Can I be your favorite?

Chapter 10: Treetop rendezvous

Ricardo's POV

Breathing hard, I glare at Anikas silhouette. I don't understand, how can someone have no rection to what happened a few moments ago? I've literally seen girls- even some guys- lose their shit when their partners so much as glance at another person of the opposite gender. Or same gender if they were gay or bi (I don't judge. Love who you want, seriously don't give a fuck)

Then there's this... psychopath, who can't even seem to pretend to care? Like what the fuck?! Nobody is that trusting, not even that hag Mother Theresa. Our generation is practically the birthplace of trust issues. I mean have you seen the number of influencers who've been exposed for being a pedophile or cheating- Wait... is she also cheating...

Oh, fuck no. Bitch is about to learn what it actually means to have your asshole ripped. I open my lips to throw my accusations at her, when I notice subtle movement from her side. Her hand slips into mine, not a moment later, pulling me out of the shadows away from the alley. "What are you- no, where are you going?" "We need to talk but not here. Somewhere more private" she replies softly, all the heat from our argument, gone.

I look at Anika, who has her back to me, startled by her change in demeanor. What the hell is she up to now? First, she's at my throat for not talking, now she won't talk herself. The whiplash is fucking real. I resist her pull, slowing us down till we come to a stop in the middle of the pavement. Our entwined hands between us. "Please" her voice quivers, barely audible. Since we've stopped, I notice her hand trembling in mine, her breath slightly erratic.

My first instinct is to pull away, suddenly feeling guilty. An emotion I haven't felt in a long time. Yet, I remain motionless, staring at the back of her head. I know I should walk away; I had no part in this argument. All I did was stir shit up, hoping to get a reaction. When that completely backfired, I had to improvise. Although my plans were never sophisticated, they never failed. Not once. Yet, this girl managed to collapse my flawless record without saying a words. Rather than getting upset, I am intrigued.

So, against my better judgement, I squeeze her arm in a reassuring manner. "Alright. Lead the way" I reply softly. Without glancing back, she pulls me along forward. We end up walking till we find a taxi. We climb inside and rattle of the address to the driver. Anika remains silent, her gaze outside the window. I stare at her silently, however she doesn't seem to notice, lost in thought.

I know this will sound cliché but, Anika is a lot different from what I had expected as a girlfriend. While she is suspicious of something, given that she started an argument in the alley, she never seemed to jump to any conclusions. She... trusts me? I almost laugh aloud at the mere thought. trust? A guy she's barely known for a minute. Even Disney isn't that delusional.

However, she didn't exactly accuse me of anything. She is mad, but not at what happened at the pub. It's about something ghat happened a while ago. Essentially my plan failed yet succeeded... Fuck, this bitch has got me confused. I don't like things I can't understand.

Any other female would have gone batshit crazy, I know this through personal experience. Its why I promised to never get into another relationship again. That, and another reason.

She has me wracking my head for any kind of explanation, why was she so trusting? Did she really think I had no ulterior motives or is this some elaborate plan to trap me in a desolate location. Shit... what have I gotten myself into?

Oh well, curiosity killed the cat, and I've yet to die. So far so good.

When the driver arrives at our destination, neither of us react, lost in our own world. The driver had to cough loudly just to gain our attention. Or maybe he was actually coughing, the guy was ancient.