Chapter 107

Meanwhile …. Next door

Bedfellows

Kate POV

"Finally some peace and quiet! I couldn't take the noise any longer." I whisper to Ana. I know is sounds creepy but just hearing them made me horny enough to want to talk phone sex with Elliot. "Ana, am I a perv that listening to them made me imagine it was me and Elliot?" I ask, feeling dirty.

Ana laughs, "If it does then we're both perv's because I was doing the same thing about Christian and me." She smiles mischievously.

Rolling over to face Ana, I say, "I can't wait to go home tomorrow!" She laughs in agreement. I'm still feeling a little embarrassed and I can feel the heat in my cheeks. I stay silent and try to control myself. I think Ana can read my mind because she interrupts my thoughts.

"Don't be embarrassed Kate. It's no big deal." She shrugs and rolls her eyes. "I already told you I was thinking the same way. It's not a big deal. I can't wait to go home tomorrow either. Besides, you're not my type." We break out into a fit of giggles at her comment.

We're both laying on our backs, staring at the ceiling. Probably thinking about amazing sex when we get home. I know I am.

Ana asks, "What do you want to do today? It sounds like it will just be you and me today for a while since Alex and Rhi are going to be talking."

"I don't know, actually. Maybe we should stay close just in case things go sideways with the two of them." I reply. "That's probably a good idea. For some reason I don't think things will be all sunshine and roses when they talk. You know how she is."

She's so volatile that we never know what's going to happen with her. Even the smallest thing can trigger her. Depending on what the trigger is, she usually disappears for a while. When she's done, she'll reappear like nothing happened. We're always left in dark about where she's gone. We just assume she's out drinking and hanging out with her friends. She hasn't done it here yet, which I'm surprised about considering all the stress. However, I'm assuming it's because of her hand injury. Not to mention Alex making sure she's taken care of.

"Yes, she's always been a little… unstable?" Ana laughs. I know she meant it as a joke but she's accurate in that definition.

I chuckle. "That's a bit harsh but very true."

"Kate, what do you think is going to happen between the two of them?" She asks.

Fuck. I was hoping to put her on the spot first.

I don't answer right away. I'm too busy thinking about what's going to happen between the two of them. After a minute or so I finally answer. "I hope things go OK for them. I mean, how is she supposed to talk to him if she hasn't even talked to us about it since we've been here?"

"To be honest, I have no idea." She answers. "If she wants something to grow between them she's going to have to let him in a little. She can't keep acting the way she does and expect him to be OK with it. The man's a saint if he does."

I laugh. "If we hadn't been through everything with her I don't know if I'd put up with the mystery and secrets for long. Especially with the breakdowns she's had."

"I totally agree with you on that matter. However, I've watched him with her and I think he's good for her." Ana replies. "He seems to neutralize and ground her after things breakdown. Despite not knowing her background."

That makes me think of something we've been avoiding. "Ana, do you get the feeling that he's kind of possessive and controlling?" I ask, thinking about signs that have come up. "I mean, consider the pain meds issue. He was harping on the meds a lot and he got mad last night at the fountain when she told him that her block was wearing off at dinner."

"Yeah, he lost his cool with her. I never thought he would ever do that. He seems so calm and caring." Ana nods, "Then again, we have been doing the same thing. Just not as aggressively."

"No, we weren't that aggressive because we know her history. He doesn't." I reply. "Yet he still pushed knowing that she has issues. I would have thought that he would have watched what and how he said things."

"You saw what happened when they finished dancing. Her mood just changed instantly, like a switch. I think it threw him off. He acted like he didn't know what to do. She stood up to him, which was good but then something stopped her. I wish we had stayed to see how it played out by the fountain, instead of walking away." Ana continues, "The we would have known for sure what happened."

"Well, whatever happened, she ended up taking the pill before they got up here." I point out, "He said something to her while we were still down there and she looked defeated."

I hate seeing her like that. She's such a strong person when she has her courage. She's worked so hard to get to where she is but it only takes the smallest thing to offset her balance. Like Jenga, she's a delicate and complex game of balance and strength. The smallest thing can send her crashing down.

