I Still Love You
Chapter 21: Am I really her dad?
Musa POV
Today was just another one of those lazy days. I woke up 15 minutes ago, and did absolutely nothing since. I had no work since its Saturday and Melody had no school either.
After Galatea and Jared's wedding yesterday, Riven, Melody and I came home and Riven left too. I honestly wished he could've stayed for a bit but it was quite late I guess. But I still couldn't stop thinking about what happened during the wedding.
I shook my head to forget about the thought of the events that happened last night, and sighed.
Meh... if I have nothing to do today, I might as well get back to sleep! I snuggled to my comfy pillows and wrapped the thick warm blanket over myself, closing my eyes. When all of a sudden, my phone rang making me jump in shock.
"God, who the hell is it?!" I growled, wanting more sleep and getting annoyed to whoever dares to call me this morning! I bet it's six in the morning!
When it rang again, I sighed in frustration and took my phone but I stayed lying down on the bed.
"What?!" I snapped, slightly in anger, not knowing who called me.
"Musa? Hey!" I heard a soft, very familiar voice.
"Riven?!" I shouted in surprise, not really expecting HIM to call me this early. Though I haven't even checked the time yet...
"Why the hell are you calling me THIS early?!" I asked.
"Umm Musa? It's eleven thirty" Riven clarified. I gasped in confusion and looked at the time. Oh wait, he is right! I'm so stupid! Why didn't I check the time?
And OMG! It's so late! I usually wake up at 7 or 8!
"Oh... right" I blushed in embarrassment, even know he couldn't see me, "So uhh... why did you call?"
"Well it's just an idea that popped up in my head. You know that new theme park that is 1 hour and a half away from here? I thought it would be nice to take Melody there, and you come too of course," Riven explained, "It's totally up to you if you're up for it. Unless... you're busy, then never mind... whatever"
I chuckled, "Of course, it sounds like a great idea! When do you want us to be ready?"
"Hmm... does half past twelve sounds okay to you?" he questioned.
I was about to reply and then I remembered something that I should NEVER have forgotten!
Alex is coming round today at precisely 12 and will be spending the whole day with us, and he'll be sleeping over too! I totally forgot about that!
"Yes that's okay and I just remembered something! Is it okay if Alex tags along with us? He's supposed to be sleeping over round our house and he's coming in 30 minutes.." I said.
"Yes, It's even better if he comes!" I heard him say excitedly.
"Ok then. See you later, jerk" I said with a chuckle.
"See you later pixie" he said, and when I was about to complain, he hung up.
I growled in frustration and hit the bed, "Ooh! That... jerk!"
I stood up and sighed. A smile crept on my face. I was so happy about this! I missed hanging out with that jerk! Even though I call him that, I still like him, as a friend of course!
I walked to Melody's room to see her sat on the bed.
"Hey honey, you're already awake?" I said with a smile.
"Yes mommy, I woke up a few minutes ago" Melody replied.
"Well, today we're gonna go somewhere very exciting so you'd better get ready" I said.
"Really mommy?! Where is it?! And is Alex coming too?" Melody asked in excitement.
"Yes Alex is coming and you'll see" I smiled.
"Yay!" Mel cheered, jumping out of her bed and running out her room. I giggled and went in the bathroom to take a shower. After I took a shower and brushed my teeth, I went into my room to change.
I decided to war something casual and comfortable today since we might be going on a lot of fun rides in the theme park!
I chose a pair of dark blue denim jeans that were skinny, a plain ruby red tank top, and a black leather jacket over it to complete the look. I also wore knee high leather black boots that had high heels and applied red ruby lipstick, and black mascara.
I looked at myself in the mirror and stared at my navy locks. My hair was so unbelievably long now, it reached my ankles. It brought me back to the memory when I first went to Alfea, and I had my signature short pigtails and that tomboy attitude... Wow, I was so different back then. Now, my hair is very different unlike my old hairstyle, and well, my personality is also different.
It also reminded me of the time I first met Riven... Omg, I remember that memory very well. It was when the Specialists crashed coz of that ogre and they got stuck on the swamp until the girls and I found them. When I first caught sight of Riven, oh my god, I thought he was SO cute! Damn it, I love the way he looked the first time I saw him! Not to be too shallow though, but that was what I first noticed about him. And next, I noticed his bad boy attitude, and I've gotta admit, I do love bad boys...
I can't believe I ended up with one. But now, it surely doesn't look like I'm with a bad boy. I'm with nobody. But I'm happy with my single-mother life... for now.
I tied my long midnight blue hair in a high ponytail, But curled the ponytail and brushed it making it look like a big curl, and swept my fringe slightly to the side and it was resting on half of my forehead (Her hairstyle is inspired by Taylor Swift's Shake It Off when she was in her cheerleader form. Musa's hairstyle looks like Taylor's cheerleader one). I sighed with one last look and left the room.
Melody wore a red denim shorts with white opaque tights under it and a white long sleeved top that was slightly loose and had red musical patterns on it. She wore cute little red ballerina shoes with straps and her long magenta hair that almost reached her waist was very straight. She had a big red bow headband around her head and her fringe was swept to the side like mine. She looked adorable!
I then heard the doorbell so I opened it to see Stella, Brandon and Alex. Alex wore great fancy clothes too for today.
"Hey Musa!" Stella greeted me with a smile and pulled me in for a hug.
"Hey Stell" I sighed with a chuckle and hugged her back, "So I have told you that we're gonna be going with Riven to a theme park today didn't I?"
"As a matter of fact, you did!" Stella said, telling Alex to go inside to find Melody.
"So Musa, it looks like Riven is taking you for a family trip, right?" Stella smirked.
"Hey! I don't exactly call it a FAMILY trip..." I mumbled, "But I've been thinking about some stuff..."
