The Other Harkness

Rio was rethinking all her choices as the cold wind of that morning made her chin shake.

Sure, she could buy that damn game online, have it delivered in a few days, and be done with it. Or a digital copy. Her nephew would get it just the same. But no, she still had the legacy of being the cool aunt to maintain, so, logically, there she was, on a Saturday morning, in a giant line, to buy the next Eclipse Wars.

Bruno's birthday was tomorrow, and she knew getting him that game would be the best birthday present ever. Her sister, Iva, had said Rio spoiled the boy too much. And it wasn’t a lie; after all, here she was.

Rio didn’t know how these lines could be so long or how teenage gaming fans could be so incredibly loud... learning new things every day.

She glanced at the line again, trying to mentally calculate what she could do to get her hands on one of those games.

She had arrived early, just after 7 a.m., but the line was already huge. New lesson learned: leaving early apparently wasn’t early enough.

It was only a few minutes before 10 a.m., and the store would open any moment. She shifted her weight between her feet, anxious, checking her watch once more. 9:57 a.m. The anticipation was palpable at that moment. The excitement mixed with the irritation of having been standing there for hours.

Rio was snapped out of her thoughts when excited shouts erupted. The store door opened, and she watched as some people began to enter.

However, although the line had moved, Rio was still outside the store. Apparently, not everyone would enter at the same time to avoid overcrowding.

Great, she thought, more waiting time.

Impatience grew inside her. With a forced sigh, she tried to remind herself that this was her idea, all in the name of making Bruno happy, so she’d have to face the consequences, even though she was tired and cold. Once she had the game in her hands, she could go home.

The line moved again, and this time Rio got much closer to the door. The next time it opened, it would be her chance.

She watched people exit the store with smiles on their faces, happy with their newly acquired game. She hoped she would be just as lucky.

About five minutes later, the door opened again. A few people entered, Rio included. At the same time the entrance was cleared, a store attendant came out to talk to the rest of the people still in line.

Her first mistake was stopping to listen to what he had to say instead of just moving forward.

Rio could hear a woman shouting at the attendant, trying to force her way in while he explained, with clear disinterest, that there were a limited number of copies of the game and that only the exact number of people had been allowed in.

That woman was... eccentric, to say the least. She had a beautiful jawline, undeniably stunning eyes, but her choice of clothing was rather curious.

She wore bright red pants that clashed completely with her mustard yellow puffy jacket, but the worst part was her zebra print top.

That was quite a choice, Rio thought.

Rio felt a sense of relief; she was inside the store, so it was confirmation she had secured her copy.

Her second mistake was staying by the door, watching the woman’s blue eyes glare at the attendant, gesturing frantically with an cup of coffee in her hand, as if it were his fault. The man turned, disdainfully, ignoring the woman and walking past Rio, who was still standing at the door.

Rio noticed when the woman shifted her gaze to her. That’s when Rio decided to turn around, closing the door behind her.

But the woman was quicker. Rio felt her body bump against hers, causing a slight loss of balance. Rio stared into the woman’s blue eyes again, and for a split second, neither of them moved.

When Rio’s eyes moved toward the shelf where the games were, she felt like she was in one of those pivotal moments where the hero and the villain are scrambling for the weapon that just fell.

Rio ran, just as the woman beside her ran. She had a slight advantage and was thankful she was wearing comfortable sneakers that morning.

And for one thousandth of a second, Rio reached the front.

She pressed her fingers against the hard plastic, feeling victorious.

I did it, she thought.

But her feeling of victory didn’t last long, because seconds later, she felt the object being yanked out of her hand.

Rio looked incredulously at the woman in front of her.

"Hey!" She spoke loudly. "That’s mine, give it back now."

The woman stared at her, a mocking air in her gaze. "Well, I believe it's in my hand, which means it’s mine."

"You can’t be serious." Rio was furious. Who did this woman think she was? "You literally snatched it from my hand. You shouldn’t even have been allowed in."

"Then you should pay more attention next time." The woman smiled before taking another sip of her coffee.

"I’ve been standing in line for hours, this is my nephew’s birthday gift. I’m not going to let some crazy person steal it from me." By this point, Rio knew she was speaking loudly because she noticed some people looking in her direction.

"Well, congratulations on being a great aunt, but this is my son’s gift." The woman retorted. "So if you don’t mind, I’ll pay."

