Open Up To Me (Riley)

[Deleted]

SEPTEMBER HOGSMEADE VISIT

Dom smiled as she looked around the Three Broomsticks. Man, sitting here made her miss school. She didn't miss the classes or homework ... well okay that was a lie. She did. She missed a lot about school, especially the fact that when she was there she didn't really have to make any decisions. She could just do what she had to and love being with her friends. Now half of the people she knew were still in school and the others were all very invested in their new jobs and Dom was floating. She wished she had more to do, but she also couldn't figure out what she wanted to do. It was a conundrum. 

At least she could forget about all that for an afternoon. She was about to meet with Riley, her best friend after Ethan. The kid was still in school, but she missed him. She missed talking to him and goofing off with him, which was why she asked him to meet her here. Summer was so busy she hadn't been able to spend time with him at all and she wanted to see him again. They'd have fun, like normal. And she could find out what was happening in his life. Last she heard, he was head over heels for a girl ... one of the Bainbridge girls and she was excited to hear how that was going. Really, she just wanted to spend time with someone who knew her well, who she could just be herself with. 

@riley

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There was only one person in the whole world who Riley felt like he could 100% be himself around and open up to. Sure, he was real with Kinsey, he never had to lie to her or fake anything around her, but he still felt like he had to put on a bit of a persona sometimes, especially when it came to the drama with her sisters. Dom, however, loved him for everything, drama included, though he hadn’t even told her about the situation with Diana, he couldn't tell her. He couldn’t tell anyone - that was beyond him.

Riley was eager to talk to Dom and he was glad that she offered to meet up during the first Hogsmead weekend of the year. It was hard not having his best friend in the castle anymore. She had always been there. Now she was removed, the whole castle felt different this year. Riley walked into the three broomsticks and looked around until he spotted the redhead sitting already. He walked over and sat down across from her. “Hey! Sorry, have you been waiting long?” he asked.

@dominique

[Deleted]

Waiting in The Three Broomsticks was a lot more relaxing than Dom initially anticipated. Sure, she was fully aware that it was highly likely tons of kids from school would be heading here and she knew that she didn't quite fit with most of them anymore, not being a student. Still, it was a familiar place. With the familiar sounds of other students laughing and chatting- even adults as well- Dom was enjoying the wait for Riley far more than she ever expected she would. She wasn't exactly the most patient person in the world, but right now she at least felt quite peaceful. That was a step in the right direction. Maybe finding somewhere to work here in Hogsmeade for the next little while would be a good idea. She'd have to think more seriously on that later. 

Then he was there. Dom kind of zoned out while she waited, so when someone sat down in front of her she jumped a little before grinning. "Riley!" She kicked him under the table, "Don't apologize!" Dom demanded, chuckling a little to herself. "I'd wait here all day, happily, to see you. So don't worry about it." She sighed and leaned forward a little, putting her elbows on the table and cupping her chin in her hands as she looked at her friend. "How's school going so far? And how was your summer? I feel like we haven't talked in ages!" Her voice became a whine at the end, but she wasn't upset. She was still smiling. Really, she just wanted to talk with her best friend. 

@riley

[Deleted]

As Riley sat down and made himself comfortable he began to wonder what exactly he was going to tell Dom. She started asking questions and there were so many answers to all of them. “Have you ordered yet?” he asked, “I can go order for us if you want.” he said, trying slightly to turn the conversation away from himself. He wasn’t sure why he didn’t want to tell Dom. They had always been open with one another, he knew that she’d tell him if all of this was going on with her instead of with him. But he felt guilty about what he had done to Kinsey and he didn’t want someone telling him how horrible he was: he already felt it. “Summer was good, really good actually.” it really was. He had possibly the best summer of his life with the best girl he had ever laid eyes on. “School has been...interesting… Kinsey and I aren’t together anymore.” he sighed.

@dominique

[Deleted]

Dom waited for Riley to start answering her questions. She was so excited to be talking to him now. Sure, they wrote over the summer a bit, but not seeing him for school every day (now that he was in school) was a little bit weird. She missed spending so much time with her friend, teasing him and pulling him into shenanigans with her. Riley was one of the few people who understood her and the struggles she'd gone through over the last year and a half with everything to do with Ethan. He was one of the people she knew would always be there for her and she tried to return the favor. 

