"Thanks."
Ryker and Tinker come into the room.
"Just in time," Julieta says and avoids Ryker's eyes.
He stares at her until she comes back to the table with two plates full of food.
"Eat," she softly instructs.
I motion for him to sit and do as he's told. He's been freaking out all morning about Julieta being upset with him. But it's like he doesn't know that you don't go against your master when you're in the doghouse.
Vanessa sits next to me, and for the first time, I look down at my plate. "What is this?"
She bites a smile. "Rice, beans, eggs, plantains, and grilled tortillas."
"For breakfast?"
"You've never heard of a Gallo Pinto breakfast bowl?"
"No. Sorry."
Julieta gapes, as if insulted. "You don't know anything about Costa Rican culture, do you?"
"No, ma'am. I would expect this for any meal except breakfast."
Vanessa snickers. "Eat your beans and eggs. They have protein. Andre and Dirk would insist."
"Hey, I'm not picky, I just thought it was interesting." I shove a forkful in my mouth.
"Mmmm. The only thing missing is Salsa Lizano," Julieta mumbles.
"What's that?" Ryker asks.
"It's like a salsa-type sauce but in a non-salsa way."
"Salsa but not salsa? That makes no sense."
She shrugs. "It's true."
We mostly eat in silence. I want to apologize again and get things back to where they were before we ever stepped foot in Tinker's house, but my gut tells me continuing to bring things up is only going to make it worse.
"I wonder how long it's going to be before the others start to arrive," Ryker comments.
"They are all on foot. It could be weeks," I comment.
"We need to figure out a landing spot. It's not safe for us to stay here too long. We're still in Central America."
"Agreed. I'm still not coming up with anywhere neutral, are you?"
"No."
"Do you still have family in Brazil, Vanessa?" Julieta asks.
She shakes her head. "Everyone left during the last rebellion."
"We need to figure it out before the passports get here. Any ideas, Tinker?" I ask and notice Vanessa shift in her seat and look at her plate.
Great, she's worried about what he thinks about her.
"Still thinking," Tinker replies.
Vanessa plays with her food.
I reach under the table and slide my hand on her thigh, and she freezes. But I don't move my hand, and my heart beats quicker.
She doesn't look at me and continues to concentrate on her food.
I wish everyone would get up and leave so I could be alone with her. The longer we're not together, the more insane I feel. I can't divert my eyes from her, and after a bit, her lip trembles, and she blinks hard.
She scoots her chair back, picks her plate off the table, then scrapes and rinses it before putting it in the dishwasher. "I'm going to get some air."
Great. I made her uncomfortable.
Add another strike for the day.
Indecisiveness isn't something that generally plagues me. The debate about whether to follow her or not makes my head spin.
Now I need to apologize for touching her.
I take my plate to the sink and repeat her actions then go outside.
She's pacing the backyard.
"Flower," I say in my softest tone.
She stops and wipes her face but doesn't look at me.
I dismiss the fact that we are no longer together and wrap my arms around her. "I'd give anything for a reset of yesterday."
She sobs and nods into my chest.
Tightening my arms around her, I ignore the pain from her body pressing into my bruises. "Tell me how to make this right."
She looks up. "You still want me?"
"Yes. Of course. Why would you question that?"
"You told Tinker you were done with me."
That stupid conversation with Tinker.
That's not even his fault. It's yours.
"It was a bad choice of words. I'm sorry. I never stopped wanting you, Flower."
"I... I was going to tell you what you wanted to know."
I freeze. Surprised she changed her mind. "You were?"
"Yes. I don't want to put you in danger, but if you need me to tell you, I will." She scrunches her face and bites her lip.
"It's not to cause you any pain. But I have to understand it all so I'm able to protect you."
She slowly nods. "Okay. Can we ice your torso first though? I'm worried about it."
"If that's what you want, then my body is yours to tend to."
She softly laughs then sniffles. "Does this mean I'm yours again?"
"Yes. And I'm yours."
Her lip twitches. "Good. Now bring your lips down here."
"Yes, ma'am." I don't hesitate, and we stand in the yard and make out for several minutes.
"Let's get you iced up." She takes my hand to go back inside.
"Hey, Flower."
She spins back. "Hmmm?"
"I'm sorry you had to see that fight."
She pauses then says, "It might be better if you save those moves for your enemies."
"Got it."
She tilts her head. "You and Ryker made up though?"
"Yeah, we're good."
"And you and Julieta?"
"We're good, too."
She runs her hand through my hair. "I didn't like being away from you last night."
I draw her closer. "It was hell."
Guilt fills her face. "I should have checked on you. I'm sorry I didn't."
"No, you shouldn't have. Ryker and I both needed to think about what we did."
Her tortured expression doesn't change.
I break the silence. "What is it?"
"Your face and body are so battered. It makes me remember how alone I was when Carlos would do things to me. No matter what happened, I should have come to check on you."
I take a deep breath to try to calm the anger that stirs whenever I hear his name. Placing both hands on her cheeks, I tilt her head up. "It's not the same thing. You've done nothing wrong." I kiss her. "Let's go inside. I want you to tell me everything so I can keep you safe."
She closes her eyes, and I wonder if she's going to change her mind.
"It's important to me, Flower."
"I just don't want you to get hurt," she whispers.
"I won't. Trust me."
She opens her eyes. "I do trust you. But I've seen what they are capable of."
"No one will hurt me. And I'll be able to protect you better. Will you please tell me?"
"Yes. But ice first."
We go inside, and she covers my body in ice. When we finish, we go into the kitchen and sit at the table with Julieta and Ryker. They seem to be in a better place since earlier, but I don't want to assume they are back to where they were. And I'm not going to be pushy and ask.
"What on earth happened to your faces?" Andre's voice booms, and we all jump in our seats and look toward the door.