"I don't understand." Michael says. "He beat the shit outta you but now he wants to marry you?"

"He didn't ask. He kinda demanded."

"Do you need a place to stay? Caleigh don't mind and neither do I. Jo, if you need to-"

"It's my house." She says quietly. "I can handle this."

"I had no idea that he-"

"I don't love him." She suddenly blurts out. "I don't love him no more, Michael. I haven't loved him since freshman year of college and I can't marry him!" She stands. "I think I still love Riley."

"Riley? Riley Green Riley? When did y'all date?"

"Throughout college." She starts pacing. "He's everything I look for in a guy, Michael."

"Why did y'all break up?"

"He cheated on me."

"Asshole." He mutters. "I'm sorry."

"I still love him, Michael." She admits. "What do I do?"

He rolls his lips into his mouth as he watches her pace. "End it with Sean before he kills you."

"He ain't gonna kill me." She mumbles, looking at the chipped nail polish on her fingers.

"He hit you for getting home late that one night." He states. "I'm sorry but that ain't alright with me."

"He said he wouldn't do it again."

"Yeah? How many times has he said that to you?"

Jo starts counting on her fingers but quickly shoves her hands into her pockets. "Sean and me grew up together, Michael. We dated for five years. I know him and he knows me and we love each-"

"If he's hittin' you, he don't love you."

Jo swallows hard with tears in her eyes. "I have to go." She picks up her purse

"Jo-"

"I need to clear my head. I'll- I'll be back in a couple minutes."

As Jo is pacing around the back alley, she's willing herself not to cry. "Jo, you okay?"

She looks up. "Yes." She whispers to Riley, quickly blinking away tears. "I'm okay."

He gives her a look that has her bottom lip trembling and tears falling from her eyes. Riley silently wraps her in a hug and she sobs against his chest, somewhat relieved to finally feel safe in someone's arms again.

She hates how Sean makes her feel.

She hates feeling like she doesn't deserve anything.

She hates Sean so fucking much-

Woah.

She hates Sean.

Jo pulls away and uses her sweater sleeve to wipe her flushed cheeks. "What, uh- What're you doin' here?" She asks shakily, clearing her throat.

"Walkin' back from my lunch break." He answers. "You okay?" He asks again, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

"No." She admits, looking away.

Riley tugs her to sit on the step, his long legs almost touch his shoulders in their bent position. "Talk to me."

"Sean wants to get married but I can't do that." She whispers.

"Yeah, he'll kill you."

"He won't kill me! Sure he gets angry but I've deserved everything I've gotten-"

"Joey, no one deserves getting hit- well, some guys do."

"Riley," Jo sniffles, wiping her nose with her sleeve. "I'm scared."

His heart shatters.

Riley says nothing as he pulls her against him protectively, his arms,l- his strong arms, wrapped around her tightly. She starts crying again, burying her face in his chest as he rubs her back.

He catches a glimpse of a huge yellowish- green patch on her back when the neckline of her sweater pulls away from her skin. His blood starts to boil.

"You ain't goin' there alone no more."

"Huh?"

"You ain't gon' be 'round Sean alone no more." He says, his hand moving to keep the side of her head pressed against his chest. "I can't let you- I can't-"

"Hey Jo, you okay?"

She looks away from Riley, her tearful eyes landing on Michael. "Yeah." She nods, sniffling quietly. "Oh, Michael, this is Riley. Ri, this is Michael."

"Hey, man."

"How ya doin'?"

Jo wipes her eyes with her sleeve, ignoring the dark smudges left by her 'waterproof' mascara.

Michael looks between them and smiles. He can tell that they are still into each other, it's just something that he can feel. If he was out there just a few seconds earlier, it would've been obvious.

"I gotta get back to work." Jo says, nodding to Michael who takes the hint and slips back inside the building.

"Hey," Riley says, taking her hand. "I ain't lettin' Sean hurt you no more." He states, brushing his thumb across her knuckles. "I can't let him hurt you."

"I'm fine." She whispers back.

"No, you ain't." He locks eyes with her. "I'm gon' protect you as long as I can."

She looks down. "I gotta go." She whispers.

"Jo-"

She pulls away from him then makes her way back to the back door. As she reaches for the handle, she looks back at him, her body buzzing but her heart sinking.