Instead of jumping right in and answering her questions like she expected him to, Riley asked if she'd ordered, saying he could order for her if she wanted. Dom's eyes narrowed slightly, wondering if there was something he didn't want to tell her, but she smiled. "I haven't, I was waiting for you. Go ahead," she answered easily. 

Then he started answering her questions and Dom smiled, nodding as he talked about how the summer was really good. "Yeah? What did you do?" Her summer was full of bouncing around, meeting new people, meetings with Vic and such. Not really anything noteworthy that he'd want to know about. She didn't have anything to offer to the conversation, so she hoped Riley wouldn't mind talking until she found something to speak about. After talking about summer he seemed to deflate a little, saying that school was interesting and that he wasn't with Kinsey anymore. "What?!" Dom couldn't help herself. It was obvious to her that Riley wasn't happy about that, so it meant Kinsey must have done something ... which meant Dom had to get to the bottom of it. What kind of an idiot would dump her best friend?! "Why in the world would she break up with you? You're amazing! Did something happen over the summer or is there someone else?" She paused a second, her expression darkening slightly out of concern for her friend. "I can talk to her, try to help her see sense." The two were perfect for one another. Dom saw that last year when they spent practically all their time together. What changed Kinsey's mind about him? She couldn't fathom.

@riley

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Riley went and ordered the butterbeers and returned to the table where he began to answer her questions about his summer. She reacted in a way in which he worried that she would. It wasn’t Kinsey’s fault at all and it was heartbreaking that anyone would blame her, she was perfectly innocent in all of this and if anything, she was the victim. “She...didn’t break up with me… I had to break up with her.” Riley sighed, feeling like a full on idiot. The words seemed to stupid coming out of his mouth but here he was. Especially the way that he phrased them. He had to. Yeah. He did. Because his family said he had to. How awful did that sound. “On the night before the term started, my parents introduced me to my arranged fiancee… she’s a Ravenclaw a year younger than me.” it felt kind of unreal that his parents had actually seen to an arranged marriage just to control him into not being with Kinsey.

@dominique

[Deleted]

Riley left her, ordering the butterbeers and retrieving them. Dom couldn't help her friend as he walked. Something was obviously wrong with him, which meant that she was going to have to find a way to get him to tell her what was going on. That wasn't normally something she had to stress about, since she and Riley were always quite close, but something felt difficult this time. 

She smiled and took the butterbeer when he returned, lifting it to her lips immediately as he started to talk. She shouldn't have. Dom ended up choking on her swallow, looking up to stare at Riley. "She ... you broke up with her?" Dom knew her tone was astonished, but it was obvious that he was upset about it. Why would he break up with Kinsey if it made him this upset? A million questions started running through her mind, but Dom forced herself to remain silent. Riley would explain. At least, she hoped he would. If he didn't explain on his own, Dom would have to ask him about it but she hoped that he'd explain. 

When he finally did tell her what happened, Dom's eyes were wide and surprised. "Your parents ... you're engaged?!" It seemed almost crazy to Dom. Not that she thought Riley was crazy, but that his parents would take such steps so quickly. Her mouth worked for a moment as she tried to figure out what to say back to him. "Are you okay? I mean, how do you feel about it all?" She was trying to be kind and calm about it, though underneath that a righteous anger started to grow. What right did Riley's parents have to rule his life entirely? What kind of parents were desperate enough to go to those lengths? Most of all, why was Riley letting them?

@riley

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Riley didn’t look at Dom as she spoke, he couldn’t bring himself to lift his gaze off of the table, actually. He felt so heavy all of the time. He felt like making eye contact with just about anyone around the castle who knew of the events of his life was too much. Even in silence their eyes said everything for them. He had been trying to make the best of the situation thus far. He didn’t want to disappoint his family but by trying to fit into the world which he knew he didn’t, he found himself disassociating with himself. “Yeah.” he nodded when she was working it all out. It was a lot to take in, he knew. It almost didn’t really sound real. “I mean - I’m not the biggest fan of it all.” he said, letting a small laugh/sigh escape his lips quietly. “I don’t feel like I’ve got much of a choice in it though. And Priscilla isn’t the worst, at least.” it could have been a lot worse. Prissy was at least somewhat interesting to be around. She wasn’t Kinsey though.