"Stuff like you're finally gonna tell Riven the truth?" Brandon asked, raising an eyebrow. I looked at him and sighed.
"Maybe..." I bit my lip slightly in nervousness, "I'm actually thinking about it. Not today for sure... but maybe in a month or so..."
"OMG! Really?!" Stella asked in excitement.
"Don't keep your hopes up" I said.
"Well, Musa, then if you need to talk to us about it, we'll always be here for you" Brandon gave me a sweet smile and gently touched my shoulder. He and I were like brothers and sisters. I loved the little bond I have with him. It started that time when Riven was being such a jerk and Brandon explained to me about Riven's feelings and it helped me a lot... he's like a special brother to me...
"All right then hun! See you later!" Stella grinned. I waved at them as they walked away. So all I need to do now is wait for Riven. Besides, he's gonna be here in a few minutes.
I brought a medium sized bag with me that included a few spare clothes in case we will go on some water rides and I stuffed it with other important stuff too. Stella gave me Alex's spare clothes earlier and I put them in with it.
After we ate breakfast, I heard a knock on the door so I stood up and opened it.
"Riven?" I said, with a smile on my face. Riven stared at me with a surprised expression on his handsome face, while his eyes travelled up to bottom.
"Stop staring, perv" I teased, chuckling at him.
"What?" Riven said, finally out of his little 'trance', "I wasn't!"
"Oh really?!" I smirked, "You were staring at me from top to bottom!"
"As if!" he scoffed. I giggled at him and poked him on the shoulder.
"I was only joking!" I chuckled. He shrugged and looked back at his expensive car.
"So... uhh, are you ready then?" he questioned.
"Yeah I guess, let me just call Mel and Alex" I said, running back into the house to get the kids. They both were in the living room and watching TV while drinking cups of orange juice.
"Ok then you two, we're going on the trip right now. Are you ready?" I asked, picking my handbag and the carrier bag in my hands.
"Yes mommy!" Melody grinned.
"Where are we going Mel?" Alex asked Melody.
"I have no idea, Al" she replied, "But I'm so excited!"
The two kids started getting some stuff and their coats then ran out.
I laughed at their cuteness and went out too, and as soon as I came out, I saw Melody running to Riven and cheering his name happily.
"Yay! You're coming with us?" Melody smiled.
"Of course I am!" Riven laughed, picking Melody up. I walked towards Riven and the kids and stood in front of them.
Riven placed Melody gently on the floor and looked at Alex.
"You excited kid?" he asked.
"Yes! It would be better than any other places I would go to... I think. Coz the ONLY places my mum takes us is malls for SHOPPING!" Alex huffed in frustration. I had to laugh at that. I knew Stella loves her shopping and I feel sorry for Alex, he didn't seem to LIKE the idea of shopping at all.
"Aw feel sorry for you kid, you're mother is addicted to it so I guess there's nothing you can do about it" Riven chuckled, messing Alex's brown hair in a teasing way, and Alex laughed along with him.
Riven then turned his head to me, "Let's go"
He opened his car door for the kids and they went in.
He stood in front of me, with his hands in his pockets, "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you this earlier, you look beautiful"
I smiled at his compliment and nodded, "Thanks..."
"No problem pixie, and we'd better get going" Riven said casually and was about to go into his car but then I stopped him.
"Wait! Hold on! PIXIE?! AGAIN?! Really Riven?" I exclaimed.
He chuckled at me and shrugged, "I've always called you that ever since we met so?"
"It's getting annoying" I stated with a scowl, "And by the way, I still think of you as an ignorant jerk even if you take us to this trip"
"Whatever" Riven said with a slightly annoyed and frustrated voice and opened the car door for me and then went in the other side.
I sighed went in the car too. This was going to be a VERY long trip... god, I can't even imagine it!
My mind keeps on trailing to the thought of how CRAZY this was! I mean, you've got to admit, this is pretty crazy, right? Sitting in a car with your ex and your daughter who doesn't know that my ex is her father... Omg, how much more awkward can this get?
I can't believe I even agreed to come to this trip! I think I fully regret it now. I should NEVER have agreed to come with him to this trip, but I'd thought Melody would've liked this, and I also wanted to give them a chance to get to know each other more, and bond more.
I didn't want Melody and Riven to be apart and kept from the secret forever so before the day comes when I tell them, I have to let them spend time with each other. And this was a great way to do it.
I sighed.
"You bored?" Riven asked casually.
"What do you think?" I questioned sarcastically, sighing in frustration.
"Geez, I was only asking" he said. I rolled my eyes and turned my head to look at him. He looked so handsome from sideways, but then again, even handsome from the front. Or I could even say hot. But why am I thinking about HIM again?!
I regret thinking about this hot head all the time, but he keeps getting to my mind. I haven't got anything against him but sometimes he can frustrate me so easily.
It just reflects back on the time I was first with him, he was being such a jerk! But now, I think he has changed. I'm not too sure.
I was about to say something to Riven but then the kids started to wake up.
"Are we there yet?" Melody yawned cutely.
"No, honey" I replied, giggling at Alex who was still half asleep on Mel's shoulder.
"I'm bored!" Melody whined, "I wanna play something!"
"You're always bored, Mel" Alex yawned, sitting up and rolling his eyes at her.
Melody glared at him, "No I'm not!"
"Um... yes you are" Alex teased with a cheeky smile.
"No I'm not!" Mel snapped, "But I'm actually...hungry"
Alex chuckled and nodded at her.
"Hey how about we get some food and eat it in the car? If you don't mind us eating in the car, of course..." I asked Riven.
"Uhh... sure I guess" Riven smiled and the kids cheered in happiness.
I grinned at Riven and lightly kissed his cheek, and then whispered 'Thank You'. He smiled at me back and then stopped at a restaurant with a drive-thru.
