Ten
Agatha knew the second Jen turned to her with that vein in her forehead was pulsing, that she needed to save the day, quickly. Because that’s what Agatha was planning to do, any time something didn’t go exactly right for Jen’s wedding, she was going to fix it.
Because Jen was always there for Agatha.
So sure enough, she found herself blurting out, “No, Jen. It’s your wedding. Rio and I can share a room.”
It was the best option. Really.
Letting Rio and Jen share would’ve been a disaster waiting to happen. Rio would say something, Jen would explode and they’d be going home one hour into their overnight spa trip. Or someone was going to end up buried in the spa’s zen garden.
Alice would never share a room, especially not with Rio.
So Agatha can handle one night. One single, perfectly normal, nothing-to-think-about night sharing a room with Rio.
Or so she thought.
Because now she was following Rio down the hall, watching the way the woman moved in front of her. Annoyingly at ease with the situation they were in.
Like Rio hadn’t just practically thrown Agatha into oncoming traffic with that stupid little smirk and her insufferable teasing.
You just wanted to be alone with me, Agatha.
No. She wanted Jen to have a relaxing spa trip. For her wedding. That was all.
Rio unlocked the door and gestured for Agatha to enter first. She did.
And then she stopped dead as she got closer to the bedroom.
One bed.
Not two queens, not even a pull-out couch. Just one, massive, perfectly made, king-sized bed.
“Boo!” was whispered in her ear.
She jumped. So what?
Then Rio was way too close, leaning over her shoulder and then of course she was laughing.
Agatha turned to glare at her, but Rio wasn’t even fazed. She was clearly enjoying this. Like the universe had just handed her the best joke of all time.
“It’s a king-sized bed,” Rio said, still amused. “We’ll put pillows in the middle so you don’t accidentally spoon me in the middle of the night.”
Agatha’s stomach twisted, her thoughts skidding to a sudden, jarring stop.
She swallowed. Nodded. “Yeah. Pillows in the middle. Okay.”
You can handle this.
Agatha busied herself with grabbing her makeup bag, heading to the bathroom and running lipstick over her lips. She just needed a distraction, something to focus on that wasn’t the one-bed situation, or Rio’s teasing, or the very real possibility of waking up in a compromising position.
Because dammit, Agatha does cuddle at night.
No matter who she is in bed with, when she wakes up she’s attached to the other person, either being held or holding them, it doesn't matter. Unconscious Agatha liked touch.
Pillows. Rio said pillows in between them.
She heard Rio approaching the bathroom and then, “I guess we should get undressed, huh?”
WHAT?
Agatha didn’t even notice she had dropped her lipstick in the sink before she was looking wide-eyed at Rio, now leaning on the wall across from the bathroom door.
Then she was waving a piece of paper towards her, and oh - spa trip. Schedule. Jen’s wedding.
They probably do have something to do soon.
Rio was already breaking eye contact before Agatha finished catching up.
Rio grabbed a robe from the towel rack next to Agatha, “How about you change in here, and I’ll change out there.”
“Yes.” She heard herself replying, “That’s - good. We can do that.”
Maybe she was out of breath a little bit. Maybe she was too busy thinking about getting undressed in front of Rio to breathe.
But then Rio was smiling at her, softly, like she wasn’t just teasing her a second ago, “We can do that.”
The bathroom door shut in front of Rio and Agatha was alone again.
Well - alone in the bathroom at least. Because on the other side of that door, Rio was probably taking off her jeans and - robe. She needs to grab a robe.
And change herself.
Just as she was tying her robe, she heard from the other side of the door, “Hey Agatha?”
“Yes, Rio?”
“Do you have a hair tie I can borrow?”
“Uh -” just this morning Agatha was patting herself on the back for packing well ahead of her trip. Now? She’s not sure what’s in the bag.
But she knows she’s packed a hair tie. She had to have packed a few hundred hair ties. She always does.
Like underwear. Leaving for one night? Agatha was packing four pairs of underwear and thirty hair ties.
So yeah, she has to have hair ties - in the big pocket of her duffel bag. “Yeah, there should be some in the big pocket of my duffel bag. Help yourself.”
But then Agatha remembered that she packed the bag under the assumption that she was going to have the room to herself - alone.
Oh. Oh no.
