Fall to Pieces (let's just get to it)

[waitingxforxyou]

Chapter Three—six months later, a week before the wedding

“So, just vocals on ‘Circles’ and ‘I Won’t Make You’ and it’s done?” Riley asks. She plops her Converse-clad feet onto the table.

The members of the Format are sitting in the studio, working on the last bits of their third CD, Falling into Place. Riley is grateful that they are close to finishing because she and Evan’s wedding is the next Saturday.

“Maybe we should re-work the arrangement on ‘Tangled Up,’” Mark suggests. “What do you guys think?”

Chad slides his beanie off and runs his fingers over his hair. “I don’t know. I kind of like it the way it is.”

Eric drums two pencils on the table. “What makes you think we should change it?”

“I don’t know. I just think there should be more distinction between the bridge and chorus.”

“I’ll do whatever you guys think is best,” Riley says.

Chad grabs onto her feet. “Oh, really, Miss Thomas? Do you mean that?”

Riley laughs. “Ew, you pervert! I don’t think your girlfriend would like this!”

“Point taken.”

Since the first overseas tour, when ‘the scandal’ had occurred, as they now refer to it, Riley and Chad have become good friends. Occasionally they joke about what happened, but any love interest between them is over.

Eric shakes his head. “Sometimes I feel like I’m in a relationship with four people instead of one.”

“Speaking of relationships”—Chad wiggles his eyebrows at Mark—“what happened with that girl I set you up with?”

Mark reddens. “Nothing. I took her home after dinner and that was it.”

“Are you serious? Dude, that’s the third girl I’ve set you up with! When will you find someone you like?”

Mark shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t know. I’ll find someone soon.”

“Hang in there, man.” Chad punches his arm. “You’re the only one who’s single. You’ll find someone.”

“I know.”

Riley looks at the table, finally realizing that he is the only one who is single. She hadn’t noticed that until Chad pointed it out. She remembers that they used to be together. Now that part of my life seems so far away, she thinks. She feels eyes on her and looks up.

Although Chad and Eric have started talking again, Mark hasn’t. He is staring at her with intensity in his eyes.

Intensity of what though, she wonders. His stare is starting to make her uncomfortable.

“Hey, Miss Thomas, soon to be Mrs. Taubenfeld,” Chad interrupts. “The guys and I have been wondering…” He nudges Mark.

Mark jumps. “Oh, we were wondering if we could throw Evan a bachelor party.”

Riley winces. “Ah, I thought I would be able to avoid this.”

Chad grins. “No such luck.”

“So the night before the wedding, Evan, my fiancé, will be straddled by a cheap stripper with little pasties on her breasts while everybody whoops and sips Bacardi like it’s their birthday?”

“Well, we could go with no pasties if that makes you feel better…”

Riley taps her chin. “Wow, that’s a big…no.”

“Please!” Chad whines, getting to his knees. “He needs to have one last party before he’s tied down with you!”

“Gee, that makes me feel so special,” Riley says sarcastically and stands. “Cue the song you want me to record, Mark.”

Mark leaps to his feet and mans the soundboard.

“Is that a yes?” Chad continues.

Riley slips the headphones on. “Eighty-six the stripper and you’ve got yourself a deal. Either way, let’s finish recording. Evan comes home tonight.”

“Someone’s gonna have sex,” Eric mumbles.

By seven that evening, they’ve finished all the songs. Riley stays behind with Mark to mix a few of the songs. Then they walk out to their separate cars together.

“So,” Mark begins, “are you excited about next Saturday?”

“Yes,” Riley replies, her doubts from months earlier erased.

“Can you believe you’re getting married?”

“Not really. It’s kind of surreal.”

“Yeah, I…I can’t believe it either.” Mark leans on his car and crosses his arms.

She mimics his pose against her own car.

“Riley, what did I do wrong?” he asks suddenly.

“Huh? You didn’t do anything.”

“No, I mean…” Mark says softly, “How did you know I wasn’t the one? What made you end it with me?”

[waitingxforxyou]

Riley looks to the road, feeling awkward. “Mark, it just didn’t work out between us. We just weren’t right for each other.” What is going on, she thinks. I can’t believe he is acting like this!

