Trapped In Your Bleeding Heart (Riff x Reader)

Chapter Nineteen - Love Hits The Fan

Everything would've been fine if that kiss hadn't have happened. Because now that it had, there was a real dilemma at hand.

He likes me.

He likes me back.

There were shared feelings. Mutual feelings. Or, at least, enough feelings to cause a kiss; and enough feelings to want a lot more than just a kiss.

"I can't believe Riff is the one you are in love with!" Maria whispered sharply.

"He's not— I mean—" I turned to her. "He's not who you think he is."

"He's the leader of the Jets. And he's going to fight Bernardo— and the rest of the Sharks— in no more than a week!"

"And Tony isn't going to fight?" I countered. "You say your love makes you fly on wings of eternity. You do not get to judge me for falling in—"

Love.

Am I falling in love?

Saying this would admit it out loud, and probably hurt Maria's feelings. I decided to stop myself. "Riff and I hardly know each other. And he kissed another girl tonight. There's nothing to worry about."

Maria said nothing to this. She climbed up to her bed and faced the wall, away from me. If Riff and I weren't even consistently involved yet still made Maria angry, what would happen if we got... more involved? I flushed at the thought. It was indecent for a woman to think such things. But then my memory trailed back to how he kissed me. So forcefully— as if he had something to prove. A want.

'Do ya' want me?'

I tried to shake his voice off, but it stuck to me like a sweaty fever. I climbed into my bed. I didn't answer his question. Nor did he answer mine. His words were so tone deaf— so rough, and lifeless. It was enthralling to hear such words, spoken the way they were, so subconsciously filled with passion. You could tell he was passionate about his very being. You could tell he meant what he said. Yet he spoke as if he assumed nothing of me. As if he expected nothing in return.

What would've happened if Maria hadn't interrupted us? Even with her panicked cut in, we still shared a brief moment of contact.

Would the contact have progressed if she had never seen Chino?

Would Riff find a way to charm his lips onto mine? Certainly. He would push me up against the cold wall of the alley, protecting my head from hitting the bricks with his large, callused right hand. He would press himself against me, and kiss my lips— and then my neck. His other hand would slide around my waist— or maybe cup my cheek— the way he had in the hurried kiss we had shared. What would my hands do?

Good lord.

I shot up from my bed, and grabbed at my chest. I could feel my increased heartbeat pound through my rib cage with so much power it felt as though I was holding my own heart in my palm.

Sleep. I need sleep.

. . .

The morning didn't shake my thoughts. Nor did breakfast. Those rejected fantasies from the night prior waited in the dark corner of my brain, and prayed on me whenever I least expected it. In every sentence I heard his name. In every image I saw his eyes. His frame. I remembered the dances we had shared, and how his hands felt upon my hips, and my hands.

"..."

"Rose!"

I jolted in place. "What?"

"I said you haven't touched your food." Anita inherently repeated.

Maria hadn't spoken a word to me since we woke up. She didn't even bother me to stop the alarm. She must've just waited until I had woken up. "Hello?" Anita added.

"Right, no, yeah." I fumbled, shoving some eggs into my mouth. "It's good!"

Bernardo and Anita shared a look. I glanced down to my work clothes. "Maria and I should get going. We wouldn't want to be late." I stood, and began for the door.

Maria quietly mumbled as we made our way down the many stairs of the apartment building. I ignored it. What I couldn't ignore, however, was what she said next. "We should enjoy these days together. Soon you will be working your white job, and spend time with your new white friends. Soon, I'm sure, you won't even be living with us."

I remained silent in utter shock. After a long few minutes of thought, I opened my mouth to speak. "I can't believe you would say that to me." I muttered.

This wasn't like her at all. She began walking much faster than me, passing ahead of me towards our work. I wiped away my watered eyes and stormed after her. "You have no right!" I yelled.

Her hair flew around with her head as she spun back to me. "You're correct. I have no right. I have no rights at all. And you know what? You're doing nothing but contributing to that!"

"What are you talking about?"

"You love Riff! And soon you'll let his lies seep into your head, and you'll leave us behind!"

"That's not true!"

"It's true enough! Tony himself said so!"

I halted. "What?"

"He said that Riff is losing himself!"

"You're going to trust Tony's judgement over mine?"

She looked me up and down, her gaze settling on the pavement. "Yes."

I scoffed. "Jet-Jug." I mumbled.

"No, Rose, it's not like that."

"Yes. It is." I stormed into our work building.

Authors note: it's all part of the 😭 plan