A Love Like This
By: Riley
Summary – At sixteen years old they weren't even friends. At seventeen she helped him get over his ex and he helped her through her past. At eighteen they wanted to be more than best friends, but things kept getting in the way. At nineteen they were in love. Kendall/OC.
A/N: I'm so sorry this one-shot is so long. I didn't anticipate it to be this way when I started writing it.
At sixteen years old they weren't even friends.
It was only by chance that they started to work together. Kendall Knight had been discovered by Gustavo Rocque and things were a whirlwind after that. Before he knew it, he was throwing into photo shots and writing sessions and recording session and appearances and everything that went into being a band. He and the other guys had no idea what was going on at the time, either. They were just shuttled from one place to the next and got things explained to them on the way. James was thrilled with everything, but Kendall was skeptical of the whole thing at first. How could four hockey players become the next big thing in little to no time without knowing what to do and when to do it?
And that's where she came in. Riley Jackson and her siblings had been contracted by Gustavo to help him and his friends in the music industry. When he first met her, he knew that there was something up with them, just by the way that they acted. He was a pretty good judge of character and something felt…off whenever they were around. When they were working, he could see a more human side of theirs, but when they weren't working and just wanted to hang out, they became particularly nasty, impatient, and hesitant with the guys. That worked when it came to the fact that they were supposed to be rivals in the industry, but working so close to someone, even if you were supposed to be rivals, could cause you to see them in a friendly light.
That was how Kendall had seen it. Of the many times that Mrs. Knight, Gustavo, Kelly, and Ronan had tried to get the two bands to become friends by making them do things together (go to the pier, go the beach, go bowling, go to the carnival, go to concerts) it was always Kendall that was the one that was asking, over and over again, whether or not they were friends.
There was one time that she and her siblings had gone to Rocque Records to help them get used to singing live with a band. They had taken the instruments that Gustavo had lying around and played Shot in the Dark while the guys sang for them.
"So how was that?" James asked, backing away from his microphone. "What'd you think? Were we great or were we great?"
"'Great' wouldn't be the word I'd use," Patrick said slowly. "I wouldn't even say bonzer," he added, raising an eyebrow. He scratched his forehead before turning to look at his brothers and sisters, who all looked like they were thinking. "What critique do you guys have?"
"But, you haven't even given us critique yet," Carlos pointed out with a slight frown.
"I'll get to it," Patrick promised before holding a hand over his mouth. He looked like he was trying to hold back either a burst of laughter or a string of profanities after having stubbed his toe. Either way, it probably wasn't going to be a good thing if he opened his mouth too soon.
"You need to work on your breathing," Sydney said diplomatically. "I mean, if you plan on working with a live band, and they accidentally increase the tempo, you're going to need to learn how to control your breathing enough to match it in a second."
"And you were having problems when it came to your volume," Noah agreed. He ran a hand through his hair. "Parts of the time, I couldn't hear you over the music that we were playing, even with the mic pack." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at his sisters. "I know that you two have something to say."
Riley cracked her knuckles, leaning forward as she rested her arms on the electric guitar that was resting against her body. "You did a good job with your enthusiasm, that's getting better, but you weren't always in sync when you were singing. Even though you had your lyric sheets in front of you, you missed your place every now and then." She paused. "Well, not James, but the rest of you guys did that a couple of times."
Rhuben thought for a long moment before she spoke. "You need to work on your footwork more, especially when it comes to the stage presence that you've been taught." She twirled her drumsticks around her fingers. "You move across the 'stage' pretty well, but it's kinda bland. Use some of the things from your choreography to help you get across; it'll make the show more interesting."
"Ok, got it." Kendall nodded. He turned to Patrick. "So what do you have to say?"
Patrick sucked his lips into his mouth. "Are you nervous?" He asked, lacing his fingers together. He calmly watched the boys as they looked at each other with worry and confusion. "Relax, it's just a question. You don't even have to answer; I can tell you're nervous." He thought for a moment. "I know that you're nervous because I know what being nervous feels like and I know how it can affect the way that you want a performance to go." He gave a sheepish smile as Riley, Rhuben, Noah, and Sydney all turned and glared at him. "But we won't go into that right now."
Patrick scratched the back of his neck, waiting for his brothers and sisters to stop looking at him so intently. "Now, I don't know if you're nervous because of us and that we're playing with you and you want to make a good impression or whatever. But you need to take that nervousness and put it into your performance and make it better, yeah?"
