It was clear Fleur was hurt and he had moved on from her so quickly. To me. And I had thought nothing of it. Until now. I could easily be Fleur one day.
Twenty-Three
I wrapped my towel around me and stood there a moment, looking out over the gulf and wondering if I should make myself comfortable on the lounge chair or leave. It had been over ten minutes since Saul went inside and I was beginning to think he might not be coming back out. The problem with my leaving was my things were inside, specifically upstairs, and I had no vehicle. Although I could walk.
I heard the footsteps behind me and turned to see Rio walking toward me with two drinks in his hands. He was wearing red swim trunks and a Slacker Demon tee shirt. He stopped beside me and held one of them out to me.
“Take it,” he said and I did. He then leaned forward to rest his elbows on the railing. “Drink it.”
“Is it seltzer?” I asked him, looking down at the clear soda in my glass.
“Yep,” he replied. “And some vodka. Drink the shit. You might need it.”
I thought about arguing then decided he knew more about what was going on inside than I did. If he was out here to tell me that Saul was gone with Fleur then a vodka soda might help. I took a drink then shivered. It had been a while since I had alcohol.
“Thought I’d keep you company and offer to go get your things upstairs and take you home if you want me to,” he said, while looking out at the waves. He then took a long drink from his glass. It was as clear as mine so I assumed we were drinking the same thing.
“Should I leave?” I asked him with an overwhelming sadness suddenly settling on me.
He glanced back at me. “Depends on what you want to do.”
I didn’t know what I wanted to do. “Is Saul still with Fleur?” I asked.
Rio nodded then took another drink. “Yep. She’s drunk and he had to call someone to come get her. Right now she’s screaming the house down about Saul’s new ho,” he said with a grin. “How many times you been called a ho?” he then asked me and chuckled.
I glanced back at the house. “This would be my first,” I replied.
“Thought so,” he replied, sounding amused.
We stood there a few minutes looking out at the water.
“You sure you wanna do this?” Rio asked me.
“Do what?” I replied, already understanding him but wanting him to clarify.
“Saul.”
“You seemed okay with it before,” I reminded him.
He nodded then looked back at me. “Yeah but shit like this reminds me what you are in for. Saul… he’s a good friend. He’s my best friend. But y’all, well, y’all don’t have a future. We are just getting to know each other but what I have seen of you is that you do life much differently. Saul’s life has no stability. It changes. Often.”
I took a long drink and this time the burn wasn’t so bad. It was needed. I understood what Rio was saying and I already knew this. He was warning me and if I was smart, I would listen. But I wasn’t looking for smart. I had done that already, and my heart had still been broken. Things with Saul would never be like they were with Will.
“I don’t expect Saul to be anything more than what he is. This isn’t about me looking for security. It’s about me not knowing or planning every step or being so careful I miss things in life. I don’t want to miss Saul because I was afraid of the end.”
Rio sighed heavily and straightened up. “Okay,” he said then glanced back at the house just as the back door opened and Saul stepped outside. “Do me a favor,” Rio added. “Don’t measure Saul against anyone else. That shit ain’t fair.”
Rio didn’t wait for me to reply. Instead, he headed back toward the house, slapping Saul on the back as he passed by. I would think about this conversation in detail later. I already knew that and there was no way I could keep from it. I could only change myself so much.
Saul looked at the drink in my hand and then at me. “Sorry,” he said as he reached me.
“It happens or so I hear. I don’t have an ex,” I replied with a forced smile. Failing at making light of the situation.
“Vodka?” he asked.
I glanced down at my glass then back up at him. “Rio thought I might need it.”
Saul frowned. “I see.”
He probably didn’t see, but I took a drink and didn’t say anything.
“Let’s go inside,” he said then and nodded his head toward the house.
“Okay,” I agreed and we walked back together.