Juke Box Hero

Amara looked over and rolled her eyes. “I thought I was talking to you, a human being, but little did I know, I was talking to a rude asshole.” She smirked, shrugging. “Girl Scout? That’s a new one. I wasn’t going to loiter, but now, hey, I might just stay and watch you make a fool of yourself in front of a stranger.” 

“Uh – first things first, why the fuck would I care if you’re a stranger? Ask me again if I care about your opinion, I’ll try to make it a little more obvious next time.” He pushed his phone back into his pocket, “Please, strangers can call me Kyle.”

Hearing the approaching person’s voice, Danielle looked up at the other. For a moment, she thought it was Kyle, but then remembered that he was back in the States. Then, as Riley grew closer, she was able to tell the difference easily. “More like you wish,” she teased lightheartedly about the BMW. “But I suspect it’s above your pay grade,” she smirked as she quirked a brow and continued scribbling the ticket. “No demotion necessary,” she grumbled at the reality. “Such is my life.”

Riley shrugged his shoulders, looking mildly unimpressed, “Don’t look so disappointed to see me, woman,” he tried to pass it off as a joke, but it fell somewhat flat with the mood he was in. At least the humor with Danielle would make his day a little bit more bearable, “So you just got the bitch job for no reason? I’d complain.”

Morgan: my Uber driver is trying to convince me he is Jesus incarnate. I don't know how to tell him he's not..

“Is this your car?” Danielle asked the approaching person, pointing toward the illegally parked vehicle with her pen. She briefly glanced up from her scribbling to assess the suspect. Sure, it was a cruel move to be giving out parking tickets on a holiday about love, but she had to pay her bills, after all. And perhaps she was a little bitter about not being able to spend the holiday with her fiancée.

“You wish, Milestone,” Riley pulled the cigarette out of his mouth, tossing it into the ashtray beside him as he stood on the corner, waiting for the bus. “Did they demote you to traffic duty? What’d you do? Forget to bring donuts last Monday?”

Since their morning together, Phoebe wasn’t sure what to do or how to feel about Riley. This sort of thing was too complicated for her to really think about, honestly. Which was why avoiding it, of course, seemed like the obvious answer. However, despite the right choice, Phoebe still found herself standing before him. Like two magnets that were being drawn together. “Oh, I don’t need to go and find someone to do it for free. I know plenty of people who have been at my beck and call for ages.” Rolling her eyes, Phoebe then shook her head for a moment before he was holding out his hand to pull her in. Grabbing it, she let out a soft gasp just as she jolted forward and landed in his arms. “You did, did you? And where is this lucky lady? Don’t you think she’ll be mad that you’re here with me?” Shortly after, Phoebe was mocking his movements and returning the kiss; both arms tangled around his neck to hold herself close to him. She hated how much she loved this feeling. Luckily, he was able to deviate from their small emotional moments by being the typical ass he was. “You have such a way with words, Henderson. But I’ll let you think what you want. —What’s that one saying? Whatever helps you sleep at night? Yeah, well let’s apply that here, sweetheart.” 

“Really? At your beck and call?” Riley refrained from rolling his eyes, letting her ego rival his own for the time being. His ego wasn’t nearly as big, but he liked pretending it was. It made for a more amusing conversation. He’d lost most of his good sportsmanship when his hand and wrist got fucked up, but she didn’t need to know that, “I think she’ll be really mad. Especially considering she probably thinks she’s prettier than you. Also some guy told me my ass looked great in my pants, but here I am, with this blondie,” he joked, pressing one final kiss to her mouth before he hummed, letting his hands rest on her lower back, “I have a way with my mouth, too. Wanna find out later? Bet you’ll forget your name by the end of it,” he grinned, looking around the room, “Let’s get out of here, anyway.”

“Okay, I know I’m from LA, but is it always this cold in Montreal? Honestly, I’m wearing three pairs of socks.” Amara said, shivering in her winter coat as she looked up at the beautiful house. “Whose house is this, by the way? I thought LA had beautiful homes, but…this one is breath-taking. If it wasn’t so cold and if my fingers weren’t numb, I would take a picture.” 

