The Conundrum

Part 1

Kate POV

I don't want to disturb how relaxed Rhi looks but when I see her move I know she's awake.

"Hey Rhi. Are you better now?" I ask, wanting to make sure she's ok from the panic Luke caused a little while ago. I'm so angry at him and I'm actually surprised that he did that. He's always seemed so chill the few times I was around him, maybe a little aggressive about certain things but for the most part he seemed more chill. However, I've never seen him around women so I'm not sure how he acts toward them. To be honest, I've never seen any of the goons around women; Probably because they're always doing something to guard Grey and his family. After that bullshit he pulled you can better believe I'm going to have it out with them when we get back to Seattle. In the meantime, I'm going to focus on Rhi and making sure she's safe, happy and relaxed. That's why we're here in the first place.

Not that I'm supporting any relationship starting in Vegas, or at this time in her life, but I'm curious about something, "Hey Rhi, have you heard anything from Alex yet since he left this morning?" I ask, trying to gauge her reaction.

She's kind of off in her own little world and she shakes her head and asks, "What?"

I look at her and smile. "Have you heard from Alex today since he left this morning?"

She looks at me, and says, "Um, he text me before I went for a swim, and I turned off my phone so I could unwind. I haven't heard my phone go off, so I don't think so."

I look at her and raise my eyebrows. "Do you really think you'll hear any notifications if you turned off your phone?" I ask, laughing. "I'm just kidding. Just trying to lighten the mood a little."

She laughs and says, "I guess maybe the two Bloody Mary's, Rum and Coke and six shots of Patron kind of made me forget the important things. I must've forgotten to turn it back on. We don't need to tell anyone how much I've had. I'm still feeling pretty good."

She picks up her phone and turns it on. It immediately starts pinging like crazy. God I hope those aren't all from him. Talk about smothering. I think to myself. Thank God Elliot isn't like that, or like Christian. Now there's a guy with control issues. I don't know how Ana puts up with him. I'd be gone in a heartbeat.

"Jeeze Rhi, that sounds like morse code!" I laugh loudly. "You know what? We're still in the cabana. Let's order some food and more drinks. I think it's about lunch time. What do you guys think?" I ask.

Ana agrees and says, "Great idea! I'm starving and my buzz is going away. I need to bring it back to life." She laughs getting a big smile of approval from Rhi.

"Rhi? What do you think?" I ask her. She's sitting on the chaise looking at her phone. "Rhi?" I ask again. She looks up and glances at me. "Um, sure whatever you guys want to do is fine with me."

I look at Ana. I wonder what's going on. Ana shrugs. "Everything ok Rhi?" I ask, looking at her.

"Huh? What? Yeah, everything is good actually." She looks at us and smiles a huge grin.

"So….. Want to tell us what the happy grin is about?" I inquire with a smirk.

She looks from me to Ana and says, "Lets order drinks and food first." Then she winks.

We order the same drinks we originally started with except Rhi changes to her staple, Rum and Coke. She orders six shots of Patron this time, two for each of us. We've decided on a meat and cheese tray. She's definitely not a very good eater and it drives Ana and I crazy. We're always trying to get her to eat better but maybe it's because of all the stress she feels all the time. We give her the benefit of the doubt because we know it happens. We've felt it too but ours doesn't last, unfortunately hers is constant. No matter what we say or do we can't get her to break that bad habit. At least she eats something when she's drinking. She's very educated in that area.

"Ok, we ordered, and our drinks are here. Spill it. What gives you such a bright happy smile?" I prod, laughing.

She slowly answers, "Well, Alex text me, a few times. Actually, most are from him, but he also called. He wanted to check on me to make sure we are having a good time at the pool. It's funny, when he saw my bikini this morning he warned me of the sharks that might be in the pool. The sharks being other men. He said he'd beat someone's ass if they touched me. I thought I put him at ease, but then two of those guys came into the hallway, not the huge guy, and they literally checked me out in front of him while he was holding my hand. He got so upset and turned all caveman on me. So, I had to work my womanly charm to calm him." Taking a breath she continues, "So, here's a couple of messages from him:

A: Hey baby, how is your day at the pool going? Have you been bitten by any sharks yet?

