Dirty Laundry

Waking up the following morning, the first thing Riley noticed was the empty wine glass on her bedside table. Sitting up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she wondered if her memory of the night before was even real or just a wine-buzz induced dream.

She grabbed her phone that sat next to the empty wine glass, swiping her thumb to unlock the screen. She saw the four notifications for the voicemails from Alex she did not listen to. She listened to them, feeling her heart break a little more with each one hearing how worried Alex was.

If the voicemails weren’t proof enough, she skimmed through her text chain with Alex that confirmed Brian had shown up.

It was eight in the morning for Riley, which meant it was eleven where Alex was. She decided to hold off on calling him since he probably didn’t plan on waking up until after noon.

It was Saturday, so she didn’t have to worry about work or getting Summer to school. Thankfully, the gallery had grown so much, Riley and Stacey were able to hire more staff that could be trusted opening and closing the store on their own.

Riley grabbed her robe and the empty glass of wine and left her room. On the way to the kitchen to drop the glass in the sink, she found Brian still asleep on the couch. She had no plans to wake him yet so she decided to take a long shower first.

After her shower, Brian was still asleep so Riley made her a cup of tea and retreated back to her bedroom to call Alex.

“Hello?” He answered after the first ring but his voice was raspy enough to confirm he was still half asleep.

“Morning, Sunshine,” Riley chirped.

“Shh…” Alex groaned. “Not so loud.”

“Sorry,” Riley laughed quietly. “Is it dumb then to ask you how you’re feeling this morning?”

“Eh; ask me again in half an hour when the three Advil and coffee I just chugged kick in and I get to the venue and take a shower.”

“Aren’t you still at the hotel now?”

“Yeah…” Alex answered slowly.

“Then why do you have to wait to shower until you get the venue?” Riley asked.

“Because then I’d have to get out of bed sooner and I’d much rather just lay here and rot and roll out of bed thirty seconds before we’re supposed to check out.”

Riley laughed quietly again. “Babe… remember when you were younger and could stay up late, drinking and not feel like death the next morning?”

“Are you calling me old?” Alex gasped.

“I’m just reminding you of a simpler time…” Riley said with another giggle.

“Anyway,” Alex sighed. “My memory is a bit fuzzy so what exactly happened last night?”

“Oh, it was a great time. You called me, drunk as all hell, and pretty much ready to get down to business but that was short lived when Brian, also drunk as all hell, showed up to my apartment and started yelling my name in the middle of the hallway.”

“Well, that certainly explains why I would up with blue balls this morning,” Alex said, snorting into a laugh at his own joke.

“Babe, you were so drunk; I’m not sure it would have gotten very far before you just passed out.”

“Don’t underestimate me, Riley.” Alex said. “So what happened with Brian? Isn’t it a little weird that he just showed up like that? Have you even spoken to him since this summer?”

“Nope,” Riley said, popping the ‘p’.

“How did he even know where you lived?” Alex asked.

“He said he harassed Jess for my address but he couldn’t remember if I was in apartment C or D – which is why he just stood between the two and yelled.”

“Isn’t that a little messed up that Jess just gave your address out like that?”

“I don’t know,” Riley shrugged to herself. “I haven’t really had a chance to think about it. I guess it’s a little messed up but I have to figure she didn’t think he’d actually have the guts to show up here. He said the only reason why he showed up drunk was because it was the only time he felt brave enough to do it.”

“Right,” Alex said. “So, what did he say?”

“He hasn’t been able to stop thinking about me since the summer.”

“Oh really?” Alex asked, an uncomfortable feeling swirling in the pit of his stomach.

“He then quickly clarified that he didn’t mean it in that way. He meant it in the sense that he’s felt bad since our talk in Starbucks. He knew he messed up and wanted a chance to make it right.”

“And did he make it right?” Alex asked.

“Not yet,” Riley sighed. “He was so drunk that I don’t think he really understood what he was doing. Every time I asked him a question he just kept saying I don’t know.”

Alex sighed. “Did you at least tell him how wrong it was it was for him to show up out of the blue like that?”

“Of course I did. But again, he was so drunk; I don’t think he got it.”

“So, then what happened?”

“I told him he needed to sober up and figure himself out. He wanted to leave but I told him to stay. I guess my maternal instincts kicked in and didn’t think it was safe to send him back out on the streets in the state he was in.”

“So he spent the night in your apartment?”

“He slept on the couch.”

