Eleven
The waitress was still talking.
Rio wasn’t really listening.
She gave polite nods, a hum here and there, but her eyes never left the bartender as he made her drinks. She just wasn’t interested.
Which Rio was trying really hard not to panic over because, by all counts, the waitress was beautiful. And into Rio. Or at least trying to show interest.
Any other time, Rio would thrive off of this. She’d keep eye contact the entire time, even when her drink arrived, even when the straw got just past her lips. If that didn’t work, she had eight other moves lined up, one right after another.
But right now?
Rio just wanted to be back at the table.
Scout’s honor—this had nothing to do with Agatha.
Okay—maybe some of it had to do with Agatha.
But not because she wanted Agatha. Well—actually, she was just pretty sure Agatha didn’t want her.
Because Agatha was not engaging.
Neither here nor there—because this had nothing to do with wanting Agatha or not.
It was because they were sharing a room.
With one bed.
That was it.
It’d be weird to flirt with someone when Agatha was going to be there at the end of the night. In the same space.
Plus, it was Jen’s wedding spa trip. She wasn’t about to ruin Jen’s wedding by bringing a waitress back to their shared room.
Okay, so Jen’s wedding had literally nothing to do with this.
And Rio was never a scout.
Whatever.
The bartender was sliding the last drink toward her now anyway, so she didn’t need to keep thinking about this.
With three drinks in hand, she caught the waitress pouting out of the corner of her eye. “Sure you don’t need help carrying those?”
Rio smiled sweetly. “I think I’m okay, thanks though.”
She turned before the woman could say anything else, heading back to the table.
Just as she reached it, she caught the end of Alice saying something to Agatha in a hushed but firm voice.
“—not stopping the wedding. Just encouraging Jen onto another path, is all.”
Rio set the drinks down over Agatha’s shoulder, making her jump slightly. Alice, on the other hand, didn’t even look surprised at Rio’s interruption. She almost looked pleased?
Rio moved around the table and back to her seat as Alice continued. “Good, you can be in on this too.”
Rio glanced at Agatha, who looked shocked. Was she really that surprised that Alice would include her in whatever they were scheming?
“You want to stop the wedding?” Rio asked.
Alice looked smug at the question, but Agatha sighed and responded first. “Alice thinks she can stop the wedding.”
Alice interjected, “No, not that I can do it. But that we—” she pointed between the three of them, “—can stop the wedding.”
Silence fell over the table.
And Rio?
Rio was actually considering it. Whatever this was—a plan to stop the wedding or whatever Alice had up her sleeve.
She liked to watch the world burn, remember?
But stopping the wedding? That wasn’t going to work. Not with Evanora playing puppeteer behind the scenes. They wouldn’t even get halfway through whatever plan Alice had before Evanora caught on and shut it down. And if Rio was tangled up in it? Well, her contract with Evanora would be null and void.
“That’s not going to work,” Rio finally said, shaking her head.
Alice frowned. “Excuse me?”
Rio leaned forward, resting her forearms on the table. “We have, what, four days before the wedding? The only way this stops now is if Jen chooses to stop the wedding herself.”
Alice’s expression told Rio everything she needed to know. She was right.
“Let me ask you both this,” Rio continued, looking between the two of them. “Have you ever asked Jen about Ralph? Like, what qualities does she actually like about him?”
Agatha and Alice both looked like deer caught in headlights.
“You guys have never asked her, have you?”
Alice spoke first. “I don’t like Ralph enough to ask.”
Agatha added, “And Jen never brings him up either.”
Rio was flabbergasted. That was the only word for it.
The three of them? Inseparable since Ramiro and she had moved in with Evanora and Jen. If one of them committed murder, the other two would bring shovels and alibis.
The fact that neither of them knew anything about Ralph just proved how much they disliked him.
Her thoughts were interrupted when the waitress from earlier was suddenly standing behind Agatha, Jen in tow.
Rio was starting this plan now, even if she hadn’t agreed yet—because stirring the pot?
Rio excelled at it.
Jen sat down in the seat next to Alice, “Sorry, sorry - Evanora had Ralph all panicked about the venue, I had to calm him down, then I had to calm her down. Anyways - what did I interrupt?”
Agatha and Alice both looked like they were fumbling with something to come up with, so Rio swooped in, “Actually, Jen we were talking about you.”
Jen looked surprised that Rio responded so quickly, the other two doing the same thing. Probably because they weren’t sure what Rio was going to say next.
Rio loved this.
“Me?”
“Well, yeah, you. This is your week after all, is it not?” Rio responded.
Agatha and Alice both deflated - visibly - Rio might add. So maybe getting in on a scheme with them wasn’t the best idea since they both were not subtle.
Rio leaned back in her chair, grabbing her drink as she went, “So, how did he propose?”
Jen blinked. “What?”
Rio was on the right track already.
