WAY DOWN WE GO
i. THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM
❝YOU MAY NOT END UP WHERE YOU THOUGHT YOU'D BE, BUT YOU'LL END UP RIGHT WHERE YOU'RE MEANT TO BE.❞

"YOU ARE GLOWING, RIYA." The smile on Doctor Palmer's lips was hard to miss as Riya looked up to meet his gaze. She had been his patient for the past five years, seeking his help to improve her mental health. She had no doubt he was proud of the progress she had made over the years, remembering how she used to be afraid to leave the comfort of her home at one point. But, now, she was happily remarried with a successful career and positivity radiating off her at any given moment. She watched him flip through his notes before he looked back up at her, offering another smile. "So, tell me, what's been going on these days?"

"I've been really busy," Riya confessed as she leaned back in the loveseat across from Dr. Palmer. It was rare for her to find a moment to herself, but she supposed it was better that way. It gave her less time to dwell on the past. She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm trying my best to focus on my job. I work more behind the scenes for the Eddie Brock report... Have you seen it?"

"Of course, I've seen episodes here and there. Good source of news," he answered as he flipped through more of his notes. "Has working this close with your husband affected your relationship in any way?"

Riya chuckled, shrugging again. She thought about her relationship with Eddie and how they were at work. Usually, they were able to keep work and their home life separate. But, with a profession like theirs, it could get difficult. It wasn't as bad as people assumed since Eddie was the one on-screen while Riya worked behind the camera, producing the show and helping to edit. She worked on her own side projects as well, writing a few articles for the paper. For the show, Eddie picked the stories unless their boss wanted something talked about. "Well, we get into arguments every now and then. But, we've worked out a nice balance. Work stays at work and we don't take things personally."

"How has your home life been?"

"It's been great! Eddie and I moved into a really nice apartment, like the ones you see in magazine catalogs!" Riya exclaimed, thinking about the apartment they had just moved into a few weeks ago. With their promotions and their bonuses, they had enough for a down payment on a lavish condo apartment. "Athena's been great, too. She's honestly the best dog ever and well, she's been super helpful. Also... uh... Eddie and I have been thinking about starting a family?"

"Really?" Dr. Palmer asked, raising a brow as he replicated her bright smile. "How do you feel about that, Riya?"

"I'm excited!" Riya laughed, unable to hide the grin on her face as she clasped her hands. "I mean, Eddie and I have been married for almost six years and I think it's time, you know? We're both in a good place in our careers and we're financially stable. I think... I think a baby might be really good for us."

"Are you still pursuing your photography, Riya?" Dr. Palmer asked as he flippered to a page with minimum notes. Over the past five years, he had accumulated binders of notes for Riya. During the first two years of therapy, Riya came in twice a week and needed more support from Dr. Palmer, Eddie, and her friends. But, as she slowly recovered and dealt with her past, she started to require less help from Dr. Palmer and relied more on herself and her service dog, Athena. She was a beautiful German shepherd that completed her small family with Eddie.

"I am, but it's more of a hobby," Riya replied. She used to love photography, but her interests had changed over the years. "I still try to help my co-workers though. Some of them have the stories, but need photographs."

He hummed, jotting down Riya's responses in quick scribbles. He glanced up at Riya before looking back down at his notes. "Riya," he started slowly, "has Eddie been treating you right?"

Riya paused at his question. It was obvious why he had asked it. He was only looking out for her well-being, but sometimes, she didn't want to constantly be reminded of her past. "Eddie isn't like him, Dr. Palmer," she began. She smiled softly at the thought of her husband ━━ words could not explain how much she loved him. "Eddie's amazing. He's sweet, funny, and he's supportive of everything I do."

Dr. Palmer smiled, nodding as he listened.

"I feel like I can be myself around him and he never judges me, mostly because he's as strange as me," Riya chuckled, tapping her fingers against her thigh. "But, I think the best thing about him is how he's always there for me. Even now, he's waiting outside."

His gaze flickered to the clock that hung on the wall. "Well, fortunately for him, our session is over, Riya."

"Look at that, an hour just flies on by," Riya said, standing to her feet as she smiled. "I guess I'll see you next month, Doc."

"See you then," he replied, shutting his notebook before he set it down on the table. Riya began to walk toward the door, but the sound of his voice stopped him. She glanced back, waiting for him to continue. He smiled warmly. "I'm really proud of you, Riya. You've made so much progress and I am truly happy for you."

