A Little While Later…

Rhi POV

I'm awake but pretend to have fallen asleep. It's late and it's been a long day. Looking at the clock I see it's 3:33 am. My lucky number, I smile to myself. As I lay there wrapped in his arms, his body heat is warm and soothing and I feel safe. Oh that's a nice feeling. It enters my mind that I haven't felt safe in a man's arms in a long time. The last time I felt safe was before my dad died, and even then I wasn't completely safe. I lay there listening to his breathing, steady and deep, and it sounds like he's fallen asleep. Hmm, how am I going to get out of the bed without waking him? I feel like a caterpillar as I inch my way out of his arms and almost immediately I want to crawl back into them.

Grabbing the other robe from the bathroom hook, I quietly open the door so I don't wake him. I head to the kitchen for a drink and find some cranberry juice and pour myself a glass. A random thought pops into my head thinking some pineapple vodka would taste amazing with this, a Bay Breeze I believe it's called or something to that effect. Silently, I walk over to the huge window, wrapping the robe around myself and sit on the floor looking out at the city from above. It looks so peaceful, despite the hustle and bustle of the people down below.

The penthouse is quiet, no one is moving, they are all asleep and the silence is deafening.

Silently, I sip my drink and look to the sky, watching the stars sparkle and the occasional plane passing. I should be used to this by now but for some reason I jump slightly when the silence is suddenly broken.

Wow, you really know how to ruin a moment, don't you? You were so close to having sex and you freaked out.

I sigh, not really wanting to respond. "I did NOT freak out. I think I have legitimate issues with him. I've just met him and we know nothing about each other. He's a male stripper and has women throwing themselves at him all the time. How can I compete with that?"

You can't, he already said that. There's no reason to and it's not a competition.

I really don't want to have this conversation but I might as well get it over with. "There's so much more that I can't name them but those are the main three. He has no idea what's inside me. Kate and Ana are the only ones that know everything."

They really are working with you, and it is helping. Things are so much better than they were.

"I don't know how much better things are, but if you say so then it must be true. I trust them implicitly." I quickly respond to make sure there's no doubt. "I'll have to talk to them about Alex and get their take on the situation."

Oh Alex, he's so wonderful and you really do enjoy being around him. Admit it.

I snort, "Um, I'm not so sure about that. He makes me uncomfortable with all the things he does. I don't know why he's doing everything and you know I don't like being touched unless I initiate it."

You can't always assume the worst from people. That's one of your major flaws. The sooner you realize that the sooner your life will be better. Besides, you have to admit the dance at the fountain really touched you. It was so sweet and unexpected.

Reluctantly I agree, "Yeah, but I'm not so keen on being on the internet. That's a lot of attention to handle. Shit could hit the fan if..."

Would you just stop already? Fuck, you worry too much sometimes.

"You know, that's fucking rude. Why would you do that? You know how I hate that." I growl out as I clench my teeth. I'm not in the mood to deal with this nicely. I hate that shit, one of my biggest pet peeves is someone who thinks what they have to say is more important than anyone else's.

Oh get over it! You would've gone on and on about not wanting attention. You've always avoided the spotlight. In this case, you deserve it because you and Alex were amazing and a lot of people enjoyed watching you. I totally get why you're concerned because at this point in time it COULD have a negative impact but that doesn't mean it WILL. You know things are pretty locked up and monitored to handle this kind of thing. Sort of.

I roll my eyes. Sarcastically I snort out, "Yeah, that "sort of"? It's not making me feel any better about the whole thing."

If you're so concerned, call them and tell them what happened. However, it's your first day of vacation. Do you really want to draw attention from them and have them interfere and probably ruin it? Possibly even end it?

Sighing heavily I force out, the condescending tone in my voice blatantly evident even to my ears, "You DO know why I'm concerned about being on the internet, right? No, I don't want them to ruin my vacation, and I definitely do NOT want them to end it. I think that would be the first thing they did, after giving me an ass-chewing for being so careless. I wouldn't put it past them to consider locking me up and throwing away the key. I'm not really itching to deal with that bullshit. I'll let it go and not say anything."