Riley looked up from his phone, raising an eyebrow at the woman, “Do you always talk to yourself like a crazy woman?” he asked as well, huffing slightly as he watched her, “It’s my friend’s, and if you’re going to loiter, you better have like ten boxes of thin mints, or hit the road, Girl Scout.”

maybe we should let this go | phoebe & riley

special delivery for @rileyhendersxn

It was dumb to admit it, but Phoebe couldn’t help but feel pleased when she noticed Riley’s name wasn’t on the list of dates. They weren’t an item but they weren’t nothing, so a part of her—small part—felt the slightest bit territorial. As though she’d be jealous if he was paired off with someone, even though she really had no right to be. They hadn’t really spoken about where they were going to go or what they were going to do about it. Hell, that morning was even a blur to her now, but she could remember how it felt. How she felt. And all because of him, too. So, of course, she was happy when she learned he was free from the auction bidding. Which was why she had sought him out, despite trying to avoid him earlier in the night. —After minutes of trying to find him, the young blonde then stumbled on the better lookalike and smirked when their eyes met. “Not interested in finding a date for the evening?” She began, approaching him slowly. It seemed they both had the bright idea to avoid it all together. To Phoebe, it seemed silly, especially considering she was hardly the type to buy someone. She wouldn’t even spend money on one of her friends, let alone a date? She wasn’t that desperate. “I’m surprised… I was sure you’d go looking for someone to take home.”   

Riley had spent a good ten minutes trying to get the water off of his black jacket. Technically it was his brother’s, but ruining the evidence of the night was one thing he actually wanted to accomplish. He looked up as soon as he heard Phoebe’s voice, already forgetting about what he had been doing. “Hey,” he smiled slightly, shrugging his shoulders, “Guess I could say the same for you, huh? Didn’t feel like paying for someone to date you? Figured you’d go and find the guy who’d do it for free?” It was meant to be a joke, but it honestly wasn’t. Riley wasn’t good with feelings – definitely not any better than Phoebe – but this was easy. He could slide them in without dropping too many hints, despite how much he wanted to. “Well, I found the one girl I want to take home already. Is that a bad thing?” Riley held his hand out towards her, waiting until she took it to pull her closer and against him so he could kiss her, “Don’t you look good. Not as good as me, but no one is perfect.”

“If that’s how you want to see it, then by all means, go for it. It’s not like anything you say will really have an impact on me.” Though, she was definitely the type to get overly insecure about random blows to her state from people she knew. “Mmm, if you think that makes you interesting then you’re a lot more fucked up than I thought. At the end of the day, Riley, you’ll always be a dick and nothing more.” She scoffed, rolling her eyes. “I’m sorry, in what world was I doing that? I fell over because, boo-fucking-hoo, I had too many to drink and I’m drunk! The horror! Why don’t you go annoy someone for the evening? There’s plenty of desperate people out in the crowd, go take your pick.” 

Annabelle looked around, a small look of distress on her face as she hoped to find a familiar face around who’d be kind enough to get her out of the situation. The gentleman with wandering hands before her wouldn’t shut up about the success of his new law firm and was practically begging the blonde to go somewhere more quiet with him. ‘’Au grand maux les grands moyens’’ she muttered before looping her arm with the closest person beside her, hoping her plan would work. ‘’I’m actually already taken by this beauty’’ Annabelle let out, leaning towards them before whispering ‘’Please just go along with this.’’ she asked them gently, turning around to face the man once again. ‘’My partner and I have been in a loving relationship for two years now and we couldn’t be happier. Right, honey?’’

Riley wasn’t always one for fancy parties, but at least he showed up, ready to drink all the free alcohol and schmooze his way through interviews when people mistook him for his brother. He was minding his own business, though when his arm was grabbed, he saw a flash of blonde hair and a face he hadn’t seen in a while, “Yep, even through her hardcore 'hunt for aliens’ phase. I mean, it was bad, but she’s lucky she has such a great nose and sense of humor, I just couldn’t let her go.”

The second Sophia felt her body being jolted backward, she couldn’t help but let out a loud groan. She was acting so… trashy, and it was really no surprise someone was annoyed with her. Especially considering it was Riley and he practically invited what it was to be annoyed. “God, why are you… why are you such a dick, Riley.” She slurred, looking for her balance again. “Please, the only person here who is a perpetual fuck up is you. Why did you even show up? Your little whore’s on the corner not doing it for you anymore so you decided to come dip your hands in the cookie jar here like the pervert you are? Typical Riley, so desperate for sex that he has to pay for it.” 