"Whatever he said to her before we left to come up here completely shut her down." Ana points out the obvious. "I bet that's what caused her temper to flare after they came inside."

I snort, "Yeah, he probably forced her to submit and take the pill. Somehow that doesn't surprise me."

"What surprises me is she did it. Not without a struggle though. Her temper made an appearance, which is probably what caught him off guard." She points out.

Despite all that, I think he might be good for her. To a point. He needs to learn about her and hopefully when he does he'll be able to control his own tendencies. He might just push the wrong button and she'll go off like a nuclear rocket.

Neither one of us say anything for a minute or two when Ana finally breaks the silence. "I hope things go OK. She hasn't really talked about the whole situation, not even to us. I'm not sure what's going to happen in the future. What are your thoughts about it? How do you think she's going to handle the long-distance thing?"

"To be honest, I have no idea." I pause, putting my thoughts together. "I think she needs to talk to him and tell him as much as she can, to let him in a little. If she really wants things to work out between them she will have to make an effort to let him in."

Ana sighs, "I agree with you about that. Unfortunately, I don't know if she is ready to do that yet. Things are too raw for her after all that has happened in the past few days."

She does have a point. "I guess a good start was when she let him see her x-rays. I was surprised about it though. She doesn't like to reveal her history." I look at her, "You know how she feels about it. It makes her feel weak for allowing it all to happen to her. Not fighting to stop it."

"Yeah, I wish she would quit thinking like that. It's not her fault there are some fucked up people in the world." She sighs, "No matter how many times she hears it, she never believes that she's strong. She doesn't even realize how strong she is just by escaping that nightmare."

"Not to mention that she's still alive. A little fucked up maybe but still alive." Ana gives me a look that says 'a little'? I laugh, "OK, a LOT fucked up." Ana soon joins in laughing with me.

"That she is. I love her the way she is but sometimes I wonder what she'd be like if her life was normal. Like ours were." Ana is silent as she thinks about her own words. "Not that we had normal lives but they were normal by our standards."

I snort. "Yeah, we at least had two parents who loved us."

Ana replies, "Yes, that's true, but think of it this way, Rhi had a lot of people who helped raise her that loved her." She pauses briefly, "The way I see it, she's the lucky one. They helped make her who she is today. Her morals, compassion and love for other people, even strangers, surpasses even the most pure hearted humanitarians."

Touche. "You're right about that. There isn't a person in this world that would be willing to give up everything they have to help someone." It's completely true. She would definitely do that. I'm honored to be her friend and watch the heartfelt and honest love coming out of her. "Imagine how different the world would be if more people were like her."

Ana sighs, "We see it. Others see it. Why can't she? Why can't she see that she's special and the shit she went through really did make her a better person?"

"I don't know. I think she focuses on the wrong things sometimes." I hate talking about her, when she's not here to defend herself, but Ana and I need to use each other as a sounding board sometimes. "She doesn't seem to realize that just because someone was raised differently doesn't mean they are better than the other."

"You know how hard it was for her to confront her mother. She hates to admit it but her mother really destroyed her. If it wasn't for her dad I don't know where she would be." She laughs, "If you ask me, through all the shit she's been through and the way she's handled things, he's a saint for putting up with her shit."

I laugh too. "Yeah, she really didn't hold anything back, did she? See? That's something Alex has no idea about. He's only going off of what he's seen while she's here. I can guarantee that when she returns home she's going to be completely different. I don't know how he'll be able to handle that."

Ana sighs again, "Yeah, I agree. I really hope she opens up to him more than she has been. Her actions have not been explained very well by her."

"Ha! She hasn't explained anything to him! All she's done is react and left Alex completely lost. It's not fair to him. If she truly feels something for him she'll give him the respect he deserves and talk and let him in." I can't help but let some of my frustration out.

"Kate, I agree. She's not being fair to him. Either she doesn't see it or is ignoring it, but anyone can tell how he feels about her." I look at Ana and can almost finish her sentence for her. "It makes me think that she's stringing him along and doesn't realize that she's going to hurt him."

God this sucks. I feel like we're talking shit about our best friend. It almost feels like we're in high school and gossiping about people.

"So, what do we do?" Ana asks. "How do we protect Rhi from being hurt AND protect Alex from the same fate?"

