Five
Rio let the hotel room door swing shut behind her, the lock clicking into place.
She exhaled, slow. Threw her bag down on the desk chair. Did a quick scan around the room—one bed, lamps, a desk, and the bathroom.
She went straight for it, leaning over the sink with both hands before looking into her reflection.
What the fuck was that?
She grabbed a washcloth off the towel bar, turning the sink on as hot as it could go. Normally, she didn’t even bother wiping off her makeup, but she needed to do something before she thought about her again.
Agatha.
Jen’s best friend.
Never had Agatha passed her mind so much since she’d known the girl. She never needed to think about her. Because Agatha was Jen’s friend—and Rio wasn’t invited to hang with them. What Rio remembered about Agatha was that she was loud. A little dramatic. Always in the middle of things.
And Rio wasn’t in things.
But then Agatha was buying her a drink. And Rio let her.
And then Rio got to look at Agatha. More than just ships in the night, passing each other in her stepmom’s house when Agatha would sleep over. More than a quick peek in her direction when she, Alice, and Jen would scramble out the front door before Evanora noticed.
Rio didn’t just look at her—she saw her.
Her voice. That little half-smirk that tugged at her lips whenever Rio said something she wasn’t sure she should react to. The way her round glasses slid down her nose after a sip of her drink, and how she barely seemed to notice, pushing them back up with the tip of her knuckle like it was muscle memory.
Rio noticed.
Had she mentioned her nose?
Her nose.
Rio splashed water on her face with both hands. More than she needed. Making a mess. Okay, so there was a puddle on the floor. Whatever.
This was stupid.
Rio did not do this.
It wasn’t like Rio hadn’t flirted before. Didn’t this story start with her in another woman’s bed? It wasn’t like she hadn’t walked into bars, found someone interesting, and spent the night chasing a flicker of fun.
And yet. Here she was.
Standing in her hotel bathroom, staring at her dripping reflection, feeling—what?
Off.
Like off-balance.
Like something shifted.
Because Rio had recognized her. Maybe not before she sat down, but almost right away.
But Agatha hadn’t recognized her.
And that was fun.
The way she reacted to Rio’s comments. The interest in her eyes.
But then Jen walked up. And Rio was saying, hey, sis, and suddenly, it was like the spell broke—Agatha’s eyes snapping to hers with a different look than before.
Like she wasn’t sure if she wanted to take a step back or forward.
And that was what Rio couldn’t stop thinking about.
But Rio didn’t do this. She didn’t pull apart every stupid little detail of a conversation with another woman.
The way Agatha blinked at her, like she had short-circuited.
It was adorable. Hey, what?
Or the way her throat bobbed when she swallowed.
The way she looked away first.
Rio exhaled sharply, shaking her head.
It didn’t matter. It did not.
She was here for Jen’s wedding. Nothing more.
Agatha was just—
She was just Jen’s best friend.
That’s all.
————-
Has Rio mentioned she’s not a morning person?
She really wasn’t a morning person if she had gotten more than four hours of sleep and hadn’t spent the first ten minutes of her morning lying in bed, staring at the ceiling.
Thinking about Agatha.
She groaned, scrubbing a hand down her face.
She needed to focus on something else.
She shuffled towards her duffel bag and found something that didn’t scream I just rolled out of bed for this brunch.
The shower helped. Coffee—even out of the hotel coffee pot—helped more. By the time her boots were on and she was grabbing her bag, she felt almost like a human again.
Almost.
Because Agatha’s small laugh was still in the back of her head, like a song she couldn’t get unstuck.
And before she knew it, she was stepping through the ginormous doors of the golf club and walking towards the dining room.
And Rio could do this. Sit in a corner, push through whoever she was sat next to, until this was over and she could go back to the hotel.
But then there was a kid in the corner she chose for herself.
Kicking the leg of the chair next to him. Arms crossed so tight he looked stiff with it.
And Rio doesn’t care. Or she normally doesn’t. Because she’s not good with kids, and she definitely doesn’t go out of her way to talk to them.
But this one?
He was muttering under his breath like he was personally plotting someone’s downfall.
And Rio could respect that.
She slowed her approach, glancing around. The rest of the party was still either getting in or scattered around—Jen at the bar, Alice talking to some guests at the front, Evanora sitting at the bride’s table, and Agatha—
Nowhere to be found.
She looked back down. The kid glared at her.
Glared.
Rio raised an eyebrow. “You good?”
He huffed. “No.”
“Solid answer.”
Another glare. Rio felt herself smirk. Just a little bit.