I doubt they would go that far though the ass-chewing would definitely happen. In all honesty, I'm not sure how I feel about being on the internet either. You just need to wait and see, considering it's already happened. You don't know what will happen but if something does we can handle it if and when we need to. Anyway, back to the part about Alex. I know you do feel something, and it scares you.

I try my best but the terror in my voice is obvious, "Of course it scares me! After everything how can it NOT scare me? Never in a million years would I think I'd meet someone again, let alone a stripper in Vegas. On a side note, it feels weird calling him a stripper but I also think they have to be dancers with real talent to do those routines."

Yeah, the clothes coming off, that's just an added bonus.

I smirk. "I'm not sure what else there is."

Don't you remember your conversation last night?

Sighing, "Yes, I remember. But that was earlier. This is now. Tomorrow will be different. Things that are said in the dark seldom leave witness to the truth."

I hate it when you do that.

"Do what? Tell the truth? Isn't that what people seek? No one likes being lied to." I snap, my level of irritation increasing exponentially.

You just don't want to admit that I'm right and he could be the future you deserve. Quit being so stubborn and negative.

Angrily I hiss, "Shut up! You know NOTHING about any of this! You know what? I'm done with this conversation. Leave me the fuck alone!"

There's finally silence and I'm grateful for the reprieve. I can't handle more stress on top of the everything that's happened. It's almost too much right now.

I down the last of the juice in my glass, get up and head to the kitchen to put my glass in the sink. Instead of doing what I intended, I pause, and it's as if my body is on autopilot as I open the refrigerator and pull out the bottle of Patron and fill my glass. Angrily, I down it and have to stop myself from slamming down the glass for fear of breaking it, even though I'd like to break something right now. That would just draw attention to everything and I don't want to deal with it. They mean well but ….

I stop myself from thinking about it any further. "Fuck this." I mutter, not caring if I wake anyone.

Making my way back over to the window, I grab one of the pillows from the couch and sigh loudly as I lay down on the floor. Turning my head toward the window, I gaze at the stars. I love looking at the night sky and seeing the stars and occasional planet. Up here, there's nothing to block the view. Back home, I have to go to the mountains or plains away from the city lights to see some of them. Laying there in silence, it doesn't take long for the tears to spill from my eyes and slide down my cheeks onto the pillow as I drift off into a deep sleep.

Ana and Kate POV

It's 6:30 am and I'm sitting at the breakfast bar drinking a cup of tea. I've been up for a while and it's been peaceful and quiet. It's my favorite time of day. A few minutes later, Kate walks out of the bedroom and heads to the kitchen to make some coffee. She struggles in the morning without it so it's the first thing she does in her daily routine.

I look at her, "Shh.." I say, placing my index finger on my lips to signal the need for her to be quiet.

As I'm pointing to the window, she looks confused when she doesn't see anything. Quietly, she starts the coffee maker and walks silently across the room and around the couch.

Surprised, she walks back and says, "I wonder how long she's been there? She looks so peaceful. You know how she loves the stars. It breaks my heart knowing why, but at least she has something to look to for solace that is always there."

Sadly, I nod in agreement, and reply, "I think when we get back home, we should get her a telescope. That way she can look further out in space and maybe discover a new planet, star or galaxy."

"I think that's a lovely idea." Kate gives me a wide smile. Though she knows I'm joking about the galaxy and the planet but discovering a new star is always a possibility.

"I wish she would sleep in a bed rather than a couch or a chair, the floor is a new one though. When she sleeps, wherever it is, it's not for a long time and it's restless. She seems to be sleeping surprisingly good right now. Yesterday's nap was fairly good for her too." I respond, changing the subject.

She goes through the same thing every day, like clockwork. She falls asleep crying and wakes up like nothing's happened. Except the only thing that was different this time was that she was sleeping on the floor. It reminds me of the movie Groundhog Day.

The sky and whatever lies in it is a personal and private comfort for Rhi and I don't like talking about it. Kate knows this but I know she was just wanting to expand on the idea of getting a telescope.

The coffee pot makes an audible sound to indicate it's finished so Kate gets up to pour herself a cup of coffee.

