8. Are We Happy? | Riri Williams X Reader

8. “Are we happy?” | Riri Williams x Reader

Summary: Can you build a future when your girlfriend is still looking back?

Rating: Mature (due to language)

Genre: Romance, angst

Word Count: 608

A/N: Tomorrow is the last day of an annoying two-week virtual training I’ve had at work. I’m so surprised that I’ve lasted this long doing daily updates, particularly during such a busy time. Also, I’m really enjoying this mini-series. I never would have thought that I could maintain so much plot with so few words. I definitely tend to overwrite, with many of my fics reaching 5,000+ words a chapter- which may sometimes take weeks to edit. 500-750 words is really beginning to feel like a sweet spot as it makes frequent updates far more feasible.

Taglist: @lyfeofbilly @prettymrswright @onyxstones-world @pvnks0ul

You sat on the couch, staring at the clock, watching the hours crawl by. It was nearly midnight, and you’d been home since four, waiting. Waiting and wondering where Riri had gone. You kept replaying the scene at the clothing store over and over in your head—walking in and asking about the interview, the embarrassment when your friend told you Riri had left without even meeting the manager. The disappointment, the confusion. The anger.

When you got back home, you tried calling her. Once. Twice. Fifteen times. Each ring felt like a heavier weight pressing on your chest until it became hard to breathe. The phone eventually stopped buzzing in your hand, and now you were just staring at it, waiting for a message, a call, anything to explain why she’d gone ghost.

When the door finally opened, you jumped, relief flooding your body for half a second before the anger kicked back in. Riri stepped inside like nothing was wrong, like she hadn’t just left you hanging for hours. She tossed her jacket on the cost rack and started pulling off her Jordans.

“Where the hell you been?” Your voice came out sharper than you intended, trembling at the edges. You were shaking now, tears you’d been holding back starting to burn at your eyes. “I’ve been calling you for hours, Riri! I was worried—”

Riri waved you off, barely glancing at you. “I’m fine. Chill out.”

“No, I’m not finna chill out!” you snapped, standing up. “You missed the interview. My friend put her neck out for you, and you didn’t even show. What were you doing all day?”

Riri sighed, rolling her eyes as she stepped into her slides. “I was making money.”

You froze, your mind scrambling to make sense of it. “What… what you mean you were making money?” you asked, your voice trembling. “You didn’t—Riri, tell me you ain’t—” The words stuck in your throat. Rob somebody. Steal something.

She glanced at you, the corner of her mouth twitching in amusement. “Calm down, Ma. I ain’t rob nobody. Moved a few ounces, that’s all.”

The relief you felt was immediate but short-lived. This wasn’t better. Not by a long shot. Your stomach dropped as the realization sank in. “You sold weed? That’s what you been doing instead of going to your interview?”

Riri shrugged, grabbing a hoodie from the chair. “I wasn’t about to be getting dropped off by my girl to make $20 an hour, Ma. You know me better than that.”

Your chest tightened. “Riri… I can’t believe you right now. I’ve been breaking my back, doing everything I can to make this work, and you out here hustling like we still in the streets. Is this what you want? To keep living like this?”

She stopped at the door, looking back at you, bored, like she was already over the conversation. “Come outside.”

You followed her, your heart racing, part of you scared of what you might find. She led you down to the curb, where a sleek, black Dodge Charger sat gleaming under the streetlights.

You stared at the car, then back at Riri, your stomach twisting into knots. “Riri, what is this?”

She smirked, tossing you the keys. “That’s what I been doing today.”

You caught the keys, staring at them like they were about to explode in your hand. A sick, hollow feeling settled in your chest. “Are we happy?” you whispered, not sure if you were asking her or yourself. Riri just laughed, walking past you and heading back toward the apartment, leaving you standing there with the keys to a car you never wanted.

realized a while back spending hours daydreaming and writing fanfiction everyday was perhaps not healthy and scheduled a psychiatrist appointment. surprisingly, there was an opening in a few days. super geeked until i realize right after hanging up that i can't go to the appointment due to a mandatory training at work. now i have to wait a month to see the doctor. ugh

Boom Boom Pow

i need to start making mood boards for my writing!!