The woman made a move to turn around, but Rio grabbed her arm.

"Actually, I do mind. Thief." She accused. "I’m sorry if your son is going to be disappointed, but I can guarantee he’d rather wait than know his mom stole his gift from someone else."

The woman laughed as if Rio had told a joke, which only made Rio angrier.

"Steal? You didn’t pay for anything."

Rio felt her face heat up from the rage. It couldn’t be possible that this was actually happening.

"That’s enough. You’re going to give it back now, or..."

The woman stepped closer to Rio. She was a few centimeters taller, but Rio wasn’t intimidated. "Or what?"

Rio looked around. She spotted the store attendant, still wearing a bored expression, but there was no way he wouldn’t intervene in a situation like this, right?

Well...

Rio waved at him, and he just nodded, giving Rio permission to continue.

"Could you please help me? This crazy woman shouldn’t even be inside the store, and on top of that, she ripped the game out of my hand."

If Rio thought asking for help would solve anything, she was wrong. The guy rolled his eyes, showing complete disinterest.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but it seems you’ll have to sort this out between yourselves. The store can’t interfere in this.” Rio let out a disbelieving laugh. Not because it was funny, but because it was outrageous.

“Well,” the woman spoke again. “Looks like I’m taking the game after all, and you’ve just stressed out for nothing.” The woman laughed, as if this confirmed Rio’s loss.

“No, you’re not.” Rio grabbed the woman’s arm again. She saw the woman’s eyebrows furrow, she saw her look away, she saw her raise her other hand.

What she didn’t foresee was that the woman would throw the cup of coffee directly at her.

Fuck.

Rio blinked, stunned. Is this really happening?

She was soaked in coffee. That crazy woman really did that.

The liquid wasn’t hot, at least, but that didn’t lessen the absurdity of the situation. The coffee was running down her neck, staining her coat and blouse.

“Are you crazy, or what?” Rio’s frustration had gone beyond all limits. She could feel her face burning with anger.

“You grabbed my arm too hard. If you had just let me go, none of this would have happened.” The woman crossed her arms, as if she was certain that what she had just done was completely normal and acceptable.

Rio was aware of all the eyes on them, some looking scared, others enjoying the scene.

“You threw coffee at me after snatching the game from my hand. You’re completely crazy.” Rio turned to look at the guy, who was now glaring at them angrily. “And you? Aren’t you going to do anything about this?”

He rolled his eyes again. “Now I have to clean up your mess.”

Unbelievable, Rio thought, everything about this situation was unbelievable.

And in that split second when she looked away to the guy, it was enough for the other woman to hurry up and pay for the game. The line was gone, only curious onlookers remaining in the store, watching the fight like it was their own private show.

Rio let out an angry sigh. There was nothing else to be done; the woman was already paying for the game.

She walked to the counter, preparing to say something, anything. This couldn’t end like this.

“Tell your nephew I wished him a happy birthday.” The woman looked at her, shaking the store’s bag with the game. And just like that, she turned and left, before Rio could even think to say anything again.

Rio watched her leave, victorious, as if nothing had happened. The people still in the store were talking about Rio, who felt somewhat humiliated, her face burning again, but now with imminent shame. She lowered her gaze, trying to avert her attention from the people.

That’s when she noticed the object on the floor, right where the woman had been seconds before. She immediately knew what it was, so she quickly bent down to grab it.

She couldn’t help but let out a laugh when she picked up the woman’s card. She might have gotten the game, but she was certainly going to get a headache with the loss of the card.

Rio knew the right thing to do would be to go after the woman and return it, but honestly, that crazy woman deserved it. It’s not like Rio was going to do anything.

She stared at the name on the card.

Agatha Harkness

So that was the name of that crazy woman.

Rio made her way to the door, leaving the store, feeling both defeated and somehow avenged.

When she got in the car, she sighed as she looked at her reflection in the rearview mirror. She smelled like coffee, and her skin and clothes were stained by the liquid.

She started the car and drove home. She was going to buy the damn online version of the game.

*

Iva’s laughter echoed loudly in the kitchen as Rio recounted what had happened in the store the previous day.

Rio stared at her, incredulous. "Can you stop laughing? This is serious, I was humiliated."

"This is to teach you to listen to me when I say you spoil Bruno too much." Of course, Rio thought, as if that was an important factor to that crazy woman. "But the fact that you kept her card is funny too. You’re not thinking of using it, right?"

