[ I back tracked and wrote a new final chapter for The Alchemy if you want to go read that as well ]
☆︎
HER GIRLFRIEND DIED?
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RIO RODE IN THE BACK OF TYLER'S TRUCK TO THE MOTEL WHERE HIS CREW WAS STAYING. Given that hers was destroyed and she didn't quite like the idea of staying with Javi right now, she accepted Lily and Dani's offer to sleep in their shared room. But she couldn't just shower and go to bed like she wanted.
No, Boone and Tyler both were fussing over her injured side, refusing to let her just leave it be. So, the whole crew was hanging out in the parking lot, just talking and soaking in the fact that the three of them could've died while Tyler — who had the most medical training of them — worked on Rio's side in the bed of the truck while Boone held her hand when it stung and burned.
"It was insane," Boone reported to Ben. "A truck flipped and almost crushed us!"
Rio flinched from the memory instead of Tyler this time. And Boone smiled apologetically at her.
"Oh, but Ben, Rio and Kate was the heroes," Boone went on. "Kate found that pool for us, and then when I just about went flyin', Rio grabbed ahold of me even though she coulda been dragged off too. She was fearless."
"I wouldn't say fearless," she breathed out. "That's the second scariest situation I've ever been in."
"How the hell wasn't that the worst?" Tyler asked her, raising an eyebrow. Even he was terrified of dying, and he was rarely scared of tornados anymore given his frequent exposure to them.
Rather than answer, Rio just swallowed thickly and shrugged, keeping silent. And ever so good at rolling past awkward silences, Boone just kept things moving with the conversation.
"Well, scared or not, she helped save my life," he said, looking at her with stars in his eyes. Then he smirked. "I figure I'm in love with you now."
Rio blushed but knew he wasn't being serious. He could've have been. "If that's right, tell me what my last name is," she grinned.
She watched how Boone's face fell, him realizing he still didn't know such a bare minimum basic fact about her, which made the others snicker. But then he shook his head and grinned again. "Don't matter. It's gone be mine soon enough."
Rio just threw her head back and laughed at that before shaking her head. "Yeah, well, good luck with—"
"Caldas," Dexter suddenly cut her off.
She whipped around and looked at him with wide eyes, wondering how the hell he knew that. She instantly grew uncomfortable under his scrutinizing gaze.
