The Bad Boys and the Fighter

13

Ariel

As I was putting the food away, I felt a pair of arms wrap around my was it a soft kiss be pressed to my left shoulder. An immediate smile appeared on my face.

"Sorry I was gone for so long," Cole whispered.

"That's alright," I hummed, turning around. "You're back now."

"My parents are coming back for the holidays."

"That's great!" I exclaimed, knowing how much he missed them. "That's great, right?"

He breathed a laugh and kissed my forehead. "Yeah. I missed them." A heavy sigh left his lips and he scratched the back of his neck. "W. . .would you like to. . to come?" he sputtered out, clearly nervous.

I furrowed my brows. "Are you sure? I don't want you to feel obligated to invite me. I won't be upset if you want to spend t - "

He cut me off by a kiss to my lips. "I want you to come. I really, really, want you to come."

I felt my lips turn into a smile. "Okay. Yeah. I'd love to."

My boyfriend a deep breath and smiled. "So, what did you do while I was gone?"

"For starters," I said, turning to finish putting the food away, "Elijah and the guys called."

"What did they say?" he wondered with a slight frown.

"Remember Karl? That guy that said something weird concerning Daniel?"

He clenched his fists when I said his name. "Yes."

"Well, a cop followed him to a tattoo parlor. Apparently he's getting the emblem of Danny's gang removed."

"What's the gang name?" he wondered.

"Vipers," I responded. "Do you know them?"

"I've heard of them," he responded. "They moved to Boston a year and a half ago. Some members still live in New York, like Chase, Ty, Karl, and a few others. Initiation is to get that emblem tattoo, like you mentioned. One of my guys said that they remove the tattoo so they can join another gang and get information on us and pass it along to the Vipers."

I scrunched my nose. "Do you think that's why Chase and Ty never take their shirts off?"

"That's possible," he said, leaning against the counter. "The reason why I was gone for so long was because Jeremiah had found a Viper."

"What happened to them?" I wondered.

"Nothing that you should worry about," he replied, giving mea soft smile that I knew meant I should drop it. "Anyway, have you received any calls from Danny recently?"

"No, actually," I confessed with a frown. "It's weird, but I assume I'll get one soon."

"Let me know when you do, alright?" Cole pulled me to him. "Promise me you will."

"I promise."

I walked downstairs after my shower a few hours later to see Cole standing at the stove. He wore nothing but black joggers, the waist band of his Calvin Klein's showing a bit. Cole's back muscles were on full display as well as a sun tattoo on his shoulder blade.

"What are you making there?" I asked, walking over to him.

"Ravioli," he responded, facing me. "I can barley make spaghetti, but I can make ravioli."

He walked over to the sink and poured the pot of ravioli into a strainer, steam flying up. I smiled as he put the pot back on the stove and looked back at me.

"Am I doing this right?" 

I laughed and walked over to him. "You are."

A triumphant smile creeped onto his face and I laughed softly. "What?" he asked jutting his upper lip out. "I suck at making food."

"I thought you said you could make ravioli," I pointed out, getting the marinara sauce from the pantry.

"I was lying."

"Oh really? I couldn't tell."

He faked a glare at me, though smiled right after. "Help me?"

With a laugh, I walked over to Cole and poured the marinara sauce into the pot. "With this part, you could make bolognese sauce in a pan while you cook and pour the ravioli in the pan - "

"Before or after you've finished cooking the pasta?"

"After, Cole. After."

"That makes sense," he said with an approving nod.

I shook my head. "You could also pour the appropriate amount of marinara sauce in the pot after the ravioli has been cooked."

"What constitutes as 'appropriate?'" my boyfriend wondered.

"You have to eyeball it."

"What does that mean?"

"How did you survive on your own?" I threw out.

He tilted his head, contemplating his response. "Lots of microwaved dinners and delivery's."

A smile couldn't help but make it's way onto my face. "Eyeballing means you have to guess. Does that amount of sauce seem appropriate for the amount of ravioli in the pot?"

"Yes it does," Cole replied, staring in the steel pot.

"That's eyeballing in a nutshell. You have to guess and if it looks appropriate, then it is appropriate."

"My girlfriend is so smart," he whispered in my ear and I faced him.

"Am I, now?"

He lifted me up and set me on the marble. "Very smart. It's sexy."

I smiled as he cupped my cheek and pulled me in for a kiss. 

"The brain is more active at night," I whispered adjacent his lips and he smiled.

"Damn," he breathed, pulling me in for another kiss.

"Mosquitoes are attracted to people who just ate bananas."

"Good thing I hate bananas."

I laughed softly and continued kissing my lovely boyfriend until we heard, "What in the actual fuck," from the door. We turned our heads to see Tyler at elevator door with an agape mouth. "Remove your hand out from under her shirt, my god!"

"What are you doing here, Tyler?" I asked, calmly, jumping down from the counter. 

"My parents just headed in for another forty - eight hour shift and I figured I would hang out with you guys, but if you want to fuck, don't let me stop you."

"Well, now you ruined the mood," Cole grumbled.

I nudged him. "We made ravioli. Want some?"

"Who made it?" He asked, walking to the kitchen.

"It was a joint effort," Cole snarled.

"Then yeah, I guess I'll have some."

"When does your parent's shift end, again?" Cole asked.

"You are a fucking idiot,"  Tyler concluded. "Ariel, your boyfriend is a fucking idiot."

I smiled at Cole who looked at me with a confused face. "What? What did I do wrong?"

I kissed him, the smile never leaving my face. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing."