Chapter Text
Rio hated change. When she was six and her parents had moved them from Puerto Rico to New Jersey, she refused to speak to them for the first month out of defiance. When she was thirteen and her parents had been killed in a car crash on their way to pick her up from basketball training, all she wanted was to scream at them one last time. When she was twenty-five and moved to New York, she spent the first six months going from work to home, not interacting with anyone except Alice, her best friend, coworker, and roommate all in one.
Alice had gotten it in her head that this was somehow “unhealthy” and that she should try to at least be around other humans for a night, which is how she ended up here, at The Road, on what should’ve been a nice, quiet evening with just her, her plants and reruns of Battlestar Galactica.
“Rio, stop it. I can feel your disinterest from here. No one’s gonna bite unless you ask them.” Rio felt her cheeks flush at the comment, and she stared daggers into Alice’s back as she dragged them through the crowd to an empty booth.
Not two seconds into sitting down did Alice’s phone ring. “Shit, Rio, I gotta take this, would you mind going and getting us a drink?”
Rio opened her mouth to argue, but Alice had already answered the phone call. Shaking her head, she got up and awkwardly made her way through the people milling about the room. How on earth was it this busy? She knew it was a Saturday, but seriously, didn’t these people have families? Lives that revolved around anything other than alcohol?
Making it safely to the bar, Rio looked at all the beers on tap. She knew what Alice usually drank, but she couldn’t see it anywhere around. Shit. Maybe she should just go back and ask Alice what she wanted, because she didn’t want to get the wrong drink, and then Alice either had to drink it, or they had to go back and get a new drink, and that was just a hassle and-
“Hey, hot stuff, what’s a place like this doing in a girl like you?”
Rio snapped her head to the siren song and her eyes landed on the most gorgeous woman she had ever seen. Piercing blue eyes that seemed to look right through Rio, a mane of brunette hair that cascaded down her back with one sinful grey streak that framed her face. And if that wasn’t enough to send Rio insane, the woman had tattoos covering almost every inch of available skin. And, oh, Rio’s brain was going to malfunction. Just below the Three of Swords tattoo on her sternum were two bars sticking out through the woman’s shirt. Nipple piercings. God, Rio was going to melt into the floor.
“My eyes are up here, sweetheart.” Rio’s eyes snapped up, and her cheeks instantly flushed, embarrassed to have been caught. The brunette smirked at Rio, watching amusedly as Rio tried to formulate a sentence. The stranger let Rio suffer for a moment longer before trying again. “What’s your poison, honey?”
Rio had never really placed any stock in the idea of love at first sight. It seemed illogical. Sure, you could be attracted at first sight, but love? That seemed too far-fetched. Rio was a scientist; she believed in facts and evidence. But here, with this woman, she knew without a doubt she was wrong.
“Oh, um, can I get two beers, please?” Rio squeaked out.
The love of Rio’s life narrowed her eyes amusedly and let out a small chuckle, “You don’t do this a lot, do you?”
Rio felt her cheeks, which had never returned to their original colour, redden further. “Order drinks or talk to attractive women?”
The stranger blinked, taken aback by Rio’s forwardness, “Both, I suppose. But let’s work on the first problem for now. You’re aware that basically all we serve here are beers, right? You’re going to have to be a bit more specific than that.”
Rio studied the woman, trying to figure out what to say. She figured her best bet would be to try and copy what they did in the movies. She awkwardly leaned against the bar in a way she hoped seemed natural, “Well, what would you suggest?”
The woman smirked before eyeing Rio up and down, as if she could tell what sort of drink Rio would like just by looking at her. It seemed to work, and the woman moved away to grab two pint glasses and pour some local ale.
“That’ll be $13, handsome.” Rio fished the money out of her pocket and stood awkwardly while the woman cashed it away.
Rio knew she wasn’t bad looking. Some may even say she was attractive, but she was awkward and had never really known how to use her ‘charms’. Now more than ever did she wish she had been one of those people who could swoop in and effortlessly flirt her way into someone’s bed.
“So, uh, could I maybe get your name?” Rio asked awkwardly.