“And you thought that was a good idea?”

“At the time it didn’t look like I had much of a choice. I didn’t know what other kind of trouble he could get himself into. I gave him a pillow and a blanket and he was out cold on the couch before I even made it back to my bedroom.”

“And what about Summer? What if she woke up and saw him there?”

“She stayed with Stacey last night, remember? Stace woke up after you blew up her phone with text messages telling her I was going to get murdered.”

“Right,” Alex nodded. “Sorry, I forgot that part. And sorry for think you were getting murdered but as previously discussed, I was shitfaced and terrified.”

“Stacey was mostly upset because you interrupted a steamy dream she was having with Capitan American and Ironman.”

“I’ll send her a sympathy card later. Is Brian still there?”

“Yeah, he’s still passed out on the couch. I didn’t want to wake him just yet,” Riley said. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Alex wasn’t happy Brian spent the night. “Are you okay? You seem put off.”

“I don’t know,” Alex sighed. “It bothers me that he spent the night but I don’t think it’s in any sort of jealousy kind of way. I don’t like how he left things with you after Starbucks and I don’t like the idea of him just showing up like this getting your hopes up again that things will work out,” Alex rambled.

“You don’t have to worry about that, Alex. I am certainly not going to get my hopes up, trust me.”

“Look, I’m sorry,” Alex sighed. “I’m not put off. I’m just being protective of you and Summer. You probably did the right thing. At least if he spent the night you’ll be able to talk to him this morning. If he left last night, who knows if he ever would have come back.”

“That’s kind of what I was thinking too,” Riley agreed. “I’m a little nervous.”

“You don’t have to be. Whatever happens, I know for sure you can handle it.”

“Thanks, Alex,” Riley said, a small smile on her face. “Is that your room phone ringing?” she asked when she heard a ringing in the background of Alex’s call.

“It’s probably Matt. We’re supposed to check out in four minutes. He’s been texting me while we were talking but I haven’t check them.”

“Alex!” Riley gasped. “Get off the phone and get downstairs before Matt kicks you out of the band.”

“Pshhh,” Alex huffed. “Technically I’m his boss. He can’t do that.”

“He’ll find a loophole if he can.”

“That’s true...” Alex said slowly. “Call me later?”

“Of course.”

“Good luck with Brian.”

“Thank you, Alex.”

“Give Summer a kiss for me,” Alex said, slowly lifting himself from his bed and quickly gathering his stuff together while holding the phone between his ear and shoulder.

“Will do.”

“And then tell Summer to give you a kiss from me.”

“Will do,” Riley giggled.

“Love you, Riley.”

“Bye, Alex.”

“Bye, babe,” Alex said before the line went dead and he hustled out of the room.

Riley left her room and made herself another cup of tea before settling on the love seat in the living room, opening her laptop to do some work.

She had answers four or five emails before Brian suddenly set up straight, looking around a bit as he tried to get a sense of where he was.

“Morning!” Riley chirped in a similar way she had on the phone with Alex.

Brian’s head snapped in her direction and his face immediately fell. “Fuck...”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m sorry,” he said quickly, turning his entire body around to face her. “I was sort of hoping that the memories I had of last night were just really vivid, whisky induced
dreams but I guess...”

“You really stood in the middle of the hallway screaming my name after midnight? Yes, you did.” Riley finished for him.

“Shit, Riley. I’m really sorry.” Brian said again.

She shrugged. “I guess it’s okay. I haven’t gotten any complaints yet. The only neighbor that came out was the one across the hall. That’s Stacey but she’s my best friend and works with me at the gallery so she doesn’t really count. Plus, I think she only got up in the first place because Alex was blowing up her phone with texts afraid I was being murdered.”

Halfway through what she was saying Riley realized she was rambling - something she did when she was nervous or uncomfortable, or in this case, both.

“Why did Alex think you were being murdered?”

“I was on the phone with him when you showed up. I told him someone was in the hallway and instead of telling him who it was when I figured out it was you, I just told him I had to go and hung up. He kept calling me back but I ignored the calls.” Riley explained.

“Is it safe to assume he was drunk and not in LA?”

Riley nodded. “He was super drunk and in Kansas or Kentucky... It’s hard to keep track sometimes.”

“I trust that by now he knows you have not been murdered?” Brian asked with an eyebrow raised.

“Oh, of course. I was texting him last night and spoke with him a little while ago.”