Some of us bought burgers and some of us had chicken strips and we all had fries with them and some drinks. The kids ate their food and I did too, as Riven drove. He sometimes took some fries as he drove and I saw how difficult it was for him to drive and eat at the same time.
I munched on my fries and took a sip of the cola, then turned my head to look at Riven. I reached my hand into his food and held it close to his mouth.
He looked at me in confusion.
"Uh-uh!" I said, signalling him to open his mouth. He nodded and smiled then opened his mouth as I gave him the food, then I drew my hand away from him and took another.
"Uh... you don't have to feed me you know" he said.
"It's fine, you're a big baby anyway!" I teased, reaching my hand up to his hair and messing it slightly.
"Hey! Stop messing my hair! It takes a long time to style it you know!" he snapped like a little kid.
"Aw.. poow wivie is wowwied bout his pwetty haiw!" I whimpered teasingly, giggling a bit and fake-frowning.
"God, you're so immature!" he growled.
"Says yourself!" I muttered.
"Is not!" he snapped.
I sighed and laughed, "Can't believe you can't SEE the truth"
"I can see perfectly well thank you very much" Riven muttered angrily. I punched him on the arm slightly and felt his bicep stiffen.
Oh my, just thinking about his muscular arms and body makes me feel... tingly inside. I always loved that extremely sexy body of his... I'd give anything to see them again.. WAIT DID I JUST THINK OF THAT?!
"You still working your body?" I smirked.
"So what? At least girls like it this way" he said and snickered.
I raised my eyebrow and stared up at him, "What girls?"
"Never mind" Riven chuckled, looking away from me and smiling, "Now would you pwease feed me another fry!"
I scoffed and laughed, "So much for being 'Immature'"
I grabbed more food and fed it to him, accidentally touching his lips and feeling my hands shiver. His lips were so feathery soft... I miss them. I can't even believe I'm admitting this, but I do miss those lips of his that I used to feel.
I smiled at him and looked out the window.
"We'll be there soon enough" Riven mumbled, smiling at me too.
We finally arrived at the theme park where it had a mall next to it and a few other shops and a beach.
The kids were so excited about it and I was happy that they were. When we got inside, my jaws dropped after seeing the amazing and thrilling rides around us!
This was surely gonna be a LONG day... a VERY long day...
"Should we ride that big one that twirls upside down first?!" Alex questioned in excitement.
"No way! That's too scary!" Melody squeaked.
"Ha! I don't think so!" Alex smirked. After deciding what to ride first for nearly 5 minutes, we finally decided to ride a simple ride first so we went to the bumper cars.
Mel and I got on one bumper car and Riven and Alex got on another one, and boy, did I regret deciding to ride this coz the boys kept on bumping us! We got so annoyed at the end that we tried to bump into them too. Boys are boys... they're so competitive. Especially Riven.
We also went to this gigantic pool of round colourful balls. The kids loved it and dragged Riven and I into it and let me tell you, I didn't enjoy any bit of it!
After that, we rode a roller coaster type of ride that wasn't that scary so Melody and Alex could ride it, but honestly, I was terrified even if KIDS are allowed on it! I've got to blame all that to Riven since it was his idea to go on it and apparently the kids wanted to go on it too.
We then rode a few more medium-sized roller coasters that were all different, and some of them were water rides!
"That was FUN!" Mel and Alex cheered.
"It was, let's do it again!" Riven smiled along with the kids. It was like he was their older brother or something! Though Mel and Alex aren't related.
"No way, mister! I got WET on that ride and if we go on it again, I'll be damn soaked!" I snapped.
"Oh well! You can dry it off with your magic!" Riven scoffed, "It's not a big deal"
"IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL?! Riven, are you even hearing yourself right now?! It is a big deal coz my clothes would get wet and my hair would too!" I snapped.
"Since when do you care about- WAIT! Where's the kids?!" Riven suddenly gasped, scanning everywhere around us. The theme park was a little busy with a lot of people walking everywhere.
I face-palmed myself and groaned, "Oh my god, this is YOUR fault!"
"IT'S MY FAULT?!" Riven shouted.
"YES! If you hadn't started this stupid argument then the kids wouldn't have ran off! You're so obnoxious and... and so stupid!" I simply stated, glaring at him. I swear, Riven and I argue about the stupidest little things that aren't worth arguing for, and I could have ended it right there, but I want to prove to him that I am right, not him. I know, so immature and idiotic of us, right? Well, this is what we always do.
But every time we have these stupid little arguments, it always ends up with me laughing at him! Our little arguments aren't serious and we take it as a joke at the end and we usually say very mean things about each other but we never take it personally though.
But seriously, we're like joking buddies if you tell me.
"Damn it, Musa, you're such a... such a hypocrite!" Riven growled. He didn't like the idea of me calling him those words, though what he said made me angry, not upset. But going back to the time when Riven broke up with me, THAT would be the only argument that was the most serious and horrible one...
I hated it.
"Don't you dare call me that you... jerk! You're exactly the same!" I snapped angrily.
This isn't going ANYWHERE is it?! We were in the middle of the theme park arguing about something so stupid and going absolutely nowhere with it. We might as well stop and do something... OH NO! The KIDS!
Riven glared at me too but then I took him by the arm and dragged him with me to the direction of where we saw the kids going.
"What do you think you're doing?" Riven muttered, staring at me in confusion. Is voice was back to normal and not loud and angry anymore but there was always that hint of annoyingness in it. Of course he's still annoyed by me, I'm irritated by him!
"The kids! They ran off remember?" I sighed, letting go of his arm.
"Oh right..." Riven said, nodding, "I think they went that way"
He pointed to a direction and we walked to it but then we ended up right in front of a maze. And let me rephrase that, a GIGANTIC maze!
"Oh no... this is NOT going to be good" I gulped.
"You're daughter is quite naughty along with her companion" Riven said sarcastically.