Office Romance Dialogue

A: "You do realize this is completely against company policy, right?"

B: (grinning) "Are you really that worried about the rules right now?"

A: (glancing around nervously) "Yes! What if someone sees us?"

B: "Then they’ll see that I’ve been crazy about you since day one."

A: "You’re not making this any easier."

B: (teasing) "Good. I don’t want to make it easy for you to ignore me."

5. "it's a new day, let's go" | Riri Williams x Reader

Summary: Can you build a future when your girlfriend is still looking back?

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Romance, angst, fluff

Word Count: 628

A/N: Here we are with Fictober Day 5. And I'm finally writing for Riri! Feedback always appreciated <3

Taglist: @lyfeofbilly @prettymrswright @onyxstones-world

You’d been free for a month now, trying your best to get your life together, but Riri had only been out for a few days, and already, it was like she couldn’t sit still.

The apartment wasn’t much, but it was something—a place to start over. You’d spent the past few weeks getting it set up, making it cozy. Sure, it wasn’t glamorous, but after everything, you were grateful just to have a space that was yours. That you worked for. Riri, though? She had other ideas.

She was pacing around again, her energy bouncing off the walls. The little living room, the one you had taken so much pride in decorating, felt like it couldn’t contain her.

“Ay, we gotta make sumn shake.” Riri muttered, barely loud enough for you to hear, but you caught it.

You sighed, glancing at her. “Riri, what is it now?”

She turned to you, eyes wide, like she was ready to spring into action. “We can’t live like this. You think this is it? I can’t sit here and play house while we broke. I ain’t built for it.”

Your stomach dropped. You’d been waiting for this. You knew it was coming, but that didn’t make it any easier. “We ain’t broke, Riri. I got this place. I got a job lined up. We gon’ be alright.”

Riri scoffed, shaking her head. “A job? What, they paying you pennies an hour to clean up after other people? We could be getting plenty bread if we made one move. Just one. You know that.”

You stood up, crossing your arms, trying to keep calm. “Riri, we just got out. You really wanna go back to all that? We got a chance here. We can do this the right way.”

Riri’s face twisted in frustration. “I was locked up for eight months, listening to folks who ain’t never had shit talk about what was finna happen when they got out. They don’t know what the fuck going on. But we know what’s good, baby. Don’t act like you ain’t miss it.”

“I don’t,” you shot back, firmer this time. “I don’t miss any of it. What, you wanna always be looking over your shoulder? Waiting to get caught again?”

Riri stepped closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. “You know I ain’t scared of that. We were good at it. I just hate seeing you in here, tryin' to make it work on scraps. You deserve better.”

You looked around the small apartment, feeling a pang of frustration yourself. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a start. “I got better. I got us this apartment. We ain’t livin’ fancy, but we free. Ain’t that enough?”

Riri’s eyes softened a little, but she was still restless, like she was fighting a battle inside. “I don’t wanna see you struggling, Mama. I wanna give you more than this. You know I could.”

You reached out and took her hand, pulling her closer to you. “We don’t need more. We need this. A real shot. I worked hard for this place, Riri. I ain’t finna throw it all away just ‘cause we miss the money. We gotta be smart now.”

She stared at you, the tension in her shoulders easing a little, but she still looked torn. “But what if it ain’t enough?”

You held her hand tighter, locking eyes with her. “It’s enough for now. It’s a new day, let’s go. We got each other, and that’s what matters. We’ll make it, but we gotta stay straight.”

For a moment, Riri was quiet, then she let out a long breath, her whole body relaxing. “Aight,” she mumbled, though there was still a flicker of doubt in her voice. “We’ll do it your way. For now.”