Tempestuous: characterized by strong and turbulent or conflicting emotion.
Previous Chapter
Wednesday July 19, 2023
Like seeing a ghost your initial reaction was to freeze when he walked up to you as you were waiting, seated on the park bench. Expecting anyone else besides him.
“Hey mama” he greets watching your every movement as you stand to face him
You bite back a smart remark and hand him the bag he smirks while passing it on to Mick behind him. You stand in silence ignoring him, ignoring his gaze. Mick gives a small nod.
“I’m good?” you ask
He turns to Mick who nods curtly again “Yea you good mama, see you around yea?”
“Cool” You turn to walk away, taking in a deep breath. As you wait at the stop light down the street you finally release the tension in your body.
He punished you for what happened 3 months ago. No text, No word, No Hi’s, No Bye’s, No anything, just nothing, just radio silence all of your texts and calls went delivered with no acknowledgment. You didn’t even get Mick anymore, other guys were now your norm they never denied or confirmed anything! The first month you were on edge, the second month pissed, by the 3rd month apathy because what else could you do?
Friday August 4, 2023
You sit in the car looking at the GPS on your phone and back at the building, another bar. Your stomach gets a sinking feeling praying he wasn’t about to tell you to take on yet another bar/pub. You huff as you get out of the car adjusting your outfit immediately getting sticky from the humidity. The summer heat is unrelenting, giving it the best it has before fall swoops in and cool air breezes through the city. You sling the bag around your shoulder, head held high, shoulders back, whatever it was you would find out soon.
As you approach the door you hear loud voices, at first you think it’s them watching a game but as you step in through the threshold you watch the scene in front of you unfold. Rio and Nick both had each other by the collar, there are curse words in both English and Spanish flying around, while two other men are trying to separate them.
The door chime goes off a millisecond later, that doesn’t stop them from what appears to be tossing each other around and by the looks of it Nick isn’t winning but doing his damn best, the door slamming behind you is the one that gets everyone to turn to look at you.
Instinctively you take a step back wanting to get out of there but you’re now held in place by the angry and confused glares you are getting back from the men in the bar.
With a final shove Rio releases Nick and Nick stumbles back catching himself, a laugh is released as he points at Rio. He moves away from the group while fixing his tie and suit jacket, before turning to you.
“Y/N how lovely you caught me and my brother I...”
“Cousin” Rio interjects
“Brother” Nick insists
“Cousin!” Rio stresses
Nick takes in a deep breath “Anyway we were you know just having a heated discussion”
“I can see that” you mumble to yourself
Rio glances at you briefly, tugging his shirt down before turning to walk back to the bar with his back to you, the two men pick up the chairs that had been pushed around also fixing themselves.
“See you around Brother we still have a lot to discuss” Nick walks towards you with one of the men following behind, “See you around Y/N” he speaks flashing a creepy smile and you move away from him, giving him access to the door to leave his smile deeply unsettling you.
“See you around Nick” you speak in a daze, the door slams again behind you and it startles you once again as you contemplate what to do next.
You take a deep breath, and shake your head to get out of your mind and fear listen this had nothing to do with you but you have never seen Rio that angry, even when he thought you had wronged him this was almost like pure rage, the way his vein bulging was from his forehead, the menacing look he gave Nick. If looks could kill.
You approach carefully walking to the bar listening to your heels click click as you make your way to where he was seated by the bar
“Sooo…”
He turns to look at you with a scowl still on his face before turning to face the bar eyes set on the TV although the TV was off
“Here you goooo…” you say, placing the bag gently on the counter, “I’m gonna go if anything is missing just uh...yea do what you do…” you turn to walk away but stop immediately thinking you heard wrong “what?”
He turns to face you again “I said dont go......please” he must have added the please based on the perplexed expression you held
You look back at the door and then him again “Okay but I have to work”
“I know”
“Okay then!” you place your purse on the counter and slide onto the stool next to him. You both sit in silence and you look around awkwardly taking in the ambiance of the bar. It was more like a dive bar, a place where mostly older men would congregate. All they served was alcohol and nuts, nothing else.
“Talk to me” he orders pulling you out of your thoughts
“Oh uh..... so we are hosting a singles night at Oasis in about 3 weeks I think, it should be good, it will bring in lots of reve….”
“Not about work Y/N” he interrupts you
“Oh” you chuckle “then about what?”
He sighs and takes a sip of his drink and shrugs. All this man cared about was money and now he doesn’t want to talk about it?! You both sit there silently as you try to figure out what else to talk about while getting frustrated by the second because why was it your responsibility to talk about something else?
Slowly the bartender walked around turning on the music and TVs in the bar before he returns to his spot behind the bar prepping the glasses and alcohol
“Can I get you anything to drink?”
“Uh..” you look at Rio as if you were asking for permission you weren’t, you don’t even know why you looked at him, you just did “Yea let me get your best rum” you offer the bartender
“So this is your bar orrrr?”
“I know you heard me” he scolds while he continues to face the TV as if ignoring you but you know he wasn’t
You let out a frustrated sigh at his attitude still trying to figure out what to say and why you even happily sat down you should have left.
“Here you go” the bartender places a glass of rum in front of you
“Thanks” you take a sip of the rum, feeling like you need liquid courage. A few more minutes and you smile to yourself you finally came up with the perfect topic! “Sooo are you seeing or dating someone?” You ask while facing the TV in front of you. From your peripheral vision you see him make a face and turn to face you confused you refuse to face him taking another sip
“Where’d that come from?”
