Sequel: Weapons of War ›
Seven Year Ache
MUSIC CITY
July 2007
Riley hated summer; she hated the heat and the sun and the influx of people that suddenly showed up for two months clogging up the streets and good places to hang out at before they disappeared for another month. She knew she should like summer, summer meant no school, no homework or essays and best of all no Vancouver. Not that it was really a summer for her anyway this year, she had a degree she now needed to figure out what to do with and she hated it.
Her two years of schooling took a toll on her, she was exhausted and tired and didn’t even want to be awake right now. In fact all she wanted was to be back in her house in her bed sleeping, but she was stuck killing time while strangers walked through her childhood home deciding if it was right for them to buy. When her father announced he was selling the house she grew up in she was furious, all her memories were in that house, but he was right. It was too big for just him and with her out on her own now he didn’t have any use for the big house anymore.
Dave’s health was declining, he was getting older and older, and he was finding it harder and harder to keep making those business trips to Vancouver. So that was why Riley was home for the summer, helping him sell the home she grew up in and move him into Vancouver. After that it was all up for grabs, she could go anywhere, if she decided to. It crossed her mind to stay in Vancouver, to be close to her father, but it had also crossed her mind to go to Nashville and see if there was a chance Shea wanted to work things out. She thought about closing her eyes and pointing on a map of Canada and going wherever her finger landed. She was torn between what her heart was telling her; go to Shea, and what her head was telling her; get a job and get your life together.
She was sitting on the sand by the shore of the Okanagan Lake where she used to take her homework when it was still warm out when a shadow fell over her. She turned her head over her shoulder to find Shea standing behind her, baseball cap covering his face, shorts and a t-shirt over his muscular body. He smiled and asked, “How’d I know you’d be here?”
“Lucky guess?” She asked, mirroring his smile.
She patted the spot in the sand beside her and Shea sat down, kicking his sandals off before he stretched his legs out in front of him, his feet touching the water, getting covered as the tide rolled in. They sat watching the water move for almost an hour in complete silence, neither one really knowing what to say to the other. They hadn’t seen much of each other this year, now that they were staying away from each other Shea went back to Sicamous instead of renting an apartment in Kelowna like he had done the summer before. In fact Riley was sure this was the most time they had even spent together this year.
Finally she spoke, asking him, “How are you?”
“Honestly?” He asked, and when she nodded he told her, “I miss you.”
“Shea.” She started, but he shook his head at her.
“I do, Riley. I know you wanted your space but if I don’t say this now I’m never going to say it.” He told her, shifting and turning to face her before telling her, “I hate this. I get why you wanted it this way but I hate it. I’m so tired of this, I just want you in my life. I know you think that it’s too hard, but it’s harder like this… at least to me.”
“You can’t just show up and tell me this Shea. What does it change? I’m still here and you’re still in Nashville.” She informed him, as if he didn’t know about how undesirable their geographic locations were.
“I could ask for a trade.” He joked with a grin that made Riley smile gently.
“Please don’t.” She told him, and when he shot her a look and raised his eyebrow she told him, “You’re doing so well there. Don’t do anything to screw it up.”
“How do you know how I’m doing?” Shea asked her, and when her cheeks flushed he asked in amusement, “Have you been keeping tabs on me?”
Shrugging Riley told him, “So I check your game stats. Big deal.”
With a wide grin and told her, “You’ve been keeping tabs on me.”
“Maybe.” She stated, making him grin wildly at her, as if she just gave him the biggest compliment in the world. Though as she thought about it, she probably did just inflate his ego a notch or two.
“How about you keep tabs on me from Nashville this season?” When he asked her this Riley’s head whipped in his direction, surprised by his words. He sensed this and cleared his throat, asking, “Would you?”
“Come with you to Nashville?” She asked in shock.
He nodded his head and told her, “Yeah…permanently.”
“Shea…” She didn’t know what to say, and she was afraid of saying something that might hurt his feelings.
He simply shook his head at her and told her, “I meant it when I said I missed you. I want you to come with me, to be there and be with me. You don’t have to say yes, but I’d really love it if you did.”
She sat in silence beside him, looking out at the water again while she thought. She didn’t know what to say or do, she hadn’t expected this, and she had no opportunity to prepare herself or an answer for him ahead of time. She didn’t think he would ask again after last summer and her answer to that, and yet here they were. There were so many reasons for her to say no; she just spent all that money going to school, she still hadn’t really done anything on her own, and they were still so young, did she really want to move across the continent with him at twenty? She thought about whether he really wanted this, or if he was asking because he was lonely but then she realized that wasn’t Shea. He didn’t ask these major questions for nothing, or because he was lonely a few days of the month.
On the other hand, the more positive side of things Riley knew he was right; as hard as it was to see him whenever he was around it was even harder to not see him ever. She missed him all the time, not that she would tell him that, and more than a few times in the last year and a bit she had thought about when he asked her to move to Nashville the first time and how she often wished she had just said yes. There were a lot of reasons to say no, but there were as much if not more to say yes.
Which was why she smiled and asked, “Do you have air conditioning?”
