Beside Him

Chapter 21// Ask

The harsh water droplets almost left bruises on my skin, the cold water doing nothing to ease that sting.

"It's from ages ago." He'd said, his grin wide yet hesitant. "My mom used to wear it all the time."

It was beautiful, the bracelet he'd given me. It was a hell of a lot like his, only a shade of brown not black and instead of bows and arrows, it had hearts on it.

It was gorgeous.

But it wasn't mine. And it wasn't his.

It was his late mother's, and maybe I was overthinking too much (wouldn't be the first time) but dammit I was not gonna wear her bracelet when she didn't give me physical permission to do so.

So I'd made up my mind, as I wrapped the towel around my chest and allowed it to flow just above my knees, cringing at the feel of my cold damp hair on my naked back.

Then, taking a deep breath in, I walked back into Archer's room, the spoken having gone to check on Penny to see if she'd gotten home safe.

I'd have to apologise later.

He'd put out some clothes for me, obviously belonging to Penny. It was a shirt that didn't fit, jeans that didn't fit, and shoes that, surprise surprise, didn't fit.

Penelope had an absolutely gorgeous body, curves in all the right places. She was what Megan Trainer had preached about and she would positively find someone who was all about that bass.

Me on the other hand, I was now a literal walking, human stick.

No curves, barely any boobs, and an ass as flat as Texas.

So, naturally, none of her clothes fit me in any way shape or form.

I rolled her jeans around my waist about three times, trying again and again to not allow it to fall back down all the way to my ankles.

Luckily, they were black skinny jeans and I managed to get them to look like black mom jeans. I put the huge white jumper on, rolling up the sleeves so that they rested at my wrist and shaking my head at the design of three Cacti on it, in the corner.

Then I put on my shoes from yesterday, throwing my old clothes in a paper bag and then, with expert precision, I managed to get it through my window like a goal scored, shooting through Archer's.

How the frick did I not know the window opposite mine belonged to him?

My window had been stuck about 4 inches up for the last year and I'd been putting it off. I wasn't gonna put it off anymore I'll tell you that.

"River." The knock at the door was hesitant.

"Yeah?" I called back.

"You decent?"

"Why are you asking like you wouldn't just barge in when I'm half naked?"

There was a pause as Archer opened the door and came in, a smirk on his lips.

"Touché."

His eyes did a quick sweep of me. "You're literally a toothpick." He said and I rolled my eyes, throwing the hairbrush I'd used at his chest and even managing to get a little close before he stuck out a hand and stopped it from its impact.

I'm f*****g dangerous, me.

"Ass." I mumbled, proud that the brush had gotten so close to causing damage.

"You look gorgeous. Now come and say hi to my family. Oh and, er, don't tell them about the whole... fiasco."

I gave him a blank look in return. "Do I look that clapped to you?"

Then, with a sigh, I delicately picked up the box and walked up to him, giving it back to him gently.

He raised an eyebrow, then frowned. I shook my head when he opened his mouth to argue.

"I can't take that, Archie." I said and he tilted his head, watching me. "It's your mums and I-"

"Trust me when I say she'd want you to have it."

"I appreciate that. I really do. But she's not-" I stopped and he gave me a small smile. Alive. We both knew that's what I was gonna say and heat rushed to my cheeks.

He leaned forward, tucking a damp piece of hair behind my ear and leaning forward to press his lips to my head.

"Then ask her yourself."

I blinked. Then, thinking I hadn't heard him right, I asked him to repeat. He did. I hadn't heard him wrong.

"Archie, she's-"

"Dead. I know. But that doesn't mean you can't ask her."

He looked me right in the eye as he spoke and I sighed, then nodded.

I was finding that I'd do anything to make this boy happy, and it scared the actual s**t out of me.

He took my hand gently, then placed my palm directly above his heart. My eyes widened as my head flicked up to meet his eyes.

"Ask..." he whispered, never once breaking eye contact as I felt his heart rate increase beneath my palm and the layer of shirt he wore. I licked my lips as my eyes watered.

She's dead, but she lives on in his heart.

My own heart aches as I cleared my throat, not knowing what to say. He smiled slightly, using the hand that wasn't trapping mine directly above his new tattoo to wipe away my tears.

Then he pulled me close, our proxemics getting closer yet our positions not changing once.

"She can have it," he whispered directly in my ear and I shivered. "She can have it all."

I breathed a moany sigh out and closed my eyes, the moment too intimate, too loving, promising.

"You mean more to me than the universe itself, princess." He repeated the words from last night and my eyes fluttered shut as I smiled through my tears.

"You to me too, Archie." I said then sniffed. "No, no, more."

He laughed slightly, both of us melting into each other.

He pulled back, eyes trained directly to my lips and my own followed suit.

So plump. So kissable. So-

"Archer King!" Penny. f*****g Penny.

I gritted my teeth, not allowing myself to feel angry at the interruption.

Archer, however, had no such plans as he yanked himself away from me with a force.

Then he threw open the door and I heard the bickering from where I was stood.

My body gave out and I leaned on Archer's black walls as a way of not falling flat on my non-existent ass.

This was going too far. I was falling too hard.

I wasn't meant to fall for him. He was a player, girls like me don't fall for players.

I hated him for half my life. For the simple reason that he was like the most beautiful parasite, one that people prayed would latch on to them.

And he'd done so to me, though not willingly. He hadn't even a clue what he did to my mind, my heart, my very soul.

Ever since all those years ago when I'd seen him sitting across that damn river, it was him.

Always him.