Chapter 2: Seven Days to Remember

Monday. Downtown high-rise.

Riley texted me an address, no details.

She was already waiting in the lobby, sipping from a paper cup.

I walked over, and she flashed a white pill. Swallowed it with a swig of water.

"It’s for my throat."

"That’s not a regular lozenge."

She grinned. "Professional singers get professional meds."

She was about to crack a joke, but I kept quiet.

She called a staffer, and we headed upstairs.

The staff at this fancy place barely looked at her—just another day with a celebrity. I, on the other hand, was gawking at everything.

We stopped in front of a massive curtain. Just as I wondered what was behind it, someone pulled it open.

Rows and rows of wedding dresses on mannequins.

I stared at Riley. "Are we in the wrong place?"

She just shrugged. "Didn’t we agree you’d follow my plans for the week?"

"And what’s that got to do with wedding dresses?"

"Because taking wedding photos together is first on my list of things we never did." She leaned against the door, her smile turning almost shy. "Let’s use this week to do all the things we missed, okay?"

Before I knew it, I was swept into a cloud of tulle and lace.

Riley was in heaven, picking out dresses for both of us, holding them up to me and giggling.

I let her dress me up, feeling ridiculous and happy all at once.

But when I saw her in her dress, I went speechless.

My chest ached, stomach twisted—I couldn’t tell if I was about to cry or laugh.

She came over, took my hand. I barely heard the photographer’s instructions.

When we looked at the proofs, Riley guided me through every pose. We looked so close in the photos, it made my face burn.

I looked away, only to catch her smiling at me.

Beautiful.

I watched her mouth the words.

I froze, then smiled back, lips moving silently: You too.

Tuesday. Mall.

Today’s plan was less intense—just a regular date, or as close as we could get with Riley’s face on every magazine cover.

She wore a baseball cap, but her looks still turned heads.

She clung to my arm, totally relaxed. Meanwhile, I was a bundle of nerves, waiting for someone to recognize her.

She wanted boba tea, cake—so I followed her through the busiest food court in the city.

When I handed her the boba, my worst fear came true.

"Excuse me, are you Riley Quinn?"

A girl in glasses skipped right past me, eyes wide.

"Oh my god, it is you! I’m such a fan—"

"Shhh—"

I was about to step in, but Riley beat me to it, finger to her lips.

The crowd, ready to explode, froze.

Photos, autographs, a hug—the whole thing happened in seconds.

Before I knew it, Riley was waving goodbye.

"You’re spacing out. Want my autograph too?" She leaned in, grinning. "No pen? Guess you’ll have to settle for a hug."

Before I could react, she pulled me into a hug. It was sweet, but it hurt, too—bittersweet.

"You always hugged me when I cried. My turn now."

I stared at her shiny hair, my hand halfway up, then dropping.

"I only hug fans."

She let go, laughing, and walked ahead.

We wandered the mall all afternoon. Then her manager called, and I found out we were trending again—because of the hug.

Back home, my phone blew up.

[Boss! Was that you hugging Riley Quinn on the trending page?]

[Autumn, is your first love really Riley Quinn?!]

[Did you take leave to go on a date?]

[Boss, please get me her autograph!]

I ignored them, my head pounding.

My coworkers guessed from the trending topic, but online, fans were defending my privacy. The buzz faded after a couple hours.

Wednesday. Home.

Going out was a no-go, so today’s plan was video games at home. Riley’s manager’s orders.

Didn’t matter—Riley still managed to get us in trouble. We got stomped by a streamer, our chat filling with trash talk.

She finally snapped, jumped on mic, and let loose. Some sharp-eared fans recognized her, and just like that, we were trending again.

Her manager banned gaming for the rest of the week.

She messaged me, "It’s fine," but I could tell she was bummed. Tomorrow’s plan was obviously more low-key.

Thursday. Recording studio.

Riley took me to her favorite studio.

I thought I’d just watch, but she had other ideas.

"Give it a shot—just hum whatever you want." She squeezed my shoulder, all smiles.

I was shoved into the booth, staring at her through the glass.

"Just hum that tune you always did in high school… la la la la… anything."

Luckily, it was just us. If there’d been anyone else, I’d have frozen.