"Yeah, well, she probably got that mischievousness from her father" I replied with a shrug.
Riven stared at me with a raised eyebrow and smirked.
"Wow, who's the father then?" he chuckled, "You never told me who this 'guy' is"
"Ugh, can we please not talk about this now?!" I growled.
"Okay! Okay!" Riven sighed softly. He took a step towards the maze and turned to me.
"I'll take left first and you'll take right. I think it's better if we separate to find them" Riven said.
"Okay" I nodded my head in agreement.
I then roamed around the seemingly endless maze, surrounded by big bushes of green leaves and as I walked closer the leaves turned black in colour. That's weird.
It must be a leave colour changing spell. Since we are technically still in Magix, there would still be magic, fairies and witches around.
I noticed how the atmosphere gets... scarier as I walked further. It turned darker, and more gloomy.
It was so scary to say the least. I couldn't imagine Melody walking through this.
As I walked further, I nearly screamed when I saw a figure standing near the shadows. But when I went closer, it turned out to be a statue... a SCARY statue.
All right, what is this place! It's very spooky. The statue would be quite scary to little kids but not scary at all to adults but I got scared coz I wasn't expecting it.
If this maze is sinister, then... then am I in a horror maze?!
It's a maze full of scary stuff, but not too scary of course. It's intended for kids around 10 and let's just say, Melody is NOWHERE near that age! Okay she's 6, but she is still way too young for it!
Damn it I shouldn't have let her ran away! How terrible am I!
I began to feel so worried that my hands were shaking slightly. I hope Alex is still with her, god, I hope he is. I'm also worried about him too, they're just kids.
I walked further and saw the sky getting darker. I guess it was evening now. I could remember saying the maze would be closed in an hour so I'd better hurry.
That was when I heard a twig snap behind me...
Riven's POV
I silently walked around this lame maze and desperately tried to look for the kids. I just found out that this maze is 'Scary' so it's even worse. I've got to find them now!
I sighed in frustration and dug my hand in my hair. All I could see was darkness, the leaves and the path. I'm concerned about Melody and Alex since they would get scared with their surroundings. Musa and I shouldn't have let them ran off like that coz of our argument. I'm terrible!
I suddenly heard a soft sob so I instantly looked up and tried to get closer to the voice, wherever it is.
I crept slowly and peered behind the leaves, and I sighed in relief, seeing the little girl that always reminded me of the woman I used to love.
"Melody..."
Musa's POV
That was when I heard a twig snap behind me...
I gasped and my breathing started to be a bit raspy. Damn it Musa, don't be scared. There must be other people here since this IS a big theme park. You're not the only one in here. But then there's that doubt that no one entered the maze since it was too scary...
"Aunt Musa?" I heard a voice squeak, and out of the darkness, Alex appeared, an expression of fear on his face that quickly turned into relief.
"Al!" I smiled, as he ran up to me and hugged me. I giggled and hugged him back. He was like a son to me.
"Are you okay? And where's Mel?" I questioned.
"I'm okay and Mel and I got accidentally separated when we were running and got lost. I'm so sorry we ran off Aunt Musa, we didn't mean to!" Alex apologized with the cutest smile. I smiled back and nodded.
"Melody must still be out there then..." I frowned, "And Riven"
"What if Uncle Riven found Mel?" Alex said. I thought about it for a minute.
I do hope Riven found Melody. I want my baby girl to be okay, so I hope he finds her.
I nodded at Alex and led him to a way out. Well, it did take a hell of a lot of minutes to get out of the maze but we got out at the end.
The man that was right in front of the maze didn't notice Mel and Al running into the maze since they were quite fast. We then waited for 15 minutes until we heard the ruffling noise of the leaves near by...
Suddenly, Riven appeared out of the maze with Melody in his arms.
"Oh my, Riven! Melody!" I smiled in relief and happiness and ran over to them. I hugged Mel as she giggled.
"Riv, what happened?" I asked.
"She was scared and nearly cried but then I found her and picked her up in my arms. It was quite cold as well you know... I was so worried about her but I'm glad I found her" Riven explained, placing Mel gently to the ground.
"Right. Now you two should never do that again, okay? You have to wait for us first, understand?" I asked. The kids nodded innocently.
"Thank you, daddy for getting me out of there" Melody smiled at Riven, leaning up making him kneel to the ground next to her as she gave him a big hug. Riven grinned and happily hugged her back. They looked so cute that it nearly brought me to tears.
"So should we go home now or what?" Riven asked after a few minutes of silence.
"No way! We wanted to ride those merry go rounds!" Melody said. Riven and I looked at each other then smiled.
It was then nearly the end of the day. It was like 6 or something and we decided to ride one ride left, before we go home.
The kids were exhausted after their last ride and we finally decided to go home until we bumped into somebody we would never have expected.
"Flora! Helia!" I grinned, seeing my two best friends in the theme park with their daughter and Blake. Lily and Blake were best friends though I don't understand those two sometimes since Lily is so quiet and peaceful and is so behaving unlike Blake who is number one on the list of being the naughtiest kid out of the other kids, and Alex is number 2, though he isn't as bad as him. Blake likes to play tricks a lot on the girls and Melody but we, as adults, find him funny.
We also weren't expecting him and Lily to have kissed once just like Alex and Melody did.
Flora's stomach was already getting bigger coz of her baby. I was curious of how she can ride rides when she's pregnant.
"So you didn't ride anything?" I asked.
"No Musa, but I had fun playing a few games with the kids. Though Blake keeps running off..." Flora giggled slightly at the last part. I stared at all the kids.
"Tell me about it" I laughed, making the others chuckle.
"Mommy, can me and Alex sleepover at Lily's house with Blake and Lily instead of going home?" Melody questioned.
"Umm..." I looked at Flora and Helia, "If that's okay with Aunt Flo and Uncle Helia"
"Of course it is Musa! We'd love to have Mel and Al around in Linphea" Flora smiled.
