Page 111 of The Prime-Time Experiment

Dee pulled back just enough to look at her, her hands still gripping Riley’s arms like she needed to keep her there. “Of course it did,” she said, half laughing, half emotional. “That’s because it is right, you emotional disaster.”

Riley’s lips twitched faintly at the edges, the expression small but real.

Dee shook her head, smiling now in that slightly disbelieving way people did when something long hoped for had finally happened in front of them.

“I genuinely cannot believe this,” she said softly. “Okay, no, that’s a lie. I absolutely can. But also…” She let out a quiet laugh, looking at Riley like the reality of it still hadn’t fully settled. “I think I’ve been waiting for you to get here for years.”

Riley’s expression shifted slightly at that, something softer settling in. “There is something I need to ask you,” she said.

Dee groaned lightly, but she didn’t let go. “Fine. Go.”

Riley hesitated before continuing, the pause longer this time, like she was trying to align the thought properly before allowing it out loud. “If I continue this… if I choose to be with him, then I am also choosing everything attached to him. His family. The environment around him.”

Dee gave a small nod. “Yeah.”

Riley’s fingers shifted slightly against the fabric beneath her hands. “That includes Tyler.”

The name settled differently between them. Heavier. Dee’s expression changed almost imperceptibly, the humour leaving it completely now, but she stayed where she was, steady and attentive.

“I left because I thought staying would hurt you,” Riley said, her voice quieter this time, the words less structured as they pushed through. “I thought I was preventing further damage,” she paused, “And I do not want to make a choice that causes that again.”

Dee stared at her for a second, then shook her head, her grip tightening slightly before she let out a breath. “Riley,” she said, softer now but no less certain, “you never had to give him up for me.”

Riley stilled.

“I mean it,” Dee continued. “Yeah, I don’t like Tyler. That’s not changing anytime soon. But that’s my problem, not yours. I can handle being around him if it means you get to be happy.”

Riley’s gaze searched her face.

“I like Declan,” Dee added, more gently now. “A lot, especially for you. And Ebony?” she huffed a small laugh. “That kid is incredible. I’d show up for her in a heartbeat.”

Riley nodded, her voice quieter. “She is.”

Dee’s expression softened further, something steady settling in. “If you want to be part of that family,” she said, “then I’ll be part of it with you. I’m not going anywhere,” She took a breath. “Because you are my family,” Dee added, more firmly this time. “You don’t ever have to choose between us. There isn’t a version of your life where I’m not in it.”

Riley didn’t try to organise the feeling this time, didn’t instinctively reach for structure or distance to make it easier to process.

She just let it exist. “Okay,” she said softly. “That… means more than I can explain.”

Dee smiled, her thumb brushing lightly over Riley’s arm before she finally let go. “Good. You don’t have to explain it.”

Riley let out a small breath as something in her chest eased, her shoulders lowering with a steadiness that still felt unfamiliar enough to notice.

Dee watched her for another second, quiet this time, like she was allowing herself to fully take in the change instead of joking past it. Really seeing her. Then something brighter broke across her expression too quickly to suppress, warmth overtaking the careful observation as the corners of her mouth lifted.

“Okay,” she said, her voice shifting, energy returning all at once. “Tell me everything. I want all the juicy information.”

Riley blinked once, the shift almost disorienting in its contrast. “All of it?”

Dee grinned. “All of it,” she confirmed. “You confessed your feelings, he said he loves you, and you didn’t run? I’ve earned details.”

Something in Riley’s expression softened. Dee dropped back onto the couch, patting the space beside her expectantly. “Start from the beginning.”

❈

The apartment softened around them, the atmosphere easing into something warmer, more lived-in. The tension that threaded itself through the past few weeks no longer sat so tightly wound beneath every interaction. It loosened at the edges, unravelling slowly enough that the shift felt less like a resolution and more like the quiet release that followed one.

Dee had fully claimed the couch, one leg tucked under her, a bowl of popcorn balanced in her lap as she ate with absolutely no restraint, eyes flicking between Riley and whatever point she was trying to make.