@dominique

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Dom watched Riley, noting the fact that he wouldn't meet her eyes. Did he think she would judge him for any of this? Did he think she blamed him for her parents actions? Her heart ached for him as she tried to imagine how he was feeling, but at the same time, why was he treating her like this? They always told one another the truth, knowing they could trust the other. "Riley," she said softly, leaning down a little to try and catch his attention. Dom wanted him to look at her. She frowned when he said that he didn't have any choice, and that he wasn't a fan. Dom tried to bite her lips, not wanting to say all the things running through her mind. "She isn't the worst? But ... you're still planning to go through with it?" She was curious if he was contemplating rebelling and just going along for the time being or if he was resigned to the betrothal. Her stomach twisted, but she couldn't stop the next question. "And Kinsey? Is she mad at you or ... how did she react?" 

@riley

[Deleted]

When she said his name he looked up to her. He knew Dom, he had known Dom well, she was his best friend, there was no question about it, however, that almost made her harder to face than any of the strangers or acquaintances around the castle. His fear of disappointing her was alarming, almost as much as it had been when he told Kinsey. “Yeah, I guess so.” he shrugged. He hadn’t thought too much about not going through with it. He knew what kind of backlash would be associated with calling off such an arrangement. Especially between families like there's, families of pure blood and ties to dark interests. RIley didn’t want to become the enemy of someone he knew could destroy him. Maybe it was better for him not to drag Kinsey into that world anyway, safer, after all. She asked about Kinsey, a fair question, Riley didn’t really know what to say. So he shrugged again. “I haven’t spoken to her really since I told her about it all. She was upset. I’m sure I’m not her favorite person at the moment.” he admitted.

@dominique

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Dom offered a small smile when he finally met her eyes. Good. She could tell he was nervous, which annoyed her but it also made sense. "Riley, you know you can tell me anything," she said out of nowhere. "I'm on your side. You're my best friend, one of the only people I trust completely. You don't need to be nervous about anything with me." Dom didn't know if that would help him talk to her more comfortably, but right now it felt like a wall was between them and she was determined to break it down. He shrugged, saying he guessed he was going through with it and her eyes narrowed. "It's your choice, Riley. Don't forget that. I know your parents set you up and I'm sure there's a bunch of pressure there, but no one can make you do what you don't want to. It's your life and you deserve to be happy." She wasn't sure if he'd looked at his situation that way or not. Dom wasn't trying to convince him to do anything, but she wanted him to think of himself. "And I will support you, whichever choice you make." 

Riley's answer to her question about Kinsey made Dom roll her eyes. She knew Riley was concerned about the girl. That was obvious by the expression on his face right now. "Riley, come on. Are you really saying that you have to talk with her to know how she's doing?" Of course, she was referring to his abilities, to the fact that he could read people crazy good. Then she looked down to the table, her mind flashing to Ethan again, as it often did. "I doubt she blames you for this," she muttered, before meeting his eyes again, "especially if she cares for you as much as it looked like she did last spring. Trust me, she's probably forcing herself to stay away from you and not talk with you." Dom had experience with that, trying to give Ethan his distance when he chose Tamara. Granted, he didn't know Dom's feelings, but that didn't make any difference to how hard it was for her. Strangely, she felt a small short of kinship with Kinsey for that.

@riley

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It was easy for Dom to insist that it was all his choice, but she couldn’t know the truth behind the decision making. Sure, it was easy to assume that a pureblood family wanted their son to marry a pureblood girl. But unfortunately the layers didn’t stop there. There were expectation, threats, and, to be honest, Riley was scared to even think about what would happen if he didn’t marry Priscilla. Not only would he be cut off from his family, he was sure some sort of target would be placed on him. He knew a fair amount, even if not officially. His brother was undoubtedly involved in the blood extremist group and he had a feeling his parents were too. Lydia, he liked to think wasn’t, but she was fitting more and more into that world everyday. “Yeah, I know it’s my choice.” he said without saying anything more. Maybe he did technically have a choice, but the choice he made would determine things out of his control.