I sigh, "I don't have the answer to that. I think one thing we need to do is encourage her to talk to him. Tell him as much as she can so they can figure out what to do from here. This is our last full day here. When we go home tomorrow, things are going to be completely different."

"I agree. I think we're going to have to talk to her about things too. Too much shit has happened and we haven't really been able to talk honestly about any of it." She replies, "I want to encourage her to let him in but I think they need to see what is going to happen when they're apart too. With her in Seattle and him here in Vegas. In my opinion, long distance relationships take a lot of work to be successful and, unfortunately, I don't think Rhi is strong enough yet to make that effort."

I raise my eyebrows and look at her. "Wow. This is heavy stuff. How in the hell did our conversation turn so quickly?" I ask her, and she shrugs.

"This whole trip has been heavy; we've just dealt with it as it happened." She answers, "Alex is just along for the ride until Rhi pulls over and gives him the map."

I can see the wheels turning in Ana's head. "I guess we just wait and see what happens after tomorrow. Besides, she hasn't told him everything yet. Who knows, he might freak out and bail. I doubt it though, he seems to be totally into her and I think he wants the whole package. However, I think the distance thing will be the downfall of their relationship."

We're silent for a few minutes. I can tell that Ana is thinking about something but I'm not going to ask. She'll tell me when she's ready. It doesn't take much longer for her to say anything.

"Kate, her and Alex seem to be on different levels. He doesn't seem to be able to understand her sense of humor. He has one, but nowhere close to hers. You know that's important to her. She doesn't take things too seriously until she has to. She always says laughter is the best emotion and even better than sex." She pauses and grins, "Though after what we just heard I'm inclined to disagree with her on that one."

I laugh. "Yeah, I disagree with that idea too because what we just heard sounded MUCH better than laughing."

"Do you really think that they can last and have a relationship? Outside of this vacation, I mean." Ana asks. "I'm not sure how long it will be sustainable. You know how fucked up she thinks she is."

I think about it for a minute. "To be honest, I don't know. Alex is too much of a gentleman and I think there's a good chance that she'll get bored after a while and will probably end up hurting him." I pause. I feel bad about saying this but hey, it's just my opinion. "Don't get me wrong, she deserves to be treated like a princess, but you and I both know she's more rough around the edges than that. What do you think?" I ask, throwing her question right back at her.

"You know what? I totally agree with you. She's definitely a different person on the inside than the outside. She's not the princess package that Alex thinks she is. He seems to think she's this 'damsel in distress' but she's far from that." Ana pauses. "That's not the case. He just happened to find her at her weakest. To be honest, I don't know what's going to happen with them. Unfortunately, I think he's in for a rude awakening when she goes back home. I honestly don't know if they're strong enough to survive that. Who knows, maybe things will work out somewhere down the road but I don't think she's ready for what he has to offer right now." She pauses, then adds, "Whatever happens, we will be there to support her."

I nod. "We will always be there to support her, no matter what. Even if we disagree with whatever she's doing, or not doing. I just want the old Rhi back." I smile. "I guess a positive from this vacation is that she seems to have grown from everything that was thrown at her. Alex seems to have been therapeutic in that sense too. I really like him, and he seems good for her, but I have a feeling that he's not 'The One,' you know? I don't want either one of them to get hurt." I can see the wheels turning in Ana's head. "What are you thinking?

She sighs, "We've been talking and hounding about Rhi needing to open up and let Alex in. That she needs to share her history with him so he can understand things." She looks at me and continues, "I don't think that's really fair of us. No one is really aware of how secret her life is and I think even we have forgotten."

I laugh, "Yeah, I'm sure Grey has used every resource he has to find out her information but you and I both know that they are going to come up empty-handed. It's locked up right next to Hoffa. Remember?"

Ana shakes her head and laughs, "You always get such a kick out of Christian not having everything go his way. Not to mention you and the Hoffa comparison."

I shrug, "What can I say? I love organized crime!"

"OK, now, regarding what to do today, let's see what Rhi and Alex decide to do then we can make our plans. I don't want to jump the gun before we know what they are doing." Ana says and I agree. "I wonder if they're awake yet."