"What kind of person do you think I am? Of course I won’t!" Rio defended herself. "Although I did have the right to use it to get my clothes washed more effectively. But no, I’m not going to use it. I just didn’t return it because she deserved to have that problem after what she did to me. And I hope the game doesn’t work, and her son gets mad at her."

Iva laughed again, taking a sip of her wine. Before either of them could say anything else, the living room door opened, and Bruno and his father, Craig, entered.

"Aunt Rio." The boy's voice sounded excited as he ran towards her, leaping into a hug.

"Hey, buddy" Rio shook him in her arms. "Have you grown since last weekend?"

"I’m turning 12, of course, I’m getting taller every time you see me." Bruno spoke as if it were obvious. "I bet I’ll be taller than you soon."

"No way."

"Just wait and see."

"Alright, now take off your shoes, please." Iva interrupted. "Craig, put the pizzas on the table, his friends should be here in a few minutes."

Craig gave Rio a quick hug, greeting her while placing the pizza boxes on the table. Bruno was excited, it was his 12th birthday, and all of his friends were coming. Iva, on the other hand, was in a panic just thinking about having several boys his age in her house.

"Well, I hope they like the cake I made." Rio pointed to the kitchen counter.

Bruno’s eyes lit up at the mention of the cake.

"With peanut butter and jelly filling?" His voice held a curiosity that Rio thought was cute.

"I added an extra layer of jelly."

"Thanks, aunt Rio, you’re the best." He came toward her, hugging her again.

"And speaking of which..." Rio disentangled herself, grabbing an orange package. An enormous package, mind you.

"Happy birthday, buddy."

If Bruno’s eyes had lit up at the mention of the cake, now they were simply sparkling.

"Oh my God, Rio," Craig spoke up. "When Bruno turns 16, I’m afraid you’ll give him a car."

"Well, it’s not a bad idea." Her expression held amusement.

"Rio..." Iva’s voice, however, sounded teasing.

Rio laughed, handing the package into Bruno's eager hands. He sat on the bench by the counter, resting the package on the marble structure so he could finally open it. The eyes of his parents and Rio’s were on him, each of them with a smile on their face as they watched the boy quickly tear off the wrapping paper.

"Wow." He said, excited. "Aunt Rio, this is amazing. Oh my God." He finished unwrapping the gift and took the box in his hands. It was a star-exploration kit. He looked at Rio, grateful and curious, waiting for her to say something.

"Well, it has pretty much everything here." Rio began. "It has a mini constellation projector, you can put it in your room later." She pointed to the image on the box. "A map to help you identify the constellations. A book with cool information about space and the phases of the moon." She could feel Bruno’s excitement growing with each word. "And the coolest part of all... a mini telescope. You get to assemble it yourself."

"Will you help me put it together?" He asked.

"Of course." And before she could finish speaking properly, the boy pulled her into a hug.

"Thank you so much, aunt Rio, this is the best present ever." Rio’s heart swelled with happiness, and at that moment, she felt an immense love for him.

"And it’s not over. Look at the card there." He quickly disentangled himself from the hug, tearing a laugh from the three adults present.

It was a golden card with a message from Rio and a code.

"Bruno, my little explorer, 

I hope this gift takes you to incredible places, even if it’s without leaving the house. Never stop being curious and asking questions about everything. 

I’m so proud of you and how your imagination reaches the stars.

Remember, the universe is big, but your dreams are even bigger.

Love you to the moon and back,

Aunt Rio."

Rio watched Bruno’s smile as he read the words, his smile, so similar to his father’s, reached his eyes, full of sincerity.

This time, he got up from the chair to hug her again, with more strength.

"I love you, Aunt Rio." Rio closed her eyes as she savored the feeling of having him in her arms.

"I love you too." She gave one last squeeze before they pulled apart. "But look at the back of the card too, one last surprise for you."

He quickly did as she said, a confused expression appearing on his face as he stared at a code.

"I tried really hard to get that game for you, but it didn’t work out." Iva let out a laugh that Rio decided to ignore. "But you can redeem the digital version using this code."

"Eclipse wars? Are you kidding?" He stared at the card with the code like it was a treasure chest. "This is the best birthday of my life."

Everyone laughed again, watching the boy’s excitement.