"Got it," Logan said. He smiled and gave a nod. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it," Patrick replied with a wave of his hand.
"Please, don't," Riley added. "'Cause it won't end well for either of our bands if people find out that we've actually been helping you." She crossed her arms over her chest. "What people don't get about the music industry is that things aren't always what they seem from the outside looking in."
Rhuben nodded in agreement. "And that you don't know people as well as you think." Something flashed through her eyes and she turned to look at her siblings, who all looked back at her for a moment before looking away.
Kendall frowned as he watched the exchange.
"That being said, we need to go," Patrick said as he looked at his watch. "We've got some more stuff that we have to do." He and his siblings started to pack up the instruments so they could leave. "You guys are progressing, but you still have a lot more work to do."
"Well, thanks anyway," James said with a small smile and a shrug. "We wouldn't have gotten this far without you guys here to help."
"So…" Kendall twiddled his thumbs. "Are we friends yet?"
Sydney looked sad as he shook his head, Noah bit his lower lip, staying quiet, Patrick started to whistle, Ruben twisted her mouth to the side before looking up at the ceiling, and Riley slapped her hands over her face. "There is seriously something wrong with you if that is all that you think about instead of the music that you're supposed to be working on."
Then she and her siblings had left the studio and the guys went back to work. But that didn't mean that Kendall was going to stop trying to get them to admit it. He just didn't know what was really going on, what kept them from being friends.
Riley wasn't annoyed by his constant questions of being friends because she hated the guy.
She never actually hated anyone, she could extremely dislike someone and quickly let them know it, but she didn't hate them. The only reason that she continued to push Kendall and the guys away was because she was scared of what would happen if they did. Her father wasn't even that glad that they were working with Big Time Rush. He hated Gustavo and didn't get along with him, but he liked money, and he knew that the exposure from a new upcoming boyband (after Gustavo said that he could turn a dog into a pop star) would help boost the exposure of the CDs that they were remastering from Australia for the American market. And the more money that he was going to make, the harder that he pushed her and her siblings.
It wasn't a normal 'stage-parent' kind of push, it was literal pushing; down the stairs, into walls, to the floor, along with slaps, punches, kicks, being choked, beaten, and burned with cigarettes. And they were too afraid to say anything to anyone, knowing how things could go badly for a lot of people if they did. Their family could potentially be split up, thus ending their band, then there was the fact that their fans and other people that watched them would learn everything and that embarrassment would probably kill them. Then there were the people they would have disappointed…but it all stemmed back to the fact that they were afraid of being split up from each other.
It was the only reason why they wouldn't say that Big Time Rush is their friend, they didn't want their father to take advantage of that and turn things around on the guys. That's why it was such a relief when the guys had finally found out and confronted them with it. Logan had found out first and asked Riley and Rhuben about it, who made him swear that he wasn't going to tell anyone. But the other guys had noticed the odd behavior enough so that they started to take everything they saw and tried to figure out what was going on. Carlos tried to make them feel at home and be inviting and outgoing around them and James tried to work with them, one on one, as much as possible. But Kendall was the one that had done what they hoped people would do, he had taken their music and really listened to it, figuring out that they were crying out for help through their songs.
Then they had gone to Mrs. Knight, told her what they were thinking, and thing snowballed from there. Robert Jackson had been taken to jail and they would soon go to an abuse trial. And through it all, after things had died down a bit and they were making plans to go on their first tour after their album had come out, Kendall had gone up to her at the album release party and asked "are we friends yet?"
And Riley just looked at him and said, "What do you think?"
At seventeen she helped him get over his ex and he helped her through her past.
Kendall and Jo had been dating for a while and when he had gotten back from the tour, he almost let it go to waste as he freaked out over the fact that she was, somewhat, close to her co-star Jett Stetson. While Jett was attracted to Jo, she only had eyes for Kendall. But he was so scared of losing her that he couldn't keep his jealousy down and jumped to conclusions each time she was around him. She said that if he couldn't trust her, then he should forget about her. But the way that they felt for each other was too strong for something like that to break them apart. But distance could. He and Jo had managed to make their way through all of their problems with their friends at their side, but two things were getting in the way; Kendall's developing feelings for Riley and distance.