“Well, I’m sure they’ve heard the story but as your sister, I want to know. Every little detail. Tell me everything.”
She saw Alice bite down on her little straw on her drink. Agatha was watching the interaction intently with her chin resting in her hand.
With a small laugh, she said “Oh, you know. The usual way.”
Rio raised a brow. “The usual way? Forgive me but as a raging lesbian, I wouldn’t know the usual way.”
Jen waved a hand, “That’s not what I meant, stop it. I just meant, he was on one knee, ring in hand, and then did the whole thing.”
Finally - finally - Alice was catching up, because she gave Jen an unimpressed look, “That’s every proposal, Jen.”
Agatha was right behind Alice, “Yeah, Jen I actually haven’t heard this story before, please share.”
Jen’s eyes shot towards Agatha, “There’s not much to say, I mean it was nice, it just wasn’t some big grand thing.”
“Okay, but Jen, getting proposed to is like - every little girl’s dream - come on, tell us - even just a little bit.” Alice was adding on.
“Look, it was a proposal, he got down on one knee and asked. I said yes. Now we’re here.” Jen responded.
Rio was about to start but Alice and Agatha weren’t just caught up to speed now, no - they were running the play.
Rio needed to catch up now.
“Alice is right, you know. Wanda and I are separated, but I could tell you what day, what she said and how she did it. Down to the flowers.” Agatha responded, laying it on thick.
Okay, so maybe Rio is lucky she wasn’t sipping on her drink when Agatha said that, because Wanda Maximoff?
Rio has not thought about her since - well, since she left Wanda under the bleachers during senior year.
Wanda and Agatha, though?
She did not see that coming at all.
Rio and Wanda were a thing at the beginning of senior year. Stolen kisses under bleachers and in bathrooms and in cars. Never public. Never in front of anyone else.
But that hadn't mattered to Rio, she let herself chase Wanda.
Up until Rio left Wanda underneath those bleachers. Because Wanda had told her six months into their relationship that she wasn’t gay and she couldn’t go to New York with her after graduation, because she was going to Eastview community college with Vision.
It’s what her parents had wanted for her.
Rio assumed Wanda had ended up with Vision and they had their own little American Dream somewhere in Eastview.
But now - Agatha had just said her and Wanda had been together. Separated, now, actually.
Rio was really trying not to look shocked right now.
Because they had a plan - get Jen to stop the wedding.
She was pulled right back into the conversation when Alice asked Rio if she had met Ralph before - she knew the answer, but she was making a point.
So maybe Alice could be a scheming partner in the future.
“No, actually, I haven’t had the pleasure yet.” Rio responded.
They didn’t need to say anything else - because Rio saw it.
The moment the doubt crept in on Jen.
—
Dinner was on Evanora’s credit card, so Rio kept ordering drinks. Because—hello—spa trip on someone else’s dime? She was going to enjoy it.
At drink three, Jen excused herself to her room, mumbling about needing to get up early to talk to Ralph. Or Evanora. Rio wasn’t sure which one. She wasn’t listening.
At drink five, Alice was rubbing her stomach like a man after Thanksgiving dinner and excusing herself because she wanted to go pass out in the really cold AC of her hotel room.
Then it was just Rio and Agatha.
Rio hadn’t counted Agatha’s drinks, but she saw it refilled at least twice by the waitress, who still wouldn’t leave Rio alone.
Rio ignored her advances each time.
Not that it mattered. The woman hovered every chance she got—brushing too close when she set drinks down, smiling a little too wide when she asked if Rio wanted another round.
But maybe she noticed the way Agatha had started glaring at her glass between sips, her fingers tapping on the table a little harder each time the waitress spoke to Rio.
Huh.
Interesting.
“You okay?” Rio asked, watching her.
Agatha scoffed, eyes snapping to Rio’s. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Rio smirked, slow and easy. “You just looked like you were about to pick a fight with your wine.”
Agatha rolled her eyes and finished what was left in her glass. “I’m perfectly fine.”
That was a lie.
And maybe Rio was buzzed, but Agatha was being weird, and they still had to share a bed tonight, so Rio pushed back from the table.
“C’mon, roomie,” she said, holding out a hand. “Let’s get out of here.”
Agatha blinked up at Rio, caught off guard by the sudden movement.
“What, you can’t hang with little old me?” Agatha teased.
Rio snorted. “Not exactly. I was thinking about relocating. It’s stuffy in here.”
If ‘stuffy’ meant ‘a waitress who can’t take a hint and is ruining Agatha’s mood.’
She wiggled her fingers, still holding out her hand, and Agatha finally grasped it, standing.
She led them out, stopping at the bar to order a bottle of Agatha’s wine to be sent to their room—on Evanora’s tab, of course.
They walked through the restaurant, the expansive lobby, and down the hall, still hand in hand.
