Chapter Text
It was eight o’clock at night on Valentine’s Day and while most girls her age were out getting spoiled by their boo, Rio Morales was home; had just finished cleaning the kitchen after dinner and was now studying for the lab test she had to take early the next morning. Having Valentine’s Day fall on a Wednesday sucked and having a single, bitter ass lab teacher didn’t help either.
“Your lab test is February 15th and worth 30% of your grade. Maybe y’all should study that instead of your boyfriends! Ya nasties!” the old bat had said with a smug smile. But deep down that woman knew that the only power she wielded in this world was over young women who simply wanted an education. That’s why she made the coursework so rigorous, but Rio Morales was relentless and optimistic that all her hard work would pay off. Her plan was that would graduate technical school, go back for her R.N. certification, become a well paid nurse, and maybe just maybe build a life with Jeff. Rio sighed at the thought of Jeff Davis-her boyfriend of a year and a half that she was blowing off right now. A couple of weeks ago, he offered to do something special- just the two of them, but obviously Rio had to decline. She didn’t feel too bad about it though; she knew that the sacrifices she made now would only help her in the future. Besides, Valentines Day was a such stupid commercial holiday. In Rio’s opinion, the giant Hersey bars, the life-sized teddies, the convertibles filled with roses, and the rest the grand gestures were all for show. Men would buy their girl(s) all these gifts and spoil them for a few hours only to go back to treating them like an option once the day is over. Rio has had her share of fraudulent boyfriends, but all that changed when she met Jefferson. He was…different. He didn’t come from money or a stable household, but was damn sure classier than any of the the other guys in her neighborhood. Jeff perused her, got her flowers on any random day of the week, checked on her between classes, drove her to clinical whenever his schedule would allow him to, and always called her at the end of everyday to recap. So for Rio, Valentine’s Day and gaudy presents weren’t important because the way Jeff treated her was invaluable and he provided her with respect, affection, and security. Rio pushed the lingering thoughts of her beloved to the back of her mind so she could focus on the material in front of her.
“ 🎶Think you gotta keep me iced? You don’t. Think I'm gonna spend your cash? I won’t…🎶"
“…Rio…”
“🎶Even if you were broke, my love don't cost a thing🎶”
“…Rio…”
“🎶Think I wanna drive your Benz? I don’t…mmmmmmm I don’t…even if you were broke my love don’t cost a th-“
“¡Ay puñeta! Rio!” Maria grasped the pillow she laying on and lunged it towards her younger sister on the other side of the room. Due to her bad aim, the decorative square cushion gently landed upside her head thus forth causing Rio to look up from her textbook to glare daggers at a giggling Maria. The nineteen year old nursing student fumed and sat up in her twin sized bed.
“¿Qué te pasa?” She nearly snarled. Rio grabbed the pillow and threw it back “Why’re you throwin’ shit?”
Maria, who was immune to her baby sister’s short-temper when under stress, caught the pillow with an amused smirk.
“Cálmate, hermana ¿No oyes esa música? Afuera?”
Rio paused to hear what her sister was referring to. Sure enough, there was music coming from right outside their window. Now not to get things misconstrued, Sunset Park wasn’t a quiet neighborhood and people blasting their music at this time in the evening was normal. But instead of hearing the tough beats and torrential, tongue-twisting rhymes of Big Pun, she was shocked to hear Ginuine’s sultry yet heartfelt ballad softly playing from outside her window.
My whole life has changed (My whole life has changed)
Since you came in (since you came in)
I knew back then (I knew back then)
You were that special one (you were that one)
I'm so in love (so in love)
So deep in love (so deep in love)
You make my life complete(you complete me)
You are so sweet (are so sweet)
No one competes (no one competes)
Glad you came into my life (my life)
You blind me with your love (love)
with you I have no sight (no sight)
Maria sits cross legged on her bed adjacent to the window and looked outside once more. The twenty-one year old motioned toward her sister,
“¡Mira ven acá!” She said giddily. Curiosity got the better of the younger sister and she strode across the room and plopped herself onto Maria’s bed. One look outside the window and Rio’s breath escaped her. Four stories down on the sidewalk stood none other than her boo, smiling at her and holding up a Sony combo stereo boombox. His robust arms were unwavering despite the denseness of the device and he was softly swaying along with the soothing beat of the hit new song. As Rio looked closely, she saw his lips mouthing the heartwarming lyrics.