After returning from the tour, he was surprised to see that she, Rhuben, Patrick, Noah, and Sydney were noticeably happier and more open with the guys, though not completely. They still had moments when they would push the guys away or flinch or freak out whenever they moved to fast, due to their PTSD, but they were starting to have more fun with each other than they did before they had left. And Kendall had found himself starting to fall for Riley. He didn't even see it coming, but when they had taken the Jacksons with them to Minnesota for Christmas, he realized that he did like her, and felt guilty when he would be around Jo for that reason. He never acted upon his feeling for Riley and did his best to hide it.
She was a good friend and that was it, but he couldn't help but smile at some of the attention that she gave him, though it was in a way that only she could make endearing; she would make fun of him the best that she could, she found tons of nicknames against him or the way that he acted that would get on his nerves, but at the same time she was there to listen and to help him whenever he needed it. Then there was the fact that she was almost as much of a mastermind as he was, whenever the guys were in a jam she and her sister were usually the first ones to come up with a plan to get the guys out of it. (Sure it made things worse at first, but it usually ended up working. He also found that they had a lot in common, playing the guitar, enjoying sports, tattoos, and vans.
But what really made him catch on to his feeling was the fact that every day while he and the guys would wait for the DarkElements to arrive at the studio, he would be anxious to tell her a story about what had happened to them that day. He did his best to keep his feeling a secret and focused more on Jo. So much so that when she told him that she had the chance to go to New Zealand for a three year movie deal, he was partially torn on what to do. He knew that he should let her live her dream and let her go, as an opportunity like that only came once. But then he would feel a slight twinge of guilt, knowing how he felt about Riley and (amongst selfish reasons) wanted her to say. In the end, he let her go to live her dream and fell into a bit of a depression.
And it was Riley that was the one that got him through it.
"Hey Logie-Bear." Kendall barely glanced up from the couch as there was a double-knock on the front door and Riley walked inside, holding onto backpack straps as she went. She walked over to Logan, who was standing at the counter, looking over at Kendall. "Are you ready to go to the doctor's convention? I heard that it's a good way to get connections for internships and stuff."
"Yeah, I heard the same thing," Logan said, turning to face her. He then looked back at Kendall. "But I'd feel bad leaving Kendall here."
Riley rolled her eyes as she moved next to Logan. Her upper lip curled as she looked at the blond teen. "He's still lying there?"
"Yep." Logan nodded. "And I'm pretty sure that he's going to start crying if he hears a word that sounds like 'Jo'." He spread his arms. "For example if I said the word 'show'. He pointed as Kendall made a whining sound and put his face into the couch. "See?"
"Fuck that." Riley walked over to Kendall and smacked him on the back of the head. "Get up, Kendork!" She spat. Kendall made another whining sound and Riley sucked in a deep breath, her face starting to turn red. "Ok, but you did this to yourself."
She reached down and grabbed the front of his shirt and tugged hard, pulling him up to his feet before pulling his face down to hers.
"Listen, boofhead." Her voice switched from her American to her Australian accent, something that she usually did when she was mad. "I am sick and tired of you sitting here and acting like a whipped little boy that can't let go of his mummy. Stop being such a bludger. You and Jo broke up. It's over. She's going to be gone for THREE YEARS!" She started to shake him. "And if she does come back before then, she doesn't want to hear that you moped around all the time. So suck it up and move on!"
She let go of his shirt and backed away, her face softening a little. She took a couple more deep breaths, her face returning to its normal color. "Sorry, but that was really pathetic. If you ever need to talk about it, that's fine, but dwelling over it will do nothing but cause you to hurt worse." Something flashed through her eyes. "Believe me, I know."
And he did just that. Whenever he needed to talk about Jo or how he was feeling, he would go to her to talk about it and she just sat there and listened. But the one thing that she did that drove him crazy each and every time was whenever he would ask her a question or try to figure out what to do with whatever problem he had, she would just answer his question with a question to have him figure it out himself.
It drove him crazy in a good way.
Riley was dealing with her own problems as her father's trial was coming up. Her PTSD from her past abuse and her parents' death when she was a kid was making it hard for her to open up to the guys and become their friend, though she was trying her hardest. There was a lot of things that she was dealing with, working on the next album and figuring out what they wanted it to be about. Rhuben and Noah were the ones that had suggested the idea first, they make a deluxe CD that would have two different sides to it, one representing their past and the things that they were still going through and the other that showed their optimistic views to the future.