The stranger just chuckled, “That’ll cost you extra honey.” Finally, she looked up from the till, and Rio was granted another look into those stormy eyes, “How about this, if you actually like the drink, I’ll see about giving you my name.”
“Al, I think I just met the love of my life,” Rio said as she threw herself back into the booth they were sitting at.
Alice looked up from her phone, eyebrows knitted together, “You what? Where? Who? What???”
Rio nodded her head behind her, “At the bar, see her, the brunette?”
Rio could see the moment Alice clocked the woman and could see the cogs turning in Alice’s head. They had been friends since high school, when Rio was in her angsty teenager phase, angry about everything, Alice had stuck it out with her. Since then, they had been inseparable, even taking Rio into her home for a while after her parents had died. Without Alice and her mom, Rio would have bounced around the system until she aged out. She would never have found her foster mom, Lilia, she wouldn’t have the life she has now; she wouldn’t have anything.
So, Alice, who was, for all intents and purposes, her sister, knew that Rio had never really had a serious girlfriend. Not for a lack of trying, Rio had just never really been interested in anyone, and certainly not anyone who had been interested in her back. There had been that one memorable time she had been head over heels in that 15-year-old way everyone was, for the prettiest girl in school, but Rio didn’t really count that. Otherwise, Rio was content with her life as it was. She had Alice, she had Lilia, she had her cats and plants. She had a good job and a nice apartment.
That wasn’t to say that Rio didn’t want someone. That person who knew you better than you knew yourself. The one who, after a long day of being around people, instead of wanting to be alone, wanted to be with them instead. But Rio also knew that it would take a special person for her to truly have that. She’d rather be alone than with the wrong person.
Alice’s voice dragged Rio out of her thoughts, “Rio, you still with me?”
“Sorry, what were you saying, Al?”
Alice studied her, considering her words carefully before continuing. “I was saying she’s very pretty. I see why you’re into her. Did you get her number, or her name for that matter?”
“No, she said if we liked the drinks she’d give it to me,” Rio answered.
Alice raised her eyebrows. “So, what, you don’t even know this woman’s name, and you’re in love with her? I thought you didn’t believe in any of that love at first sight bullshit. You refused to even watch my favourite movie because of it.”
Rio rolled her eyes, “Sorry that I think falling in love with someone else at your wedding is a bad plot for a movie.” Rio was quick to continue, cutting off whatever protest Alice had on the tip of her tongue, “But anyway, maybe I was wrong. There’s just something about her, Al. I can’t explain it. It feels almost cosmic.”
“Am I hearing this right? Is the great scientist Rio Vidal, the believer in only facts and numbers, saying she believes in fate?”
Rio scoffed, “No. I’m sure if I actually studied it, it would be some chemical reaction in your brain that causes it. Probably a mix of the classic attraction love at first sight, which is the cocktail of dopamine, oxytocin and adrenaline. Then you mix that in with-”
“Rio. I don’t care.” Rio snapped her jaw shut as Alice continued. “Look, the point is, if you’re serious, if you think you might actually like her, even if it’s just plain old attraction, you should chop that fucking beer and go and go and tell her it was the best thing you’ve ever tasted, until you get a taste of her that is, and then ask for her name and number.”
Rio choked on her drink at the words, “Al- Jesus Christ! I am not saying that to a woman I just met.”
“Why not? I thought she was the love of your life?”
Rolling her eyes, Rio ignored Alice, looking back towards the woman. She was currently shaking a cocktail shaker while talking to a coworker, and Rio racked her brain, but she had definitely never seen anything more attractive in her life. Rio supposed Alice was right, though she wouldn’t quite say it how Alice had, but she had to know who this woman was.
“Okay, yeah, I will.” At the opening of Alice’s mouth, Rio continued, “Not like that, but I’ll go talk to her.” Rio knocked the drink back, some of it spilling out around the edges of her mouth, but she didn’t care. She dully registered that the drink did, in fact, taste rather nice. And if she hadn’t been more occupied with inspecting what ring size the bartender had, she might’ve even tried to enjoy the taste. Oh well, there would be other pints. Hopefully.