She let a damn good man slip right through her fingers.

He let a damn good woman leave.

Jo steps toward him, her fingers lacing with his. She looks up at his eyes then down at his lips before they both start leaning in.

Their lips connect for the first time in who knows how long.

One of her hands rest on the back of his neck while the other lays on his chest. Riley is fighting every urge he has in his body to not push her against the wall and have his way with her.

Normally, Jo would be all over that but she's pretty fragile right now and practically scared of everything.

She makes herself pull away, licking her lips.

Every question she had about her whole situation was just answered by that soft kiss.

"I'll call you," She says quietly. "If I need help." Riley nods. "I should really get..." Jo looks between his blue eyes and his pretty lips then leans up again, kissing him a little harder than before but not like how she used to kiss him when they were dating.

When she goes to pull away again, Riley follows her back, blindly pushing her against the wall against his better judgement. It's like his mind and body are two separate beings in this moment.

Jo gasps softly, her fingers twisting then tugging his hair gently when his lips venture down her neck. His hand boldly- like it has a mind of its own- goes under her sweater, feeling her up over her bralette.

He comes to his senses. Jo audibly whines when he pulls away, a blush highlighting her face.

She's breathing hard as her eyes are stuck on the gold chain poking out from his t-shirt, her fingers twisting in the fabric.

Riley lets her dip out from under his arms. "I'm sorry, Jo. I shoulda-"

"I'll call you." She repeats in an airy voice. Jo lets herself back into the building, leaning against the door once it latches shut behind her, still struggling to catch her breath.

She can't help the smile that blooms on her face as she replays that kiss- those kisses in her mind.

She missed him so much.

So fucking much.

+++

"You can't break up with me." Sean snorts, shaking his head.

"Wh- why not?"

"Because."

"No, I want a damn reason." Sean stands from the couch and stalks his way to Jo, standing over her. She shrinks in on herself and bumps back against the wall at the sight of a dangerous sneer on his face. "P- Please." She flinches when his hands come up to grasp the sides of her face.

"Stop askin' stupid fuckin' questions." He says lowly, locking eyes with her.

Jo feels herself get smaller. "I'm- I'm sorry." She whispers, swallowing hard. She suddenly gets a burst of confidence and shoves him back. "No, I'm breakin' up with you. I'm tired of feeling like a piece of shit because you're so goddamn insecure."

"Excuse me?"

"You don't love me." She states. "You never loved me."

"That's a goddamn lie, Jo, and you know it."

"Ever since I left for college, you been some- some monster! You tried to keep me tied to that fuckin' town! I told you I had big plans for my life and you went and did that. You told me I wasn't smart enough for school. You told me I'm unlovable. You told me that I've got nothin' goin' for me."

Sean clenches his jaw. "You need to shut your mouth."

"Or what? You gon' hit me? You feel like a man when you hit me!?" Sean catches her off guard with a right hook to the mouth. "Fuck you."

He has her backing against the wall again. "I didn't want you goin' to Alabama because I knew you's gon' find someone else and cheat on me. I didn't want you goin' to 'Bama 'cause I knew you's gonna flunk out-"

"Stop it."

"'Cause let's face it; the only future you got is if you get knocked up and you become a stay at home mom." He says. "You've done nothin' worth rememberin', nothin' worth bein' proud of because you suck at your job."

"Sean-"

"So, quit bein' a little bitch and-"

"Riley kissed me."

Sean's face goes dark as he towers over her. "When!?"

"Today." She can't help the dirty smirk that tugs on her bloody lips. "And I kissed him back."

He smacks her so hard that her head jerks to the side and she loses her balance. She breathes hard through her nose as she chokes on her coughs, bracing herself with a hand on the wall.

"I worked my ass off on your songs, Sean." She wheezes. "Because of what Michael and me did, you're on the radar. You are nothin' without me and him. If it wasn't for us, you'd be broke and movin' back to Indiana."

His jaw is clenched so tightly, his teeth could crack.

"Fuck you." She says.

Sean glares at her, expecting her to curl in on herself but she doesn't. He takes a few more steps towards her, expecting her to back away and she doesn't.

"Get outta my house."