And Rio definitely wasn’t hoping to whatever god was out there that her hand wasn’t sweating.
Then she was pulling a keycard from her back pocket and opening the door for Agatha, just like she had earlier today, waiting for Agatha to cross the threshold first.
Rio flipped on the lights as she followed Agatha inside, suddenly very aware of the lack of hand in hers—and the one-bed situation.
But she had brought Agatha back here to feel better, not worse. So she went straight to the bed and lined the pillows up down the middle, just as she’d said she would.
Rio could feel Agatha’s eyes on her the entire time.
Turning back toward her, Rio asked, “While we wait for the wine, do you want to get in our pajamas?”
Agatha’s smile was light, but her tone was unmistakably teasing. “What, are you expecting us to play two truths and a lie? Or spin the bottle?”
Rio narrowed her eyes. If Agatha wanted to play, she could play too. “No, I just wanted to change in separate rooms like we did earlier. But if you want to be immature about this, Agatha, that’s fine.”
And with that, Rio turned toward the corner where her bag still sat and pulled her shirt over her head.
“Wait, wait, wait—fine! Fine. I’m sorry. Please put your shirt back on.”
Rio paused, then pulled her shirt back down. She turned too quickly—too many drinks for that—but steadied herself before facing Agatha.
Her cheeks were flushed again.
Rio liked when Agatha’s cheeks flushed.
Like she had control, even just for a second.
A knock at the door snapped them both out of their moment.
Rio walked past Agatha, opening the door and pulling the cart inside. The wine she’d requested sat over ice, two glasses beside it. And a fruit platter?
Had she ordered that?
She was pretty sure she hadn’t, but it didn’t matter. Their first toast was going to be to Evanora’s credit card either way.
The bathroom door clicked shut—Agatha changing. Rio grabbed her own pajamas, swapping her clothes for a clean graphic tee and sleep shorts. Easy.
She poured the wine into both glasses just as Agatha slipped out of the bathroom behind her, climbing into bed without a word.
Rio didn’t look. She should have, but she didn’t.
She handed Agatha a glass, their hands meeting briefly over the pillow fort.
Just as she leaned back against the pillows—dammit. The lights.
Sighing dramatically, she set her glass on the nightstand, flipped on the lamp, and stumbled—partially—to the switch.
By the time she returned, Agatha was looking at her phone, glasses now perched on her nose, covers tucked just under her arms.
Dammit.
Whatever she was wearing was barely there. A thin spaghetti strap clung to her shoulder, the only thing standing between Rio and a very, very bad idea.
Rio should have watched her walk to bed.
Or maybe it was better that she hadn’t.
Because Agatha had said she wasn’t going to engage.
Rio needed a distraction. Now.
She crawled back into bed, grabbing her wine and taking a long drink. That would help, right?
“So, which one is it?” Agatha’s voice cut through Rio’s thoughts. “Two truths, or spin the bottle?”
Rio glanced over the pillow fort, resting her elbow against it, watching Agatha. She laughed softly. “How about we just talk? Or find a movie? I’m sure there’s something on one of these hotel channels.”
“No,” Agatha said, shaking her head. “Let’s talk.”
“Okay…” Rio took another sip. “What do you want to talk about?”
“Why did you become a florist?”
Rio blinked. She hadn’t expected that.
She had answered this question before, usually in a bar, with a wink and a cheesy line. But the real answer? No one had ever asked for that.
“It’s good money,” she deflected.
Agatha snorted. “No, it’s not. Try again.”
Rio sighed. “Why are you even asking? It doesn’t matter.”
“Rio, it does matter.” Agatha’s voice was softer now. “I’m asking because I want to know.”
Rio hesitated, then took another drink.
For a second, it looked like Agatha really cared about her answer.
She set her glass down on the comforter in front of her, running a hand through her hair. “Okay, fine. Have you ever noticed how flowers don’t fight death? They just exist—and then they don’t. But in between? They’re beautiful. They don’t linger, clinging to life. You put them in water, give them light, and they bloom. When their time is up, they just let go. No fuss.
“It’s a constant reminder of how to live. You can’t grip life too hard. Can’t make it something it’s not. You just hold onto whatever beauty you’re given—for as long as you can. And when it’s time to let go… you let go. No fuss.”
Rio stared at her glass.
She hadn’t told anyone that before.
The silence stretched, making her feel small in the bed. She exhaled, only now realizing she’d been holding her breath.
The mattress shifted.
When she looked up, Agatha was closer.
Much closer.
Rio could feel her breath against her cheek.
Then Agatha reached past the pillows—taking the glass from Rio’s hand.
Wait.
Was that it? Was this conversation over?
Agatha turned, placing both glasses on the nightstand.
Rio swallowed.
She wasn’t trying to fuck this up.
Had she teased too much? Had she—
Oh.
She didn’t fuck up.
Agatha’s lips were on hers.