Chapter 3
The first few days in Los Angeles went by really fast. Melina had to complete a huge list of menial tasks to get initially set up in a new country, and once that was done, she had to furnish her apartment. That part was fun, but she did miss her friends while she was walking around shops to find what she needed. Since she was not working yet, she ensured she spent enough time FaceTiming her family and friends so she wouldn’t feel alone. She was putting up a strong façade for them, but in reality, she was terrified. She was all alone in a country far away from her family. If something were to happen to her, she had no support in place. She was hoping that once she started working, she would meet a few people and make new friends, but she was also conscious that being an introvert when it came to interpersonal relationships wouldn’t help.
In the next few days, her furniture was delivered, and she put everything in place. She was happy with everything she had bought, and her apartment started feeling like home. Her furniture was all white, as she wanted to be able to match any colors of decorations easily, and her large L-shaped sofa was silver gray, matching nicely with the few decorative pieces she had bought in shades of pink and grey.
Looking at her apartment, she knew she was still missing something, and after a bit of thought, she decided to order some wall frames with her favorite photos of her with her family and friends. She decided she wanted some more wall art, but since she wasn’t very big on art, instead of looking online or in shops, she would try to buy some unique pieces from street artists.
The next day, she walked in Griffith Park and took a stroll. She was right that she could find street artists there, and she started browsing through the different pieces. She found a few she really liked and bought them. After that, she continued her stroll in the park and observed the people around her. It was a lovely day, and many people walked around in couples, in groups, or with their dogs. She loved dogs and had always wanted to get one, but her mom wasn’t a big fan of having dog hair in the house. Melina thought that once she was properly settled in, maybe she could take the step and get a puppy.
While she was deep in thought, thinking about how much she would love a puppy, a gorgeous dog started walking toward her. It was one of those dogs you only see in advertisements—a white golden retriever, with luscious fur sparkling under the sun and the most expressive eyes Melina had ever seen in her life. When the dog came even closer to her, Melina kneeled down. The dog was a male, and from his tag, she knew his name was Johnny. Johnny came even closer and started sniffing her hand and then her face, and eventually gave her a big, slurpy kiss, making Melina laugh as she started stroking him.
Johnny was all playful and wouldn’t leave Melina for even a second. After a few minutes, she heard someone calling Johnny’s name, but Johnny still didn’t move. Eventually, she heard footsteps approaching, and when she looked up, she felt like all the air had gone from her body. In front of her stood the most handsome man she had ever seen in her whole life. He was at least 6'5", with broad shoulders, jet-black hair, a chiseled jaw, and a body to die for. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, and she could see intricate tattoos covering both his arms and around his neck. He was wearing Wayfarer sunglasses and looked like the definition of a bad boy.
He stopped in front of her, and she stood up. He removed his sunglasses, and she saw a pair of deep blue eyes looking at her intently. She was at a loss for words, but she knew she had to say something.
“I’m Marco. I see you’ve met Johnny,” he said with his deep, sensual voice. His voice sent jolts all over her body. She had never experienced that before.
“I’m Melina. Yes, I had the pleasure of meeting him. He’s a very sweet boy. I’m sorry if I’ve kept him occupied, but I couldn’t resist him.” Shut up, Melina, she thought. She had gone from not being able to form words to not being able to hold them in.
“He seems to like you. He usually doesn’t let anyone touch him,” Marco said in his deep voice. He kept looking at her closely, like he was trying to figure something out. Melina didn’t know what else to say. Her introvert nature kicked in, and she felt very self-conscious. This man was like the ultimate eye candy, but she was a realist—he would never be interested in someone like her. There was no point in delaying the inevitable or making things more awkward.
“Well, I don’t want to take any more of your time. It was lovely meeting you, Marco.” Then she turned to Johnny and said, “It was lovely meeting you too—and thank you for the kiss.”
“He kissed you?” Marco asked, shocked.
“Ah, yes. I didn’t mind. He was very sweet,” she said.
“He never does that to anyone besides me,” he said, still sounding shocked for some reason. Isn’t that what dogs do? Melina thought.
“Hmm, maybe I had breakfast leftovers on my face,” Melina said, and straight away, she was kicking herself in her mind. What on earth did I just say to the embodiment of the god Apollo?
Marco chuckled and said, “I think it’s safe to say he found you delicious,” while looking at her like he was undressing her.
Melina blushed and felt a bit embarrassed, so not knowing what else to say, she just mumbled her goodbye again and turned on her heels. She continued her stroll while the handsome Marco was still on her mind, but she convinced herself to stop thinking about him. It’s not like she would see him again.