“Good,” Brian nodded slowly before he started to fidget with his hands in his lap. “Did I - uh - wake - uh- anyone else up?”

He was clearly referring to Summer but couldn’t bring himself to say her name just yet.

“Yeah...” Riley said slowly dragging out the word. “But I blamed the noise on a neighbor’s friend and Stacey ended up having her spend the rest of the night in her apartment. She never saw you.”

Brian just nodded as the pair fell into an awkward silence.

“The bathrooms down the hall on the right and I have some still in the package tooth brushes in the bottom draw if you wanted to freshen up,” Riley offered to fill the silence.

“Thanks,” Brian said, stretching his arms above his before standing up.

“Would you like a cup of coffee?” Riley asked, standing up as well.

“Oh my god, yes,” Brian groaned. “You actually own a coffee pot?” he asked, remembering how much she hated the stuff.

“Alex basically lives off the stuff so for a while when he’d stay over he’d have to run out in the morning to get himself a coffee or even worse pay a delivery person to bring him some. I felt bad, so I caved and got one of those one-cup Keurig machines, which is okay because it also brews hot water and can make hot chocolate.”

The pair parted ways as Brian went into the bathroom and Riley into the kitchen. While she waited for the coffee to brew, Riley sent a quick text to Stacey warning that Brian was awake and moving about the apartment. She wanted to make sure there was no chance of Summer sneaking back over. She didn't get a reply back right away, which Riley took to mean Stacey and Summer had stayed up much later after going back to Stacey's apartment and were both still fast asleep.

Brian and Riley met back up on the couches when they had both completed their respective tasks.

A silence fell over them as Brian quietly sipped from the hot coffee Riley handed him.

"Why did you come here, Brian?" Riley finally asked.

He looked up at her, sort of surprised she asked. "I hated the way we left things in that Starbucks."

Riley nodded slowly.

"Look, you did the right thing by coming clean about everything and trying to do the right thing. Now it's my turn. I want to do the right thing, Riley."

"What's the right thing?" Riley asked - she honestly wasn't sure.

"I don't know what that is. But I know that coming here and talking to you was a start. I'm just sorry I didn't exactly do it in the best way."

Riley sighed. "So, talk to me then..."

"I don't know what I'm supposed to say, Riley," Brian groaned. "I guess I'm supposed to say that I want to be involved and get to know my daughter..."

"But?" Riley asked, sensing that's where he was going.

"I don't know how to do that. How can I be involved and get to know my daughter when I feel like I barely know her mother anymore."

Riley nodded slowly. "So get to know me, Brian. Not much has really changed over the years, except I run an art gallery now."

"And you're dating Alex. And spent the last almost nine years raising a little girl."

"There, you're all caught up."

Brian sighed. "You know that's not exactly what I meant, Riley."

"I know. I guess one thing that's changed over the years is my use of sarcasm as a defense mechanism when I'm uncomfortable."

Brian smirked behind his coffee mug. "Eh, things haven't changed as much as you'd like to think."

Riley shot him a glare but the smile forming on her face betrayed her a bit. "What do you suggest we do here, then?"

Brian shrugged. "We should work on our relationship," he suggested before clearing his throat and correcting himself. "Friendship. We should work on our friendship."

Riley nodded slowly. "We're friends?"

"I think with a little work we can be more than just friends," he said before clearing his throat and correcting himself again. "I mean like we could be best friends again. This talking thing is harder than it looks."

Riley laughed quietly. "I'd like that..." she admitted. "It sounds nice, the whole friends thing..."

"So, to recap: we're going to work on being friends again and then ease in to the whole dad thing."

"If that's the approach you want to take, I'm okay with it. I think your comfort level is the important one in this scenario."

"Deal," Brian nodded.

"Deal," Riley repeated.

A silence fell over them again as Brian finished the coffee in his mug and placed it on the table in front of him.

"Now what?" he finally asked.

Riley opened her mouth to answer him but was interrupted by her phone vibrating next to her with a text alert. It was from Stacey. They were awake and making pancakes.

"Two things," Riley said, putting her phone down.

"What's the first one?" Brian asked.

"I hope you're not embarrassed to go out in public in the same clothes you wore yesterday because we're going out for breakfast," Riley decided, standing up from her seat.

"So totally far from embarrassed," Brian said, standing up as well. "What's the second one?"

She smiled, moving to stand in front of him. "Give me a hug."
***

Notes

Hmm... How do we feel about this development?