INSATIABLE

CHAPTER 2

I am stroking Ella's back softly, eyes cast on the road absently, and I am completely lost in my own thoughts.

“Rio?”

I can hear Aunt Mel calling me, but her voice seems to be coming from a million miles away.

I sigh deeply, taking my lower lip between my teeth and I bite so hard that it hurts.

“Rio?” She yells my name again, a bit louder this time and I snap out of my reverie.

“Do you want to pull your lip out?” She asks, clutching the steering wheel so tight that her knuckles turn white, her eyes focused entirely on the road.

“Sorry I zoned out,” I mumble, turning towards her, and she shakes her head, stopping at a red light.

She takes a deep breath, leans on the backrest, and then she turns to face me.

“What's up?”

She is worried about me, I have been wallowing in grief and sorrow, and Aunt Mel thinks that I am sinking into depression. That's not the case though, I am just sad and I haven't overcome the pain of losing my parents yet.

Aunt Mel is so convinced that moving to a different environment will help and I hope she is right.

I blow out my breath and I swallow dryly.

“A million things,” I say, running my right hand over my hair and I loosen the bun in the process.

“Talk to me.”

“I just feel so lost and alone.” I swallow the lump that forms in my throat and I blink severally while I coil a strand of my hair on my index finger absently. “I feel like my life is on a standstill like it ain't even mine anymore.”

A few weeks ago, my life was so simple and so perfect.

I would wake up at six for a morning stroll with mom and Ella, go to the book club, stream movies on Netflix or visit Kay in the afternoon, take Ella for a stroll and have dinner with my family in the evening.

It was peaceful.

But all that changed four weeks ago.

“Look at me, Rio.” I look at my aunt and I can literally see her love for me in her brown eyes. “You are not alone. You have me and you have Bri.”

“I know b-”

She places her warm palm on my clasped hands.

“You have us, Rio, you will always have me.”

The way she says the words makes me want to take mine back. I am so insensible.

Aunt Mel has done nothing but her best to fill the void that my parents left, she even left her own daughter to stay with me for a month, a whole freaking month.

I should be grateful.

I clear my throat and force a genuine smile her way.

“Thanks, Aunt Mel."

“We are a family, Rio, and family sticks together no matter what, always and forever.” She tells me, squeezing my hands slightly just as the traffic light turns green, and she turns to the left.

“I hope New York will treat me better,” I say gazing out through the fully closed window, and I am so tempted to roll it down and let the cold breeze hit my face, but I can't risk catching a cold.

I was diagnosed with primary immune deficiency two years ago, and I am susceptible to cold.

“I am sure you will love it there,” she grins at me. “Plus you are going to college.”

“Yeah, college will help me take my mind off things.”

I will be occupied most of the time, lectures, assignments, and I am definitely joining a book club first thing after I settle in.

I missed the orientation last week, but I am reporting tomorrow and I literally can't wait for my first class.

“Yeah, plus you will meet new people and make new friends, ain't that exciting enough, sweetie?"

“Except, I suck at making friends.”

I have spent seventeen good years in Ohio and I have less than three friends, but my mother is partly to blame.

She was always controlling who I talk to, who I was friends with...like she controlled every aspect of my life and it was suffocating.

“I will get friends for you if I have to.” She tells me and I chuckle.

I wouldn't be surprised, that sounds like something Aunt Mel would do.

**♦**♦**♦**

“Finally, we are home.” Aunt Mel shrieks like a teenager as she pulls into her driveway. “That was a long ride.” She sighs dramatically and I chuckle.

“A whole eight hours on the road! But it was totally worth it.” I say while I undo my seatbelt.

“Was it though?”

“I have my car, plus it was so much fun. Right, Ella?” I ask my already bored friend, and she coils herself on my laps.

I think she hates traveling and so do I, or rather I thought I did until now.

“I wasn't a bore?”

“Are you kidding? You are never a bore.”

It was more of a road trip, she engaged me the entire eight hours. We even made a few stops to grab snacks and took a million photos with her camera.

There is never a dull moment with Aunt Mel. She is the complete opposite of mom.

I am not saying mom was boring, she was overly strict, authoritative yet conserved, and always a cautious parent.

Dad wasn't as strict per se, but he was never available and always tried to make it up for me with expensive gifts and vacations.

But they both loved me so much in their own messed up ways.

Aunt Mel on the other hand is permissive, outgoing, and fun to be with.

“I am glad.” She tells me, stepping out of the car and I follow suit, carrying Ella in my arms but I put her down to help with the bags.

“Here,” she pushes one of the luggage bags towards me. “I will take this,” and she offers to carry the big one.

I let my eyes wander around as I patiently wait for her, and I notice the changes from the last time I was here, seven years ago.

