It all started with a game

Chapter 12.2

Real dishes break. That's how you know they're real.
~Marty Rubin
A/N
This is the last of the zodiac signs :) I will be posting the answers in the upcoming chapters because I have ran out of ideas to do for the images, unless any of you have suggestions because character cards and zodiac cards were my only ideas. But either way I will be posting the answers soon :)

Chapter 12.2
Beatrice's POV
Once we managed to tear ourselves away from the water, the two of them agreed to not force me to go back to the fish shack, thank goodness. So, instead, we ended up soaking Ryder's car as he drove us back to their place.

Alexia didn't wait a second before dragging me inside. "I'd give you a tour but it seems you've already been here." She winked at Ryder.

I nodded. That was a time I preferred not to remember. I didn't need to remind Ryder of the time I stained his shirt with my snot and tears.

"Here, I'll show you the bathroom so you can shower." Alexia offered.

The three of us glanced at the puddles of water we were currently leaving in our wake.

Alexia cut me off before I could even answer. "And don't even bother saying how you don't need to shower and if you could just borrow a spare change of clothes, that would be great," she stole the words right out of my mouth. "Believe me, you don't want that water to dry on your skin, it'll give you a major rash." She glanced back at Ryder. "Plus, this way it'll give Ryder extra time to cook us dinner."

Ryder sighed, shaking his head. "What do you want?"

She gave him a cheeky smile. "My usual, and the special part we talked about earlier." She leaned down to whisper in my ear. "You're going to love this, he is a master in the kitchen."

And yet he'd never had a hot pocket before? I keep hearing about what an amazing chef he is but I mean come on, he's clearly uncultured if he's never had a hot pocket. And he definitely didn't like it when I made him try it, I know he said he did but it was written all over his face, he hated it.

We let Ryder shower first, since he was the one preparing dinner for the three of us.

Alexia sat with me at the kitchen island. "You should come to dinner next Friday," Alexia invited me as soon as Ryder left. "It's the anniversary of our dad's death and mother is throwing this big memorial thing for him or whatever, and Ryder's going to need someone there and since mother's banned Mateo from ever entering the house again, you should come."

I had figured something must have happened to Ryder's father by the way he spoke about him but I never imagined he had passed away. "I'm so sorry about your father. I'd be honored to come." I answered softly.

"Perfect! I'll spring it on Ryder later, just let me deal with it," she giggled trying to lighten the mood.

I wanted to ask how their father had passed away, or how Ryder took it, or how little they were when it happened, but I didn't want to bring up bad memories, so I kept my mouth shut.

Alexia continued to keep me company while Ryder showered, keeping up the conversation. Someone had to because I definitely wasn't. I had attempted to get the words out but it seemed every time I went to speak my mind came up blank. So I let her speak for the entirety of the twenty-two minutes Ryder was gone.

Ryder made his way back into the kitchen, his hair freshly dried, sticking up in all sorts of directions from being rubbed by the towel. I
could smell him from my spot, and even though he'd just showered, he still smelled like the beach, like sea salt, but there was something else to it, almost like...rum, but not the kind of rum my father used to drink that would always make the whole house smell horrible enough to make you gag and would never seem to come out no matter how much we scrubbed the floors and washed the carpet, but instead the kind that almost smelled earthy but sweet, kind of fruity, the kind that you would make a gourmet dish with or pair with an expensive meal. The kind that would make your mouth water. The kind that makes you want to rip off his shirt and see if he taste as good as he smells—