Getting up from the table, Rio grabbed her empty glass and walked back to the bar, watching as the woman finished up with another customer. The woman saw her immediately and slowly made her way over. “So, thoughts?”
“I think you’re very beautiful and I would like to know your name and number. Also, the drink was nice. I think. I drank it fairly quickly,” Rio rushed out.
The woman raised her eyebrows amusedly at Rio. “I see, well, given that you only half followed the rules, I’ll do the same.”
The woman leaned forward over the bar, placing her arms around the chest in a way that had Rio fighting not to lower her eyes.
“The names Agatha. What’s yours, pretty boy?”
“Rio, my name’s Rio.”
“Rio,” Agatha purred, and Rio swore she almost came from that alone. She never thought hearing someone say her name would drive her crazy, but here she was. “Well, Rio. You didn’t follow the rules, so I can’t give you my number; it just wouldn’t be fair. But I have a break in fifteen minutes. Go upstairs, third door on the left.” Agatha’s eyes flicked down the bar where patrons had started to line up, her only other coworker becoming swamped. “I won’t wait long.”
With that, she walked away, and Rio was left standing with no drink and no number, but she had a name.
Agatha. Agatha. Agatha. Agatha. Rio rolled the name over in her head, felt it rattling around her body, seeping into every crevice of her being until every beat of her heart whispered the name back to her. It was an old name, not one you heard often, but it suited the woman in front of her perfectly. A woman this unique deserved a name in kind.
The next fifteen minutes were absolute torture for Rio. She had sat back down with Alice and let Alice go on a rant about her latest failed date and the woes of dating. Or maybe she was talking about work now, Rio wasn’t totally sure. In all honesty, Rio’s eyes had been glued to the watch on Alice’s wrist. Reading it upside down as the seconds ticked down.
The second it hit fifteen minutes, Rio shot up out of her chair, muttering an apology to Alice, who was sporting a shit-eating grin, and headed up the stairs to find Agatha. Rio knocked gently on the bathroom door, entering after a soft ‘come in’ echoed from inside.
“Exactly fifteen minutes on the dot. I like someone punctual.” Agatha cooed, moving across the bathroom towards Rio. Rio felt her breath hitch as Agatha reached around her to lock the door behind her. Agatha moved her face to Rio’s neck, and Rio could feel her breath hot against her pulse point. “Now tell me, Rio, how long do you think it’ll take before I have you a quivering mess against this bathroom door?” Rio bit back a moan as Agatha moved her legs to push her thigh between Rio’s legs. “Because by the looks of it, I doubt I’ll need more than ten.”
Rio never did this. She wasn’t the type to hook up in a bathroom. She usually got too in her head. The smell, the germs, all of it was just too gross to be conducive to a good hook-up location. But right now? She was fighting to hump against Agatha’s thigh like an animal in heat.
“A-Agatha, p-please,” she whined out, barely forming the words.
“Poor thing, you’re so desperate for me, aren’t you?” Rio nodded vigorously at the words, the movement against Agatha’s leg had the seam of her jeans pressed right against her clit and if she could just-
Rio felt the pressure leave her as Agatha withdrew her leg, placing her hands on Rio’s hips to pin her to the door. Rio looked up at Agatha through hooded eyes, and she could feel the desperation that must’ve been written across her face, “Wh- why did you stop?” She stuttered out.
“The first time I make you come won’t be against my leg like a bitch in heat.” She purred as she dropped to her knees on the bathroom floor. Agatha reached for Rio’s belt, undoing it quickly, followed by the zipper of her jeans. “It’ll be on my tongue.”
Agatha’s eyes returned to her prize, and she let out a snort at the sight of Rio’s dinosaur boxers. Rio felt her flush deepen, “I wasn’t exactly expecting this when I was putting them on,” she muttered.
Agatha raked her fingernails up Rio’s thighs, “Don’t worry, I think it’s cute.” She cooed as she placed a kiss on Rio’s hipbone before she finally, finally, peeled down Rio’s boxers.