“But why does Evan get to have you?” he persists, voice rising. “What did he do that I didn’t? I loved you. I told you I would take care of you. I--”

“Mark, calm down.” Riley tries to rub his arms but he pulls away. “I’ve been with Evan for a long time and you’ve known for awhile that we’re going to get married. So why are you being like this now?”

“Because I never thought it would last!” Mark shouts and sinks back, the anger fading from him.

“What?”

“I never thought it would last,” he repeats. “I always thought…that you would come back.”

Riley wraps her arms around herself. “You thought wrong. Please, Mark…don’t do this to me. You’re one of my best friends. Let’s keep it that way.”

“Just remember who loved you first,” Mark finally says and slides into his car. He speeds out of the parking lot.

She watches him leave and bites her thumbnail. Things just became awkward.

Riley drives slowly home, thinking about the Mark situation. I can’t worry about it, she decides. It’s not like Evan and I are a new couple. It’s been almost three years. Mark knows that. He must just realize that it’s totally over for us. I can’t change that or do anything about it, and neither can he. So that’s it.

She lets herself into the apartment. It’s dark inside. “Evan?” she calls out, reaching for the light switch.

The apartment is empty and silent.

Riley’s shoulders drop, disappointed. Where could he be? He should’ve been home by now.

Exhausted by the long day of recording, she walks to the bathroom and runs a hot bath, adding bubbles. She pokes one of them and laughs to herself. She lights some candles by the bathtub and gratefully sinks into the water. “This feels so good…” she mumbles, closing her eyes.

“I can tell you something else that would feel so good,” someone says.

Riley jerks her eyes open, startled, sloshing water over the side of the tub. “Evan,” she says, relieved. She relaxes.

“Who else would be walking into your bathroom at this time and making comments?” Evan half-smiles at her. “I missed you so much.”

She takes in the sight of him: jeans, wrinkled t-shirt, dirty sneakers, tousled hair, and his trademark smile… “I missed you too. And now I really want to make out with you, so if you could just wait a second while I climb out of here so you don’t get wet--”

Before Riley can finish her sentence, Evan has kneeled down beside the bathtub and is leaning over the edge, pressing his lips against hers. His arms are submerged in water up to his elbows and his shirt is getting wet, but he doesn’t seem to care. She wraps her arms around his neck and pulls him closer.

They kiss for several minutes before Riley pulls away. “If you don’t stop, you’ll be in here completely with your clothes on.”

“Me stop? You started it.”

“How did I start it?”

“You’re the one who was just sitting here looking hot when I came home.”

“Yes, well…” Riley pretends to fan herself. “You know how it is, being so attractive and all…”

Evan grins and seats himself on the edge of the bathtub. “Indeed you are.” He touches the top of her head and lightly runs his hand down her hair. “Did I tell you that I missed you?”

“I think you did…did I tell you how much I missed you?” She takes his hand.

With one swift motion, he pulls her up by her hand so that she’s standing in front of him.

“Evan!” Riley reaches for a towel.

“Is it my fault that I want you so bad right now?” Evan licks his lips and reaches for her.

“Now, wait a minute, boy.” Riley moves out of his grasp and wraps a towel around her. “You know we’re not going to do that.”

“But I’ve been gone for months and months!” Evan complains.

She shakes her head. “You know I wanted to wait.”

“How do you explain Paris six months ago then?”

“That was different,” Riley says simply. She walks to their bedroom and puts on a tank top and a pair of his boxer shorts.

“How so?” Evan follows her.

“You proposed to me. It was a special occasion.”

“And today is too.”

“Really? What’s the occasion?”

“Um, it’s…the first time I’ve seen you in my boxers in months special occasion.”

She rolls her eyes. “Nice try.” She walks over to him and puts her hands on the sides of his face. “I really want to wait until our wedding night, honey…even if it’s not really like a wedding night. I think it’ll be more special that way. Besides, what’s another week?”

He pouts. “If you say so.”