His kind words caused Riya's eyes to glisten as she flashed him a bright smile. "Thank you, Dr. Palmer. I wouldn't be here without your help. She laughed awkwardly, wiping the tear from the corner of her eye. She had cried many times in front of him, but she still felt awkward every time. "I should get going. I don't want to keep Eddie waiting."

He nodded. "Goodbye, Riya. I'll see you soon."

━━ ━━ ━━

IT WAS STILL EARLY IN THE MORNING when Riya left her therapy session and exited the building. It was an over looming skyscraper, but each floor or two belonged to a different company. Dr. Palmer and the other therapists were located on the 38th floor. Eddie was afraid of heights, so that caused him to wait outside instead of waiting in the lobby of the doctors. She immediately noticed Eddie's relaxed posture as he leaned against his bike, scrolling through his phone. She found it incredibly sweet how he always accompanied her to her sessions. It meant the world to Riya and she was so grateful for him. She smiled softly, peeking over his shoulder to see that he was reading something. Due to his deep concentration, he hadn't noticed her yet.

Eddie was quite observant due to his job as an investigative reporter, but there were moments when he was completely blocked out from the rest of the world. She stood on the tips of her toes, gently placing her hands over his eyes. He stiffened, but immediately calmed when he heard the ring of Riya's familiar laughter. She leaned toward his ear, whispering, "Guess who?"

"Well, the hint of your vanilla perfume gives it away, my beautiful wife," Eddie teased, amusement clear in his voice. A goofy smile stayed on Eddie's lips as Riya let her hands drop to her side. He moved around his motorcycle before he wrapped his arms around her waist, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. After a few moments, he pulled back and rested his forehead against Riya's. "How was therapy, babe?"

"It was good," Riya replied as she rested her hands against his chest. She kept her gaze focused on his warm expression. Sometimes, she wondered where she would be if she hadn't met Eddie. Most likely dead, her mind echoed back. She took a deep breath, focusing on her husband's smiling face. "So, what have you been up to?"

"Not much, just researching for one of our future gigs," Eddie mumbled, shaking the phone before he slipped it into his back pocket. She smiled, shaking her head at him. Researching was Riya's job, but Eddie tended to take care of some of the research to lessen Riya's workload. It was sweet, but sometimes, Riya just wanted to do her job. He noticed the slight annoyance on her face, causing him to wince. "I know, I know. I just wanted to make sure you didn't have much to do tonight. You know, in case your session didn't go so well."

"It's okay," she whispered softly as she leaned forward to place a soft kiss against the crook of Eddie's lips, feeling his stubble prick against her lips. She knew Eddie's heart was in the right place and there was no malicious intent when he chose to help. Her hand caressed his cheek. "You know, I love you so much, Eddie Brock."

Eddie chuckled as he pulled her in for a tight hug, rubbing her back. He placed a gentle kiss against her hairline before he whispered, "Not as much as I love you, Mrs. Patel-Brock."

♡

WELCOME BACK TO THE FIRST CHAPTER OF WAY DOWN WE GO! I had a lot of trouble figuring out what I wanted to do for this chapter, but I decided to polish up the old version of the chapter and publish that. We fell into the last ten minutes or so of Riya's monthly therapy session. Dr. Palmer is an important person in Riya's life and I wanted to include him early on!

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I wanted to include insight into Riya and Eddie's lives through the therapy session and I wanted to add the cute scene at the end. Not much happened in this chapter and it is pretty short, but I am super excited to write the rest of the book! I rewatched the movie as I was writing this chapter. And, wow, it always shocks me how fast the movie goes while I am still struggling to write the first ten minutes of it. But, it's better to slowly get somewhere than never get there at all tbh!

ALSO, IT'S BEEN ALMOST FOUR YEARS SINCE VENOM CAME OUT? I STILL REMEMBER SEEING IT IN THEATERS WITH MY DAD, LMAO. AS OF RIGHT NOW, I HAVEN'T SEEN THE NEW MOVIE YET. BUT, HOPEFULLY SOON SO I CAN DECIDE WHETHER I WANT TO WRITE RIYA INTO IT.

━━ AMARA
[ original PUBLISH DATE ━━ 10.11.2018 ]
[ rewrite PUBLISH DATE ━━ 04.14.2022 ]