Shea whipped his head toward her, a smile growing on his face when he saw her smile and he nodded, “24/7 if you want.”
“And a kitchen? Because I can’t eat out every night you know.” Riley informed him, and she chuckled when he nodded enthusiastically at her.
“Hell, we can get a new place if you want. I’d build you your dream house, all you have to do is ask. And live there of course.” He told her, practically talking a mile a minute as he often did when he got excited.
She smiled at him, reached out and grabbed his face, leaning toward him to kiss him quickly, an effort to get him to shut up that Shea was more than happy to oblige to. After a few seconds she pulled away from him and asked him, “When do we leave?”
“Yeah?” He asked her, a large smile still on his face. When she nodded he wrapped both arms around her and pushed her back onto the sand. He was practically on top of her, pushing her hair from her face while she laughed at him, he leaned down, kissing her again before he joked, “I’m glad you said yes because if you didn’t I was just gonna take you kicking and screaming.”
She tilted her head back and let out a loud laugh at his words, before she looked at him and told him, “You’re right, it’s harder like this and it shouldn’t be… it doesn’t have to be.”
“Thank God. I’ve missed you like you wouldn’t believe.” He told her, sitting up and pulling her with him.
Riley pulled her hair out of her face and told him, “Me too. I just didn’t know how to tell you that after the whole Vancouver thing last year.”
Shea nodded slowly, and looked back out over the water before he asked, “When do you want to leave?”
“Whenever.” She told him, surprising him. He thought she would want to wait until the last possible minute. When the surprise showed on his face she explained to him, “There were so many times last year where I just wanted to quit and show up in Nashville. I know I say I’m all tough and independent but I’ve missed you, and frankly I’m glad you asked.”
With a smile and a nod Shea said to her, “We can leave whenever you want. We could leave tomorrow honestly. I want you to get comfortable with Nashville before the season starts and I won’t really have lots of time.”
“You’d do that for me? Ditch a whole summer here with your family just so I got comfortable there?” She shouldn’t have been surprised. This was the kind of guy that Shea was, she had always known that.
He nodded at her question and told her, “Do you have any idea how glad I am that you’re even coming? I’d do whatever you wanted or needed to get you there for sure.”
“What do you think I’m gonna back out or something? Riley asked him in amusement, laughing when his cheeks went red and he shook his head at her.
“No, no. I just…” He shook his head at himself, pulling tightly on his hair for a moment before he straightened out and cleared his throat. He looked at Riley and told her, “You’re gonna love it there.”
“Of course I will, you’re there.”
Riley hated summer; she hated the heat and the sun and the influx of people that suddenly showed up for two months clogging up the streets and good places to hang out at before they disappeared for another month. She knew she should like summer, summer meant no school, no homework or essays and best of all no Vancouver. Not that it was really a summer for her anyway this year, she had a degree she now needed to figure out what to do with and she hated it.
Her two years of schooling took a toll on her, she was exhausted and tired and didn’t even want to be awake right now. In fact all she wanted was to be back in her house in her bed sleeping, but she was stuck killing time while strangers walked through her childhood home deciding if it was right for them to buy. When her father announced he was selling the house she grew up in she was furious, all her memories were in that house, but he was right. It was too big for just him and with her out on her own now he didn’t have any use for the big house anymore.
Dave’s health was declining, he was getting older and older, and he was finding it harder and harder to keep making those business trips to Vancouver. So that was why Riley was home for the summer, helping him sell the home she grew up in and move him into Vancouver. After that it was all up for grabs, she could go anywhere, if she decided to. It crossed her mind to stay in Vancouver, to be close to her father, but it had also crossed her mind to go to Nashville and see if there was a chance Shea wanted to work things out. She thought about closing her eyes and pointing on a map of Canada and going wherever her finger landed. She was torn between what her heart was telling her; go to Shea, and what her head was telling her; get a job and get your life together.
She was sitting on the sand by the shore of the Okanagan Lake where she used to take her homework when it was still warm out when a shadow fell over her. She turned her head over her shoulder to find Shea standing behind her, baseball cap covering his face, shorts and a t-shirt over his muscular body. He smiled and asked, “How’d I know you’d be here?”
“Lucky guess?” She asked, mirroring his smile.
She patted the spot in the sand beside her and Shea sat down, kicking his sandals off before he stretched his legs out in front of him, his feet touching the water, getting covered as the tide rolled in. They sat watching the water move for almost an hour in complete silence, neither one really knowing what to say to the other. They hadn’t seen much of each other this year, now that they were staying away from each other Shea went back to Sicamous instead of renting an apartment in Kelowna like he had done the summer before. In fact Riley was sure this was the most time they had even spent together this year.
Finally she spoke, asking him, “How are you?”
“Honestly?” He asked, and when she nodded he told her, “I miss you.”
“Shea.” She started, but he shook his head at her.
“I do, Riley. I know you wanted your space but if I don’t say this now I’m never going to say it.” He told her, shifting and turning to face her before telling her, “I hate this. I get why you wanted it this way but I hate it. I’m so tired of this, I just want you in my life. I know you think that it’s too hard, but it’s harder like this… at least to me.”