Rio felt herself erupt in goosebumps as the cool air hit her. She could feel herself dripping down her thighs and tensed her thighs against Agatha’s hold in desperation.
Agatha, clearly one to never give in easily, started slowly, tortuously kissing up Rio’s left thigh. After what had to have genuinely been an eternity, she reached the apex of Rio’s thighs, and she arched into the touch, only for Agatha to move off and start again at the base of Rio’s right thigh. “Agatha, god,” she panted out. When she received no response, she tried again, “Please.” That seemed to do the trick, and she peered down to find Agatha already looking at her.
“Hold my hair back, handsome.”
Rio whimpered, threading her hands through the enticing locks, gripping them into a makeshift ponytail at the back of Agatha’s head.
As soon as she had, Agatha licked a long stripe through her folds, from her entrance to clit. Rio was usually quiet in bed and always thought it sounded fake and pornographic when people moaned ridiculously, but for the first time, she found she couldn’t bite back the obscene moan leaving her lips. Agatha had a kind of magic touch and ate her out like an animal starved.
Rio was sure she had never been fucked like this. Agatha knew exactly what she was doing. She moved from toying with Rio’s clit, to fucking her tongue as far as it could reach inside of her, caressing her walls. Rio could feel her orgasm building embarrassingly fast and felt her eyes roll into the back of her head as she fought to stave off her orgasm. The dinosaur boxers she could get away with, but coming within a few minutes? That was steering dangerously close to loser, virgin nerd territory.
Rio felt Agatha move again, shifting her head up to wrap her lips back around her clit. Sucking gently, Rio felt herself teetering on the edge of her orgasm. She fought against it, biting her lip so hard she felt the metallic taste of blood fill her mouth.
It was all for nothing in the end, because as soon as Agatha moved her hand up and fucked two fingers into Rio, curling them while she raked her teeth lightly over her clit, Rio was gone. Her mouth opened in a silent scream, and Rio felt her head smack back against the door, but couldn’t register the pain with the pleasure currently coursing through her body.
Agatha continued fucking her through it gently, tonguing against her clit languidly and gently moving her fingers inside Rio. Finally, Rio felt herself return to her body, and she slumped against the door.
Rio felt Agatha move off her knees and come back up into Rio’s eye line. Agatha opened her mouth, presumably to make a snide comment, so Rio pulled her in by the waist and shut her up with a filthy kiss. Agatha immediately kissed her back, snaking her hands around Rio’s neck and, without any hesitation, pressed her tongue down onto the cut Rio had left on her own lip, making her hiss out in pain. Stealing the opportunity, Agatha licked into Rio’s mouth filthily. It wasn’t a romantic kiss, it wasn’t even a particularly good kiss, it was all tongue and teeth and far too sloppy, but it was the greatest kiss of Rio’s life.
Far too quickly, Agatha pulled back. “Well, would you look at that, I even had two minutes to spare.” Rio looked up at Agatha, confusion across her face. She couldn’t process the words in her hazy state. “You know what that means, big boy? It means we still have twelve minutes left. Plenty of time for you to return the favour.” Agatha finally seemed to take in Rio’s state, “That is, if I didn’t fuck the fine motor skills out of you.”
Rio, snapping back to reality, dug her fingernails into Agatha’s waist, hard enough to leave crescent moons that she hoped would be a reminder of her tomorrow. Agatha moaned at the sting, something Rio filed away for later, and with Agatha distracted, she flipped them around, “Not a chance.”
From this position, Rio had a clear view of the exposed skin of Agatha’s neck, one of the few places of un-inked skin, practically begging to be marked by Rio. Feeling emboldened by the orgasm, Rio latched on, sinking her teeth into Agatha’s pulse point. Her observation from earlier was proven correct, as she felt Agatha’s hands push her head further into her neck, begging for more.
Never one to deny a pretty girl anything, Rio continued marking down Agatha’s neck, sucking and nipping at every piece of exposed skin she could. Moving her way down, she kissed the three of swords tattoo on Agatha’s sternum, tracing the longest swords through the middle of the heart.