Turning around, she leans on the counter, looks at me and asks, "So, what do you think about the Alex situation? He seems genuinely interested in Rhi and seems really sweet but it's been less than 24 hours since they've met."

I stare into my cup of tea searching for the answer, trying to read the tea leaves like in Harry Potter, but failing miserably.

"You know, I've been thinking about that. Have you looked at her when she's around him? I mean really looked at her? She seems relaxed and happy. But you can see a fear lurking under the surface and it's not an unreasonable fear either. She is getting better and it's taking a lot of time, but I think she's been fairly successful dealing with things. She hasn't really talked about him to us, though, but I'm hoping in time, she will." I reply.

"I partially agree with you." She says. "She does look on the verge of being happy, but she's far from relaxed. She's so intense all the time that I'm surprised no one has questioned it. I can tell when Alex looks at her he looks at HER, not just physically. I mean fuck Ana, have you seen the intensity in his eyes when he looks at her? It's borderline creepy. Though you're right, it hasn't even been 24 hours." There's a pause. "How can you feel something like that in such a short amount of time?" She asks.

I look at her incredulously and laugh as I point out the obvious. "Um…hello? Did you forget Elliot? Or Christian? That was love at first sight. Though Christian has some serious issues and believe me we're going to address them when we return home. Elliot is a good guy, and you deserve him. You're good together. I'm so glad he and you have been communicating this whole time. Not to mention that he's not said anything to Christian about the trip other than what he's had to. I would've been livid if Christian showed up here and ruined our vacation."

Kate laughs, "Touché Ana. You're right about Elliot. Love at first sight does happen. Sometimes it's hard to accept but it's there. Lord knows Rhi deserves to be happy." Kate looks over to the window where Rhi is sleeping and sips her coffee.

There's a rustle behind us and the bedroom door opens and out steps Alex. He's in one of the robes from the second bedroom. It's a bit short for him and tight around the shoulders and arms but surprisingly it fits everywhere else. Looking at him, we smile and place our fingers over our lips telling him to be quiet. He nods and smiles sheepishly at Kate and Ana, like a kid caught with his hand in a cookie jar.

"Good morning ladies. Mind if I have some coffee too?" He whispers. Kate nods, gets up and pours him a cup. "Thank you." Looking between us, he asks, "Have you seen Rhi? She's not in the bedroom or bathroom."

Kate points toward the window and raises her chin to indicate for him to go look. Kate and I look at each other as he gets up and walks quietly over toward the window and stops in his tracks when he sees Rhi sleeping on the floor. Turning around he looks at us with a questioning look on his face and a hint of sadness in his eyes. Turning back to her, he looks at her for a minute then turns and walks back to the breakfast bar.

Confused, he whispers, "I don't understand. Is she ok? Did she fall and get hurt? Should we call someone? He fires of one question after another.

I shake my head and reply, "She's ok. She sleeps better on couches or chairs. Though finding her on the floor is a new one. We think she fell asleep looking at the stars."

He looks at us, sighs and says, "I hope I didn't cause this."

Kate straightens up upon hearing that and looks at him, her eyes narrowing. "What do you mean you hope you didn't cause this? What did you do?" Her voice is low but her anger is apparent by the audible growl in her voice.

Alex's eyes widen and he furrows his brow. "We just talked and I held her, and we fell asleep. At least I fell asleep, she may not have, if she prefers to sleep somewhere other than a bed." He looks down, then back up at us and continues, "Nothing happened, though I wanted to very much, but she didn't seem to be in the right frame of mind. So, I told her we should wait; it didn't seem like it was an appropriate time."

I look at Kate and raise my eyebrows, she mirrors the look and we both look at him.

"You mean you didn't try anything?" Kate asks, surprised.

He looks from me to Kate. "I kissed her, and I know she knows I'm physically attracted to her, but she seemed a little distant so I stopped and told her I would wait and that we should just go to sleep. I held her all night, where I thought she stayed. Obviously she didn't because she's out here sleeping on the floor." He says sadly, concern evident in his eyes. "Did I do something wrong?"