"Do you want to play with me tomorrow? After school?" He turned to his mother. "If mom agrees, of course."

Iva pretended to think for a moment, but Rio anticipated speaking.

"Sorry, but I can’t tomorrow. I need to take care of some things at the restaurant, and I’ll be going there tonight too. But maybe during the week?"

Bruno nodded, still excited about the presents. Within a few minutes, the doorbell rang, the first of his friends beginning to arrive.

Rio, despite the initial frustration with the game, was happy. He had loved the gift, and in the end, that was what mattered.

And she hoped Agatha Harkness, wherever she was, was having a terrible day.

*

Rio was tired.

Tonight was the debut of the new menu at her restaurant, and although cooking was her greatest passion, nights like this were still exhausting.

Although she had her trusted team, she liked to be present as much as possible. Of course, she wasn't there every day, especially in the evenings, but she enjoyed the sometimes chaotic yet respectful environment she had created with the other chefs.

The restaurant was her greatest achievement, and it had been receiving more attention in recent months after a positive review in a well-known magazine. More people were coming, more reservations were being made, and more employees were hired to ensure everything was delivered in the best possible way.

Rio observed the last few people occupying tables on opposite sides, finishing up a dessert or a final glass of wine.

It was late, the restaurant would soon close its doors, and the sound of voices and ambient music had now almost disappeared.

She had been with her team all day, spending most of the time in the kitchen, overseeing the preparation of the new dishes, satisfied with each presentation and, most of all, with everyone's dedication.

Now, she was waiting for the last customers to leave so they could officially close, and then she could go home, take a nice bath, and finally rest.

Rio leaned against the counter, casting one last glance at the two tables where there were customers.

And then, she saw her.

For the second time in just a few days, Rio couldn’t believe this was happening. The woman from the store, there, in her restaurant.

She was distracted, fiddling with her phone, with a nearly empty glass of wine in front of her, and an entirely empty one on the other side of the table.

There was something different about her, Rio noticed. Her hair, which had been loose, was now styled in an elegant half ponytail, and it seemed darker. And her clothes... she was wearing a light blue suit, definitely elegant and nothing like the clothes she had worn at the store two days ago. But despite the differences, it was definitely her.

Rio couldn’t say how the idea came to her mind, but the next thing she did was grab a glass of red wine for herself, even though she had no intention of drinking it.

A few minutes after spotting the woman, who was still distracted at her table, Rio approached her.

"Agatha Harkness?" Her voice was firm. The woman looked up from her phone, taken by surprise.

"Yes?" She gave a small smile, and Rio noticed that she seemed not to recognize her. This brought a wave of anger to her chest. How could she steal a game from her hands, spill coffee on her, and just two days later simply not recognize her?

"Do you think red wine stains are harder to wash than coffee stains?" Rio had a smile on her face, a smile that foretold a situation. Was she crazy to think of doing this? Yes. But the woman deserved it.

"What?" Agatha frowned, confused.

"Well, let's find out." And just like that, Rio threw the wine at Agatha. Right onto the light blue suit.

Ah, that would definitely cause some damage.

Agatha quickly stood up from the chair, letting out a shocked sigh. She shook her phone, which had received some splashes of wine, although the rest of the liquid was concentrated entirely on her clothes.

"Are you crazy? What the hell is this?" Her voice was loud, and Rio looked around. The couple at the other table didn’t seem to have noticed, though.

"I should be the one asking you that. It’s not so fun being on this side, huh?" Rio accused. It was impossible that the woman wasn’t recognizing her.

"What are you talking about, you lunatic?" Agatha tried, unsuccessfully, to clean her clothes with a napkin.

"Lunatic, me? You’re the one who started all this when—" Rio was interrupted when someone else arrived.

"Agatha? What happened?" Rio was sure the shocked expression on the other woman’s face was the same as the one on her own.

Because now it was her, the woman from the store, exactly as she remembered. Fuck.

They were twins.

"This woman came in here and just threw a glass of wine at me." Agatha pointed at Rio, then at her stained clothes, still with an very much angry expression on her face.

At that moment, Rio’s and the other woman's eyes met directly. And Rio could see that, yes, she had recognized her.

"You..." The woman said. "Why did you do this to her?" Her tone was accusatory.

Rio scoffed, embarrassed and impatient at the same time. Once again. "Isn’t it obvious? I thought she was you."

