COHABITATION

4

Val wearily opened her eyes, eyeing the worn out patch of her olive green loveseat she realized she had fallen asleep in last night. How strange, she thought, she rarely falls asleep in a place beside her own bed, especially without a blanket. With a groan she crossed her arms above her head and stretched her legs out.

The night before played in her head like a movie and she cast her eyes around the room as the credits rolled. She quietly observed the futon back in its couch setting, the blanket she gave him folded in the corner under the pillow she had thrown, but where was Rio?

Heart kicking into gear, Val rolled off of the loveseat onto her feet as her anxiety made itself known. What if all of this had been some sort of elaborate scheme to get into her place and rob her? She recalled the very real gunshot wound of his and crossed that idea out. Okay, so this wasn't a ruse to rob her, but what if he had some other sinister reason for being here? She cautiously walked into the dining room area–no dice–she leaned her head to get a better glance into the kitchen.

"You always this paranoid?" A gruff voice says behind her and Val twisted around to see Rio stepping inside from the patio. He's wearing gray sweatpants cinched at the ankle, highlighting the lean yet muscular legs of his, and a blank tank. Her eyes immediately glancing back up to his and then to his hurt shoulder, shrugging at his question.

"Only when local gang bosses get gunned down and choose my apartment to lay low in," She countered, the corner of his mouth twitched and she thought he would smile. His bottom lip jutted out as he made his way towards her and nodded with a pensive look.

"How's your shoulder feeling?" She asked, and he stopped a few feet from her, hand absentmindedly brushing his hurt shoulder.

"Like someone without experience stitched me up," He said with the faintest hint of a smirk gracing his face. She rolled her eyes and walked to the kitchen while Rio took a seat in one of the barstools at the counter.

"Wonder who's fault that could be," Val was equally annoyed with his personality as she was attracted to him.

"When will you be leaving again?" She questioned as she opened the cupboard for a coffee cup.

Rio rolled his eyes and pulled his phone out of his pocket to scroll. He ignored the heated glare from her as she turned back around.

If he was going to be annoying, so would she. Did he even thank her for the stitches? She yanked the ground coffee out of the freezer and bitterly started the machine for them both. As the coffee machine noisily brewed, she snuck a look at Rio and was surprised to see him...sad?

Val watched him, curious, as he rapidly typed something out and she made out the colors of text boxes. His hand reached up and anxiously ran his nails over through his short hair. Whoever he was texting had obviously given bad news, and seeing as he is in charge of a gang, she could safely assume the worst.

"What's wrong?" Val murmured before she could stop her mouth from moving. She pinched one of her crossed forearms, she didn't want to sound like she cared, she did not care. He could get rid of her the second she became worthless, he didn't care about her.

It was hard for him to tear his focus from the phone in his hand, but when he did his face showed no emotion. Rio looked unbothered, save for the tell of his tensed jaw.

He wordlessly shoved away from the counter seat, making his way to the back patio overlooking the lower apartment complexes. The coffee machine beeped as the sliding door was slammed shut.

So he could ask her questions but she couldn't do the same? Val angrily pulled out the pot of coffee and had made herself a cup when she suddenly heard a raised voice. She set down the pot and strained her ears––the voice was from outside. A couple steps out of the kitchen, she rounded the corner of the wall on her left and towards the patio. The door must have not shut all the way when he threw it closed as it was still open an inch.