#riake

 As you wish! It’ll be fun writing Riya. Hopefully, I can do her justice!

—

“I’m only here to establish an alibi.”

Riya wasn’t one to get attached.

The only thing she’d ever gotten attached to (besides her mother) was a cat named Mr. Finkle she’d gotten when she was seven. She’d loved that cat more than anything, and she took great care of him. That was . . . until one day he got hit by a car and she never got to see him again.

That had taught Riya that she couldn’t get attached to people (or cats). If she did, all that came out of it was heartbreak. Loss. Tears. Emotions were a luxury she didn’t have, especially now. Being the daughter of an “outlaw” wasn’t very easy, to say the least, and helping out three other “outlaws” that she’d previously been fighting? Way beyond “not easy”.

So why the heck did she agree to sneak into this gala just to help steal a gem for her mother’s project to help them?

Riya walked into the gala with wide eyes, a bit intimidated by how … big it was, though she wouldn’t be telling anyone that. The gala was being held by Jonathan Rooke (that evil son of a gun) to celebrate 20 years of his company existing, and he’d made a partnership with a jewelry company to show off their most expensive and polished gemstones. One of those gemstones, a quartz of some kind that Riya couldn’t remember the name of, was the target of the mission. She and her mother had set up an elaborate distraction and plan in which Riya would change into her Blindstrike suit and take the gemstone before anyone had a chance to recover. 

But first … she had to pretend to be a guest at the gala. Luckily enough, Jake’s father was invited, and he’d provided an extra invitation for his son to take anyone he wanted.

Speak of the devil, Riya thought as she saw Jake nervously coming towards her, giving a small smile as he approached.

“Hey, Riya!” he started, standing a foot or two away from her. He seemed nervous . . . had he been informed of the mission? “I’m so glad you could make it. I-I was kind of nervous that you’d say no, but … “ he blushed a bit, reaching into his pocket and producing a rose corsage and offering it to her.

Oh. That’s why he was nervous. He … he thought this was a date.

Riya bit her lip, wondering how she could put this delicately, then she remembered she didn’t have time for this. “Listen, Jake … “ she took the corsage, slipping it onto her wrist before looking into his eyes. “I’m only here to establish an alibi.”

“O-oh … “ Jake’s smile faltered, the small amount of happiness he’d seemed to have inside shattering before her. “A, uh, a mission for Dr. D?”

“Yeah … “ Riya shifted her weight, rubbing her arm. She kinda felt bad … she really should have realized this earlier, though. Of course Jake thought it was a date! He’d asked her to a freaking gala, and she hadn’t told him anything about the mission! “But, uh, you know … “ she coughed, trying to give him a comforting smile, “we can still dance and stuff. For the cover.”

“For the cover … “ Jake repeated quietly, then gave what Riya was sure was a fake smile, “yeah, okay. That’s fine. Sorry for the misunderstanding.”

“No, it’s my fault,” Riya said, unsure why she was suddenly feeling so bad about this. These things happened … and it’s not like Jake hadn’t asked her to a dance before. Although, he hadn’t really shown up last time …

“Well, either way, I’d love to help out by dancing with you,” Jake said, the fake smile a constant on his face. He held out his hand shyly, and after a moment, Riya took it.

Jake pulled her in and let his arm hold her waist, his other hand holding hers up next to them. He led her in a small circle along to the beat of the music, swaying and moving like she’d never seen him do before. At first, they were a bit stiff, and Riya didn’t really know what she was doing, but after they got their rhythm, Jake seemed to relax and let loose, and the dancing became as smooth and beautiful as Riya had seen in the movies. Dancing with Jake was actually … really fun. In fact, she could do this all night, and she might even want to do it again. 

Jake gave Riya a shy smile as they danced, and Riya let herself move a little closer to him, her hand on his shoulder as they spun around freely. She felt her cheeks heat up a bit, though she wasn’t quite sure why. It seemed this dance was either making her hot or … or she had a crush.

Riya wasn’t sure if she’d ever had a crush before. But Jake … was actually really sweet when he wasn’t missing the dance, and he was … kinda cute. (Not that she’d ever tell him that.) Riya almost forgot the cover until she caught sight of the large ornate clock on the wall, realizing that it was almost time for the distraction. She bit her lip, not really wanting this to end. But she had to … the mission was more important than this.

“Jake … I have to go,” she whispered, her voice low because of the secrecy of the mission along with the fact that they were so close.

“Blinkstrike time?” Jake whispered back, and Riya just nodded.

“I’ll be missing the rest of the party after this,” Riya said, though they were still dancing. “I … had a good time. Best cover I’ve ever had, actually,” she admitted, though she was unsure as to why.

“R-really?” Jake blinked, his cheeks dusted a light pink. “You had a good time?”

“Duh, that’s what I just said,” Riya repeated with a bit of sass, though she had a feeling Jake knew she was mostly being playful. “It was fun. Thanks for the invite,” she smiled, before biting her lip once again. Before Jake could respond, she leaned forward, pressing her lips to his cheek for just a second before she broke away, only their hands still clasped together. “For the cover,” she winked, then she let go, disappearing into the crowd to find a good hiding place to change.