If you were to ask Rio, she could spend all day like this. Learning every inch of Agatha’s skin. Every tattoo, freckle, scar. But, if the increasingly tight grip on her hair and the shortening of Agatha’s breath were any indication, she was quickly running out of patience.
Rio pulled back, skimming her hands along the base of Agatha’s skimpy tank top. “Can I take this off?” She husked.
Agatha merely nodded, too turned on to speak, and Rio instantly grabbed the spaghetti straps, pulling them down her shoulders and revealing the gold bars Rio had been thinking of all night. She felt her mouth go dry at the sight, and had never in her twenty-six years of life needed to wrap her lips around a pair of nipples more.
Sucking one into her mouth, she heard Agatha gasp and felt her arch into the contact. She had heard that when pierced, nipples became more sensitive to touch. Testing the theory, Rio flicked the bar with her tongue, causing Agatha to let out an all too loud moan for the public setting they were in.
Reaching up, Rio clamped a hand over Agatha’s mouth, “You need to be quiet. Can you do that for me, Agatha?”
Agatha stared back at her, her once bright blue eyes dark with lust, and she nodded against her hand. Pleased with the answer, Rio returned to lathe the other nipple with attention. Once she was satisfied, she continued her downward path. She ran her fingers along the witch tattoo that lay across Agatha’s stomach, tracing each letter.
“You want me to put a spell on you, baby?” Agatha purred, running her long nails across Rio’s cheek.
“I think you already have.”
Rio peered up at Agatha, slowly unbuttoning her pants, “You sure?”
In a moment of vulnerability, one she’s sure Agatha would deny later, she watched Agatha close her eyes, her face screwed up in anticipation, and she whined out desperately, “Please.”
As soon as the word was uttered, Rio pushed down Agatha’s pants and had to bite back a pathetic whine of her own when she saw the lace that left nothing to the imagination. The sad excuse for underwear did nothing on its best day, let alone almost soaked through. “All this for me?” Rio spoke the words into Agatha’s mound, running her nose along the mercifully untamed bush.
“Shut up and put that smart mouth to use,” Agatha demanded.
Pushing the lace to the side, Rio immediately buried her face in Agatha’s cunt. Her face was instantly wet from nose to chin, and Rio was sure she had died and gone to heaven. If you had told her this morning that she would be on her knees eating out the hottest woman she had ever seen in a public toilet, she would’ve started by telling you how disgusting and unhygienic that was and then had you checked for a head injury.
But here she was, running her tongue around Agatha’s folds, lapping up all the wetness she’d already leaked out. Agatha tasted divine, and Rio was already hooked. She knew she would never taste anybody near as good as Agatha again. Knew she had to have her again, knew she couldn’t drink this holy water just one.
Aware of the time crunch they were under, Rio brought her focus back to Agatha’s clit, circling it with deadly precision, following Agatha’s bodily clues to see what she responded to the most. Needing to be deeper in Agatha, she brought her hand up to her entrance, ready to slip two fingers inside, when Agatha pulled her back.
“Wait, don’t- don’t go inside, just outside,” she panted out.
“Okay, Agatha,” Rio murmured, already latching back onto her clit, slowly stroking her fingers over the top of Agatha’s entrance, never once dipping inside.
The extra stimulation seemed to be all Agatha needed, and before long, her thighs were clenching around Rio’s head, choking her. Rio fucked her through it, determined to steal another orgasm out of her.
Before Agatha could even come down from her first, Rio was propelling her into a second, smaller orgasm, that left her body twitching slightly.
Rio rose from her knees, cringing at the thought of what lived on that floor, and returned her hips to their new home address of Agatha’s hips.
She peered at Agatha, staring at her closed eyes, waiting for a glimpse of the ocean eyes.
“Jesus Christ, Rio. Where did that come from?”
Rio just grinned, “So, does this mean I can have your number now? I’d really like to take you out properly.”
Agatha straightened at the words, subtly pushing Rio off her to redress herself. Rio watched as Agatha fiddled with her pants, seeming to take a long time to pull her zipper back up.
