Two Pieces

Rylee scrubbed her mascara stained cheeks from the crying she’d done the night before. To say she was still pissed was an understatement. She was livid. She could still hear her husband’s accusations clear as day. Who the fuck was that? Are you sleeping with him? She could feel her blood pressure rise at the thought. If she would've argued with him longer, she was sure she would've backhanded him across the face. Rylee winced as her anger took over and her scrubbing became painful. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Once she finished washing the makeup from her face, she combed out the knots from her hair and traded out yesterday's outfit for a new one. She spayed her vanilla scent perfume to her neck and wrists before cleaning up the small bathroom. A powerful kick from her daughter reminded her that she needed to eat. Since she slept through breakfast, lunch will do for now. Just as she was about to open the fridge, a piece of paper caught her attention. She removed the magnet that held it in place and glanced down at it. She immediately recognized Matt's handwriting and rolled her eyes. She thought about ripping it up but curiosity got the best of her as she started to skim it over:

Rylee, I have interviews until 2pm. We need to talk when I get back. -Matt

Rylee let out a bitter laugh before crumbling the paper into a ball and throwing it to the corner of the bus. No apologies. No I love you. Strictly business. “Two can play that game”, she murmured. Rylee didn't give a shit what his agenda was for today. She had plans of her own. She made herself a turkey sandwich before grabbing her jacket and keys. She put everything behind her as she made her way over to see Ryan.

____________

"Ryan, this is seriously amazing."

Rylee was fascinated by the accuracy of his artwork. He got everything right. From the color of her eyes to the multicolor bangles she wore. He had a keen eye for detail. She wondered why he didn't do this professionally.

"I'm glad you like it," he said nonchalant, trying to play it cool.

That bothered the hell out of Rylee. She always believed that if you were good at something, you should be proud of it.

"Ryan, why aren't you proud of your talent?" She stared at the younger man.

He grew bashful at her straightforward question. He looked down at his shoes for a second before answering.

"I was bullied a lot in school because of it. If you were a guy and didn't play a sport, you were automatically considered to be a "queer". I was tired of the harassment, so I stopped drawing."

Rylee didn't think twice before wrapping her arms around him. She felt his pain, as she wasn't exactly popular in high school either.

"Don't let ignorant people hinder your talent," she whispered to him. "Do what you enjoy and fuck everyone else."

She pulled away from him and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Do you hear me? Don't let anyone stop you, Ryan."

Ryan wiped his tears. Her words of encouragement were exactly what he needed to hear. He studied the beautiful woman in front of him and smiled. He could tell she was at her lowest just by looking at her. But here she was, giving words of encouragement to another person. She reminded him of someone. Someone special.

"Hailey," the name escaped his lips before he could catch it.

Rylee gave him a questioning glance.

"You remind me of a girl I know back home. She's special. She's my best friend but I've had feelings for her since we were teenagers. She has a big heart. Just like you do."

Rylee noticed the spark in his eyes when he talked about Hailey. He was in love with her.

"I'm guessing she doesn't know how you feel?"

He shook his head.

"Nope. I don't have the balls to tell her," he laughed.

Rylee smiled and shook her head. He reminded her of Matt in a way. When he was young and bashful. When he blushed every time she complimented him. She doesn't have that effect on him anymore, though.

"Um, Rylee. . ."

Rylee‘s brows rose in confusion at Ryan's paled expression. Before she could ask what was wrong, she felt something cold clamp around her left wrist. She winced and looked up to see her rigid husband, glaring down at Ryan. Is he fucking serious? She thought.

"Matt, what are you doing?" she asked, jaw clenched.

Matt ignored her question and asked one of his own for Ryan, "Who are you?"

Ryan flinched at the grit in Matt's voice. He swallowed nervously before responding, "I'm Ryan, nice to meet you. I’m a huge fan of your band."

He held out his hand for Matt to shake. Matt replied with a simple 'thank you' and ignored the friendly gesture. Rylee rolled her eyes. Could her husband be any more disrespectful?

"What are your intentions with my wife?"