She was pulling open the bathroom door before giving herself the chance to glance at herself in the mirror, “Wait - let me grab it for you.”
But Rio was already unzipping. And then Rio froze.
Agatha didn’t need to see the bag in front of Rio’s crouched body to know what she was looking at.
Fuck - is it hot in here?
She felt her cheeks warm immediately.
Agatha stumbled over what to say next. What do you say to your best friend’s stepsister, who you were flirting with a couple of nights ago (because, hey, sorry, didn’t recognize you there), and now you’re sharing a room with her, definitely not thinking about how she was naked just a second ago, and she’s just found your vibrator?
Agatha’s very purple, curved near the tip, eight inch vibrator.
Sitting on top of her neatly packed clothes. Mocking her.
Fuck.
The universe is cruel.
Then Rio was turning towards her, “Huh. I have the same one in green.”
Agatha blacked out.
Not literally, but she might as well have, because what the fuck was she supposed to say to that?
Nothing. The answer was nothing.
She stormed over to where Rio was crouched over, bending over and not thinking about how close they suddenly were- in robes. In their very large hotel room they were sharing. With one bed.
She moved her hand around in the bag for a few seconds - found a hair band and shoved it toward Rio. “Here. A hair tie. Take it. Go away.”
Rio grinned. Like she knew. Like she was committing every second of this moment to memory for future torment.
She plucked the hair tie from Agatha’s fingers, twirling it around her wrist. “Thanks, roomie.”
Agatha exhaled through her nose.
The knock at her - their - door came just as Agatha was forcing herself to breathe through that lingering humiliation.
Jen’s voice rang through the door, “Let’s go, slackers!”
Agatha sighed, casting one last glance at Rio, who was still wearing that smug little grin but now her hair was up in a messy bun, exposing new skin on her neck she hadn’t seen before and nope - massages.
Yanking the door open, she stepped past Jen out into the hotel hallway, not waiting for Rio to catch up.
—-
The walk to the spa was quick, and Agatha was more than ready to get out of her own head. She has spent way too much time up there.
Way too much time up there.
The moment she laid down on the massage table and felt warm hands knead into her shoulders, she realized how much tension she’d been carrying. Between running the shop, Billy, and dealing with Wanda’s bullshit, there hadn’t been a second to just breathe.
But now?
The pressure on her muscles was enough to pull her under. She melted into the table, eyes fluttering shut, and let herself relax for the first time in - forever?
By the time they were done, she felt weightless.
Rio met her gaze as they walked out, her expression also softer than usual. Probably matching her own.
“Relaxation looks good on you.”
Agatha blinked. She was expecting more teasing from Rio. She was actually wanting it right now, just to ground herself back to reality. But besides the one comment about sharing a room when they first got here, Rio has been nothing but nice.
Even about the vibrator earlier today.
So many things could’ve come out Rio’s mouth when she saw that, instead she chose, I have the same one in green.
Agatha was not going to be thinking about whether Rio used that on herself or if that was for who was in bed with her.
So the massage got her out of her head for like an hour. She’ll take whatever she can get.
“Let’s go get ready for dinner, yeah?” she asked Rio.
Because she’s not deflecting.
—-
By the time Agatha and Rio arrived at the resort’s restaurant, Alice was already at the table, scrolling through her phone with a glass of water in front of her. She looked up as they approached, a slow, knowing grin spreading across her face.
“Oh, look who decided to show up together,” Alice said, setting her phone down. “I didn’t realize this was a couple’s retreat.”
Agatha rolled her eyes, not letting herself look at Rio for a reaction from her. Pulling out a chair, “Where’s Jen?”
Alice sighed, taking a sip of water. “She texted - she’s running late. I guess Ralph called her, demanding to know where she was because there was a wedding crisis.”
Of course. Because Jen’s entire life for the last six months has been a wedding crisis. From Ralph. Interrupting their time together all the time.
“Fantastic.” Agatha deadpanned.
She took a moment to smooth out the fabric of her dress - this one loose, unlike the one earlier today. It draped over her frame in a way that made her look relaxed - the way she should be feeling at a spa resort.
Rio looked good - with what seemed like zero effort. While Agatha took about twenty minutes to get ready in the bathroom, Rio had said “Ready!” in about two minutes. When Agatha stepped out of the bathroom, Rio was lounging on the bed, scrolling on her phone. She was wearing a soft linen shirt, the top few buttons undone, and had a pair of drawstring pants that hugged her hips just enough that Agatha’s brain short-circuited. For like half a second.