“Look, Rio, this was fun, but I don’t really do the whole dating thing. I just prefer to keep things casual. So, if that’s not something you’re interes-”
“No. I am. Whatever you want, that’s fine. I just wanna see you again.” Rio rushed out. The idea of never seeing Agatha again. Never getting to have her like this again. Well, Rio wasn’t one for dramatics, but the thought of that might’ve actually killed her. “Casual’s fine for me. I’m pretty busy with work anyway, so it actually works out better for me anyway.”
Rio watched a flash of something she couldn’t decipher cross Agatha’s face, but before she could even start to process it, it was gone. “Good. Yes, that’s good. Okay, well, I suppose you can have my number.”
Rio handed Agatha her phone, watching as she typed in her number. Upon getting her phone back, Rio looked down at the name Agatha had entered for herself
Agatha 🥵👅🔥
Rio smiled to herself and quickly sent a text to her so Agatha would have her number as well.
Agatha’s phone pinged with the message, and Rio watched Agatha’s eyes widen as she checked her phone, “Shit, my break ended five minutes ago, I’ve got to go.” She leaned in for a quick peck against Rio’s lips. “Send me a text and we’ll set something up, okay? Bye, Rio.”
With that, she was gone, with Rio shouting out a goodbye as she ran down the stairs. Rio stepped back into the bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror and running a hand through her hair. She took in her appearance. Lipstick that wasn’t hers smudged across her lips, hickeys blooming along her neck and collar bones, pupils still blown wide with lust. She looked like someone who had just had the fucking of their life. A fair enough look, she supposed.
Glancing back down at her phone, she saw that Alice had messaged saying she was heading home and hoped she didn’t see Rio until the next day. Rolling her eyes at the message, she clicked on her message with Agatha. Nothing there except the ‘Hi’ she had sent herself. She looked back at the name Agatha had left and, before she could doubt herself, changed it.
Agatha 🫶
Rio looked at it for a moment. It’s not like it meant anything, and Agatha would never see it. Putting her phone away, she unlocked the bathroom stall and headed back down the stairs. She considered sitting back down in a booth somewhere with a view of the bar, just so she could sit and watch Agatha for a while longer, but thought better of it. She looked thoroughly fucked, and she didn’t need any awkward looks.
Heading towards the door, she searched for Agatha at the bar, hoping for one last look, but she was nowhere to be found. Shrugging it off, Rio called an uber to take her home, ready to tell Alice as few details as she could get away with of the night.
Rio supposed she should’ve had more self-respect, more game, and waited more than a night to text Agatha, but the minute she had escaped Alice’s questions and gotten into the quiet of her own room, she had texted Agatha asking if she was free anytime soon.
The response hadn’t come until 2 AM, but it made her smile nevertheless:
sure am ;) im working until 10 on wednesday but if you come pick me up im all yours for the rest of the evening
Rio had sent back a thumbs-up in reply, as soon as she woke up and wondered how difficult it would be to invent a time machine to skip the next few days.
-----------------------------------------
Eventually, Wednesday came around, and Rio found herself watching the clock like a hawk for the second time in four days. The second the clock hit five, she was out of her seat, her bag already packed, her lab coat off, hanging around the back of her chair. Rio’s lab partner eyed her suspiciously. Usually, Rio was the first in and last out. She never had anywhere better to be, and loved being in the lab, working with the plants was her happy place. But today she had a better offer.
Racing out the door, ignoring everyone, she headed for the subway. Rio assumed Agatha would want to come back to her place tonight, and it was a mess, to say the least. Rio wasn’t an untidy person, but Alice had a habit of putting something down and picking it up three weeks later. Usually, Rio kept on top of the cleaning; she found it calming and knew that Alice wouldn’t do it right, but she’d been a little distracted by a certain brunette for the past few days.
As soon as she was home, Rio sped run cleaning the house and her room, replacing the sheets and putting away any of her ‘childish’ decorations that Alice always made fun of.
“Rio, you cannot bring a girl over here with dinosaur and Star Wars figurines sitting out,” Alice had berated her earlier that morning when Rio had detailed her plans with Agatha.
