i love those feelings that you bottled (you should pour 'em on me)
It took a while before Rio brought it up.
She didn’t know how to ask.
After that day at lunch, she’d been noticing more and more.
A mark on her elbow, a scratch on the back of her hand.
A cut on her chin.
Every gash, every bruise, every scab increased Rio’s concern.
Worst of all, Agatha had been distancing herself from her. She’d been coming over to Rio’s less, running around less, talking less; it was like they were merely acquaintances at this point.
Rio had some idea of why.
She just wasn’t sure. So she waited.
* * *
Rio backed Agatha up against the wall slowly, crashing their lips together in a heated kiss. She planted soft kisses up and down her neck, relishing the sigh that escaped Agatha’s lips.
She’d missed this.
She’d missed her Agatha.
She dropped another soft kiss onto her shoulder and Agatha hissed in pain.
Rio pulled back suddenly. She didn’t say anything, just looked at Agatha, concerned.
Agatha attempted a shrug as she squeezed her shoulder with her other arm. “Sore muscles.”
“From what?” Every time Rio tried to ask, Agatha derailed the conversation.
“You know.” She shrugged again, clearly fumbling for an excuse. “Volleyball.”
“The season’s over?”
“Practice. I was practicing.”
They locked eyes, Rio’s gaze boring into Agatha’s soul. Rio silently willed her to tell her more, to share her problems. She saw something in Agatha’s eyes flash for a moment—perhaps pain—before she looked at the ground, inspecting the carpet.
They were silent for what felt like hours.
“Please.” Rio pleaded in a silent whisper, one Agatha pretended not to hear at first. But then Rio took a step closer and took Agatha’s hand in hers. “What happened?”
Rio had watched Agatha closely. Closer than she observed others. She knew that there was something she was hiding. She was happy to give Agatha her time before she told Rio, but it was hurting her now. And from the way Agatha pursed her lips and squeezed her hand, Rio could tell it was hurting her too.
“Let’s sit down, hm?”
* * *
Agatha didn’t know how to start.
There was no proper way to bring this topic up, and now that it had, she couldn’t avoid it.
Agatha had thought about this moment for a while now. How she’d tell Rio.
But all those careful, calculated, perfectly curated sentences vanished from the tip of her tongue. They disappeared, just like that.
She tried to push a few words out. “Sometimes–” She coughed, trying to push a sob back down.
Agatha took a deep breath.
Held it for 4 seconds.
Let it out slowly.
Rio inched closer to her, setting a warm hand over hers. Agatha flipped it over and intertwined their hands.
She wouldn’t run from this now.
She would tell Rio, and if Rio decided to leave her after, then that was that.
She was tired.
* * *