"Thanks. Then... it's bye then honey" I said, looking at Mel.
Melody hugged me and said, "I love you mommy"
And then, she turned to Riven and something I have NEVER heard her say before came out of her very own lips as she hugged him.
"I love you, daddy, and thank you for today" she whispered, hugging him tighter and smiling. Everyone looked shocked, even Riven, but he replied to her the same thing and kissed her forehead.
I was speechless. Flora and Helia turned to me like they wanted answers so I just nodded and decided to tell them next time. They were probably thinking I've already told Riven that Melody is his daughter since she called him 'daddy' in front of them.
And that's what is stuck in my god damn head now!
I've been seeing with my own eyes, all the things that happened between MY daughter and MY Riven. I've never seen Melody so happy in my life, and I never saw Riven like that too. They've never been this close, they've never been so affectionate together as father and daughter and they've got so close, like the bond is now even stronger and is unbreakable.
I've seen them together, they were EXACTLY like Father and Daughter ... but I wish they KNEW the secret I've been keeping for years. I knew it would change everything if I told them, and it was a slight risk. I didn't know what would HAPPEN if I do tell them...
But I've been thinking about it. And I got this feeling in my heart that... I should... that I should...
That I should TELL secret now.
I knew this feeling was real, and I honestly don't know why I'm believing it. But I guess I'm READY to tell them. I want to tell Riven first.
But... but It wouldn't mean much, coz I knew I didn't love Riven. I probably never will love him again. those feelings aren't there anymore. but I'm prepared to tell him the truth no matter what.
I wanted to tell him... tonight. But I still had my doubts...
"Bye then Musa and Riven" Flora and Helia said as they walked away with the four kids.
I stared into the space and thought about the decision I was making.
"Umm... Musa?"
I knew what it takes to tell him, but I still don't love him. I wanted to tell him coz I know it is the right thing to do. I knew I HAVE to tell him.
I can't keep this secret any longer...
"HELLO?! EARTH TO MUSA!?" Riven called, waving his hand in front of me.
I snapped out of my daze and stared up at his handsome face.
"Sorry! I was... umm... thinking" I said, lowering my gaze and blushing at the thought of ME actually considering of telling him the TRUTH.
"That's okay," Riven chuckled, smiling at me with his eyes, I love it when his eyes smile brightly like that. "So hey, we have to go home soon but I'd thought we should go on one more ride before we go"
"Uhh... that actually sounds great! What ride were you thinking of?" I asked, seeming quite excited about this.
"I'll show you, come on" he smiled at me, but there was something up with that smile... it was like he had a plan or something coz I could see the smirk behind it.
He took my hand in his and led me to a ride we haven't ridden on yet, today.
I looked up, my gaze wandering to the sight in front of me, as a smile crept on my face.
"A Ferris Wheel?!" I squealed, in a slightly too perky way.
"Yeah. I know you've wanted to go on it all day but Mel and Al refused to since apparently it was too 'boring' for them. But now it's night time and there's gonna be like a thousand lights and the view would be amazing..." Riven said nervously, putting his hands in his pockets and moving his feet slightly, "... and I'd thought you'd like to go on it before we go"
I sighed in happiness and blushed slightly, then stared up at his face, "I'd love to"
Riven grinned and I took his hand as we went on the ride. There were other people who got on it as well and Riven and I got a separate one. Each ride can only fit two people so this is perfect!
I sat on the seat as Riven sat next to me and I could feel the ride slowly move up.
I was excited about this coz I haven't ridden a Ferris Wheel for over a year and I could finally get on it now, and I hope every minute of it lasts a long time. I've always adored these type of rides, the peace and quiet, the slight cold breeze that brushes past you and the million thousands of lights you could see from the town and the other rides, when it's night time.
But what makes it more perfect is if you spend the time on it with the one you... love. It's a beautiful sight to see with the thousand stars and being with your soul mate completes it.
But I shrugged it off. Come on Musa, you're not with the man you love, you're with your freakin EX!
Even thinking about it makes me flinch slightly. Everybody would find THIS weird if you are with your EX! But I wanted to get past that for a moment and just have a good time. And anyway, it wasn't like Riven is a bad guy. In fact, he's amazing. But his attitude sometimes ruins it.
I sighed, feeling the cold wind brush past me and giving shivers down my body. The Ferris Wheel was open at the top since we are in a Magical Dimension so obviously things are different here, that's what I liked about it. The wind blew my hair to the back making strands of my navy hair fall on my face, and I desperately tried to move them back to place. I then noticed Riven's eyes on me so I turned to him and raised an eyebrow.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing... It's just that you look so beautiful" Riven smiled a bit, scoffing, "Shame about the attitude though"
"What is THAT supposed to mean?!" I snapped, trying to calm down and have a nice time but this jerk just had to ruin it doesn't he? "Thanks for the compliment though"
"Never mind, it didn't mean anything!" Riven quickly said, looking like he immediately regretted saying what he did.
"Oh sure it did! And you know it!" I growled.
"Look, Muse, it wasn't supposed to turn out like that" Riven said sincerely, looking at me in the eyes as his expression softened, "The 'attitude' part was just a joke, you know..."
I gave him a 'seriously?' look as he sighed in frustration.
"I'm sorry" he whispered softly, looking at me with a guilty expression and lowering his gaze to the view.
I sighed too and decided to leave it alone for now, since I wanted the peace and quiet. I followed his gaze and gasped when I saw it.
My eyes lit up and my mouth opened in awe. "Wow... that is... that is amazing!"
The sight was truly extraordinary. The lights were all sorts of colours and the view of the whole theme park could be seen, and the outer town. There was that gargantuan silky azure lake and the magnificent bridge over it seen too. Colourful different lights flashed everywhere and it all looked amazing! I leaned forward a bit to take a better look at it.
