There Was You

37: Can You Say The Same Thing?

Gently tugging at the sleeves of the shirt that she had changed into, Riley lifted her head, her eyes settling on Iker who stood a little away from her, his eyes vacantly staring out of the bedroom window. He had been stood there for a while, after they’d made it back to his home, Riley had mumbled something about wanting to change into something a little more comfortable before she had disappeared into the bathroom, and when she had come out, she had found him stood beside the window, something she had opted not to disturb.

There was clearly something they needed to talk about, the look on Iker’s face when he had turned to look at her in the restaurant told her that there was more to be said than an explanation of him having proposed to his previous girlfriend, but Riley didn’t want to push it out of him, not when he had been so patient with her when it had come to her breakup with Ben. Reaching a hand up, she gently tucked her slightly messy hair back off of her face before she shuffled back on the mattress slightly, trying to make herself a little more comfortable.

Iker heard her move before he slowly turned around, stuffing his hands awkwardly into the pockets of his trousers. “You must have questions” he murmured softly.

Riley blinked a couple of times, surprised by his speaking, before she shrugged her shoulders, her eyes fixed on her fidgeting hands.

“Riley...”

“You proposed to her” Riley interrupted softly “The girlfriend before me. You asked her to marry you?” she asked.

Iker swallowed before he nodded. “I did” he confirmed.

Riley nodded her slowly. “She said yes?” she asked after a couple of beats of quiet.

Iker hesitated before he again nodded.

Riley let out a soft noise, but didn’t say anything, instead opting to mess with her sleeves quietly.

Iker watched her for a few seconds, half expecting her to say something, but when she didn’t, he shuffled towards the bed, crouching down ahead of her so that he could catch her eyes. “I should have told you” he murmured softly.

Riley quirked a feeble smile, shaking her head. “It’s not like I ever asked” she muttered “I mean, I was too wrapped up in my own thing to worry about yours. It’s fine, Iker, it’s your past” she added, her hand covering his which sat on the mattress next to her.

Iker glanced at their hands briefly before he shook his head. “I still should have told you” he mumbled “I should have told you that I asked her, and that she said yes, but changed her mind pretty quickly once she realized I was actually serious. I wanted to start our life together and when she realized that I actually meant that, she broke up with me pretty fast” he explained gently.

Riley listened to him, her fingers gently messing with his, before she lifted her head a little, her grey eyes meeting his darker ones. “I heard what your mama said” she murmured quietly.

Iker’s eyes widened. “What?” he asked.

“I...I came back for my bag” Riley spluttered out softly “I wanted to touch up my makeup in the bathroom and so I came back for it and I...I heard what she said. I heard her say that I am a lot like...like your ex” she added.

Iker blinked a couple of times, momentarily uncertain of how to respond, before he closed his eyes, exhaling softly. “There are similarities” he mumbled after a moment of quiet.

Riley shifted away from him, a little furrow in her forehead. “What?” she asked, the tone of her voice difficult to place.

Iker opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, trying to think of something to say, before he reached his hand out, only to watch Riley avoid it. “What do you mean there are similarities?” Riley asked, pulling her knees up towards her chest.

“There are things that are the same about the two of you” Iker noted “Little things” he added.

Riley shook her head. “They’re clearly not that little” she countered “I mean, your parents noticed them” she added.

“Riley...”

“Is that why you...?” Riley trailed off, her eyes meeting his briefly before she looked away.

Iker felt his stomach drop. “No” he replied quickly “Of course it isn’t” he insisted.

Riley shook her head. “How can you be so sure about that?” she countered “You said it yourself, there are things that are the same about us. How can you be so sure that things that you like about me aren’t just the things you liked about her first?” she pressed, her voice wobbling a little.

Iker’s stomach turned a little at the tone of her voice before he reached out towards her again, only for her to shuffle back again. “Riley” he murmured, trying to catch her hand again “Your ex boyfriend’s picture was up on your wall for months” he countered.

Riley’s head whipped up, her eyes narrowing. “That is not the same thing” she muttered.

“Riley...”

“There are no similarities between you and Ben” Riley interrupted “You two couldn’t be more different, and whilst I’ll admit to having a rough time in getting over him, I can safely say that the reason I care about you isn’t because of your similarity to him. Can you honestly say the same thing about me?” she asked.

Iker opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated for a moment before he made a noise, something which caused Riley to shake her head, a shaky sound falling out of her mouth. Taking in a breath, she watched Iker open and close his mouth a couple of times, before she swung her feet off of the bed, settling them down onto the floor. “I think I need some time” she murmured softly.

Iker, who’d been watching her, nodded his head gently. “I understand” he noted.

Riley sat still for a second, her eyes fixed on the floor, before she shuffled up to her feet.

Iker watched her take a couple of steps before he stood up, capturing her hand before he pulled into a soft kiss.

Holding onto her, he drew the kiss out for a few long seconds before he leant back a little, his nose still just about in contact with hers. “I love you” he insisted softly “Whatever you think, I know for sure that I am in love with you because you’re you, Ry, not because you’re anything like her. I can’t deny that there are overlaps, and I’d be lying if I said that some of the overlaps aren’t traits I love about you and that I loved about her, but you’re more than that. There are like ten things that are the same, and a million things that aren’t, and I love each and every one of them because they all accumulate in to you. Take your time, think over things if you need to, but it’s not going to change how I feel about you, Riley. It’s you” he added, pressing another brief kiss against her lips.

Riley closed her eyes, relishing the kiss for a moment, before she pulled away, wiping her eyes a little. “I’ll...I’ll call, Ok?” she insisted.

Iker nodded, offering her a sad smile. “I’ll look forwards to it” he quipped.

Riley hesitated for a second, his smile causing her stomach to turn, before she willed herself to turn away, just wanting a little time to think things over.
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Thanks to TheLovelessXxX, FootieJo, Twisted;;Symphony and mslou1 for the comments :)