It was Sydney that came up with calling it Black and White and there was no question to it, that was what they were going to go with for the CD title and for their lives that year. They were going to make it through their demons and to their better future together. But of course they were going to need help, and all of their friends were that help, but Big Time Rush was the front runner of that support. Riley had immersed herself into music for her band and when it had a tendency to make her feel like she was being drowned in the darkness all over again, Kendall and the other guys were there to help bring her back to the light.
She was actually surprised that she found herself starting to enjoy Kendall's company, though what she enjoyed the most was being able to get under his skin or mess with his head whenever she got the chance. Each nickname that she came up with, some quick witty remark, or a put down that she could come up with to tease him only started because she expect him to get annoyed by it. He was annoyed at first, but then started to take the jokes, which confused her. Most people would have given up being her friend at that point and, deep down, that was something that she wasn't going to forget, that through it all, he still tried to be her friend.
And that was probably the main thing that caused her to see him as her friend. That and the support that he had given her during the trial. She knew that she had to go up and stand trial and no matter how much she tried to prepare herself for it, it still freaked her out. Her whole family was freaked out by it, but they would just make a joke and change the subject whenever someone brought it up, to hide what they were feeling. It wasn't hard; she had a tough exterior just so she couldn't get hurt again. But Kendall easily saw through it, and though he didn't tell her that he knew, he helped her the best way that he could, by not talking about it unless he had to. Instead, they just played the guitar or wrote songs together and hung out with their friends as much as possible and that was the support that she needed.
After the trial had ended and Robert lost custody of her and her siblings, as well as having to be put on probation, things started to get better. It was no doubt that Riley and her siblings were happier knowing that they wouldn't be plagued by their father again. It was even so good that Big Time Rush invited them to Hawaii to help shoot their windows down video. They had quickly agreed and soon were spending the week with the band that they now considered their best friends.
"Hey, what are you still doing up?" Kendall asked as he walked over to the teenage girl that was sitting in the lobby of the hotel they were staying at. He sat down in the chair next to her and as he settled in, he could hear the waves crashing on the beach in the distance. "Everyone else went to sleep."
"I don't sleep," Riley replied in a way that Kendall wasn't sure if she was joking or not. "Sleeping just wastes time to get stuff done." Seeing the look on his face, she brushed her hair out of her face and chuckled. "I'm kidding, I just couldn't sleep. I didn't want to wake up the others by watching TV." She brought up her knees. "What about you?"
"Me neither," Kendall agreed. "Though I'm sure it's because of being in one big room with the guys, where Logan smiles in his sleep and James sings in his sleep and Carlos won't stop snoring." He shook his head. "Usually, I'm used to watching up and being creeped out by the fact that Logan is smiling at me in his sleep." He held up a hand. "And trust me; I don't want to know what kind of dreams he's having."
The two laughed quietly before sitting in silence for a few moments, listening to the waves as they continued to roll on the beach. The open windows allowed the salty air to blow through the room. Kendall was the one to break the silence.
"So are you guys having fun?" He looked at her.
Riley's upper lip curled for a moment before she smirked at him. "You're not going to drive us crazy with that question are you?" Her smirk widened as he rolled his eyes. "We're having a great time. What else could you want on a vacation with your friends? It's a good thing that you brought us to the beach," she added. "Or else we'd probably go crazy."
"Not that it'd be any different than the way you guys usually act," Kendall remarked.
Riley pointed at him. "Watch it, Kendork." She turned her finger and then flicked him on the tip of his nose.
"Sorry, sorry." Kendall held his hands up defensively before gently rubbing the tip of his nose. He then looked at her seriously. "So you think of us as friends?" Riley gave him a funny look as she nodded slowly. "Well, that's good. Cause, uh, you know I wasn't sure. I mean, uh, I know you said it before, but I was just making sure."
"What are you babbling about?" Riley dropped her arm off of the back of the chair to her lap. "You're making even less sense than you already do and let me tell you, sometimes I can't stand listening to you talk."
"Gee, thanks," Kendall said.
"No worries, Hockey-Head." Riley waved her hand. "I mean, someone had to tell you the truth...and I'm not sorry that it was me." She arched an eyebrow. "I mean, your constant speeches and pep-talks...snooze-ville."
"Hey, I happen to think they're very good," Kendall defended himself. Riley looked at him and noticed the slight pout on his face. She rolled her eyes again, shaking her head. "What?"
"You care too much about what I think," she said.