I’d been in a studio before, but never as the one behind the mic.

She watched me through the glass, just like I used to watch her. The roles had flipped.

It didn’t take long. When I took off the headphones and stepped out, I suddenly got why she loved this so much.

Before I could say anything, her manager called.

"Sorry, you took time off and I keep bailing on you."

She leaned back, sheepish.

I waved it off. "We still have three days left."

She perked up. "Tomorrow, when we visit our old school, let’s really catch up!"

Friday. Park.

When I saw her again, she was in a wheelchair, leg in a cast, makeup flawless.

"Ran too fast yesterday. Oops."

She scratched her head, sticking her tongue out.

She was so lively, I relaxed.

"Even with a busted leg, you can’t skip makeup?"

"It’s a star thing!"

The wheelchair made her less conspicuous. I pushed her through the park, feeling less on edge.

She wanted to revisit our high school, but the leg changed her mind.

I asked why. She shrugged. "Security’s too strict. I can’t run with a broken leg."

For once, I agreed. We went to a nearby park instead.

At the entrance, college kids handed out flyers.

Riley, who used to ignore them, took every one.

"Didn’t you used to hate those?"

She fell quiet, flipping through the stack.

"I used to hand out flyers too. I’m helping them get home sooner."

I blinked. I’d never known that about her.

"When?"

"After we broke up."

She told me how, after she stood up to her mom, she got cut off. Everything changed.

"It’s easy to go from frugal to fancy, hard to go back. My music spending made even eating tough. Bandmates who used to treat me started telling me to make up with my mom. When I wouldn’t, they broke up the band.

I borrowed money, ate once a day, tried to find work but couldn’t do much. Washed dishes, waited tables, cleaned… I couldn’t even ride a bike right—got tons of complaints delivering food."

"Autumn, I’m sorry… you’re amazing."

I looked at her, trying to lighten the mood. "Yeah, you’re pretty tough too."

She looked up, her brown eyes shining.

"You were the one who gave me money through Mariah, weren’t you? She told me you wanted to support my music…"

Big tears rolled down her cheeks, smudging her makeup.

"Thank you."

Her tears threw me off. I crouched down, awkwardly wiping them away.

"It’s fine. I got to help a superstar, didn’t I?"

She pouted. "Then why didn’t you ever call me? Being my assistant would be better than hotel work."

"Because we broke up," I said, staring at the ground. "Maybe we were meant to meet again now."

"Not fate."

I didn’t catch it. When I asked, she just shook her head. "Nothing."

The day ended heavy. Only two days left.

I still didn’t get her bet, but I wanted to before time ran out.

Saturday. High-rise again.

Walking in with Riley, I didn’t feel the nerves from last time.

But seeing our wedding photos, framed and perfect, made my heart pound.

She looked radiant in the pictures, and I couldn’t stop staring.

"Pretty, right?"

Even though we each had a copy, she squeezed next to me to look.

I nodded, still dazed as she pulled me to another room.

"Got a surprise for you."

She took me to the venue of her first live show.

The band was ready on stage, but the seats were empty.

Riley wheeled herself up, alone.

"Tonight’s show is just for Autumn!"

The drummer kicked in, the place coming alive.

She stood at the mic, singing just for me.

At first, I thought I was hearing things when my humming played in the background. Then I realized—she’d used my recording in her new track.

"Now the album’s complete."

She smiled at me, then sang the rest.

Watching her perform just for me, I couldn’t help myself.

"Riley! Woo!"

I shouted, but she didn’t answer.

Just when I thought I was the only one clinging to the past, she grinned.

"Hey, Autumn, I heard you!"

Our eyes met, and we both smiled.

After the show, the band packed up, but Riley stayed at the mic.

I knew what was coming.

When it was just us, she spoke.

"Autumn."

"Yeah?"

"Have I grown up?"

"Yeah."

"Did I let you down?"

"No."

"Have you dated anyone in the last seven years?"

"No."

"Then… can we get back together?"

My throat tightened. I couldn’t answer right away. I didn’t even know what I felt.

Riley sat quietly, like she expected it.

"Then tomorrow… will you go to the amusement park with me again? The one we went to before."

I nodded. She finally smiled.

"Give me your answer on the last day."