A: Hey baby, don't tell me I'm going to have to beat someone's ass?

A: Baby, I hope your silence is a signal that you're having fun with the girls. They're awesome and I really like them, and I can see they truly love you, but then, what's not to love?

A: Baby, rehearsal is not exactly something I want to be doing right now, I'd much rather be there with you than a group of guys, even if they are like brothers. I hope I get to see you tonight sometime. Maybe Kate and Ana will share you with me?

I'm not sure how I feel about the pet name, it's WAY too early for having pet names. To be honest, I'm not sure about the whole situation. He makes me feel happy, most of the time." Rhi says.

"What do you mean, most of the time?" I ask, looking at Ana puzzled. She shrugs her shoulder.

Rhi gets quiet and looks down and doesn't say anything.

"Rhi? It's ok, you don't have to say anything, unless you want to. You know that. No pressure." Ana says to her.

Rhi looks up at us and says, "It's not what you think. He makes me happy. Really happy. So happy that I want to see him and spend time with him." She pauses.

"But….?" Kate prods.

Rhi pauses and takes a deep breath. "He confuses me. He makes me feel good and I feel like I'm normal when I'm with him. To a point. I'm so damaged that I don't know if I can ever be normal. I can tell he's interested in me but I'm not sure what the extent is. I know physically he is, and I'm attracted to him too; Very much so. However, when he talks about wanting more with me I don't know if I could ever be good enough. I don't know if I want more. After all, we're in Vegas, miles away from home. If we just hooked up while we're here, that would be perfect because it's doubtful I'd ever see him again, even though we come here all the time. He's so…" She raises her hands and gives a slight shrug of her shoulders and continues, "Normal. I'll never be normal."

Ana and I are quiet. I don't know if it's just me but I'm dumbfounded. She's never expressed any interest anyone, physically or relationship wise.

"Rhi, there's nothing wrong with you. To be honest, most people who had the same experiences you have had would probably not have the strength you do. You have a history that very few people have experienced. Anyone that comes into your life will have to understand and accept who you are because if that. Only you can make the decision of what you want. If you want just a hook up, then by all means go for it. If you want to entertain the thought of a relationship then my suggestion is to take your time. Don't rush into anything. You can always leave the door open for future possibilities." I know it's vague, and not a specific answer I think she wanted but I can't make that decision for her. She has to want it.

She's quiet for a few moments before she answers. "If we even considered a relationship, we're so far away from each other it would never work. There has to be trust in a relationship and you know I have trust issues. Someone would get hurt."

I can't tell if she's made up her mind yet. Usually she's pretty blunt in her words but she's being vague about this subject.

Ana decides to throw her two cents into the conversation. "Rhi, you sound like you already know the answer to one of your questions. You are physically attracted to him and wouldn't turn down an opportunity to hook up with him. My thought is to not over-think things, like you always do, and just do what you want. There's an obvious answer in front of you; Be impulsive but be careful. You know the saying, 'You Only Live Once.' Use protection, physically and emotionally. You'll get one thing you want and if something comes from it, relationship wise, then you can address it at that time."

I look at Ana, shocked. She looks back at me, "What? I'm giving her an answer that I think is appropriate for the circumstances. She wants a hook up but is holding herself back because she's over-thinking the other part. I'm just saying that she can have one definitely and if the other happens then deal with it at that time."

Rhi is quiet and I'm fumbling for words. Finally Rhi speaks up but I don't know what to think of what she says. "What if we hook up and he gets attached and thinks it's something more? What if I don't want anything more? You heard how possessive he sounded when he spoke of someone touching me. I'm not sure I can handle that. I mean, what if he turns into someone like Jace was?"

I knew this would happen. That boy has fucked her up so much that she's always going to wonder if everyone is like him. Luke doing what he did doesn't help. He brought that monster back from the dead just as we were getting her to believe that he wouldn't be coming back. Jace seems to be succeeding in doing what he always threatened her with. That she wouldn't ever be able to live without him, dead or alive.

