INSATIABLE

CHAPTER 7

“Cute dog," he tells me, eyes fixed on his phone's screen.

“Thank you, her name is Ella,” I say smiling, and he chuckles softly, displaying a nice set of white teeth.

With all his tattoos and piercings, I didn't think he was capable of smiling or being at the slightest bit friendly. But I think he isn't as bad, he saved me from Bri, and he just chuckled.

He has a soft side.

"Are you okay?"

“Yeah, thanks for saving me earlier by the way.”

“She didn't hurt you?”

I shake my head.

“Nope. Save for the headache, I am fine,” I say, taking slow steps beside him, towards the stairs.

“Thank f**k she didn't pull your hair out, I don't want to imagine a bald you.”

I shake my head, laughing and I make a face.

“Jeez! She would be very ugly.”

“I think you would still look beautiful." He tells me causing a smile to pull on my lips.

"Thanks."

“I have some painkillers in my car.”

“Thank you, I am going for a stroll and it usually helps.”

I have been taking lots of painkillers of late and I don't want to get used to them.

“I could give you a ride.”

“It is called a stroll for a reason, silly,” I say chuckling. "But thanks anyway."

“Yeah, right,”

“You are my cousin's boyfriend?” I ask out of curiosity, and he bursts out laughing.

“Boyfriend?” He asks amidst laughter and shakes his head. “I don't do relationships, I am just f*****g her.” He whispers and I gasp.

He is so vulgar.

Wait, does Bri know that he is just having s*x with her? Should I tell her?

“Ooh!”

“Are you sure you don't want painkillers?” He asks when we get downstairs, raising a single eyebrow at me and I nod.

“I am good, thanks though.”

“Okay. See ya, Lil dove.”

“Lil, dove?”

He looks at me in the eye and he smiles.

“You are some adorable, fragile, little thing. Like a white dove.” He winks at me and walks away.

Lil dove?

"You heard that, Ella? He has a nickname for me." I say in a sing-song voice after he walks out of the house and I walk to the kitchen without thinking his words over.

"He is flirting with you," Miriam says once I step inside and I look at her.

She is leaning on the counter, a few steps from the entrance, clutching a glass of milk in her hands and her eyes are cast on me.

"Who?" I ask, putting Ella on the marble floor and I take my gaze back to Miriam.

I don't know what she is talking about and if she wasn't looking at me right now, I would have assumed that she is talking to someone else.

"Marco."

I raise a curious eyebrow at her.

"Who is Marco?"

"That tattooed boy." She says with so much contempt.

I think she is not a fan of his.

"His name is Marco?" I ask, nonchalantly and she nods, taking a sip from the glass, and then she casts me a stern look.

"And he is was flirting with you." Her voice is different, it is firm.

The same tone that mom used to use when giving me a lecture but Miriam is a little bit gentle like nanny.

"Flirting?" I ask, chuckling and I shake my head as I walk to the sink to wash my hands. "He is my cousin's boyfriend or whatever they are and I don't think he would flirt with me when she is involved with her."

Miriam doesn't say anything.

I serve myself a pancake, grab a spoon, and Nutella from the cabinet, and I can feel her eyes on me, as I walk to the island.

I glance at her and she has both her eyebrows raised all the way up and for some reason I feel the need to defend myself.

"We were not flirting," I assure her as I sit down.

I spread a good layer of Nutella on the pancake and I take a small bite.

Just what I needed after a rough afternoon, pancakes.

"He was flirting with you."

Assuming Marco was flirting with me, why would I even entertain him?

For starters, he is my cousin's boyfriend and I happened to really love my life and my peace of mind. Bri pulled my hair over something so stupid, telling on her which wasn't even intentional, I don't want to imagine the extent she would go if she found me flirting with Marco.

Second, Marco is just not my type. He seems like a good person but all those tattoos and piercings are a no for me.

"He thinks you are adorable and he even called you a little dove." She tells me after a long silence and I sigh.

I wasn't braced for a lecture, and the way she is lenient about it, you would think we are just having a normal friendly talk.

"Yes, he did call me Lil dove, and that is not flirting. People use pet names all the time."

She shakes her head, narrowing her eyes slightly and I fight the urge to roll my eyes.

"He even offered to give you some painkillers?"

Seriously? A guy can't even offer to give a girl meds when she is in pain?

"Why were you listening to our conversation?" I ask, stuffing a piece of pancakes in my mouth.

"You two weren't exactly speaking in hushed tones."

"And we weren't flirting either," I say, smirking at her. "I think I would know when a guy is flirting with me."

I honestly don't think Marco was flirting with me. I mean, it got to be more than a pet name, right? Suggestive body language...

He winked at me.

I shake my head and shove another huge piece of pancake in my mouth, I am overthinking this.

He is with my cousin and to be honest, I don't think I am his type and he certainly ain't mine.

You want a boy like Leo?

Well, Leo is nice, decent, and perfect. Who wouldn't want that?

"Then you would know that's exactly what he was doing."

"I guess he was just trying to be friendly." I defend him and Miriam sneers.

"Marco? Friendly?" She scoffs and shakes her head. "He is not capable of being friendly."

I think Miriam is wrong, Marco is capable of being friendly. Actually, he was friendly to me a while ago, he complimented Ella, laughed with me, protected me from Bri, and even offered me painkillers.

All of that screams friendly to me, Miriam needs to overlook past his tattoos and piercings.

"Don't entertain him, Rio, he is not a good person."

She sounds so much like my mom.

"That's the first impression I got from him too, but he is actually nice." I shamelessly defend a stranger that I just met. "I know he got all those tattoos and piercings but he also has a good heart."

She shakes her head.

"You don't know what to are talking about, you don't know him."

"I know, but he defended me from Bri and he even offered to give me some painkillers." I look at her. "That sounds like a good and kind person to me."

"I have known the kid for a long time now and he is never nice to anyone." She crosses the small distance to the island and places her hands on mine gently. "You are very pretty and very innocent, and Marco is not blind."

"You think he wants me?" I ask and she shakes her head.

"More of taking advantage of you."

"I think you are judging him too much."

"All I am saying is stay as far away from him as you can. He is bad news."

"Does Bri know that?"

"Bri listens to no one, even her own mother but you seem different." She pats the back of my hand. "You are a good girl, Rio, don't mess with the bad boy. He will ruin you."