“—Whoops!” She was only an hour into this whole gala thing, but already Sophia was overly intoxicated and tripping over her own feet. It was that sloppy kind of drunk that was seen on low-quality reality television shows like Jersey Shore. But did Sophia care? Not a damn chance. There was enough alcohol, and other substances, running through her system, that instead of feeling a complete idiot, she confidently grabbed hold of the person closest to her and began to giggle. “Gotta be careful there buddy, don’t we?” 

until you come back home | phoebe & riley

special delivery for @rileyhendersxn

This was more than just a one night stand. Everything that the two had been feeling was crafted over months of nights with one another mixed togehter with an ongoing game that neither could seem to put an end to. It was, of course, in both Riley and Phoebe’s nature to act this way. They were two people who enjoyed the chase and the prize that came at the end. But that was all it was supposed to be. A quick go around until they were ready to move onto the next victim. And yet, somehow the two of them managed to dig a hole so deep that neither could see, or even play, their way out of. Instead, they just kept going at it, acting as if whatever it was they felt would just slow seep away. Which it didn’t and that meant waking up next to the esteemed Riley Henderson was a lot more difficult than Phoebe could’ve imagined. Not that she didn’t like it because of course she did. Hell, he was someone she wouldn’t mind waking up next to every day, but she’d be damned if she ever admitted that to herself. There wasn’t a chance in hell the two of them could ever make something like this work. They were the epitome of the words fuck buddies. Or so she thought. 

As Phoebe’s blue hues finally grew wide and she caught sight of the mangled mess in front of her, she couldn’t help but smile. Dazed and completely lost in the in the comfort of their intertwined bodies that rested beneath the silk sheet. Dare she say it, but she was happy to see his face when she woke up. But, given who Phoebe was, she quickly took all of that sappy emotional crap and did her best to toss out the window. In doing so, she then took one hand and gave Riley a partially gentle slap to wake him up. “Get up.” She groaned, lifting herself up just a bit. “I gotta get in the shower and you… well you gotta be anywhere but here.” 

Riley felt comfortable. It wasn’t a welcoming feeling, at least, not most of the time. If he had a one night stand, he rarely stayed the night and got the hell out of dodge come morning. But there was someone he didn’t mind waking up next to; someone that managed to keep falling in and out of his life like she owned it all. He wasn’t going to argue with that fact, and he blinked his eyes open a few times, his hand sliding off her shoulder when she sat up. He rubbed at his eyes, huffing out a complaint, “I was warm,” he pointed out, making a face at her when she slapped his chest. It didn’t hurt, but he liked being dramatic at times. “Nah,” he leaned up, his arms snagging around her waist as he brought her back down onto the bed with him, “We can both get in the shower, you know. You don’t have to kick me out. I know you don’t want to, anyway.”

He considered the idea of being anywhere but there, and it was true. Riley should’ve cut ties and ran a long time ago, because it wasn’t like they were in a relationship. In fact, he was almost certain Phoebe slept around as often as he did in between their weekly visits. It was an odd thing, but Riley didn’t know where the line began and where it stopped. “I guess I can go. Not too sure I have anything to do but drink today anyway.”

It hadn’t been her intention to make the stranger laugh but she couldn’t help but crack a smile as he did. He didn’t look like the type who laughed easily and she’d always prided herself on being able to surprise people. “Intelligence is subjective.” She retorted, her slender shoulders coming up for a casual shrug. “Anyways it doesn’t really matter, I’m attractive and I’ve got pretty big cajones. That’s gotten me far enough in life." Burying her hands farther into her pockets, the raven hair beauty let out a laugh as he preceded to compare her mother’s life to Maid In Manhattan. "Ironic you say that really, cause my mother was a maid, though not in Manhattan sadly. And my sister was cute as a kid but she was no Tyler Posey.”

Riley rose an eyebrow, “Confidence is attractive, true, but too much of it just makes you seem arrogant. I tell that to Kyle all the time. But you’re not arrogant, you’re just pretty.” He smiled a little bit before shrugging his shoulders, “Right. Don’t let that get to your head too quickly.” He wrinkled his nose, “No who?”

Phoebe: You're right, I always look better when men are beneath me. Which is pretty often, actually.