I think for a minute how to answer. "I wouldn't necessarily say you did something wrong. I would say that you've done something right and she doesn't know how to accept it. You don't know her history and she has to be the one willing to tell you. It's up to her if she's going to let you into her bubble. Personally, I think you need to keep doing what you've been doing. I see something different in her, but like I said, she has to make that decision." She asks. "What do you think Kate?"

She looks at me, then at him and says, "Honestly, I think you did the right thing not pushing for anything physical. If you are truly interested in her, not just physically, you need to show her that. If you just want sex make sure she knows that too. No matter what you really want, you have to earn her trust, not break it. Definitely don't hurt her. If you do, not only will she retaliate but Ana and I will step in and solve the problem. She's come a long way and Ana and I won't have her have a setback. We warned you earlier that we won't let anyone hurt her. So, if you have anything other than honorable intentions, you need to say goodbye and leave her alone. That's my best advice." She says, holding back nothing and I could see that Alex was aware of the threatening promise.

We hear Rhi stirring on the floor and stop talking, unsure if she's waking up. Getting up, I walk over to check on her and see she's still asleep so I shake my head to indicate she's still sleeping. I'm not surprised that she is still facing the window, but I'm waiting for the sun to come up and wake her.

Alex looks between Kate and me as I sit back down. "I'm not going anywhere. I want more with her, and want to take care of her, I want to treat her the way she should be treated, I want her. All of her, past, present and future. I don't plan on hurting her, ever. And that's the truth." He says firmly.

"Well, ok then. Just take things slow and let her handle the pace. She'll come around, but she needs to be able to believe in it herself. Just remember, we will protect her at no cost. That's not a threat, that's a promise" Kate warns.

Sometimes Kate can be a bit aggressive and I cringe a little when she shows that side. However, this was not one of those times. She's a force to be reckoned with and I'm thankful Rhi and I have her in our lives.

A few moments later, we hear a yawn and the sound of Rhi stretching. I wonder how long she's been awake and if she heard the last bit of our conversation. She sits up, stretches again, and looks out the window. We're sitting at the breakfast bar watching her wake to the world when we hear her voice.

She sighs, "You know, I think the sunrise really is beautiful."

You need to enjoy it every minute of every day.

There's a slight pause and she responds in agreement, "What a lovely idea. I still like the night sky better though, it's more soothing."

And you should enjoy that just as much. It suits you.

Kate and I look at each other, questioningly. She shakes her head no and I mirror the act. I don't think she knows we're in the room and have heard her conversation. I look at Alex who has a puzzled look on his face.

I whisper to him, "Just let it go, don't say anything. Please."

He nods and remains silent but continues to observe Rhi. I can see the concern on his face but there's something else in his eyes. Compassion? Caring? I can't define it but it's surprising. Maybe he really does care. Well, at least he has an idea of where she's at in this present moment.

Kate clears her throat and in a chipper normal voice says, "Good morning Rhi. Did you sleep well? Do you want some coffee?"

Rhi's head turns, and she nods and says, "Yes please."

We can see the tear stains on her face and her red puffy eyes, but don't acknowledge them. I don't think she's seen Alex yet. She's not quite awake.

She turns and looks out the window again. "I think it's going to be a hot one today. We definitely should go to the pool for a while. I'm ready to kick back and relax." She says. Without looking back at us she asks, "Is Alex still here? I didn't hear him leave."

We look at him and motion for him to answer.

"Yes, I'm still here. Having a cup of coffee with Kate and Ana. Good morning Rhi."

Her head snaps around suddenly upon hearing his voice and her eyes focus on him. She looks at him and gives him a bright happy smile.

"Good morning!" She sounds so bubbly, which is a huge contrast to the tear stains on her cheeks and red puffy eyes.

He smiles back at her, and Kate and I watch as he gets up and walks over to her and sits on the couch next to her.

"Good morning beautiful." He says, touching her cheek tenderly.

We continue to watch as she looks up at him, reaches up and touches his face gently. "You're so handsome in the morning." She smiles shyly.

I don't think she realizes she's still on the floor. He leans down and wraps his hands around her waist, lifting her up onto his lap, holding her close and kissing her forehead. I look at Kate and smile. She looks at them, then back at me with a smile. Maybe he really does care.