Rikki was usually not a very emotionally perceptive person. In fact, she was frequently accused of lacking tact and sensitivity. Opting for a more direct approach in the majority of situations. However there was one person whose emotions she had become more attuned to over the years.
Maybe it was down to the fact that they had gone through the mermaid thing together or maybe it was because they shared a similar experience having both been estranged by their mothers in one way or another. Somewhere along the line, Rikki started to understand Cleos emotions and behaviours more than others.
Over a fortnight had passed since Lewis's abrupt departure to America and Cleo was noticeably withdrawn. She hadn't joined Bella and Rikki for a swim even once which was completely unlike her. And while her friends had mutually agreed to give the brunette space, it was becoming obvious to Rikki that Cleo wasn't coping very well with this.
"So the bands playing some new material tonight! We could really use your support if you could all be there?" Bella initiated the conversation towards the end of lunch at school. It seemed apparent to her that Cleo was lonely and she really wanted to find a way to get Cleo back out there with the rest of them.
"I wouldn't miss it!" Will agreed instantly.
"Zane and I are both working so we will be there by default." Rikki shrugged, barely looking up from the book she was engrossed in.
"Great!" Bella smiled, "What about you Cleo?"
"Hmm? Oh, sorry, too much homework." Cleo, who evidently hadn't been paying much attention to the conversation, immediately made up an excuse.
"Please Cleo. It would really mean a lot to me to have your support. I promise it will be fun." Bella pleaded, grabbing hold of the brunettes hand and squeezing it tightly.
Cleo shot Bella a pained look but Bella persevered.
"Please. For me?"
"I guess an hour won't hurt." Cleo sighed, rolling her eyes.
"Yay!" Bella clapped her hands together, jumping to her feet. "See you guys tonight!"
Rikki watched with a frown as Cleo dejectedly gathered her things, clearly not excited about tonight in the slightest. Given that Cleo was generally such a happy go lucky kind of person, content to go along with anything even slightly social - this concerned her.
By the time the band was all set up and ready, Rikki had already been working for a few hours. It was a busy night and the cafe was packed with customers. She was glad she had called in the extra staff as the blenders were going nonstop and Zane had been no help whatsoever this shift. Apparently his idea of being co-manager involved him sitting at his laptop filling out boring spreadsheets whilst she ran around doing all the work.
When Cleo arrived, Rikki was too busy to even acknowledge her so she grabbed a seat at the edge of the cafe near to the bar. Bella was already on stage, interacting with the audience, which obviously included Will who was stood at the foot of the stage completely transfixed.
After a while, Cleo resounded herself to being sat alone for the majority of the night. This never usually bothered her at all. In fact, she'd sat by herself and watched the band perform lots of times. But that was back when Lewis was in it. The new drummer was a boy she recognised from their school but wasn't someone she'd ever held an actual conversation with. It was an odd feeling, watching the band perform together with their new member. It was almost like, Lewis had never even been there.
Cleo thought back to the last time she'd been at one of their shows. It had been another busy night and the every single seat was full and she had had to stand to watch. Every now and then she'd catch Lewis's eye and he'd give her a cheeky wink or smile. It never really felt like she was alone. Today it did.
The room suddenly began to feel uncomfortably warm and Cleo wasn't sure whether it was this or the fact that her heart was aching but she was suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling that she needed to get out of there. She was completely zoned out when she abruptly stood from her seat and immediately bumped into another customer who just so happened to be carrying a large glass of ice water.
"Oops I'm so sorry!" The girl apologised, as the water sloshed and spilled directly down the front of Cleo's shirt. The cafe was still absolutely packed so Cleo knew she needed to think fast. She quickly ran in the direction of the bathrooms but to her horror, realised there was a queue of at least four people waiting for the ladies. She'd never make it. As a last resort, she ran through the door to the managers office. She had just enough time to slam the door shut behind her before transforming and falling ungracefully to the ground.
"Oh shit." Zane, who had been sitting at his desk and witnessed the transformation immediately stood up and went over to Cleo. "You okay?"
"I'm fine." Cleo huffed, rubbing at her elbow. She'd landed on that arm hard and somehow that was enough to push her over the edge and she felt her eyes begin to well up.
"Uhh do you want me to get Rikki?" The cafe owner asked uncomfortably. He certainly wasn't a person who was attuned to anyone's emotions and a crying mermaid, especially one that wasn't his girlfriend, was not something he felt well equipped to deal with.
"I'll be fine. Just give me a minute."