Girl you open me I'm wide open
And I'm doing things I never do
But I feel so good, I feel so good
Why it take so long for me finding you?
This is my story and I'm telling you
It's not fiction, it's surely a fact
Without you right here having my back
I really don't know just where I'd be at
Ever since it’s made its debut, Rio (and every other girl in her age group) have been obsessed with this song. The fact that Jeff was pulling something this old school, not even caring about the odd glances he was receiving from people passing by, made Rio feel like the luckiest girl in the city. Jeff was always a practical young man and everyone loved that about him, but Rio loved it whenever he occasionally chose to be spontaneous- just for her. She’d briefly even wondered if he went as far as memorizing the lyrics being that his lip-syncing was immaculate and the song had only just come out. Rio only realized she was swooning when Maria nudged her shoulder with her own.
“Are you not gonna go down there?” She asked excitedly. Truth be told, this was the first time Rio was ever serenaded and she wanted to enjoy every second of it. Not to mention, she still had a test to study for. Torn, she looked away from her man and back to her bed that was scattered with handouts, textbooks, and notes. She felt Maria’s comforting hand on her shoulder,
“You’ve been studying non stop for the past week; necesitas un break.” she advised in Spanglish. Maria rolled her eyes at her sister’s reluctance “He’s out there serenading you; you know dudes get jumped out here for that type of shit. Just go down and talk to him for a quick minute.”
Rio peeped Jeff’s arms start to buckle from holding the stereo up for too long, but he continued to lip sync anyway.
I analyzed myself, I was buck wild
Never thought about settling down
But all the time I knew I was ready
But not with all my friends around
But girl, I put you first now (I put you first now)
You made me, helped mold me (Mold me, baby)
Turned me into a man, I'm so responsible
And I owe it all to you
“Ok, I guess a few minutes can’t hurt.” She said more to herself than her sister.
Rio excitedly hopped from Maria’s bed to slip on her coat and a pair of New Balances. She didn’t have to worry much about mismatching because she was already lounging in blue low-rise jeans and a black spaghetti strap. Not having to speak, Rio did a quick turn and gave her sister an expectant look. Maria gave her a scrutinizing once over before pursing her lips and tossing Rio a black claw clip and some gloss. Rio murmured a ‘gracias’ before exiting the room whilst pinning her curly hair up. Her and Maria’s room were closest to the entrance so all Rio had to do was deftly unfasten the locks and slip out to avoid disturbing her parents. As she made her way down the flights of stairs, she hurriedly applied the lips gloss to her lips. Her heart was racing. Normally she’d be annoyed at Jeff for showing up unannounced and not giving her the appropriate time to get ready, but this gesture was so sweet and thoughtful, she couldn’t bring herself to be mad. As she opened the heavy duty door of the building’s lobby, Rio was first met with a cold gust of February wind, but immediately felt warmth flood her being when she saw Jeff. He wore a white sweatshirt with a dark-wash blue denim jacket the matched his pants and tan timbs. Although she wanted desperately to jump into his arms, she wouldn’t be Rio Morales if she didn’t play hard to get.
“This is an interesting look for you.” she quipped, making her way towards him with a slight sashay to her stride. Still holding up the boombox, Jeff shrugged adorably.
“I thought it fit the occasion. Plus, once in a while a man wants to serenade his lady.”
Scarlett colored Rio’s cheeks at his sweet words, but she didn’t wanna turn into putty just yet. She crossed her arms over her chest and smirked so Jeff wouldn’t take her next remark wrong.