The stars in the night sky shined brightly like diamonds, too, which made it even better. This was perfect.
I turned to look at Riven and he smiled brightly at it, then looked at me. "It is nice"
I nodded a bit then leaned back in my seat properly. "Y-yeah, it was a nice sight" I whispered, closing my eyes.
That was when things gone downhill...
The ride completely stopped all of a sudden, and the lights on it turned off.
I opened my eyes and stared at Riven, who looked at me, puzzled, too. I attempted to look down but when I saw how high we were, I flinched and sat back in my seat almost immediately. Okay, we were very high, and by the looks of things, we were right at the TOP!
I squirmed in fear and brought my face to my hands.
Okay, so I wasn't particularly a big fan of heights... at all. Especially being STUCK on a very high Ferris Wheel with the jerk sitting next to you! And it's pretty stupid of me since I'm a fairy and I fly all the time high up in the air, I was used to that, I could easily use my powers if I ever fell, but if I fell from here, I wouldn't have time to transform.
But then I thought about how stupid I was. If I was scared then I shouldn't have ridden on it. But then again, I have been on many rides like this so I guess the problem was the fear of staying at the top for too LONG. I wasn't afraid when it was still moving coz I know I would eventually be on the ground again, but this time, I'm STUCK on it, right at the top!
I closed my eyes and whimpered, forcing myself NOT to look down.
"Damn it!" I heard Riven curse, which made me peek a bit and see him looking down and cursing some words. He was clearly angry coz the Ferris Wheel stopped working. We heard a few gasps from the other people who were on the Ferris Wheel too.
I started to sob a bit like a child, I know, really immature of me right? And earlier, I was the one who called Riven the immature one, but now, it's really obvious who is!
Riven instantly turned his head towards me and his expression immediately softened.
"Muse?" he whispered softly, frowning a bit at me, "Are you okay?"
I sighed and slowly looked up at him, "Does it look like I'm okay?!" I snapped a bit.
Riven looked at me with a hurt expression for a second as I saw his eyes wondering to the Ferris Wheel itself.
"Fine, forget I asked" he said coldly. He then looked down from the Ferris Wheel again and scoffed.
"Looks like they're getting some other people to get this thing working again" Riven explained, "It stopped but now they're fixing it... it might take an hour or so"
I nodded confidently after knowing that we would be getting off of this soon. We then stayed silent for several more minutes...
I felt the wind getting colder and colder by the second, that it made my body shiver.
I curled up a bit and then closed my eyes, trying to warm myself up by rubbing my hands together.
I felt Riven leaning back in his seat and sighing. He didn't shiver at all from the cold coz I knew in Red Fountain, they always taught the Specialists how to withstand the cold and wind so it doesn't affect them much at all, but if it's really winter and snowing then it would affect them a little... I guess that's something a hero learns.
I then flinched when I felt a warm hand wrap around my cold palms, so I looked up, my eyes meeting his beautiful violet ones.
"Damn, you're so cold, Musa" Riven whispered in concern, looking down at our hands and then looking into my eyes.
"I... it's nothing, I'm not cold" I said quickly, drawing my hands away from his. I didn't like showing a bit of weakness, I never did. I didn't like appearing vulnerable to such stuff that can't even hurt you, but this was serious. I could get a cold or whatsoever, but I simply didn't care.
Riven snorted and shook his head at me, "Really? Liar..."
I raised an eyebrow at him and sat up; trying to show him that I'm not cold at all, even though I was. I REALLY WAS!
He stared at me for a moment and blinked, then a chuckle escaped his mouth.
"Don't even try looking like you're not cold, pixie" he said, a soft smile appearing on his handsome face.
I scoffed at him and sighed, feeling the light breeze getting even colder. Gee, I wish I could just hide my feelings sometimes... I don't like them being exposed. I was clearly frustrated about this when Riven is enjoying himself by teasing me all the time.
I was frustrated, that was the truth. HE was the reason why we were stuck up here in the first place. If he hadn't suggested us to ride this, then we would never be stuck in this situation!
But then as I thought about it, I realised that Riven did this for me. He knew I liked these kinds of rides with amazing views instead of riding a roller coaster that practically causes nothing but fear and head aches... so I guess I did have to thank him for that.
I moved my body to the corner a little and wrapped my arms around myself, attempting to warm myself up. I wanted to go home soon. I really do, home is nice. But then there's that part of me that actually likes being stuck up here... but I wonder why.
That little part must be... Riven. I think I like being alone with him, spending time with him, and doing some stuff with him. It makes me feel complete... it was as if my heart was telling me that my home is... Riven.
Right, I must be going crazy if I'm thinking Riven is my home!
But I remembered myself saying that a few years back when we were... together. The old fun times... I wish things were back to the way they were. I liked my life like that. But now, things just had to go downhill.
I had a few exes before Riven, but then when I think about which one I wouldn't mind being stuck with on top of a Ferris Wheel, it has to be Riven.
I closed my eyes again and frowned; I wanted my current relationship with Riven to be more... to be more than just... friends. Sure, he's my ex now, but it doesn't mean my love for him has faded completely, I know some part of it's still there... but it would be impossible to complete it again.
"Muse, I have to admit, I had a rather fun day today," I heard Riven speak in the softest voice, letting out a gentle chuckle afterwards, "And your daughter, she's just... amazing. She's a great kid, Muse. She's... she's just like a daughter to me... like she's my daughter"
I knew he and Melody had been so close today, like every other day they spent together. They've always been close together, and their bond is still as powerful as ever.
And today when Melody admitted that she loved him, it melted my heart.
I was instantly broken out of my thoughts when I felt the ride we're on shake. It just gave me this dreadful feeling that we might fall, fall straight to the ground. That was one fear that I could never defeat.