“Aw, my baby is mad at me.” Riley pinches his cheeks and leans into him. “Wait a little bit longer and I promise…when it’s time, I’ll let you do whatever you want to me, however you want to me, and as long as you want to me.”

Evan raises his eyebrows and encircles her waist. “You promise?”

“I promise.”

[ktg205]

lol "um, it’s…the first time I’ve seen you in my boxers in months special occasion" evan is such a smartass haha. awesome update!

[maze]

Awesome work as always Nicole I love this story so much.

[ginger]

Amazing! Keep up the good work!

[White Night Fantasy]

awesome cant wait for the next update

[ohya]

more more more more mkore mroermoemroe NOW lol i demand it

[waitingxforxyou]

i'm gonna be gone a few days, so here's an update. surprise me for when i come back.

Chapter Four

“Riley…Riley…Riley!”

“What?” Riley shoots up in bed so fast her head spins. She looks to her left where the voice came from.

Evan is sitting beside her. “Finally! I’ve been trying to wake you up for like an hour.”

She’s surprised to see he’s in his pajamas. Normally he wakes up early and messes around before she does. She rubs her eyes and checks the clock; it’s eight. “Is something wrong, monkey?”

“No, but you need to get up now.”

“Why?” Riley whines. “It’s too early. I’m going back to sleep.” She covers her head with a pillow.

Evan rips the pillow off and snuggles up beside her. “Come on, you have to get up…”

“But why?” Riley turns to him and rests her head against his chest.

“I’ll tell you later. Now arise!”

“Nope.” She closes her eyes.

“Fine.” As soon as she relaxes, he attacks her, tickling her sides. He pins her down with one of his legs. “Are you gonna get up now? Huh? Huh?”

Riley claws at his hands, laughing and gasping for air. “Okay! Okay! Stop!”

Evan smiles in satisfaction and stands up. “Now come on.”

Riley follows him, scratching her head. “What is the emergency?”

Evan plops onto a kitchen stool. “I want breakfast.”

She stares at him. “You woke me up for this?” She gestures to the kitchen.

“Yep.”

Riley rolls her eyes and slaps his arm. ‘You jerk. What do you want?”

Evan props his head in his hands and gives her a baleful look. “I don’t know. We don’t have anything because we haven’t been here.”

“We’ll see about that.” She opens the refrigerator and points to its stocked interior. “My sister went grocery shopping for us a few days ago.” She pulls out a carton of eggs, orange juice, and milk.

He watches her crack an egg into a mixing bowl. “You’re amazing, do you know that?”

Riley drops the broken eggshells into the trash can. “All I did was crack open some eggs. It’s not hard.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Evan comes to stand behind her. He wraps his arms around her waist and sets his chin on her shoulder. “I meant in general you are amazing and I’m lucky to have you. If anything happened to you, I don’t know what I’d do. I worry about you so much when you tour…the buses, the planes, everything.”

She whirls around to face him. “Don’t you think I worry about you too? I hate it when we’re not together. But we have to deal with it as best as we can.”

“I know. I’m trying not to worry so much.” He loosens his grip on her waist.

Riley faces the stove again and pours the egg mixture into the frying pan. “Scrambled or omelet?”

“Omelet.”

“Difficult.”

“You like it.”

“Says who?”

Evan pauses and says, “Sing my song.”

Riley knows what song he’s talking about but pretends not to. “Which one?”

“You know which one. My song.”

“I didn’t know you when I wrote it.”

“But now you do and it’s my song.”

Riley clears her throat and sings quietly, “You are, you are, my reason, you are the air I’m breathing, ask who’s in my heart, you are…”

After she finishes the song, he squeezes her waist. “Beautiful. The song and you.”

“Done. The omelet and I.” Riley moves out of his arms and piles the omelet onto a plate. She hands it to him along with a fork.

“Thank you.” Evan gives her a kiss and lifts himself onto the counter to eat.

She starts washing the pan. “So was breakfast the real reason you woke me up?”

“No. I have some good news and some bad news. Which do you want first?”

Riley thinks a second. “The bad so I can feel better about the good,” she answers.

“Ooh…” Evan winces. “I don’t know. I don’t want to give you bad news while you’re holding a frying pan that you can hit me with.”