“Couldn’t said man have called first? I mean, I was a bit preoccupied.”
“So preoccupied that you couldn’t check your beeper? I gave you a heads up.” Jeff gently placed the speaker down as the song wrapped itself up “I know you wanted to cram tonight, but I couldn’t just leave my girl hanging on Valentine’s Day.”
Rio wrapped her arms tighter around herself, partly because it was cold and partly because she didn’t know what to say to such a saccharine statement. All she could do was smile at her four-eyed boyfriend.
“So…did you like it?” He shyly gestured to the CD player on the sidewalk. What a stupid question. Rio closed the gap between her and Jeff and used her tippy toes to place a kiss on his stubbly cheek. She pulled away to see Jeff looking at her with a wide grin on his face. He didn’t seem to mind the sticky residue her lip gloss left on his cheek.
“Imma take that as a ‘yes’ then?”
“Sí me encanta ¡Eres un romántico!” She exclaimed before pulling him down by his silver chain and pressing a chaste kiss on his lips. Jeff deepened the kiss and engulfed her in both arms. Rio could honestly say that she felt safer in these arms than she did in her own bed.
“Jeff, thank you for this. You really turned my night around.” She murmured against his lips once they pulled apart. Jeff chuckled.
“Well it’s not over yet. I’ve got more planned.”
Rio recoiled, brown eyes wide at her boyfriend’s admission. Jefferson released her to open the passenger side door to his 1990 Toyota Corolla. On the seat was a box of chocolates and a singular red rose- which Rio always considered more romantic than a bouquet.
“Get in.”
“Jeff, you know I gotta study…” Rio warned, crossing her arms once more.
“It’ll only be twenty minutes.”
“I already gave myself five minutes coming down here in the first place.”
Rio could’ve sworn she saw disappointment flicker across Jeff’s face, but it was gone as quick as it came. Instead he nodded and flashed her an understanding smile. He reached into the vehicle to grab the rose and box of chocolates.
“It’s no sweat, baby. I know you’re gonna ace that test.” He gently placed both items into her hands “Happy Valentines Day, call me afterwards ok?”
Once again, Rio was blown away at how great of a man Jeff was. Her mouth nearly hung open and her brown eyes were the size of saucers as she realized that going back upstairs and reviewing nursing fundamentals was the last thing she wanted to do right now. Just as Jeff motioned to shut the passenger side door, she quickly grabbed his arm to stop him from doing such a thing. Rio turned around and looked up at her bedroom window and sure enough, Maria was watching with her chin resting in her right hand. Before Rio could even say anything, her big sister waved a dismissive hand.
“Yeah….yeah. I’ll cover for you, just go.” She whisper-yelled. The younger Morales sister grinned and gave her sibling a thumbs up before getting into the passenger seat of her boyfriend’s hooptie.
Rio didn’t always love living in Sunset Park, in fact there were often times she wanted to just run to JFK and catch the next flight back to San Juan. This was only when the stress got to her though. For anyone unaware, nursing school was fucking hard and her classmates were fake and catty. About four of the girls in the barrio were in the same program as Rio and she remembered almost popping one of them in the mouth on the very first day- she couldn’t remember why. However she did remember Jeff picking her up when class ended and wrapping her in one of his famous bear hugs when she vented to him about what happened. To cheer her up, he brought her a chopped cheese and took her to this very pier to calm her down. Large bodies of water always put her at ease. Rio folded her arms on the railing that separated pedestrians from the water and leant against it. The sounds of the waves helping her regulate her breath, it was only now did she realize how cooped up she was earlier. Jeff who towered behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist and placed his head on her’s. Rio welcomed the warmth and they stood in silence.
“So…I got you something.” He said breaking the silence. Rio snorted.
“More presents, Jeff? You’re trying to spoil me rotten.”