"Yeah." Kendall shrugged. "But, I mean, you're my best friend." He noticed that Riley was looking at him with a mixture of curiosity and seriousness. He waited for her to say something, the wait causing his hands to start to sweat.
"Well that's good," Riley said after a moment. She gave a half smile. "Because you're my best friend too."
At eighteen they wanted to be more than best friends, but things kept getting in the way.
Kendall had expected to come back from the All Over The World Tour with his best friends by his side to have a great rest of the summer and an even better year. And that was only a few moments before Lucy Stone came into the picture. He quickly found himself falling for her, but was somewhat surprised when Riley had gone ahead and started to help him get together with her. Unfortunately, he started to take Riley's friendship for granted, ditching her at times where he could hang out with Lucy or begging her for help to get Lucy's attention. Things had looked good for him until Beau had showed up, making things weird. He decided to back off, since it looked like Lucy wanted to get back together with him, but tried again when he found out about Beau's cheating ways. Riley helped him have Lucy find out about Beau and he finally had his chance. Then it fall apart for him when Jo came back, hoping to get back together.
Kendall went to Riley for help and she blew him off, finally blowing up and saying that she was pissed at him for taking her for granted and that she wanted nothing to do with him. He then talked to his friends and even had a conversation with Jo before he decided not to choose Jo or Lucy to end up with, not wanting to completely ruin his and Riley's friendship.
"I didn't choose either of them," Kendall repeated. "I didn't pick Lucy and I didn't pick Jo. I couldn't."
"You couldn't?" Riley now repeated him.
"No," Kendall agreed. "Not when I knew what would happen if I did." He let out a weary sigh. "Riles, I am so sorry for everything that I've put you through. It was beyond not fair and I wasn't thinking of your feelings at all. I didn't choose Jo or Lucy because I knew that they weren't always going to be there for me. You were. No matter what stupid thing I did, or even if I just needed to vent, I knew that you were always going to be there to help me; I couldn't guarantee that with them. I can tell that you and your brothers and sister are my best friends and you're the kind of people that are going to be my friends for the rest of my life and I don't want to lose that."
"AND YOU THINK THAT JUST TELLING ME THAT IS GOING TO MAKE EVERYTHING BETTER?" Even in the dim lighting from the porch light, Riley's eyes flashed. She heard someone from down the street shush her and she lowered her voice. "You can't just apologize and hope that it makes things better. You'd be surprised how fast the real world will screw you over if you think that." She shook her head. "God, I'm so freaking pissed at you it's not even funny."
"I know, I know." Kendall shook his head. "And I didn't think that you would forgive me that quickly. I know that it's going to take time for things to go back to the way they were-"
"I can't believe you almost threw that all away, Kendall!" Riley finally broke. She hung her head as tears sprang to her eyes. She couldn't believe that she was possibly crying over something like this, but everything that she had been feeling finally came pouring out and she couldn't stop it. She realized that James was right at that moment, you couldn't keep things bottled up inside or else it was going to come out in ways that you didn't want. "I can't believe that you were going to sit there and watch as you slowly pushed me away, just so you could go out with someone that doesn't understand you the same way I do. It was just so….so…"
"Pathetic?" Kendall guessed.
"Yeah," Riley agreed. "But that's the nicest way that I can say it."
"And I believe your words were 'go fuck a cow'," Kendall added with a laugh.
"From where I stand, you already did." Riley managed to smirk, though tears were still in her eyes. Kendall reached out and wiped some of them away, causing Riley to briefly close her eyes. More tears spilled out.
"I didn't think that I'd ever see you cry," He said.
"I didn't think so either," Riley managed to laugh, using the sides of her hands to wipe her face. "God, what's wrong with me."
"Nothing," Kendall replied. "You just care more than you originally thought."
"I guess so," Riley agreed. She then frowned, looking at him seriously. "I hope you don't think that just because you apologized I'm going t automatically going to completely trust you again. Personally, I think that you need some time to yourself, because you've changed since you started to go out with either of them. I mean, I might not be always willing to talk about it when you want, but I'd still try to help somehow."
Kendall gave a half smile. "How long do I have to wait?"
"Until you think that I wouldn't hit you in the face," Riley replied.
"Deal."
Kendall smiled and wrapped his arms around his best friend, giving her a hug.
