"I'm only here for X, to make sure you don't pull any of your usual crap."

"She's not the one I'm attracted to."

"Riza," Roy greeted, an apologetic look already on his face. He stood from his chair as he welcomed them, pulling out both their chairs in the café for them to sit in. She eyed his moves carefully and noticed there were dark circles under his eyes. More so than usual… Or was she just imagining it?

"How are you?" Rebecca asked civilly.

Roy shrugged. "I've been better." His face fell as he pulled his chair in, and Riza realised she hadn't imagined the dark circles under his eyes. He truly looked exhausted. Was he all right? "You?" he asked, but he looked straight at Riza, asking her.

"Fine," she managed to get out.

"I'm all right," Rebecca answered after her. "Looking forward to getting all of this straightened out," Rebecca replied, tone matter of fact. Then she shot a pointed look at Roy. "I'm only here for Riza, to make sure you don't pull any of your usual crap."

Roy visibly swallowed. "That's fair, I suppose."

"Damn right it is." Riza was glad she'd brought Rebecca along. Having moral support was working wonders for her confidence right now.

"So, what's the deal?" Rebecca asked.

"That woman – Solaris – we're not married." Riza was sorry, but she just couldn't call her by name. Not yet. It was too fresh. If she gave her a name, it would make her reality a horrible dream that she couldn't wake up from. "Anyway, she's not the one I'm attracted to." He shot Riza a pointed look, but that irked her. What did that have to do with anything? He couldn't just break up a relationship abruptly and sleep with another woman, while the other was unaware of it, just because he was attracted to somebody new.

"That doesn't matter," Riza shot back. "If you're in some kind of relationship with her, then I won't be a part of your weird twisted game."

"I'm not," Roy stressed. "I promise, Riza. She's an old flame from years ago – about five years ago."

"So why does she turn up at your door, proclaiming I've been fucking her husband then?" Riza asked angrily. It had gotten the better of her. It burst forth, and Riza was powerless to stop it. It felt… good… Maybe she didn't want to stop herself.

"We didn't end on the best of terms. I ended it – completely ended it. I broke ties with her and we both agreed we broke up. We were due to be engaged, but nothing had been confirmed and there was no ring."

"Why did you break it off?" Rebecca asked. Her tone was level and controlled. Riza wished she could say the same for herself.

"She was too controlling. She was unlocking my phone and going through messages, replying to women – business contacts, in my phone – and telling them to back off and stop messaging me. I had no idea. I never text anyone, so didn't even notice. It was my cousin who told me about it a week later, after Solaris had messaged her. After that, I was done."

"So why does she come crawling back like that, five years later?"

"She's desperate, she's lonely, she's bored – pick one," Roy shrugged. "I don't know. I never bothered to ask. She was always manipulative, so I slammed the door in her face and left her to her own devices."

Riza hoped that was true. She had no way of knowing. She could trust Roy and take his word for it, but that trust had run thin yesterday. It was worn down to the bone, a result of his past behaviour and what had happened in his home. She wasn't quite ready for that yet.

Roy very suddenly looked stricken. His spine straightened and he stared at someone over their shoulders. Turning with dread in her stomach, Riza feared the woman was back. Instead, she saw a rather large woman walking towards them, her face set in stone.

"Roy," the woman greeted. Her tone was gruff, matching her hard expression. Her clothes were expensive looking. Her maroon coat was complete with what Riza hoped was fake fur, and it was bunched around her neck stylishly. Her dark hair was tied up and off her made-up face – not a hair or piece of make up out of place.

"M – Mother," he greeted.

Oh… Shit!

"Listen," the woman commanded, turning her attention to Riza and Rebecca. "That Solaris girl is lying. She's no wife of Roy. He was wise to walk out on her all those years ago. I never liked her," she sniffed.

"I'm sorry, but… Who are you?" Rebecca asked.

"His mother," she replied, jerking her head towards Roy. "And I know the hell my boy went through with that woman. I'll smack him myself if he goes back to her," she added, her tone sour. "It will knock some sense into him. I've heard the way he talks about you," the woman stated, looking pointedly at Riza. "And I don't blame you for not trusting him, but it's true. Solaris was a nightmare and they're over. She always did have an overactive imagination. Imagine proclaiming she was your wife." The woman shook her head in disgust while the other three at the table sat there, too stunned for their own input. "In her dreams," she muttered. "Anyway, it's up to you what you do, Riza, but he's been telling the truth." With that, she stood and walked away without a goodbye.

"… What just happened?" Rebecca asked, stunned.

Riza was silent, taking in all this information. She'd been screwed over too much in life for her to trust easily and take all that back, but the way that woman carried herself, and the way she spoke… Something told Riza she was telling the truth. There was an aura about Roy's mother – she couldn't believe she'd just met her, holy shit – that gave the impression that she would never lie. Riza didn't know what it was. Perhaps the bluntness of her speech.

"That would be my mother," Roy stated sheepishly. "She always does have a knack for a grand entrance."

"You're telling me," Rebecca muttered.

"Riza." Roy drew her attention away from the centre of the table. "I promise, Solaris means nothing to me. You, however, that's another matter."

"What is it, then?" Riza whispered. She was almost afraid of the answer.

"I love you," he stated simply. "Truly, I do. I've never met someone like you before, and I kick myself every day with how unfairly I treated you in the past. I truly do not deserve you after what I've put you through, and I don't want to ask your forgiveness because it wouldn't be fair." He dropped his gaze. "So, I won't. I just…" He heaved a heavy sigh. When Roy lifted his head, his gaze was solidified, his decision about how to proceed confirmed. "I just wanted to explain myself, that's all. Don't feel like you owe me anything, because you never, ever, did. Thank you for your time." He stood from his chair, pushing it firmly in. His lips were pressed into a hard line and his hands lingered on the back of the chair, gripping tightly. "I won't waste any more of it. Goodbye, Riza." He nodded once with a tight smile, which fell from his face before he'd even passed them. With a quick glance, she saw how pained it looked from his side profile.

This wasn't what she wanted.

She loved him and hated the fact he was walking away from her.

Riza didn't know if she was ready to trust again, but her heart was screaming at her not to let him leave. Not like this.

Roy was out the door before Riza caught up to him. His hands were shoved into his pockets, his face burrowed in the front of his jacket to try and protect his face from the bitter wind. It chilled Riza's bones because she never even bothered to grab her jacket before running out the coffee shop.

She put her hand on his shoulder, turning him in place. He was shocked at the sudden movement, and even more so when Riza wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. His hands still hadn't moved from his pockets when Riza pulled away.

"Never leave me like that again," she whispered. Her breath skittered over the skin of his face. "Please," she added. "I… I can't be hurt like that again, and not by you, but I can't let you go."

"Are you sure?" he stuttered.

Riza nodded. "One hundred per cent."

Roy wrapped his arms around her torso, hugging her tightly against his body as he crushed her into another kiss. "I promise, nothing like this will ever happen again. I won't let myself hurt you."

Riza shook her head. "You didn't. I ran because I was scared. I didn't want to be hurt again."

"I'm sorry," he mumbled sadly.

Riza quickly kissed him again to silence him. "I love you, Roy. I might be stupid for taking you back, but I… I just can't…"

"Can't what?" he asked, curious.

"I can't tear myself away from you," she breathed. "I don't know if that's a good thing or not."

"I'll make sure it is. I promise."