Ryan laughed. He never thought he'd see big and bold M. Shadows so insecure and jealous. He was being a total asshole at the moment, but he could tell he loved his wife, nonetheless.

"To be honest, your wife is gorgeous. But that doesn't mean I want to make a move. I see her as a friend."

He was gonna have fun with this.

"You see Mr. Sanders, I have major respect for relationships. The relationship between two people should be respected and valued. And that's something you need to learn."

Matt's face reddened as his temper flared. A smirk adorned Rylee’s face.

"If you really valued and respected the relationship you have with your wife, you wouldn't have cheated on her."

"And how the fuck do you know about that?" Matt huffed.

Ryan grinned.

"Oh! You know Bella right? Your backup dancer? The girl you swapped spit with? She's telling all of your business."

She could hear Matt swear under his breath. He looked over at Rylee apologetically.

"Oh and one more thing," said Ryan. "I've only known Rylee for about four days and I already know she has a heart of gold. And to think she would cheat on you? That's fucking low, dude. You obviously don't know your own wife."

Matt had heard enough. He lunged forward, hoping to connect his first with Ryan's jaw. Ryan moved back just in time. Rylee let out a pained cry as the cuff dug into her skin. Matt froze and turned back to look at his wife. Rylee rubbed her sore wrist, ignoring her husband completely. She was done with his bullshit. She stepped around him and gave Ryan an apologetic look.

"I am very sorry for my husbands behavior. I'll see you when things aren't as tense. You shouldn't be caught up in our mess."

Ryan simply nodded and walked back towards his bus.

"Rylee-"

She payed no attention to her husband as she trudged back toward their bus. Matt tried to talk to her as he followed briskly behind her.

"Jimmy, uncuff us. NOW!" Rylee demanded, entering the bus.

Jimmy shook his head, "No can do, Ryles. You guys need to talk this out."

Rylee growled and dragged Matt to the back of the bus. Matt shut the door behind him.

"Let's talk this out," he said, calmly.

Rylee plopped down on the couch and let out a strangled cry. She was at her breaking point. The anger and stress was taking a toll on her.

"I can't take anymore of this shit," she cried.

"This has become our new norm and it's fucking stressing me out."

Matt’s heart broke at the scene. He had done this. He had caused her the stress and agony. He dug into his pocket and pulled out the little key. He then unlocked their cuffs and set them on the end table. He sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms.

"I'm sorry, baby."

"And why should I believe you?" she pried herself from his grasp.

Matt put his face in his hands while she continued to yell at him.

"With all this anger and stress, we could easily lose our baby. Do you fucking understand? I'm on the verge of going back home, Matt."

He lifted his head from his hands and stared at his frayed wife. Then he glanced down to where his daughter resided. Tears cascaded down his face at the thought of losing his wife and baby girl.

"I'm a fuck up, Rylee. And I'm sure you know that."

Rylee stuffed her face into the back of the couch.

"I was jealous yesterday when I saw you with Ryan because I know any man could be better than me at this point. You deserve better than me. That's the truth and knowing that pissed me off. So I accused you of cheating out of anger. I know you'd never do it and I'm sorry for accusing you. My biggest fear is losing you. And you're right, we can easily lose the baby at this point with all the fighting."

He choked up a bit. Rylee could feel him breaking down her walls and crawling back into her heart.

"I'd be completely shattered if I lost you and my baby."

Hook, line and sinker.

Rylee grabbed his hand and placed it on her stomach where their daughter kicked.

"She's still here. And I'm still here. . Even though you are being a complete asshole," she said, grumbling the last part.

Matt nodded in agreement, "You're right, I guess."

Rylee let out a tired sigh.

"Can you please just hold me? Like you used to?"

Matt nodded. They both lied down on the couch. Matt wrapped his arm around her waist. He rubbed circles into her stomach to calm their active child.

“Don’t ever call yourself a fuck up again,” she murmured.

Matt didn’t respond. Instead, he pressed a kiss to the back of her neck. Rylee evened out her breathing as she melted in his warm embrace.

"Will you sing to me?" she whispered.

Matt nodded and began singing Gunslinger. The sound of his soothing voice lulled her to sleep.