“Why not? God forbid I have a personality. Besides, it’s not like it’s a date. Agatha’s not exactly here to analyse the contents of my room.”
Alice ignored Rio, grabbing her coffee cup as she moved towards the apartment door. “Whatever, dude, leave it if you want, but if it was me, I wouldn’t want to be having intense eye contact with Han Solo while I was riding someone.”
Rio had ceded to that and moved everything away, so her room looked like that of a somewhat functioning adult. Rio checked her watch, 7 pm. She still had two hours to kill until she would have to leave to go and see Agatha. That left the perfect amount of time for the final part of Rio’s plan. See, she knew Agatha didn’t want a relationship, didn’t want to go on dates. And that was perfectly fine with Rio. Really, she didn’t mind. Not one bit. She was great at casual. And maybe Alice had laughed in her face when she’d said it was going to be a casual thing with Agatha, but that was neither here nor there. But, Rio was only human; she still had to eat, and if she just so happened to have leftovers from her own dinner that Agatha might want after a long shift, then that was a happy coincidence.
So, Rio moved to the kitchen to make her and Agatha dinner. She wasn’t the greatest cook in the world, but her time living with Lilia had given her a grasp on a few Sicilian staples as well as her mom’s Puerto Rican food, so she got to work.
Rio loved the rhythm of cooking. When she had first moved in with Lilia, she had never stepped foot in a kitchen, but her first night there, Lilia had her in the kitchen helping with the meal. Over the years, Rio’s skill in the kitchen had improved slightly, though she was nowhere near Lilia’s level. Lilia had always been patient with Rio, letting her make the mistakes and waiting for her to come to her for help. She had let Rio grow into herself, figure things out for herself and was always there to pick up the pieces when things inevitably went wrong. She was always patient with Rio, knowing that Rio needed a routine, that she hated change. So, she had made it her mission to learn as many Puerto Rican meals as she could, so Rio at least had something from her old life.
Rio thought about her parents often, wondered if they would be proud of her, the woman she had become. She wondered if they would like Agatha. They hadn’t spoken much the past few days apart from the occasional ‘how was your day’ text and the cat reels Agatha sent Rio, but she found her thoughts drifting to the other woman more often than not. God, she felt insane for even thinking about it; she barely even knew the woman, and she was already imagining whether or not her dead parents would like her.
The sound of keys jangling in the lock and Alice’s voice drew Rio out of her daydream. “God, Rio, it smells amazing in here. What are you cooking?”
“Hey Al, I’m making arroz con gandules, and before you ask, yes, you can have some, but only if you promise to be out of here in the next hour.”
Alice waltzed into the kitchen, leaning over the pot and stealing a bit of the still-cooking food. Alice sidestepped Rio as she went to swat Alice’s hand away and chuckled, “Yes, yes, I’m just grabbing some stuff, and I’ll go over to Nat and Yelena’s, calm down, you and your girlfriend will have the whole place to yourself for your romantic dinner.”
Rio tensed, muttering, “Not my girlfriend, and not a romantic dinner.”
Alice emerged from the living room, having grabbed the last few things she needed, “Yeah, but you wish it was, don’t you.” she teased.
Rio ignored her, because yes, she did wish that, but Agatha had been clear, she didn’t do relationships. And Rio would take any piece of Agatha she could get. “What I want is for you to please leave so I can put this away and go and see Agatha.”
Alice ignored the barb and took a healthy amount of the food before she headed back out the door. As soon as the door was closed, Rio felt the nerves starting to kick in. She wasn’t sure how to do this; she didn’t know the etiquette of picking someone up for a hookup. Should she bring flowers? No, flowers were date material. Flowers were feelings. The food was probably already pushing her luck anyway. She glanced at the clock and knew she had to leave soon if she wanted to have enough time to psych herself up before going inside to get Agatha. Rio packed everything away, and made sure the kitchen was spotless before grabbing her keys. On her way out the door Rio looked at herself in the mirror. You can do this, it’s just a hookup, you know what you’re doing. With that thought, Rio pulled on her coat to fight against the cold autumn air and went to pick up her future wife.