The Weight of saying it
Probably will hate Mr. Riley himself after this but HEY.. me personally I would've fucked him up
You can feel it before he even opens his mouth. That something-isnโt-right feeling. That cold, heavy pressure in your chest. Like the airโs gone stale. Like the earthโs tilting and no one told you to brace yourself.
Heโs standing in the doorway, hands clenched at his sides. Boots still on. Jacket unzipped. Like he couldnโt decide if he was coming or going, just ended up here out of instinct.
Your place. Yours. The only place heโs ever been able to breathe.
โHey,โ you say, voice tentative, because he hasnโt looked at you yet. โEverything alright?โ
His jaw ticks. Just once. He finally lifts his head. Looks at you. And thatโs when it sinks in. No, itโs not alright. Matter of fact, everything is far from alright.
You sit up straighter on the couch. The TV still flickers behind you, some movie you stopped paying attention to ages ago. The whiskey glass in your hand suddenly feels too warm. Too small. Placed aside subconsciously.ย
And then he says your name. Soft. Brittle. Like itโs the first time itโs hurt him to say it.
โI need you to let me say this before you say anything back.โ
You freeze, just accepting this would be the kind of confession that might shatter whatever world still exists between you.
โIโve fucked up before,โ he starts, voice low, cracking just slightly. โIโve made bad calls. Hurt people. Lost people. But thisโโ
He drags a hand down his face. Rubs at his eyes like heโs trying to scrub them clean of the last twenty-four hours. Of the weight heโs carried into your home.
โThereโs someone else,โ he says.
You stare at him. You stand up, your body moving faster than your mind ever did. You just step back, and stare at the man in front of you, hoping he doesn't say the words you thought youโd never hear.
The syllables echo. Empty. Hollow. Until they start to landโsharp, jagged pieces breaking open inside your chest.
He sees it. Hears the sharp breath you take, the soundless recoil. But he powers through it, like a man walking into the fire he lit himself.
โShe doesnโt mean anything to me. I need you to know that first.โ
โIt was one time. One night. After a deployment. We werenโt... We werenโt good then. I thoughtโโ He cuts himself off. โNo excuses. Just the truth.โ
You blink, slow. Your bodyโs trying to catch up with your mind. But your mind is... blank. Like your brain short-circuited and your heart got left to bleed out on the carpet. You breathe in and press your hands to your thighs like grounding will stop the shaking.
He finally meets your eyes. And his voice gets even quieter. โSheโs pregnant.โ
Silence. Thatโs all there is. Thick and awful and final.
You feel heat rise to your face. Not anger. Not yet. Itโs just humiliation.
Because you didnโt see this coming. Because you let yourself believe he was yours. Because somewhere deep down, you believed that what you had was... solid. Sacred.
โShe told me last week,โ he says. โI needed to be sure before I came to you. Got the test. Itโs real. Iโm gonna be a father.โ
You tilt your head down and laugh. Disbelief. A sharp, empty exhale that surprises even you. But nothingโs funny. Itโs shock.
The tears donโt come right away. They just build like pressure, like static. Like grief. Grief for something that hasnโt even ended yet, but already feels dead.
โI didnโt love her. I donโt love her. Iโve only everโโ He steps forward. โItโs always been you.โ
And when you finally speak, your voice isnโt cruel. It isnโt screaming. Itโs quiet. Hollow. You look at him, theres nothing behind your eyes, heโs not used to it. Never seen it before. Like he just blew the fuse holding you together.
His eyes widen. โBecause Iโโ
โNo,โ you cut in. โWhy are you here, Simon?โ
He finally kneels in front of you. Not close enough to touch, but close enough that you can see the rawness in his eyes. The pain. The regret. The shame.
You look at him nowโreally look. His face, the lines in it, the panic behind his eyes. Youโve never seen him like this. And somehow, it makes it worse.
โAre you here because you love me?โ you ask, voice tight. โOr because youโre scared of what loving her would mean?โ
He shakes his head, fast, like denial alone could fix this.
โThere is no her,โ he says. โThere never was.โ
โExcept now there is,โ you snap, and your voice finally breaks. โBecause you made sure of that.โ
And you hate how much he still looks at you like youโre something he wants to protect.
โThis isnโt about my career. Or my past. Itโs about us,โ he says.
โDo you know what itโs like,โ you say, the tears finally slipping free, โto stand here and feel second to something that shouldโve never happened?โ
โIโm man enough to own this, but Iโm begginโ youโdonโt walk away without hearinโ me say it one more time. I love you.โ
โI waited for you,โ you whisper. โI chose you. Again and again, even when you were hard to love, even when you disappeared into yourself and left me wondering if I was enough.โ
โYou are enough,โ he says, voice breaking.
You shake your head. โNot if I have to compete with a fucking baby, Simon. Are you even hearing yourself?โ
He swallows hard. Looks down at his handsโthose same hands that held you, protected you, pulled you out of every fight like you were something sacred.
The silence that falls is different now. Itโs loud. Thundering. Your voice drops to a near-whisper.
โI wouldโve taken anything from you, Simon. Anything. Pain. Distance. Even heartbreak. But not this.โ
You donโt realize youโre moving until your legs carry you. He doesnโt follow.
Good. Because if he touches you now, you donโt know what youโll do.
โYou broke something,โ you say, arms wrapped tight around yourself like youโre holding your ribs together. โAnd I donโt think you even understand how deep that goes.โ You feel physically sick.
โNo,โ you say quickly, backing up a step. โDonโt. Not right now.โ
Heโs still kneeling, still watching you like heโs waiting to be punished.
And that makes you ache in some twisted, wrong way, because you can see how sorry he is.
But sorry doesnโt put your heart back together.
Sorry doesnโt unmake a child.
Sorry doesnโt mean heโs not hers now too.
You walk past him. Not fast. Not loud. Just... done.
You pause near the hallway, hand resting on the wall to steady yourself. Your chest rises and falls with the effort of holding it together.
โYou need to go,โ you say softly.
Itโs the โpleaseโ that does it. The crack in your voice. The finality.
He rises slowly, like gravityโs doubled in strength. You donโt turn around, but you hear the door open. Hear him hesitate. And then you hear it close.
You sink to the floor. With a fucking knife to your chest.