"Wait a minute." Agatha pointed at her sister. "Do you two know each other?"

"No." The woman was blunt.

"Carla," Agatha said, knowing her sister was lying. "What did you do this time?"

Carla. So that was her name.

"Why do you think this is my fault? You saw how out of control she is. She’s the one who started the fight with me in the first place." Impossible, Rio thought. This woman had no shame altering the situation.

"Me? You’re the one who barged into the store, yanked my nephew's gift from my hand, and also threw coffee on me. If anyone’s out of control here, it’s you." Rio retorted. She could see Agatha’s expression change, a mixture of disbelief and maybe shame. She didn’t know if it was because of the wine or because of what Rio had just said.

"You did what?" Yeah, maybe it was because of Rio’s words. "Have you lost your mind?"

"Ah, who cares? It was just a stupid argument. And you," Carla pointed at Rio. "Are clearly overreacting."

"Overreacting? It was my nephew’s gift. I guarantee that if the situation were reversed, he wouldn’t be happy about receiving a stolen gift. I hope your son never finds out about this."

"Son?" Agatha said loudly again. "Carla, you don’t have a son."

The woman let out a laugh, and once again, Rio wondered what kind of crazy person she was. "You don’t have a son?"

"Guilty." She raised her hands in surrender. "The game was for me."

This time, Rio let out a laugh, though there was no humor in it. She just couldn’t believe what she had gotten herself into.

"But wait, how did you know my name?" Agatha turned to Rio again.

"Well... when she left the store, I found her card on the floor. I mean, your card, because it had your name on it."

Agatha raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms while looking at Carla with a mixture of disbelief and exasperation. "So, besides stealing a boy’s gift, you used my card? Seriously, Carla?"

"Oh, relax, Agatha. You know I was going to pay you back." Carla said, shrugging with a carefree smile.

Agatha let out a heavy sigh, rubbing her temples as if trying to hold back an explosion. "Carla, you have no idea how embarrassing this is." She turned her tired gaze from Carla to Rio. "I’m sorry for this. It seems my name was used to create a monumental mess."

Rio’s eyes met Agatha’s blue ones. And although she knew it wasn’t the time or the moment, she couldn’t help but notice how beautiful Agatha was. The eyes, the jawline, the hair. The voice, once angry, now more controlled.

And that damn nose.

Rio cleared her throat, pushing the thoughts away.

"I apologize. You didn’t deserve this." She gestured, encompassing the whole situation. "Listen, the restaurant is mine. The least I can do for you is take care of the dinner." She made sure to emphasize the word you, so it was clear she wasn’t doing it for Carla.

"You own the restaurant?" Carla squinted, somewhat deviously. "Good to know. I’ll make sure to leave a bad review online."

"You’re not going to do anything. You’ve already caused enough trouble." Agatha said to her sister. Her voice was firm, but tired, as if she were exhausted by the situation.

Carla huffed but didn't say anything else.

"So?" Rio asked.

"That's kind of you," Agatha replied, grabbing her coat from the chair. "And just to satisfy your curiosity, yes, I think red wine stains more than coffee. So, yeah, I'll accept the dinner on your behalf."

Rio gave an awkward smile. "Sorry for that too. I'm really not the type of person who goes around throwing wine on beautiful women, but when I saw you there, I thought it was her..."

"So that means you think I'm beautiful?" Carla laughed, steering the conversation.

Agatha and Rio turned to face the woman in sync, making her laugh again.

"Although you may have ruined my clothes, I think I understand. And if it's worth anything, if you and I had met somewhere else, I wouldn't forget your face." Agatha smiled. "And I also wouldn't throw coffee at you."

"Wow, are you two flirting in front of me?" Carla jumped back into the conversation.

"No." Both of them said in unison.

"Not what it looks like, but okay. Are you done with whatever this is?" Now she was in a hurry? Curious.

"Well, yeah, I think so." Agatha closed her coat, trying to cover the wine stain completely. "I think we're going now." She said, looking at Rio. "It was... interesting meeting you."

"I can say the same." Rio replied, smiling.

"I feel a little excluded." Carla chimed in.

Agatha rolled her eyes, pulling her sister by the arm, heading toward the exit.

And just like that, with one last wave, they left the restaurant. 

Rio stood frozen for a few seconds in front of the table, wondering what the hell had just happened.