I whimpered and immediately grabbed Riven's arm, since it was the first thing I saw that I could hold on. I was shaking a bit and I felt scared. I felt so damn stupid but I really was scared, no kidding. There is a high risk of dying on this thing if it falls, but I didn't want to seem so obnoxious about it.
By the looks of things, Riven was pretty scared too. He had one of those 'I'm not scared, I'm a hero, I'm brave' looks, but I knew deep inside, he was feeling terrified, lost, and worried.
I felt his whole body flinch a bit when I touched him, and as soon as the shaking stopped, I let go of him.
I winced in fear and shook my head, trying to make the feeling of fear go away. I wish it could just go away! I looked down, trying to keep myself from crying like a stubborn 3 years old.
"Come here," I heard a steady, soft and gentle voice reach my ears like a soft feather. I slowly looked up and watched as Riven's hand reached out to me, like he wants me to get close to him.
"What do you think you're doing?" I raised an eyebrow at him.
"I thought you needed a hug" Riven said sheepishly, "You look cold and scared by the looks of it"
"No thank you, I'm fine" I affirmed, nodded, and curled up a bit more when I felt the cold wind brush past me. Bad move though, it just proved to him that I was lying about not being cold, and when I whimpered earlier, it clearly showed that I was terrified. And I was. I just didn't want to admit it.
I heard Riven chuckle, making me stare up at him, "You really sure?"
I scoffed and looked away, crossing my arms in front of my chest. I was so tempted to just be curled up in his warm embrace, but I didn't like the idea of it when I thought it through. People might think we are together when we are actually exes. It would totally be weird.
"We're not together" I muttered.
"We don't need to be together to cuddle, you know" Riven said, amused, "Especially since it's really col-"
I cut him off when I wrapped my arms around him, suddenly feeling the warmth touch my body instantly.
I could tell that he was shocked of what I did coz I felt him flinch a little, but then I felt his muscular warm arms wrap around me, tightening the embrace.
"You know..." I heard him start to say in an amused voice,
"Shut up" I mumbled, closing my eyes. I knew he was amused by this, but I couldn't bring myself to care. I felt protected and warm in his embrace...
I didn't mean to be too horrible to him, as you can see; I'm the one who's always snapping at him. It's because I couldn't believe I can see this caring and protective side of him that I've never seen before. Not even when we were together. I didn't want to believe that he has this side, since I still can't get over the fact that he broke up with me. It's as if it will be stuck forever, and can never be forgotten.
It was too painful to think about it, when I see that he's trying to find a way to make it all up to me. I just needed time to myself sometimes. But I always find myself being with him.
I heard Riven gasp, "Look," he whispered.
I opened my eyes and a gasp escaped my mouth too.
All of a sudden, there were these incredible fireworks lighting up the sky, all kinds of shapes and colours. They were so... beautiful. If any couple could see this, this would be the most romantic scene for them, ever.
The stars shined too, but the fireworks exploded up in the sky, creating amazing little lights that seemed to shower down like glitter. It made a good view with the midnight blue sky as the background.
"It's beautiful," I smiled, my eyes sparkling.
"No, you are" I heard Riven whisper so quietly, if it wasn't for my sonar ears I wouldn't have heard it.
I slowly looked up to see him enjoying the amazing view in front of us, so I cuddled to him tighter and let out a sigh of happiness. He was amazing to me, but sometimes I wonder, why do I let myself be horrible to him?
We were now in the car, driving back to my house. The day has been incredible, and I had so much fun. Though, we did have our ups and downs and those silly arguments, but overall, I enjoyed it.
The kids were in Linphea now with Flora and Helia, and I would be picking them up tomorrow.
I was still thinking about today, how different Riven acts. He's sometimes angry, happy, caring, and stupid. Yeah right, he sometimes does act like an idiot. But sometimes he can be so idiotically... funny? Is that the right word to describe him at times? Yeah maybe...
I laughed when I remembered what he described me as earlier today...
"Damn it, Musa, you're such a... such a hypocrite!" Riven growled.
That was what he said to me earlier when we were in the middle of an argument. I know it's supposed to be offensive to me, but I just had to crack up at that! I know he didn't really mean it.
Before I knew it, we were finally home. The 1 hour and a half ride wasn't too bad. Riven and I were exhausted from today, but we talked a little and giggled too. But now I just felt... disappointed that the day had to end, and this means the next time I see him is in 2 weeks since he'll be having some kind of trip with the fellow Red Fountain students, and the trip would last 2 weeks.
I got out the car and he walked with me towards the door.
I stood in front of my door and was about to get my keys out the purse, but then I turned around and looked at him. His hands were in his pockets and his eyes were wandering to the ground.
"Uhh... Riven," I started nervously, fiddling with my hands.
He looked at me with those cute eyes of his, and raised an eyebrow as if to ask 'What is it?'.
I knew he had to leave right now after I enter my house, and after that I wouldn't see him for a whole 2 WEEKS. But I didn't want him to leave yet, I wanted to spend a little more time with him before he left. I had to think of a quick excuse as to why I wanted him to spend a little longer with me.
"Umm... can you come in for a bit since I want to... show you something?" I asked nervously, biting my lip.
Riven looked back at his car and shrugged, "Sure I guess, I mean I do have some spare time before I have to leave for the trip tomorrow"
"Great!" I smiled cheerfully, and maybe too cheerfully by the looks of his face when I said it.
He simply nodded and gave me a soft smile.
I dug into my purse, pulled the key out, and entered my house as he followed. I went inside my room and signalled for him to come in too, so he did.
"I'm gonna quickly get changed" I said, running into the bathroom. The jeans weren't really that comfortable to wear so I chose my only type of pyjamas, a short red nightgown that reached my knees. It did reveal my legs too much though...