Riley was very excited for the guys to come back from the tour. Over the summer, when she and her brothers and sister were starting their break from recording music for a year, as well as announcing their abuse and adoption by Ronan, she realized her feeling for Kendall. Her siblings and their friends, Dak and Lizzie Zevon, and WayneWayne teased her about it as they were in Australia visiting them for a week, and she tried hard to make it not a big deal. But she could admit that she was more anxious to see the guys, Kendall in particular. She had planned to tell him her feelings for him at the welcome home party that they planned (as they had gotten back to LA a couple of weeks before BTR) but then decided not to after she saw his feeling for Lucy.
Instead, she decided to help him get with Lucy, though distancing herself from it as much as she could, trying not to show Kendall how hurt she was that he was ditching her. She was used to pushing her feelings aside so other people could be happy, so she was used to being hurt for a little while in that aspect. She continued to hang out with him so things weren't that awkward and she had even shown him an abandoned pool that she and her siblings had found in LA. Though for a while she openly flirted with Kendall, hoping he would see her feelings for him.
But he didn't notice.
She even started to go out with WayneWayne, and for the short while that they dated, she was actually pretty happy. They got along well, and they had a lot in common. But then the two mutually broke up when WayneWayne let her go, so she could go after Kendall again. But Kendall didn't know this. He knew that she was pretending to date WayneWayne when his family was around, but he was too preoccupied with Lucy, so she didn't tell him that she started to date him for real, as the two weren't friends. Kendall wasn't the only reason that they broke up. WayneWayne's mother got in the way of things too. They put up with it as long as they could, but Riley eventually couldn't take it anymore. And even though she did end up breaking up with WayneWayne so she could potentially go out with Kendall, she really did have feelings for WayneWayne and reassured him that she always would.
She as glad to know that he felt the same way.
But things still weren't easy for her. Jo, who started to date James, was even pushing Riley to go out with Kendall and she was still hesitant. She wanted to be with him, but not if she couldn't tell him that she was bipolar. Her medication was starting to fail and she was getting more worked up over little things than usual and it scared her, as she wasn't sure if she would end up hurting someone. One day she suffered a breakdown and he was there to help her through it. Afterwards, they had an extended conversation about their feelings for each other and started to date.
Kendall lightly pulled at his bottom lip before suddenly turning towards her, immediately grabbing her attention. "Uh." Kendall's gaze alternately moved from his feet to Riley. "So, I've been meaning to uh, uh, ask you this…for a while." He took a breath and risked a glance at Riley's face. She continued to look back at him, her face blank as she waited for him to continue. "Uh…" he laughed lightly, shaking his head. "It…it took a lot of courage for me to ask this, but…"
Riley tilted her head, urging him to continue. Her face was still blank of any emotion. "Yes?"
Kendall looked at his feet and then up at her once more. "Will you…go on a date with me…Sunday…at 7-ish?"
Riley looked at him for a long moment before her lips started to twitch. She gave a shy smile, gently biting her bottom lip as she blushed; she then leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his. "Took you long enough."
At nineteen they were in love.
Their one year anniversary came and she surprised him by finally said that she loved him back. He had never felt so happy than in that moment. The two of them were in a good part of their relationship. They didn't spend so much time together that it got on people's nerves or their own and she continued to make fun of him and put him down to keep things interesting. They were faced with a unknown future of whether or not Big Time Rush was going to end and his decision of whether or not he was going to go back to play hockey. But the two of them got through it by their friends and family, but most importantly, with each other.
Kendall shifted nervously in his seat as he waited for the plane to land. He didn't think a trip as simple as going to see whether or not being able to play hockey as well as continue to do music would feel so long. It was only a couple of days, but it felt like forever. He smiled when he thought about the video chat that he and Riley had.
"I miss you," Kendall said in a moment where the conversation had lulled to a comfortable silence.
"You should improve your aim then." Riley had rolled her eyes, mockingly, behind her glasses. "You're not even gone that long, don't be such a baby, Hockey-Head."
"Oh, so I'm your baby now?" Kendall raised an eyebrow.
Riley's left eye slowly narrowed as she gave him a confused look. "Uh, correct me if I'm wrong, and I'm not, but we decided not use disgustingly common pet names, remember?"
Kendall pouted. "Aww, honey, you don't think it's time to become like all those other stereotypical couples?"
Riley's eye was now twitching. She reached a hand up towards the top of her laptop. "Ok, I'm hanging up."
"Why?" Kendall laughed.
