Who Said I Hate You?
By: Riley
Summary - Moving is always hard, but it can also be very therapeutic.
"Are you just going to sit there?"
Riley smiled at Kendall's palpable annoyance. She bit her bottom lip to hold back a laugh. Rested her elbows on her crossed legs and nodded, almost preening. "Yep. Pretty much."
Kendall rolled his eyes. He tilted his head back to rest on the wall behind him. Patting his palms against the wall. He looked at her, lifting his eyebrows to say, "You know I'm just going to drag you over here, right?"
"I'd like to see you try, Hockey-Head." She knew it was pointless to goad him even a tiny bit. He was bigger than her—taller than her by almost a complete foot, weighed more, and had been playing hockey seven days a week for the past month with the Minnesota Magicians, she may as well be a feather.
He could pick her up with one hand if he wanted to—and had done many times before. Especially when she was being stubborn. Her stubborn streak and packing to move move were never a good combination.
"Once those doors open I'm dragging your ass through the door."
She didn't doubt that either. With a heavy sigh, Riley sat up straight on the box she perched upon and stretched her back. Mentally, she calculated how many more boxes they had to move. Not too many, they were lucky that their friends and family spent most of the day before to help them get the bulk of their stuff out of the way. Not much longer until they could relax. Riley watched Kendall as he glanced up at the light above the elevator doors, letting them know what floor they were on.
He hadn't reacted to leaving the PalmWoods as adversely as she thought he would. Then again, she realized, in his mind, he'd already moved out the moment he was back in Minnesota to meet the team, become registered, and get settled in with his teammates. Not mention Logan had all but lived in Camille's apartment within the last year, opening the crib to James and Carlos for Jo and Stephanie to move in. Their last night in the crib had been filled with tears and hugs before they went their separate ways.
He seemed to be over it now. Riley's moving out from her own house had been tear free, not considering the fact she was at her own house every day for hours at a time. To her, she'd hardly moved out rather than moved the place where she slept. Katie and Mrs. Knight were the ones who were hurt the most by it, the ones who cried the hardest when Kendall moved out.
Maybe that was what he was thinking about, Riley realized. Being away from his sister and mother, the two people who'd been in his life since day one. It was funny; he reacted more to his father helping him move out to Minnesota than leaving his mother and sister behind.
The doors to the elevator binged open and Kendall pushed himself from the wall. He grabbed the box nearest to him, using it to prop the doors open. He started to stack the others in the hallway, all the while Riley continued to watch.
A small smile splayed on his face as her boyfriend went through the motions. And Riley couldn't help but feel a wave of warmth and adoration for him. Despite how hard it was for everyone, he took the situation in stride and continued to move forward. Just as he did with Big Time Rush in the first place. Riley grinned at him when he looked up and caught her gaze; she couldn't help it.
"What?" He asked, running a hand through his hair. He placed his hands on his hips, chest heaving from his exertion. A sort of calculated look, unlike the way he typically looked at her, with as much love and admiration as she showed him.
"I hate you," Riley said shortly.
He lifted an eyebrow. Almost expecting it judging by his rapid and noncholant response of, "Okay. Why?"
"I hate that you're always able to move through life so easily," she said. "You moved from your home to LA to work on a band you didn't know would succeed. And then you decided to move back home to Minnesota to try out a hockey career that you hadn't completely given up on."
"And that's bad?"
Riley rested her chin in her hand. "It's not bad," she explained. "Just…" she ran a hand through her hair, unsure of what truly prompted her comment. No, that wasn't true. It was the same thing she worried about on nearly a daily basis. Long distance, not enough time to see each other face to face, working through two very full and very difficult schedules. Wondering if the love they had for each other was still going to be there when he got back.
Sensing her discomfort, Kendall turned to her, placing his hands on the box around her and leaned forward, putting his face next to hers. "What's up?' He asked. His eyes narrowed and he tilted his head to the side, obviously trying to mimic the look she gave him that had him open like a book.
Riley let out a quiet, "Oh my God," as she reached up and pushed his face away from hers. Kendal laughed and leaned back, grabbing her hand in his. "Don't be so overly dramatic, Hockey-Head."
"It's not overly dramatic, that's how you look."
"I don't look like that!"
"Have you seen yourself?"
"Yes, by looking at Rhu, every day."
Kendall laughed again. "You're not funny."
"I'm hysterical."
Kendall placed his hands on her cheeks and swooped in. His long lashes brushed her cheeks as he kissed her. It wasn't a romantic, passionate kiss. Not all of them needed to be. It was a perfect kiss, one that she felt all his love for her within, immediately flushing her worries away.
She knew, in that kiss, that they could handle it. Handle the distance, handle being apart for so long. Handle all the difficulties that came with it because she loved moments like that, where she knew she could be his forever. Riley kissed him back, then looked at him curiously when he pulled back and chuckled to himself.
"You know, sometimes, I wonder if you actually hate," he remarked.
Riley simply smirked and teased, "Who said I hate you?"
THE END