I took out the hair band that tied my hair back and let my navy locks loose and down, flowing freely down my body. I messed it up slightly so the shape where the hair band was disappeared. My hair wasn't straight since I did curl it this morning, so it was curled and long.
I came out and saw Riven sitting on the bed, and when he saw me, a cheeky grin appeared on his face.
"Lookin' good, pixie" he smirked, as I sat down next to him.
"I would have just accepted you're compliment and thank you for it if you hadn't ruined it by using that one word" I scoffed, rolling my eyes, referring 'pixie' as the one word, "Otherwise, thank you"
He gave me an amused look and then looked at me from top to bottom, "So, what's the occasion?"
I glared at him in a playful way and hit his arm, "Don't get any wrong ideas just coz I'm wearing... THIS!"
Riven glared at me, "I wasn't getting any wrong ideas! Maybe you were!"
"I wasn't!" I defended, but sighed when I realised how stupid this was.
"So what was it that you wanted to show me?" he asked, seeming a bit serious now, "That outfit you're wearing wasn't what you wanted to show me, was it?"
He then laughed, as I gulped since I didn't really think it through when I said that I was going to show him something. It was just a quick excuse to make him spend a little more time with me.
"Umm..." I mumbled, shifting my gaze to the drawers, "Oh yeah! This!"
I then jumped up and took something out my drawer. It was an album of Melody. It had lots of photos of her when she was a baby and when she was growing up to be a toddler. It was the first thing that came into mind, so I thought, why not show him this?
I handed the big pink and red album to him and sat next to him, "It's... an album of Melody. I remembered that she really wanted you to see it,"
Riven smiled at me and opened the first page. It was when Mel was a newborn. I was with the Winx when I gave birth to Mel. And you could probably guess, Stella was the one who took all the photos. She probably took a thousand!
But the other Winx girls took pictures too, even me. I saw a grin appear on his face, and it made me chuckle.
I guess it was good to show him this since it's all the things he's missed on. If only he was there for us from the beginning, then he would be in these photos.
"She looked so cute there" he grinned, looking at me, as I looked at him.
"Look, there are our friends" I whispered, pointing to a photo with all the Winx and Specialists in it, except for Riven. He snorted when he looked at a photo.
"God, look at Sky and Brandon's faces in that photo!" he chuckled, "They grinned like idiots!"
I laughed with him.
There were few photos of our friends the day Mel was born, they were all there. He then flicked to another page and there were lots of photos of Melody in it. She was a cute infant then, her eyes were so big and azure and her little hair was magenta.
I stared at Riven as he looked at the photos. All I could see in his eyes were... love, care, pure admiration... he really does love Melody. He already thought of her as his daughter...
And as I thought about it, he really did need to know the truth.
"Muse?" he whispered softly.
"Yeah?" I said, staring at a photo of a toddler Melody.
"Uhh... you don't really have to answer this... but..." Riven mumbled, biting his lip as if he was still thinking if he should ask this or not,
"Umm... where's.. you're husband? Melody's father? I mean some of these photos have you when you were holding a newborn Melody after you gave birth to her, but where's the father? Wasn't he there for you when you gave birth to her?"
Once he asked those simple questions, I froze. Like literally, maybe not.
My expression was clearly shown as shocked. I was really astonished that he asked about it.
What was I supposed to say? What, am I supposed to just say, 'You're the father'. It isn't as simple as it sounds. I can't just tell him.
It's too early.
But then will it be too late?
I can't tell him, not yet. No, I have to tell him the truth. It isn't fair on him!
"Uhh, you don't have to tell me If you don't want to you know" he whispered gently, a frown appearing on his face.
"Wait, no! I... I have to tell you... something" I admitted, trying to decide what I should tell him. He stared at me expectantly.
Damn it! Should I tell him?! I can't just tell him! That wouldn't be right! But he has a right to know!
He needs to know the truth! No he doesn't, it will make the situation worse! But what if it will be too late to tell him?
All these crazy thoughts crowded my mind, and slowly driving me insane!
I couldn't decide! I didn't know if it would be the right thing to do. It might be bad and what if I regret it!?
I can't take things back if I do regret it! I wanted to tell him so badly! But I can't just do that! What if I don't get the reaction I want? What if he gets mad? Or... or what if he actually jumps in joy about it?
Will he be happy if I tell him that Melody is his DAUGHTER?! But won't he be angry that I kept this a secret for so long?!
But as I thought about the things he has done for me today, and any other day, I realised that he really was a good guy. He cared for her. Heloved her. He had to know, no matter what. He deserves it. Mel too.
I knew he was waiting for me to say something. He can't wait any longer! And I can't keep this a secret forever...
I sighed, finally relaxing.
I NEEDED to tell him... I have to. He has every right to know. After all, it's his own daughter. From his own blood...
I bit my lip, and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. This was the right thing, I convinced myself.
That part won. I opened my eyes and kept a confident face on.
"Do you want to know who Melody's father is?" I asked confidently, but inside, I was terrified.
Riven looked at me questioningly and gave me a confused expression, but then he gave a slow nod.
This was it. The moment I've been waiting for. It could either end badly, or could end goodly.
I slowly looked up, locking my eyes with his beautiful ones. He needed to know.
"Melody's father, my ex, is . . ." I took a sharp breath.
"Is . . . you,"
Hello guys! I'm SO sorry I haven't updated in over a MONTH! I really apologize about it. I've been a bit busy these days and I had a really bad writer's block. But I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It is the longest chapter in I Still Love You since I wanted to make up for not updating in like forever!
But anyways, hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! Again, I'm sorry for updating late. I hope I could update as soon as I can, and maybe try to update in under a week. I also have my other story: Clueless Crush to update. so, I think it would take a couple of days to update this one. Thanks for reading and I hope you did like the cliff hanger ;)
I guess you will find out Riven's reaction in the next chapter ;) And the next chapter will be in Riven's POV maybe. Bye for now!