Chapter 22.
Rylee sat on the porch swing outside her house. She had been sat there nursing a mug of cold coffee, since Fallon had left for her acting classes early that morning. She still wore what she had put on hours beforehand, a yellow bikini under a white tank top and a pair of black surf shorts. She sat sideways with her legs pulled up to her chest. She was way too deep in thought to notice anything that day, not even the black Hummer that pulled up a few houses down across the street, nor did she notice the man that stepped out of it.
Rylee POV.
John is due back any day now. I brushed my hair out of my eyes but my new haircut meant that it instantly fell back into my eyes. It was part of me moving on, my long hair was no more, I had it cut short and spiked up at the back with longer layers at the front. Jeff had used virgin snow Manic Panic to dye all of my hair and then used pinks, purples and blues in my longer layers. I loved it, so did Fallon, Jeff and Laura. But John, John would be a different matter, he would hate it. He hated everything that was out of the ordinary about me. Half the time I thought he would rather have a blow up doll than a girlfriend, especially not the tattooed, pierced and dyed girlfriend that he had.
John had slowly gotten used to my original lip ring and pierced tongue but now I had snakebites and my nose pierced, when he finally does come back from his movie, he'll see them. Not that he cares anymore. In the three months that he's been gone things have changed slightly, for one Jeff has been happier, both of us have. Even going to the supermarket we were happy, old ladies would smile and comment on how we looked such a happy little family, me, Jeff and Fallon. That's what we were, a family.
During the warmer weekends we had taken to painting in the backyard, we painted everything; all the fences were painted with pictures of us. At one point Jeff even painted the whole back of the house with three different pictures that merged into one; he painted himself doing a swanton bomb, me skateboarding and Fallon painting. It was perfect. I took a sip from my coffee mug, and then spat in straight back into the cup realizing how cold the liquid actually was. I went to stand up to go make a fresh cup, blue eyes caught mine and I did everything in my power not to pass out.
"John." I whispered.
End of Rylee POV.
"Hey." He smiled. He looked about as nervous as Rylee felt.
"Hey." Rylee repeated him. Not knowing what else to say. Her stomach had flipped and her heart was beating like she had just run a marathon.
"This could go on for a while." He laughed, reaching out and taking her hand, he pulled her to her feet. He then followed her into the house and round into the kitchen. "Your hair is really nice by the way." He smiled. Rylee tried to hide her grin but it forced its way out onto her face, he had made the effort to comment on her hair. He didn't have to, but he had and for some reason it made her feel special again.
"Thanks. You want some coffee?" She asked pouring the cold liquid from her mug down the sink. John nodded and sat down at the kitchen table. "Where are your bags?" Rylee asked, suddenly aware that he should have luggage if he was only just coming home from the movie set.
"They're in the car. I just thought I'd come round and see you before I went to the hotel." John said, not once looking her in the eye.
"Oh." Rylee busied herself with the coffee machine, not knowing what else to say. Should she ask him? She decided yes. She sat down at the table opposite John and handed him his coffee.
"So how you been?" He asked.
"Fine. I, err, got some new things done." She smiled, flicking her tongue over her snakebites just like she had done with the single piercing when he had first met her. It was her habit that he loved the most.
"Yeah, I saw them. They're cute." John smiled. "You suit them."
"Thanks. I got some new tattoos as well." Rylee said nervously, not sure whether or not to show him. Or maybe it was just his possible reaction that scared her.
"Really? Let me see then." Rylee stood up and lifted the back of her tank top up to show him the Chinese dragon that curved around her back, its tail and head on either side of her belly button. It matched Jeff's. John stood up to get a better look, Rylee shivered when his finger skimmed over the tattoo. "Does that say what I think it does?" John asked shocked.
"I... erm…" Rylee gulped. "Well what do you think it says?" She joked nervously.
"Rylee this is serious. Why do you have my name tattooed on your back?" John demanded. He wasn't mad. Far from it. He was just nervous to find the reason why she had done it.
"Because I do ok. You can't even see it that much. It's a reminder ok." Rylee walked off up the stairs and into her bedroom to check her tattoo in the full length mirror. John followed her up the stairs.
"A reminder, for what?" John asked as she pulled her tank top off completely with only her bikini top on, she could examine her back with a better view. It wasn't like she had his name in big bold lettering, and his name wasn't the only one there, hidden in between the scales of the dragon. "I'm not going anywhere. It's not like I'm leaving."
"So where were you for the past three months?" Rylee snapped back. Walking out of the room again, John followed trying to make sense of it all.
"You know perfectly well where I've been Ry. You told me to go for god's sake! You were the one that said that we needed a break!" John yelled after her as she ran down the stairs. "And where were you?" He demanded. Following her into the living room. He spun her around. "You were sat here with your ex-husband! What was I supposed to think?" He dismissed the tears that threatened to fall from her blue-green eyes. "For all I know, you've been sleeping with him every fucking night! Well have you?" He demanded, grabbing her wrist as she turned to leave.
Everything she had ever been through flicked through her eyes. She was generally terrified of him. But she was stronger now than she'd ever been, stronger now than she had been the first time Benji raised his hand to her.
"Do it." She whispered. He continued to stare at her, neither one of them wanting to break their gaze. "Do it!" She screamed. He pulled her into him and kissed her roughly. He pushed her back onto the sofa, his hands tugging at her surf shorts. They never broke their gaze; Rylee pulled off his shirt as he kissed her softly. He twirled her hair around his fingers as she ran her hands down his bare chest. "You promised me that you would never hurt me." Rylee whispered in between kisses. "I didn't sleep with Jeff. I wouldn't cheat on you. I'm not like that." She whispered as John lifted himself up slightly so that he could look at her completely. He knew when she was lying, and for now, he was sure she wasn't.
"I never stopped thinking about you." John whispered, kissing her forehead. Rylee went to tug at his pants.
"Oh holy mother of God. I'm scarred!" Laura clapped her hands over her eyes in fake despair from her position at the door. Randy entered behind her with baby Aurora in his arms.
"Come on guys! Not in front of the kids!" Randy laughed holding Aurora away from the sofa view.
A/N: I kno I haven't updated much recently & I'm sorry. But here yoo go. Reviews would be nice. Maybe 5 then I'll update :)