Trapped In Your Bleeding Heart (Riff x Reader)

Chapter Four - First Meeting

"I don't reckon Bernardo would let a dog in the apartment, Squinty." I said, sitting on the curb next to the alley where my apartment was.

Squinty accepted my affection happily, laying down next to me as I pet him. The sun had just fully set, leaving echoes of pink behind in the illuminated sky. Street lamps created dark shadows onto the ground, contrasting the soft, fading light of the sunset. "Especially if you belong to these 'Jets'..." I added after a long while.

Time passed, and I remained on the side of the road, petting the large dog. Soon Squinty rested his fat head onto my legs, which provided me with much needed warmth. I could feel rosy red cold make its way onto my cheeks. I sighed. My eyes slowly flickered open and closed. I had just had a very long, very eventful day. I took my pointer finger and tapped Squinty's pink nose. At first I thought it was the paint, but Squinty had white sections of fur that reached over his paws, and some of his face. A door slammed in the distance. Squinty jumped to his feet.

"What are you doing with my dog?" A sharp, aimed voice called.

I jolted in place. Squinty shot out from beside me and sprinted down towards the voice, to a place not lit by the street lamps. I stood and swallowed nervously. Slowly, the voice stepped into the light. His body was suddenly illuminated. I parted my lips, as if to say something.

Dear lord.

The first thing to come into focus was his face. It was angled and sculpted like a Greek statue, gazing at me through dark, piercing eyes. Next were his broad shoulders and chest, which were followed closely by his firmly built torso and arms. And then really, really long legs.

Was this Riff? The leader of the Jets?

He was tall.

And scary.

Holy shit.

Squinty reacted the opposite of me— frolicking towards Riff with a wagging tail and his classic squinted eyes that earned him his name. Riff, upon seeing his dog in no harm, smiled down to Squinty, and picked up the large dog with ease. "Hi, Cash." I distantly heard him greet. "You're a good boy."

God, that smile was heart-stopping. Or maybe I was just really, really cold...

Riff released Squinty back onto the ground and directed his attention back to me. "Why were you with my dog?" He asked cooly.

I hesitated. I still didn't know much about whatever terf war was happening here. Was this guy dangerous? "It wasn't on purpose." I said. "Your dog is just– really clingy."

He let out a small, flat, 'huh' which caused a cloud of hot breath to smoke in the chilled night air. "And you just happen to be on the Puerto Rican's side of town with him. At night." He commented.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What exactly are you implying?"

Riff's head tilted slightly to the side. "I should let you know now, doll," He said, taking a step towards me. "I see through people like I see through water."

I scoffed. "Does the water have a bunch of shit in it?"

He opened his mouth slightly, and then he smiled. A cocky, perhaps slightly annoyed— or maybe impressed smile. He took a toothpick out of his pocket and placed it in his mouth. With his hand more exposed to the light, I noticed bloody bruises covering his knuckles.