“You can’t just show up and tell me this Shea. What does it change? I’m still here and you’re still in Nashville.” She informed him, as if he didn’t know about how undesirable their geographic locations were.
“I could ask for a trade.” He joked with a grin that made Riley smile gently.
“Please don’t.” She told him, and when he shot her a look and raised his eyebrow she told him, “You’re doing so well there. Don’t do anything to screw it up.”
“How do you know how I’m doing?” Shea asked her, and when her cheeks flushed he asked in amusement, “Have you been keeping tabs on me?”
Shrugging Riley told him, “So I check your game stats. Big deal.”
With a wide grin and told her, “You’ve been keeping tabs on me.”
“Maybe.” She stated, making him grin wildly at her, as if she just gave him the biggest compliment in the world. Though as she thought about it, she probably did just inflate his ego a notch or two.
“How about you keep tabs on me from Nashville this season?” When he asked her this Riley’s head whipped in his direction, surprised by his words. He sensed this and cleared his throat, asking, “Would you?”
“Come with you to Nashville?” She asked in shock.
He nodded his head and told her, “Yeah…permanently.”
“Shea…” She didn’t know what to say, and she was afraid of saying something that might hurt his feelings.
He simply shook his head at her and told her, “I meant it when I said I missed you. I want you to come with me, to be there and be with me. You don’t have to say yes, but I’d really love it if you did.”
She sat in silence beside him, looking out at the water again while she thought. She didn’t know what to say or do, she hadn’t expected this, and she had no opportunity to prepare herself or an answer for him ahead of time. She didn’t think he would ask again after last summer and her answer to that, and yet here they were. There were so many reasons for her to say no; she just spent all that money going to school, she still hadn’t really done anything on her own, and they were still so young, did she really want to move across the continent with him at twenty? She thought about whether he really wanted this, or if he was asking because he was lonely but then she realized that wasn’t Shea. He didn’t ask these major questions for nothing, or because he was lonely a few days of the month.
On the other hand, the more positive side of things Riley knew he was right; as hard as it was to see him whenever he was around it was even harder to not see him ever. She missed him all the time, not that she would tell him that, and more than a few times in the last year and a bit she had thought about when he asked her to move to Nashville the first time and how she often wished she had just said yes. There were a lot of reasons to say no, but there were as much if not more to say yes.
Which was why she smiled and asked, “Do you have air conditioning?”
Shea whipped his head toward her, a smile growing on his face when he saw her smile and he nodded, “24/7 if you want.”
“And a kitchen? Because I can’t eat out every night you know.” Riley informed him, and she chuckled when he nodded enthusiastically at her.
“Hell, we can get a new place if you want. I’d build you your dream house, all you have to do is ask. And live there of course.” He told her, practically talking a mile a minute as he often did when he got excited.
She smiled at him, reached out and grabbed his face, leaning toward him to kiss him quickly, an effort to get him to shut up that Shea was more than happy to oblige to. After a few seconds she pulled away from him and asked him, “When do we leave?”
“Yeah?” He asked her, a large smile still on his face. When she nodded he wrapped both arms around her and pushed her back onto the sand. He was practically on top of her, pushing her hair from her face while she laughed at him, he leaned down, kissing her again before he joked, “I’m glad you said yes because if you didn’t I was just gonna take you kicking and screaming.”
She tilted her head back and let out a loud laugh at his words, before she looked at him and told him, “You’re right, it’s harder like this and it shouldn’t be… it doesn’t have to be.”
“Thank God. I’ve missed you like you wouldn’t believe.” He told her, sitting up and pulling her with him.
Riley pulled her hair out of her face and told him, “Me too. I just didn’t know how to tell you that after the whole Vancouver thing last year.”
Shea nodded slowly, and looked back out over the water before he asked, “When do you want to leave?”
“Whenever.” She told him, surprising him. He thought she would want to wait until the last possible minute. When the surprise showed on his face she explained to him, “There were so many times last year where I just wanted to quit and show up in Nashville. I know I say I’m all tough and independent but I’ve missed you, and frankly I’m glad you asked.”
With a smile and a nod Shea said to her, “We can leave whenever you want. We could leave tomorrow honestly. I want you to get comfortable with Nashville before the season starts and I won’t really have lots of time.”
“You’d do that for me? Ditch a whole summer here with your family just so I got comfortable there?” She shouldn’t have been surprised. This was the kind of guy that Shea was, she had always known that.
He nodded at her question and told her, “Do you have any idea how glad I am that you’re even coming? I’d do whatever you wanted or needed to get you there for sure.”
“What do you think I’m gonna back out or something? Riley asked him in amusement, laughing when his cheeks went red and he shook his head at her.
“No, no. I just…” He shook his head at himself, pulling tightly on his hair for a moment before he straightened out and cleared his throat. He looked at Riley and told her, “You’re gonna love it there.”
“Of course I will, you’re there.”
♠ ♠ ♠
Alright, short and sort of kind of blah fillerish flashback chapter. BUT there is only one more flashback chapter, and 8 more regular chapters after that.And the last bit of this story is well worth sticking around for. I promise ;)
So yeah, leave me some nice words? Cool, thanks :)