Every time his name comes up it pisses me off. If I could go back in time and erase his name from her memory bank I would gladly do it. He's done nothing but destroy the Rhi we love, despite the shitty past she had. We've never given up on her though and we never will. She's strong enough to defeat anything that tries to stop her. Yet there are times, like right now, that it's obvious she still has weaknesses. At least she thinks so.

"Rhi, I will admit I don't know the answers to your questions. I will also say I agree with Ana in you should do what you want to do. You know we've never told you how to live your life. We've always been there to support you and we'll always have your back. If you want to go have your 'What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas' fling, we're going to support you. The only thing is we won't be physically there cheer you on. That's just wrong." I couldn't stop the shit eating grin that spread across my face. I start laughing at Ana's expression.

Ana throws a towel at me. "Kate! What the hell?"

I start laughing harder, Rhi is laughing so hard her face is turning red. Ana can't resist and joins in our laughter. Before long the three of us are howling with laughter.

Taking a deep calming breath, Rhi coughs out, "Thank you Kate. I needed that laugh. All I envisioned were the two of you in cheerleader outfits cheering me on. It was too much."

Smiling, I nod. "I'm always happy to help a friend in need."

Ana rolls her eyes. "That's one way to put it, that's for sure." Shaking her head.

"On a serious note, I totally agree with Ana on this. If you're unsure of what you want to do other than a hook up, and if you feel there might be something that could happen between the two of you, leave the door open for that to happen. You don't have to make a decision right now but at least the opportunity will always be there." I smile at Rhi.

I'm unsure of what I really want to happen. In the end, whatever it is, I just want Rhi to be happy. Ana and I have found our happiness in Elliot and Christian and I hope Rhi finds who makes her happy. I just hope whoever it is, is patient and understanding with her because they've got their work cut out for them.

Ana is looking like she's lost in thought. "Ana? What's wrong?" I ask.

"Absolutely nothing. I'm so happy for you Rhi. We need to do something to surprise him, if you want to, that is. What do you want Rhi?" She asks.

After a moment Rhi answers, "I don't know what's going to happen but I want to see Alex. He seemed so worried this morning and kind of sad before he left. I don't want to be a complete bitch and make him think I don't want to see him. Especially after everything he's done the past few hours I spent with him. He does make me happy and feel good. I'm just not used to it and have…. issues. I want to surprise him. Can we?"

I look at her and, with a tear in my eye, I smile. She's been through a lot and won't take shit from anyone. She's a lot stronger than what people see. Yet, she's so innocent and childlike in many ways. It breaks my heart knowing how much she's had to go through to revert back to her childlike traits. It's like she's having to grow up all over again. Ana and I have always been protective of her but considering everything that's happened in the past 3 years we've become even more so. Especially when men are involved. She's a beautiful woman, and there's a lot of men that are just interested in her. Men who will take what they want without any consideration for her. That's why I warned Alex. I wanted to make sure he knew that he'd regret doing anything to hurt her. That if he just wanted sex, then he needed to communicate that with her in the beginning or leave her alone and forget about her. I don't trust men with her. At all. There's been too many that have hurt her, and I won't see her hurt again.

Ana taps her chin, thinking. "Rhi, do you really want to hook up with Alex?" Looking at Rhi, waiting for her response.

A few silent moments pass when Rhi gives her a huge grin. "I'm absolutely positive!" She exclaims.

I'm actually surprised she said that. She's never really been someone to have a hook up with anyone. Maybe it's because we're not at home and she's less likely to run into the guy again. Who knows?

Ana smiles and I can see a glimmer of shock in her eyes. My thoughts are she's a little surprised too. "OK Rhi. Now, another question. Do you want to leave the door open for a possibility of something happening between the two of you in the future? Other than sex?"

I can see the wheels in Rhi's head spinning. I know she's scared, and I'm a bit nervous about it too, but she's the one who has to make the decision.

After a few more minutes pass, she finally answers. "Yes."

That's it. She says nothing else. It's like she's trying to prevent herself from changing her mind. For someone who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to let everyone know it she sure looks uncomfortable and unsure of herself.

Ana looks at me and smiles and before Rhi has a chance to talk herself out of it she says, "OK then. Rhi? I have an idea."