"Because I'm going to puke all over my laptop," Riley replied. "You know, sometimes you're so much of a dork that it's actually painful. Like, it really hurts just to watch you sometimes." She ran a hand through her hair, as she smirked at him. Kendall opened his mouth to say something, but Riley cut him off. "You shouldn't even try to make a comeback to that one."
"Why not?" He smiled.
"Because I'm always going to beat you," Riley replied as if it were obvious.
"Just you wait, one day I'm going to give you a piece of my mind," Kendall said.
"Can you spare that much?" Riley returned.
Kendall laughed.
Kendall waited for enough people to leave their seats for the aisle to be clear so he could get up. He grabbed his carry-on bag and slid it over his shoulders and started to walk off the plane. He smiled and waved goodbye to the flight attendants before walking into the terminal, his eyes searching for his girlfriend. He couldn't help but smile when he spotted Riley.
She grinned back at him and, despite the fact that she disliked PDA and most clichés; she ran over to him and jumped into his arms. Kendall laughed and hugged her back before he wrapped his arms underneath her thighs and lifted her up, she kept her arms around his neck. She bent down, her hair tickling his face and gave him a long kiss before pressing her forehead against his, smiling. "I missed you," she said quietly, her cheeks flushed.
"I missed you, too," Kendall replied and kissed her again. He ignored the camera flashes as he set her back down on the ground and hugged her again. He kissed her one more time before taking her hand and the two started to walk out of the airport. "So what'd you do today?"
"We got another song done," Riley replied. "It's cool because it was a song that just clicked as soon as we came up with the main idea. We even started to record the demo of it, just in case we decide to change some things later."
"Cool, I bet it's awesome," Kendall replied. He yawned. He looked down at Riley when she squeezed his hand, noticing the smile on her face and the sparkle in her eyes. "What?" he asked as they continued to walk to the airport.
"Nothing, I'm just happy you're here," Riley replied, blushing lightly.
Kendall squeezed her hand back. "Me too."
Kendall suggested that they stop at her house first, so he could go to the bathroom and freshen up before they went to the PalmWoods to see his friends and family. He knew that it was a bad lie and didn't make a lot of sense, but she shrugged and went along with it anyway. He grinned at the look on her face when she saw the daisies that he had delivered to her house when he knew that she would be gone. He would have done roses, but knew that daisies were her favorite flower and that they would be received better.
"Do you like it?" He asked when she turned to him.
She shook her head, a half smile on her face. "I should have seen it coming," she said. "Knowing you." She let out a sigh and put her hands on Kendall's cheeks, giving him a kiss. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Kendall replied. He kissed her again, pulling her close to him. She grabbed onto the front of his shirt and continued to kiss him as she started to back up, walking up the stairs to her room. Kendall pulled his phone from his pocket and pushed a few buttons on it as he continued to kiss her. He put his phone back in his pocket as the music started; playing to set the mood.
Don't you worry about a thing, don't hurry because a love like this is forever. They don't even know a thing, we'll show 'em all that we're much better together. The love we got is so untouchable.
"It's a good thing I was your stylist for a while," Riley said, her hand still holding onto the front of Kendall's shirt, keeping his face close to hers. As he kicked the door closed behind them, his hands found his way to the bare skin of her back, under her shirt.
"Why's that?" Kendall breathed, trying to kiss her. He let out a sound of frustration as she continued to duck her head away, keeping their lips from connecting.
"'Cause now I can say this without it sounding weird…" She sat down on the bed, pulling him onto her. Riley reached out and grabbed onto the band of his jeans. "I want these off."
Kendall smiled and kissed her.
It was a breathtaking kiss. Riley felt Kendall's hand running through her hair as he kissed her again. He smiled against her lips as she kissed him back with just as much enthusiasm. She wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a hug as he pulled back long enough to rest his forehead against hers. He opened his eyes and saw her blue ones looking back at him. Instead of the fear that he usually saw to some degree, he could see that she really did trust him and that she loved him, something that he patiently waited for when he had told her that he loved her. He had been nervous then, he asked her to officially be his girlfriend after six month of dating and told her that he loved her at the same time.
She accepted being his girlfriend, but couldn't say the words back to him. So he waited patiently, even though he knew she felt the same way. She surprised him with it on their one year anniversary. He knew it was a big deal, though she tried to downplay it. She had been with an ex-boyfriend for a year and she didn't feel that way about him. But he knew now, she loved him as much as he loved her.
Now he knew after everything that she had been through, after everything he helped her with, even through the name-calling and put down that she shot towards him that made him (at times) wonder if she was serious, he finally knew that she felt the same way.