“I mean, no…” truthfully he had been avoiding her. Besides seeing her in lessons, he had gone out of his way not to see her. He didn’t want to upset Kinsey by being there. He didn’t want to upset her by having to see Prissy hanging off of his arm. “I just haven’t seen her much.” he said. Dom said exactly what he had been thinking and he gave a small smile, “No I know she knows it’s not my fault, but I just don’t want to upset her anymore so I’ve kept my distance.” he admitted.

@dominique

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Dom could see that she hadn't reached Riley. Not really. Honestly, she didn't know how. She knew he felt like he didn't have a choice; he'd come out and told her as much, but she still didn't understand. Maybe it was because she was so in charge of her life. Dom didn't take orders well. She was the rebellious type, the type to do whatever she wanted whenever she wanted. Her parents learned at a very young age that she wasn't about to do what they wanted her to just because they said so. If they wanted her to do something, they had to come up with a reason that she would find appealing or she wouldn't do it. 

Then again, she knew that she and Riley were different people. He wasn't as stubborn as she was, which she considered a good thing, but she also didn't want him to feel pushed around by her or anyone else. "Sorry Riley, I'm not trying to pressure you or tell you what to do or anything," Dom answered quickly. "I'm sorry you're stuck in this situation." That was the worst part of the whole thing. Dom couldn't do anything to help him and she wished she could.

Her eyes widened when he continued talking about Kinsey. Dom knew he was telling the truth. Honestly, she had no reason to think that he wouldn't. She didn't want to force him to say more than he wanted to, but she also wanted to be there for Riley and she wanted to break down the wall that was between them. "Do you wish you could see her more?" Dom asked softly, not looking at him again. "I mean ... maybe keeping your distance hurts both of you more than you think. Maybe ... do you think maybe she wishes she could still be friends with you? Or did she tell you to leave her alone?" Dom couldn't look up at him. She was scared that she was asking him to talk too much about this.

@riley

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Riley sighed, he knew he was probably being too hard on Dom. He didn’t want to be, she was his best friend. But the fact of the matter was - she wouldn’t understand why he was allowing all of this to happen. It wasn’t just to please his family and to please Priscillas family. There were politics involved, Riley feared the repercussions. He wasn’t sure whether any of his anxieties were true, but they were there. His family didn’t want him with Kinsey. If he went against their wishes, he didn’t want to risk retaliation against the woman he loved. He wanted Kinsey to be safe.

“I know I should talk to her.” he admitted with a sigh. He knew on this front, Dom was correct. “When we broke up we talked about still being able to be friends…” honestly, he was worried about hurting her. He wanted to be around her, but he was afraid what being around each other would do. What if he couldn’t suppress his feelings? What if he slipped and ended up kissing her or causing more harm than good? “I’ll reach out.” he promised her.

@dominique

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Riley didn't say anything in response to her apology. Instead he sighed and Dom figured she should just let the subject drop. Obviously he felt as though she wouldn't understand. Either that or he just didn't want to talk about it. Dom understood both perspectives and couldn't help but feel a bit sad in response. It had only been a few months since she went to Hogwarts with Riley and already things were different between them. That didn't mean she had to act like they were different. She could pretend things were the same as they'd always been and maybe things would go back. 

He sighed again, admitting that he should talk to Kinsey and Dom nodded. "I think that would be a good idea." Dom thought about saying more, but he already agreed, so she didn't want him to feel like she was pressuring him more than she already was. Her eyebrows furrowed when he talked about them wanting to be friends. She wanted to understand more, but Dom also felt like she asked enough questions already. She nodded again. "Want to tell me what happens when you do? You don't have to, but I'd love to know ..."

Dom decided it was time for a change of topic. "So other than all that drama," she rolled her eyes when she said drama, "how is your seventh year of school going? Do you know what you want to go into yet?" She hoped maybe Riley would feel more comfortable with her now.

@riley