𝘾𝙊𝘿𝙀𝙋𝙀𝙉𝘿𝙀𝙉𝘾𝙀 - Rio x Reader

•Chapter 15•

After avidly avoiding his cousin's inquires about the phone call that sent him promptly out the door of his favorite gym- Rio stands leaned against the sleek black fender of his car, watching the doors of the police station with his hands shoved into the pockets of his hoodie. Small flakes of snow wisped down from the dark, night sky overhead, pleating the top of his black beanie and the shoulders of his hoodie. The questions he held were too large to swallow. He didn't know you as well as he would have liked to but he knew this wasn't you.

The door pushed open, pulling him from his thoughts. He fought back the smirk threatening to showcase along his lips as you clicked out into the cold night air wearing your mother's heels. It was just too backwards to not find it amusing. You were so good- so innocent. But it's him, standing outside awaiting you to be released from custody. Your eyes glued to the pavement at first, unbeknownst of the man standing on the curb.

Your hair flitted against the frigid wind carrying flakes of snow, trapping the small white puffs in the locks of your hair. A rosiness took over the color in your otherwise paled skin. As you took another couple steps, you wrapped your coat tighter around your frame in hopes to combat against the cold seeping through the innards of the fabric. That's when your eyes met his. He watched as you stopped dead in your tracks, but it wasn't accompanied by your usual motions of fluster. You didn't fidget with the closest thread of fabric, your eyes didn't widen, your breath hadn't got caught in your throat. You looked tired.

It wasn't the kind of tired that sleep would soothe. Your glossed lips had been strung into a soft frown. The remnants of your mascara were smeared under your eyes. The feeling that surrounded you was heavy. He had expected you to ask him what he was doing or why he was there. But you didn't. Instead, you stood across from him silently. This wasn't you. This wasn't the girl he had been getting to know. All that stood before him was the shell- and the questions queued at the tip of his tongue grew even larger.

"C'mon.", Rio instructed with a nod to his car.

He expected the usual rebuttal to his commands, but they never came. You simply complied. The only sound that offered to leave you was the clicks of the sharp heel on your shoe was you rounded the hood of the G-Wagon. He hesitated for a moment after hearing the passenger door open and softly close. It's as if your flame had been snuffed out. He hadn't realized how much he enjoyed the sassy, argumentative tone you were accustomed to using with him until it wasn't there. He had only seen you this way when your life was threatened. But even then, you had life in you. He pushed off of the fender of his car and entered the driver's seat.

You sat staring out of the windshield, the downward pull on your features either told of a mind racing with thoughts or nothing at all. The engine roared to life as he turned the key. With a sigh, he looked over to you.

"Want something to eat before I take you home?"

It seemed as if the words had a delay reaching your ears. A few beats passed, him looking at you- you looking out the windshield. Finally, you shook your head. With an answer, he shoved the shifter into drive, settling for what he had managed to get out of you. But before his foot left the brake and touched the gas pedal, a small voice cracked through the cab of his car.

"There isn't a home anymore."

He stood firmly on the brake pedal. His attention left the windshield and landed onto you once again, but this time he met the back of your head instead of the side of your face. Another dot to adjoin the rest- but no lines connecting any of them. His chest burned in response to this new information. An unwarranted spill of anger-fueled thoughts swarmed his head. Who did this to you? What happened to your house? And why did he care so fucking much?
He shook it off the best that he could. He exhaled after finding his last breath of air was trapped in his lungs- and pressed the gas pedal. The car rolled off from the curb of the police station.