And then the kid sighed, dragging a hand down his face. “Jen said I can’t wear makeup.”
Okay. To be honest, Rio was not expecting that.
But she rolled with it. “Yeah?”
“She said I have to look ‘natural.’” He said it like the word hurt him. “But I’m pretty sure her mom is behind it. She wants the pictures to have a certain look.”
And, dammit, that sounded like Evanora. Jen probably didn’t care at all if this kid wore makeup. Wedding pictures or not.
But Evanora had written stupid rules into her contract with Rio this weekend—she wouldn’t put it past her to do this too.
And then Rio looked at the kid again. And he looked… sad.
Like one of those puppy commercials. You know, the one where the puppy looks all pathetic and—never mind.
Rio likes to watch the world burn. Especially Evanora’s.
She lowered her voice. “Do you want to fix that?”
The kid’s—no, teen’s—eyes snapped up to hers, wide and cautious and hopeful.
Rio was already walking toward the hallway. “C’mon then.”
The teen shot up out of his chair, with more energy than Rio had seen from him all morning, and followed her out of the dining room.
Rio didn’t have much in her bag, but she had some eyeliner, mascara, and lipstick. She handed them over, and he ran into the bathroom.
So Rio waited, leaning against the hallway.
And then she heard it—the chatter of the dining room again.
And a voice, louder than the rest.
“Have you seen Billy? Pictures are about to start.”
And oh. No.
Agatha.
That was Agatha’s voice. And it was coming closer.
Rio shut her eyes. Hung her head.
The click of heels against the tile. Coming straight for her.
She opened her eyes just in time.
And there she was.
A cream-colored wrap dress that cinched at the waist, falling just below her knee. And of course, it had a floral print. Her hair in loose waves, framing her face and falling over her glasses.
But she wasn’t looking at Rio. She was scanning the hall, looking for Billy.
Then—she saw Rio.
She hesitated.
Then she was walking faster.
And then she was right in front of her, a little flushed, half out of breath, and looking fantastic.
Rio licked her lips.
“Rio—hey, I was hoping we could talk. But I’m actually looking for—”
The bathroom door swung open, and Billy - Rio assumed - stepped out, grinning like he just won the lottery. He caught his reflection in the glossy hallway mirror, tilting his head side to side, admiring himself.
Agatha let out a breath—half relieved, half exasperated. “Billy—”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Pictures.” He rolled his eyes, but his smirk stayed in place. “I’m coming.” He handed Rio back her makeup.
She blinked at him, her gaze narrowing slightly. “What—what’s on your face?”
Billy lifted his chin, looking downright smug. “Eyeliner. Little mascara. Lip gloss. Looks good, right?”
Agatha opened her mouth, then closed it, glancing at Rio before looking back at her son. “I thought—Jen said—”
Billy huffed, crossing his arms. “Jen said no makeup. But then Rio—” He gestured dramatically toward her, like she was some kind of legend. “—had some in her bag, and she let me use it. Which was so cool, by the way.”
Agatha’s gaze snapped back to Rio.
Rio just raised an eyebrow, completely unapologetic. “Kid wanted makeup. I had makeup.”
Billy grinned wider. “See? Cool.” He turned to Agatha, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet. “It just—it makes me feel more like myself, you know?” His voice softened a little. “And I wanna feel like me in the pictures.”
Agatha’s face shifted, something tender in the way she looked at him now.
“Oh, sweetheart,” she murmured, reaching up to adjust his collar, smoothing it over his shoulder. “If this makes you happy, I don’t care what anyone else says.”
Billy beamed, then shot Rio a triumphant look like See? before heading toward the dining room.
And then it was just Agatha and Rio.
Agatha exhaled, pressing her fingers lightly to her temple before letting her hand drop.
Rio smirked. “You’re welcome, by the way.”
Agatha shook her head, her lips twitching at the corners. “You just met him, and you’re already encouraging him to break rules?”
Rio shrugged. “He was pissed. I had the means to fix it. Why not?”
Agatha studied her for a beat, then sighed, adjusting her glasses. “Well… thank you. Really.”
Rio tilted her head, watching her. “See? That wasn’t so hard.”
Agatha rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. Instead, she glanced toward the dining room, her expression shifting. “I should—”
“Go, yeah. Wedding stuff.”
She hesitated, then nodded before turning to follow Billy. But before she disappeared into the dining room, she paused and glanced back.
“Seriously, though,” she said, a little softer. “That was… really kind of you.”
Rio felt something warm settle in her chest.
And then Agatha was gone.
And Rio—well.
She ran her tongue over her teeth, watching her go.