"Alright." Zane pulled open the cupboard in the office and pulled out two thick fluffy blue towels which they'd kept especially for moments like this. He threw them to Cleo who furiously started drying herself the way she had done many times before.
As soon as she returned to her human form, Cleo quickly left the office and made a swift exit. Her body was dry but her eyes were still damp with tears. A fact which didn't go unnoticed by Rikki who shared a concerned look with her boyfriend who exited the office just seconds later.
Rikki swiftly handed her orders pad to Zane before following her close friend outside. She watched as Cleo walked away in the direction of the beach and decided enough was enough. She needed to talk.
Rikki followed Cleo all the way to the rock pool where they had first learned to swim as mermaids. The blonde mermaid had fond memories of this place as it was one of their safe places. Being the only area of the beach where they could swim freely without risk of being seen. It was where she had first bonded with Emma and where they had various gatherings with the so called mermaid club. It only dawned on her now, seeing Cleo sat there with her arms wrapped around herself and tears glistening in her eyes that she remembered that way before it was there secret swimming beach, it was Lewis's secret fishing spot.
"Hey you," Rikki made her presence known with a gentle tone. Cleo folded her arms annoyed with herself.
"I know what you're going to say." Cleo shrugged her shoulders, "I'm pathetic for letting myself get like this and I should just get up and get on with my life."
"I actually wasn't going to say that." Rikki smirked, taking a seat next to her friend on the rocks. Cleo tried discretely to wipe away the tears from her eyes but she could sense Rikki wasn't going to let this go.
"What happened back there?" Rikki probed softly.
"I got wet." Cleo sighed.
"And that was reason to get upset because?.." She continued. Cleo didn't answer.
"Cleo it's okay to be sad."
"Is it?" Cleo snapped suddenly, angry tears pricking her eyes. "Because everyone seems fixated with trying to make me feel better."
"Everyone is just concerned about you." Rikki reassured her truthfully. "You and Lewis were really, really close so it would be weird if you weren't feeling a little bit lost. No one expects you to be your normal happy self right now."
Cleo bit her lip, an unsuccessful attempt at stopping her lip from wobbling. She only managed to last about five seconds before breaking down into tears. Rikki put her arm around her friend as she cried.
"I don't want to lose him. He's my best friend." Cleo croaked.
"That's never going to happen.." Ricky started to reply.
"It's three years!" Cleo justified in total panic, "He'll decide he likes it there better, he'll meet someone else, forget all about me and-"
"Cleo, Lewis is head over heels crazy in love with you." Rikki argued back. "You're childhood sweethearts. He could never ever forget about you."
"I just don't know if I can do this without him." Cleo admitted, shaking her head and looking down.
"I know you can." Rikki replied softly, rubbing circles gently on her back.
"After mum left, Lewis didn't leave my side for weeks just in case. He was so careful with my heart. Even when he was dating bloody Charlotte he was at the house every other day." Cleo wiped more tears out of her eyes as Rikki chuckled softly listening to the story.
"I can't remember a time when I didn't see him for more than a couple of days."
"Not to mention you've basically lived together this year." Rikki pointed out.
"Exactly, we just snuck Lewis down the stairs early every morning so my Dad didn't catch on that he was staying the night." Cleo explained before backtracking, confused. "Wait.. how do you know that?"
"Cleo, no offence but there is no way your Dad didn't know that Lewis stayed with you." Rikki smirked playfully. "We all knew that. We just didn't say anything because, it's none of our business!"
"So you all just knew we lived with each other and didn't say anything?" Cleo asked in bafflement.
"We knew you were happy and that's all that mattered." Rikki explained.
"What I'm trying to say is, if you need to be sad about this for a bit longer we understand. But you have got to have more confidence in yourself. You are a strong, smart and fierce woman. Not to mention, you're a mermaid! You've got super water powers!"
"I've never been a mermaid without him." Cleo shook her head in doubt.
"If I'm being completely honest, neither have I." The blonde comfessed. Cleo raised an eyebrow. "I know I make fun of Lewis for overstepping but I actually did appreciate the many, many times he's saved our tails. Zane, Will - they try to be supportive but it's not the same. Emma is gone and Bella is used to going it alone."
"We still have each other." Cleo reminded her.
"Always." Rikki hugged her tightly. "You've got this. I promise."
For a long while they both just sat there and looked out at the ocean. The only sounds being the crashing of the waves on the rocks and Cleo's occasional sniffs - although they were becoming less frequent. There was nothing left to talk about. Rikki could sense that Cleo just needed someone to sit with her. Not to try and cheer her up. But someone to remind her that she wasn't completely alone.