The entire building is now painted an elegant shade of white, there is a beautiful flower garden outside the house and the entire place looks a bit different.

“The place looks great, I love flowers.” I compliment, looking at the well-maintained garden in admiration.

I used to have a tiny flower garden when I was little but mom woke up one day and cleared everything, despite my plea. I cried a lot that day, and she didn't even bother to give me an apology not even an explanation, instead, she made me help her carry the 'waste' that was my flowers to the trash.

My mom was kinda bipolar, she would wake up all cheerful and get all gloomy in the next minute, or lock herself in her bedroom the entire day.

“Thank you, we did a little makeover last year.”

"I like it," I say, following her but I stop to pick a stem of flower from the garden before entering the house with Ella trudging right beside me.

“Bri? Sweetie, we are home.” She calls, as we walk down the hallway to the living room. “Bri? I guess she is not here.” She says casually like her eighteen-year-old daughter being out at 8:00 pm is not much of a big deal and I am utterly shocked.

“You let her stay out this late?”

She shrugs.

“She is probably at a friend's place, plus she is eighteen now.” And lucky to have Aunt Mel as a mother. “Let's get you to your room.”

I clutch the handle of my luggage bag, and we follow her upstairs.

We walk to the furthest room on the right side just opposite Bri's bedroom and Aunt Mel sighs in frustration when she pushes the door open.

“Miriam didn't clean the room!”

I step inside and sure enough, the room is a total mess with clothes all over the bed.

“It is okay, I can do it.” I offer but she chuckles, shaking her head.

“You don't even know how to make a bed?”

“I do,” she seems to forget how strict her sister was. “I can do my laundry too,” I say proudly.

“Really?” She narrows her eyes at me skeptically and I nod. “Sheila has done a good job with you then, Bri can't even make her own bed.”

“I guess you did a good job too.”

“I know you don't mean it but thanks anyway.” She rolls her eyes at me and we both laugh. “You will sleep in Bri's room tonight and I will have Miriam clean this room first thing tomorrow.” She tells me, putting the bags next to the wardrobe.

“Are you sure that's okay with her?” I cross my arms on my chest. “I don't want to make her uncomfortable.”

“You are cousins, and I am sure Bri won't mind sharing her room with you for a night.”

I might not know so many things about Bri, but I know that she loves her privacy and space.

“I can-”

“Rio, Bri won't mind.” Aunt Mel assures me, as she stretches lazily. “Go take a nap or something, you must be tired.”

“I will take a quick shower first.”

“Cool, see you downstairs then.” She says, walking out and I sigh when she shuts the door.

I hope Bri won't mind sharing her bed with me.

***

After a refreshing warm bath, I change into a baggy white t-shirt and some baggy shorts and carry Ella downstairs.

“Mom?” I hear Bri calling her mom as I walk to the living area and I stop at the door. “Where is Rio?” The excitement in her voice is traceable and I am taken aback.

To be honest, I didn't think she would be so thrilled to have me around.

We ain't even close and I don't even think we would ever get along if we weren't related.

Do we even get along?

Bri and I are totally different, we are like the east and the west. She is your typical bad girl.

“Hello to you too, Britney.” She takes her daughter in her arms for a tight hug. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” She says, pulling away and Aunt Mel raises a skeptical eyebrow at her.

“Did you?”

“Just a little.”

They both chuckle and I can't help but admire their relationship.

They seem to have a perfect mother-daughter relationship. Honestly, I don't remember the last time mom hugged me that tight.

But I know she loved me, she just had a different way of showing it, call it tough love.

“Rio is in your room.”

“Actually, she is right here,” I say, walking inside and Bri shrieks like a two-year-old when she sets her gorgeous brown eyes on me, she has her mom's eyes.

I can't help but notice how skimpily she is dressed as I take steps towards her.

She is in a short sky blue dress that ends right where her thighs begin, leaving a little to the imagination, and a pair of white high-heeled sandals that are approximately three inches long. Her auburn hair is pulled up in a tight bun, exposing her numerous piercings on both ears, and she has layers upon layers of makeup on her face.

“I would have hugged you but you are carrying her.” She points at Ella, scrunching her nose in disgust and I shake my head.

I noticed Bri dislike dogs the few days she stayed with us when she came for the funeral, and I hope she won't make Ella's life here a living hell.

“Her name is Ella.” I remind her while I stroke Ella's back, she is struggling to break free and I can't risk that.

“I can't believe you are here to stay, you and I will have so much fun together.”

And if she didn't have that smile on her face, I would have thought she is being sarcastic.

Bri and I having fun? Together? It is almost humorous.

I am sure her idea of fun is totally different from mine; she is into parties, boys, booze and on the other hand, I would rather curl myself up in bed with a good romance novel.

I smile at her.

“I can't wait.”