“The flowers and chocolate don’t count as ‘gifts’ those are the bare minimum.” He loosened his grip on her so she could turn to face him. Rio bit her lip in anticipation as she watched him reach into his jean jacket. She swore if he’d gotten them tickets to the Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration concert she would die of happiness. Instead, Jeff pulled out a little red velvet box and Rio couldn’t fight her dismay. Did he really have to get her jewelry? She didn’t wanna be ungrateful, but Rio was very particular about the jewelry she wore and didn’t like many pieces that weren’t chosen by her specifically. Not to mention rings were just not her style. When Jeff opened the box, Rio purposefully bit her tongue cause the ring was actually really pretty. A dainty white gold band with a pear shaped Alexandrite gemstone (her birthstone) accentuated with side clusters of Moissanite.
“It’s a promise ring.” Jeff explained as he took the ring from it’s packaging and slipped it on her right hand.
“It’s beautiful.” She said flatly, causing Jeff to frown. It’s not like he was expecting her to jump up and down with joy, but damn. She didn’t look like she was feeling his ice at all.
“So what are you promising? That one day we’ll get married, hmm?” There was an airy, teasing way in which she said it. It was no question that Rio loved Jeff, but with her still in school and his…occupation, marriage and a family just seemed so out of reach for them. Her tone didn’t offend nor deter Jeff in the slightest. In fact, he took the initiative of wrapping his arms back around her waist and pulling her closer.
“Nah, I know I have a lot of work to do before I earn the title of your husband.” He said sincerely, stroking her soft cheek with the back of his hand. Rio loved Jeff, but she couldn’t refute his statement for it was true. She was woman with high standards an her family- who fought tooth and nail to migrate here- had high expectations of her. Her gentle giant took a deep, shuttering breath and she tilted her head in confusion.
“That’s why…I’m starting now.” His gaze was set on the harbor as he spoke “I start my six months with the police academy Monday after next.”
Rio internally spluttered then grabbed his jaw in her palm and forced him to meet her gaze. Behind his glasses were a set of serious hazel eyes.
“You’re being for real right now.” She stated, earning a nod from Jeff.
“I wanted to wait until I passed my exams to tell you. That way you don’t have to worry too much about it- you already have so much going on with your classes.”
“What…what about Aaron?” Jeff’s desire to protect his little brother was one of the main things tethering him to that line of work. She remembered the time Jeff snapped at her when she so much as suggested he leave the younger Davis brother to his own shady devices. At the time, Jeff wasn’t trying to hear anything Rio had to say so she dropped it. A pained expression appeared on her lover’s face at the mention of his brother, Rio wanted to kiss it away. For a while now, the two were the only family each other had. They never knew their father and their mother was unfit. The boys were mainly raised by their maternal grandparents who passed soon after Jeff turned seventeen. Their mother gained legal custody of the boys, but being that she was irresponsible, Jeff still had to take on the role as primary caregiver to Aaron. Before he met Rio, Jeff swore his only purpose in this life was to look after Aaron.
“I spoke to him…he laughed in my face and it ended in a fight.” That was as much detail as Jefferson was willing to provide, being that this could very well be the beginning of a permanent fall out with his brother, his partner in crime. “He knows what to do if he ever chooses to shape up, but for me it’s not a matter of ‘if’. I want to be your husband one day, Rio. I’ve never wanted anything more in my life.”
Rio looked back down at the Alexandrite ring on her finger. Maybe it was a trick of the harbor lights, but the stone looked like it went from a dark teal to a magenta color. Either way, this ring was no longer just a pretty accessory. Jeff’s sacrifice and renunciation of his old life gave the ring meaning. It signified his promise to better himself, to give her the life she wanted. Rio didn’t love that Jeff had to compromise his relationship with the only family he had left, but the fact that he did anyway was proof of his devotion for her. It made her heart swell and because she didn’t have a promise ring to give him in turn, she placed a promising kiss to his lips. She silently promised to show this man that blood didn’t always run thicker than water and that he now had a family through her.
“You’re my future, Jeff.” Rio whispered after releasing his lips “We’re gonna be ok.”