“This isn’t sounding good.” She focuses on the soapy dishwater. “It’s about the wedding, isn’t it.” She says it more like a statement than a question.

[waitingxforxyou]

“No. Well, sort of.”

“What is it?”

“Well.” Evan puts down his empty plate. “I know that I said after our wedding I’d go on tour with you for a few weeks during my break.”

“But?” Riley prompts.

“But we scheduled some extra shows…”

“For how soon?”

“A few days after our wedding.”

“Evan!” Riley throws down the dish towel. “Why’d you do that?”

Evan jumps off the counter. “I didn’t mean to! But we had to reschedule some shows after Jeremy was sick and that was when we picked. Besides, you are leaving for some promotional stuff soon after it.”

“But you were gonna come with me for a few weeks.”

“I know, but--”

“And after those weeks, you’ll go into hibernation mode while you write for the next album and I won’t see you for months!”

“Baby, please don’t be mad.” Evan reaches for her and she struggles away. “There’s nothing I can do about it.”

“Cancel it! Stay with me.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why can’t you?”

“Would you?” Evan asks point-blank. “You know you wouldn’t. You would go play for the fans. I know you too well.”

Riley purses her lips and concentrates on her feet. He’s right, she realizes.

“Please don’t be mad.” He hugs her and this time she lets him. “I know it’s inconvenient, but we’ll work it out. After all, we have all our lives to be married and I can’t wait to start. So don’t be mad.”

Riley sniffs. “I’m not mad. I’m just upset that we won’t be together.”

“I told you, we’ll work it out. Let’s see, isn’t Mark’s birthday in July? And I think you have a few weeks then before touring really kicks off. I’ll be done by that time and I’ll come home, I promise.”

She studies his face. “You better mean that because I’m holding you to it. Now what is the good news?”

“You’ll just have to come see for yourself.” His smile is mischievous.

“Sounds interesting.”

They dress and get ready and climb in Evan’s car an hour later.

“It’ll take a little bit to get there so you can relax.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“Ah, you know I don’t like surprises. What is it?”

“The best kind of surprise is…a surprise!” Evan exits onto the highway that splits California in two.

Riley gives up guessing and curls up into the seat, closing her eyes. She starts to drift to sleep. As soon as she has fallen asleep, however, Evan is already shaking her awake.

“We’re here,” he announces.” He gets out of the car and opens the door for her.

Riley takes the hand he offers and looks around.

They’re standing in the driveway of a huge house. Behind them loom tall gates with a security pad on the stone wall beside it. The driveway consists of cobblestone with a fountain in the center. Green grass that seems to go on forever makes up the lawn. It provides a colorful foundation for the house, which is done in the Spanish style with red brick and tile.

Riley is confused. An old house is the surprise? Are we having a surprise party or something?

Evan squeezes her hand. “Come on, let’s go inside.” He extracts a key from his pocket and unlocks the door.

“Wait, why are we here? And how do you have a key?” Riley asks him.

Inside the house the temperature is a striking contrast to the heat outside. Even though the lighting is dim, she can see how cavernous the main hall is and the rooms that lead off from it. A staircase to the left sharply angles and she can’t see how far it is or where it goes.

“Why do you think?” Evan is grinning at her. “We’ve been talking about buying a house for awhile now.”

“You mean…this is our house?”

“Yes!” His grin grows wider.

Riley’s mouth drops open. “You mean, you actually bought it?”

“Yes. I know we won’t have time to move in before the wedding, but I wanted us to have at least a house. You can fix it up, of course. Let’s walk through it.”

She glances around and allows Evan to lead her through the house. It’s as huge as it looked on the outside and the rooms are very spacious and empty and…

Cold, Riley decides. And not just the temperature. I don’t like this house. It’s much too big and I don’t feel home in it at all. Plus, we were supposed to look at houses together! He’s always making decisions without me! He…

Her thoughts are interrupted by Evan. He’s practically skipping around her. “What do you think?” he wants to know eagerly.

I just can’t tell him I don’t like it. “I love it,” she lies, a smile tight on her lips.