Because she was not looking.
Rio stretched in her seat and glanced towards the bar, “Since Jen’s not here yet, I can grab us drinks. What’s everyone having?”
Alice jumped in first, “I’ll take a gin and tonic.”
Agatha asked for a glass of white, and then Rio was standing up. Unbeknownst to Rio, a waitress had just walked up behind her and suddenly they were colliding.
Okay - not colliding, but she bumped her. With her shoulder.
Agatha did not notice the waitress’ hands on Rio’s shoulder right where they collided as she spilled out apologies.
“Where were you headed?” she heard her ask.
“I’m grabbing some drinks from the bar,” Rio responded, small smile on her face.
“I can show you where the bar is, if you’d like.”
And then Rio was nodding, “Sure, thanks.”
Agatha’s eyes narrowed as they walked away towards the bar together. The waitress lingered - lingered - next to Rio, walking a little too close as she led her to the bar.
Agatha heard Alice’s laugh next. She turned towards the noise and Alice was stirring her straw in her water, “Oh, this is delicious.”
Agatha ignored her. “Why didn’t she just take our drink order? And I don’t know? Bring us the drinks? Isn’t that what a waitress does?”
Alice rested her chin on her hand, “Agathaaaa,” Alice drew out. “Are we jealous?”
“Jealous?! I’m not jealous.”
“Mmhm. And I’m the Queen of England. Actually, you should be bowing to me right now. Where is my butler? I need to request a gin and tonic - Rio is taking quite too long.” Alice started, with her horrible, horrible English accent she pulls out way too often for Agatha’s taste.
Agatha huffed, crossing her arms and ignoring the rest of whatever Alice was saying. She was not jealous.
Rio is a big girl. She could’ve found the bar herself.
Agatha glanced at the bar again, the waitress still leaning in towards Rio.
See? She’s found it herself with her eyes. Three times already.
Rio didn’t need a tour guide to the bar.
Alice was patting Agatha’s arm to get her attention. Suddenly, Alice was looking serious which is way different than the amusement plastered on it just a minute ago.
“Look,” Alice said, voice quieter now, “I need to talk to you about something and it needs to stay between you and me.”
Alice never asks that. Keeping something from Jen?
The three of them never keep stuff from each other. But that also meant Alice meant business.
“Okay, okay. Not leaving us.”
Alice sighed, like she had something really big to say but wasn’t sure how to start it.
“Alice, just spit it out. Before Jen shows up or Rio comes back.”
“Okay, look. I’ve been thinking about Jen and Ralph. And I know - I know Evanora is holding the business over Jen’s head if she doesn’t get married. But Ralph? He’s wrong for her, Agatha. You know it’s a bad idea. I know it is. Everyone but her seems to know. I’m pretty sure Evanora knows that Ralph and Jen won’t work. She can’t marry him, Agatha.”
Agatha frowned, feeling the weight of Alice’s words settle in her chest.
Because dammit, she did know.
Ralph is a douche.
But Evanora? Evanora is worse.
Which is why Jen is with Ralph. It’s why they’re getting married.
It’s the last step of Evanora’s plan for Jen.
When Jen gets married, all of it is hers.
Agatha remembers the day Jen told them that.
They were in high school spending the night at Evanora’s, just the three of them, huddled on Jen’s bed watching a movie.
And then Jen spilled it all out - everything. Step by step what Evanora expected from her. A timeline of her life.
But if Jen followed Evanora’s plan for her? The business, the properties, the money, the legacy. All of it would be hers.
From then on, Jen started to become a little more uptight. Bound by Evanora’s power over her.
She’s actually not even sure how Jen and Ralph met, or most of their love story. Jen doesn’t bring him up much in conversation when it’s just the three of them. Unless she has to step away for a call from him, she never mentions him.
Agatha knew Jen wanted it. All of it.
And she couldn’t blame her - if roles were reversed, she’d do anything to get what is Evanora’s now.
But it always sat so heavy in Agatha’s stomach that Jen was marrying him. Her best friend deserves happiness. Companionship. Love.
Ralph is not the person to give her that.
“What are you saying?”