
“Sure.”
“I know it may seem like she’s never coming back, that she’s really gone for good. I just want you to know that, I’ve seen a lot of couples walk in and out of this diner. I’ve seen a lot of teenagers walk in and out. The difference between those couples and you and Riley is that I’ve never seen any of them look at each other like you and Ri do. You just have to have faith, Alex. I think she’ll find her way back here.”
“I’m, uh, gonna go to the bathroom. I’ll be back,” Alex interjected, breaking the awkward silence.
As soon as he was out of ear shot, Nicole faced Riley. “He still loves you, you know that, right?”
“Nicole,” Riley took a deep breath, rolling her grey eyes. “He loves Lisa. I love Noah, my boyfriend back home.”
“If telling yourself makes you feel better,” Nicole shrugged at the teenager’s words, turning her back to walk back to the counter. Turning back once more, she added, “If it tells you anything, though, he hasn’t brought Lisa here, ever.”
“So? What does that have to do with anything?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he doesn’t want to tamper with memories that you and he both have here. Or maybe because she’s not you,” and with that, Nicole disappeared behind the counter and Alex reappeared from the swinging red door from the back of the restaurant.