You turn to face him “What? You don’t wanna talk about work, what else is there to discuss? So just answer the question!” you retort
He scoffs and turns to face the TV again “No”
“No?” You question thinking back to the time you were running around the city doing your errands and you stumbled upon him giving a woman a hug, but this wasn’t any hug he had enveloped her with both of his arms leaning into her they looked more than friends, even the closest of friends don’t typically hug like that.
“Nah...”
You roll your eyes “hard to believe”
“Why is that?”
“Well a young stylish handsome man as yourself I’m sure there are women lined up!”
He chuckles and shakes his head, a sign that things are going in the right direction “No? Seriously no one?” He had to be lying
He looks at you “No Y/N”
“Okay” You nod taking another sip
He turns his body to fully face you, curious about where this was going “Why? You think I'm with someone?”
You shake your head fast “No it’s not that” you remember back to the feelings of envy and desire because why did all of your interactions have to be tumultuous “just figured you would be dating someone, I’ve only seen you date 1 woman in our years of ‘knowing’ each other”
“Can say the same for you”
You snicker “please dating is damn near impossible ('Because of you!' You think to yourself) but we aren't discussing moi we are discussing toi, we have got to get you a date good looking”
He smirks “Why is dating damn near impossible for you darling?”
“No! No! Not about moi honey this is all you! You asked me to speak I chose the topic”
He nods while snaking his tongue and licking his lips “fair enough, I don’t really do the dating thing, not a ‘dating’ type of guy”
“So then hook ups?”
He shrugs “something like that but if I’m feeling someone I just let it be known”
You make a face “What does that even mean?”
“Means I tell them they mine, you know mark my claim on my girl”
“And what if they like dates? What if they are the traditional type?”
He shrugs again “most women who get close enough to me know, know damn well I won’t do traditional dates, that's not me not my style, not my vibe darling”
“Okay so we have to get you a gal then”
He chuckles “Oh men I’ll get one when you get a man”
You roll your eyes “Rio please as if that will happen”
He laughs a little and you smile, “Why can’t that happen mama?” you realize just how much you missed his smile, his laugh, just being around him when things were good they were really good but when things were bad they were and it makes you sad a little. “Y/N” he calls to you pulling you out of your thoughts
“Yup! What’d you say?”
“I asked you a question, why can’t it happen?”
“Oh....boy please”
“First of all I'm a man”
“Whatever man please! What man do you know that will be okay with me coming home 3/4 o’clock in the morning almost everyday and be out the door by 10am everyday!? It’s not possible! Most men aren’t that flexible, a lot of men want you home at night and most nights I am at the bar making you money”
“Could find someone” he argues
You roll your eyes “Like who? You?”
There’s an immediate shift in the mood shared between you two, it's heavy, it’s intense, it’s lingering “I didn’t me.......” you try to rectify your statement as you feel your heart begin to race
“Maybe” he bites his lips looking at you from the top of your head to your toes and back
You giggle nervously “Rio I didn’t mean it like that, I was just ummm....I was just saying it’s not possible for me you know” you turn to face the TV and take the last sip of your rum, you had to exit stage left and quickly
“And I’m letting you know that someone like me, if not me, then someone like me would be cool with it”
You nod to turn to face him and there’s a look that’s taken over his features and as you two sit staring at each other you hear your heart beating in your ears, you feel yourself blushing, “why are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what?” he asks eyes heavy as he looks up from your lips to your eyes and back
“Like....that” you quickly glance at him biting his lower lip then back up at into his eyes
He leans in closer “Because you m...”
“MY MAN CHRIS!” You hear from the door as a small group begins to flood into the bar “OOOH WHO’S THIS PRETTY LADY?”
You chuckle nervously and grab your purse “I’m gonna go, seems like you feel better” you stand up from your stool “See you around Christopher” you speak softly as you walk by him you let your hand drag across his shoulders
“AWW DID WE BREAK UP THE COUPLE?”
“Cut the shit Sean!” Rio speaks taking the attention from you
When you get to the door which was being held open for you, you glance back one last time to see Rio’s eyes dead set on you. A small wave and you disappear into the setting sunlight.
Authors Note: Please leave your feedback, again please don’t steal. Only repost, like, or give credit.
XOXO Rose
Taglist: I have been gone for awhile and some asked to be added please forgive me if I haven't added you it's not on purpose
I know I say this a lot but God almighty 😭 that profile tho!!!! Those handssssss!!!! The coat p@rn!!!! We got leather motorcycle jacket AND we got wool pea coat in one shoot?!?! I need him on my screen asap again🤤
Ma'am? Are you trying to kill me? I opened this and just folded down on my desk. I should be ashamed of the sound that escaped me. Never have the words CRYING SCREAMING THROWING UP meant as much as they do right now. 😭😭😭
Why is he standing like that? Why is he wearing that cap? IS HE MODELING?!? *clutching my chest* WHY IS IT SO HARD TO BREEEEVE?!?
Go tell my man to get out the streets thirst trappin!! He knows where he needs to be at!!
Manny Montana, aka Rio’s NYC twin—in BK with Latino publication Un Chin Magazine. Wearing Rio’s beanie as if he didn’t know what that does to me, personally.
