Chapter 23

Richie woke early the next morning. According to Sarah’s clock, it was five hours before she had to leave. Unable to go back to sleep, he watched Sarah sleep.

While she had looked so scared and worried the night before, she looked so peaceful and relaxed now. He knew she would be fine, he believed in her, the strong woman inside of her. The woman that had made all those hard choices in her life.

He liked watching her sleep, her lips slightly parted, her beautiful hair framing her face. So peaceful and beautiful.

Until her eyes fluttered open. “You’re watching me.” She said quietly. “Yeah.” He answered, no use in denying what he was doing if he was enjoying it.

“Why?” She asked just as quietly as she stretched her legs alongside of him a little bit, she was still in his arms, looking up at him. “Cause you’re beautiful to look at.” He smiled softly at her. “Oh.” Sarah’s face went blank, she didn’t know what to say to that. It had been ages since she was called that, her boys saying she was pretty when they were younger was different.

“What?” Richie asked confused at her reaction. “Nothing, I’m going back to sleep.” She moved uncomfortable in Richie’s arm, trying to turn around but he wouldn’t let her go, so she just closed her eyes again.

Richie continued watching her, even though she had a worried look on her face now, his arm still around her, he softly stroked her back.

“Stop watching me.” Sarah said, eyes still closed, she could feel his eyes on her, it was making her uncomfortable.

Richie sighed and turned to look up above him, the ceiling was second choice to stare at.



When he woke again, Sarah’s head was resting on his shoulder. His arm was wrapped around her, his hand resting on her hip, while Sarah’s hand rested on his chest. Her leg pulled high up over his groin. He must have dozed off again but waking with her all curled around him wasn't a bad thing.

Bright sunlight now tried to shine in to the room, regardless of the curtains, it was pretty bright in the room.

“Sarah?” He tried to wake her softly. “Sarah wake up.”

Sarah heard his voice and opened her eyes. She immediately knew where she was and what she was doing. Realizing where her leg was, she was sure she could feel something under her leg. She jerked up to sit next to him. For a second she watched him, then jumped from the bed and ran in to the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

Richie was surprised and confused, did he do something? Was that something that he might have done a bad thing?



When she didn’t return after more than a few minutes, Richie got up from the bed and knocked on the bathroom door. “Sarah, are you alright?” He wasn’t sure what to think of her abrupt leaving.

“Don’t you need to leave before they find out or something?” Came the answer from the other side of the locked door.

Richie sighed, he knew what that meant, he wasn’t stupid.

He turned around again, picked up his shirt from the floor next to the bed and put it back on, along with his socks and shoes.

He softly closed the door behind him and went downstairs.

For the first time in his whole stay he had breakfast by himself, almost every day he had breakfast with Sarah, now he sat alone.



Afterward he went back to his room, he didn't want to be around people now. He couldn’t stop thinking why Sarah had ran away from him but the little voice in the back of his mind kept telling him it was nothing and that she needed time to progress what happened in the last few days. He knew they had been pretty close, sleeping together, that was probably difficult for her.

He knew that voice was probably right but he couldn’t stop wondering why. She had asked him to stay the night, she was sure that she wanted him to. Yet now, she wasn’t.

Had he done something? Should he have gone to his room and not spent the night?

He simply wasn’t sure what to think.

He liked her, he was sure of that. She was beautiful, he was sure of that too. He really didn’t want her to go, he was sure of that too. But was he able to keep it slow?

On tour he could probably get whichever girl he picked out or two, maybe even three. He shook his head in thought. That wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted the stability of a relationship, someone to share with, not someone to trade for the next.

He had to wait, he knew it would be hard but he didn’t want to lose Sarah, he could see the strong woman inside her that she was hiding from the world.

Maybe she needed him too, to pull her out of that shell she was hiding in and away from the walls she protected herself with.

If Sarah did need him or want him, he was going to let her make it clear to him, it would be her decision.

Richie remembered that day in group therapy last week when Sarah had said she wanted a relationship with him but now she said she was scared of the real world, did that mean having a relationship too?

He was going to let it up to her. If she really wanted that relationship with him, she’d have to prove it to him.

He sighed, there was only one way to get all those thought from his mind, he picked up his guitar, strumming the strings with a pick, another thought popped in to his mind.



Sarah was overwhelmed with feelings. She was scared, it was too much, maybe it was just going too fast for her. It struck her when he was in her bed that morning, when she was really awake, shirtless even and, was he aroused? Was that what she had felt?

She thought she could do it but it was too close, too soon, too fast. She still wanted that relationship with him but it was going too fast right now, she hoped Richie knew that too.

Maybe it was good she was going home in an hour, some time away. Time to think about it all, to figure everything out.

She hadn’t gone back to real life yet and already it was getting too much.



An hour later she stood in the lobby, her bag by her side, she was going home.

A few people had gathered in the lobby with her. After saying goodbye to everyone, there was only one more person to say goodbye to. Now that she was close to saying goodbye, she realized she didn’t want to but that realization scared her too.

When she turned to Richie, he took her hands and pulled her away from everyone. “I got something for you.” He reached into his jeans pocket and retrieved a guitar string with his pick on. “Turn around.” He ordered.

Sarah did as she was asked. She could feel Richie gather her hair and put it over her right shoulder. He reached the string over her head, letting the pick sit in front, he tied the strings in the back of her neck. When he was sure it was secured, he put her hair back and turned her around again.

She looked down at the pick, it was similar to the one he already gave her. “Thank you.” She said, she liked it, it was very sweet of him to do. It was a great way to remember him and keep him close.

“You’re welcome, it’s just in case, in case of what you decide.” He said. “What do you mean?” Sarah asked confused.

Richie took a deep breath, now was the time. “I know it might have gone a bit fast for you and I’m giving you the decision now. If you want to see where this roller coaster ride will go, all of it, the ups, the downs, and certainly the loops. If you want to give all this a chance without running away but talking instead, be here on Thursday when I leave.”


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