When their eyes locked, there was a fire burning between them. As their relationship had progressed from being best friends to dating, she had been a bit wary about them taking the step to make love. When things would get heated and move in a direction that she knew she wasn't ready for (this being before she said she loved him) she would usually stop him with a hand on his chest or him asking 'is this ok?' and her replying with a firm 'no'. After they exchanged 'I love yous' there were some other problems, though the want and need was there. The moment wasn't right. It wasn't romantic. He wanted her first time to be romantic. She was scared of being so close to someone, to letting them see the real her, but she trusted him completely. She loved him and he loved her. He originally had his own fears about this, he didn't want to hurt her in any way, she had been hurt enough in her life, he didn't want her to suddenly stop and be filled with regret over it, he didn't want anything to happen, though he would be there to protect her through it all.
Kendall brought his hands down from her black hair to her hips. He watched her, waiting for something to tell him to stop. Riley looked back at him and closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again, smiling gently at her boyfriend. He knew it was a real smile, her eyes shined and sparkled. He seemed to be the only one that was able to make her really smile; he could always see it in her eyes whenever she saw him. Kendal's lips curled into a smile as he lowered his hands to the bottom of her shirt and gently pulled it up over her head. He kissed her all over and her back arched up, pushing her chest against him. Then he pulled back and looked at her, his eyes asking a question he didn't want to say out loud. His hands were shaking against her skin as he waited for her to nod.
When she did, he moved his hands over her body, leaving a burning trail behind them. He felt her shiver under his hands and heard her let out a soft sigh. He gently pulled away her shorts before he looked up at her again. He stood up and planted a kiss on her, the kiss a blend of fire and passion. Riley gently bit his lower lip as she trembled, and Kendall wasn't sure if it was out of pleasure or out of fear. He gently ran his fingers over her cheek to reassure her. He pulled his hands away before reaching for his wallet to take out a condom. She shed him of his clothes, gently kissing him as each article was removed, giving him the same treatment he gave her. Kendall smiled at her as he put the condom on and then wrapped an arm around her back, giving her another kiss.
"I love you," he whispered, his forehead against hers.
Riley's eyes bored into his, her lips curling. "I love you, too."
Kendall kissed her again as he gently pushed into her. Then he laid still, letting her relax, to try and get used to the feeling. She brought her arms up through his, the special way that they hugged, and rested her hands on his shoulders, holding onto him tightly. After a moment, she wrapped her legs around his waist and he continued to push forward. Riley kissed him with as much passion as she could.
Their bodies moved together, they breathed each other in, their fingers laced. Riley turned her head and gently kissed Kendall's neck. She gently bit down on his skin before soothing the spot with another kiss. Kendall sighed and pressed his face against hers. They built up a slow and steady rhythm, their bodies moving together, as one person, they let their lips dance against each others. Their hands linked as his thrusts became harder, making her writhe under him, moans leaving their lips, her body trembling beneath his, his hands running over her hips, her stomach, her breasts – touching anywhere he could. Their bodies shook as the feeling of their passion washed over them. Kendall kissed her softly, grimacing, feeling his heart hurt when he saw her wince as he moved from her. He kissed her again, pulling her into his arms and holding her tightly against him. A faint sigh left Riley's lips as she snuggled up against Kendall, burying her face in his neck.
A sense of happiness washed over Kendall.
They were untouchable.
THE END
A/N: So after finishing the first version of this, I suddenly got the idea of showing how Kiley's relationship evolved over the four seasons and here you go. I was excited to show some different things with this one-shot and I hope you guys liked it. (If you couldn't tell, I used small portions of some of my fics to emphasize my point, though the thing in Hawaii was completely made up). Uh, I hope this showed their progression with being friends into best friends into boyfriend/girlfriend well.
What happened at the end was what happened in the original version of this one-shot, I decided to change it to this idea, so it didn't seem like it came out of nowhere like I thought it did the first time I wrote it. This is my third time writing something like this, the first being in my other Kiley story, I'm With You and the second being my one-shot We Need To Talk (though there it was only implied). For a while I said that I wouldn't write something like this until I was more mature to do it. And considering the last time I did one was when I was 17 and I'm now 20, I thought that I handled it well.
Was the way that the narration went from Kendall's then to Riley's POV in each of the different ages/seasons difficult for you to follow?
Cheers,
-Riles