Gangster's Paradise // Rio (Good Girls)

26.my girl

Isla arrived at her sister's front door and entered to find Axel and her sister standing together.

"Isla!" Emma exclaimed, rushing over to her and embracing her in a tight hug. "Where have you been? We've been trying to reach you. We had no idea what happened!"

"I'm fine, Emma, really," Isla reassured her sister, reciprocating the hug before stepping back and glancing at her brother. "You have two month," she announced, causing Axel to release a relieved breath.

"How did you manage to convince him?" Axel inquired, pulling Isla into another embrace.

"It doesn't matter," Isla replied with a smile, disengaging from the hug. "What matters is that you have more time now. you can gather the money within that timeframe, right?"

"With two month? Yeah, we should be able to," Axel replied. "But I'm a little curious too, how did you manage to get him to agree to that?" Isla fell silent, looking down at her hands for a moment before meeting their gaze again.

"Oh, Isla, you didn't," Emma exclaimed. "Did you... did you sleep with him?" she asked, her eyes widening.

"What!? No... yes?... maybe... stop asking questions," Isla stammered, her words stumbling out.

"You did!" Emma exclaimed, her voice hushed. "I mean, I really just need to know, was it, you know... good?" Emma asked in a whisper, as if afraid someone might overhear.

"Emma!" Axel interjected, rolling his eyes and covering his ears, while emma let out a laugh, looking back at her sister and raising an eyebrow.

"I mean... it was, you know..." Isla trailed off, looking down and then back up at her sister with a small smile. "Yes."

"I do not want to know this," Axel exclaimed, shaking his head, while Emma burst into another loud laugh at his reaction. "So, what are you guys, like, a thing?" he asked, and Isla fell silent. She didn't really know how to answer that question. Their relationship was complicated.

"I... I don't know, to be honest," Isla admitted.

"But you at least used protection, right?" Emma asked. Isla's breath caught as she realized they hadn't used protection, and he hadn't pulled out. "You didn't... Did he at least pull..." Emma started to say, but Isla cut her off.

"No," Isla whispered, looking away from them. "But it doesn't matter because I'm not going to get pregnant, so don't even think about it," she asserted. Both Axel and Emma nodded

"Isla, what is on your neck?" emma asked, concern etched on her face. She reached out to touch it, but Isla reacted sharply, slapping her hand away and shaking her head.

"Nothing," Isla replied firmly, her voice tinged with a mix of defiance and fear.

"Did he hurt you?" axle started to ask, but before her could finish, isla cut him off

""What!? No..." Isla exclaimed. "He didn't mean to," she added quietly.

"But Isla, those are bruises, like bruises bruises!" Emma exclaimed, concern evident in her voice.

"Okay, I know, okay? Just stop!" Isla pleaded. "Nothing bad happened, I'm okay, alright? I can handle myself," she reassured them.

"Look, I just got off a shift at the hospital. I'm going to go home, alright?" Isla stated, and Axel and Emma nodded in understanding as she walked towards the door. However, she halted in her tracks upon seeing Rio outside. She quickly shut the door and approached him. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

He shrugged his shoulders, sliding his hands into his pockets as he looked at her. "C'mon, let's go for a little drive," he suggested.

"I can't, I need to get home. I'm tired," Isla replied, looking up at him.

"Get in the car, Isla," he insisted, opening the driver's side door.

"What about my car?" Isla questioned, glancing towards her own vehicle. Rio nodded towards a man standing near her car, indicating that he would take care of it. He walked up to Isla, took the keys from her hands, and made his way to her car. Isla let out a frustrated huff before walking over to the passenger side of Rio's car and getting in.

Isla sat there in silence, her gaze fixed on the road ahead. Her mind was filled with the words of her sister and brother, questioning what exactly they were to each other. Was it just a casual fling for him? Despite her attempts to convince herself otherwise, she couldn't deny that deep down, she wanted more.

Finally, breaking the silence in the car, Isla mustered the courage to speak. "What are we?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper. "I mean, why am I sitting here with a man like you?" The words slipped out, almost as if she was questioning herself more than him.

Rio glanced at her, his eyes searching for answers. "I don't know, Isla," he replied sincerely. "Why are you sitting here with a man like me? What's your game? What's the plan?" His gaze held a mixture of curiosity and uncertainty.

Isla's heart raced as she contemplated her response. The truth was, she didn't have a clear answer. Her feelings for Rio were a complex blend of emotions, and she couldn't quite put a label on it. Love, perhaps, but she wasn't certain yet. All she knew was that there was something undeniably strong between them.
her mind overwhelmed with conflicting emotions. She longed to tell him the truth, to pour out her feelings and desires, but she hesitated. It was a precarious line to walk, for just because she wanted something didn't necessarily mean it was what was best for her.

In the midst of her inner turmoil, Isla mustered the courage to ask a question that had been gnawing at her. "Why me?" she inquired, her voice searching for answers. "Out of all the people in this world, why me?"

Rio's gaze softened as he turned to look at her, his eyes filled with a mixture of affection and sincerity. "Because you're my girl," he responded, his words carrying a sense of certainty and warmth. In that moment, Isla's heart fluttered, realizing that perhaps she had known the answer all along.