Chapter Text
No One Can Force Us Out of Our Pajamas
“Come on, Agatha, get out of bed. We’re supposed to meet with the Vidals today. Rio will be there.” Evanora tapped her wristwatch before leaving the doorway of Agatha’s room, heels clacking on the hardwood floor.
“Finally meeting my betrothed in person? Shocker.” Agatha rolled her eyes and slowly lugged herself out of bed.
“What was that?” Evanora shouted over her shoulder.
“Nothing,” Agatha said, loudly enough to be heard over the sound of her mother’s receding footsteps.
When Agatha joined her mother downstairs, she wore the dress her mother had picked out for her and braced herself for more criticism.
“There you are. Finally. Let’s go.” Evanora led the way to the car. “Keep your snide remarks to yourself today. Don’t be rude to Rio.”
Agatha sighed. “I won’t be rude unless she is.”
“Rio has manners. She wouldn’t be rude to a fly.” Evanora slid into the limousine with a nod to the driver.
“Thanks, Ernie,” Agatha said, sliding in after her.
Ernie shut the door once Agatha was inside. Agatha watched him hustle around to the driver’s side door and open it instead of listening to her mother’s incessant lecturing.
“Agatha, are you listening at all?”
“Mom, I’m twenty-two. I know how to have a relationship with another person.” Agatha didn’t mean to snap; she shut her eyes.
“Don’t take that tone with me.” Evanora slapped her cheek. “And don’t you dare take that tone with the Vidals.”
Agatha huffed and tried to ignore the sting of her mother’s hand. She stayed quiet, staring out the window as they drove to the Vidals’ home.
“You know that Harkness Industries is going to go under if the Vidals don’t buy it. We will lose everything.” Evanora’s voice had an edge; Agatha knew it was her usual warning tone, but she could hear an extra layer of nerves.
She nodded, still determined not to talk to her mother anymore for the rest of the ride.
When they arrived, Agatha saw the Vidals standing outside to greet them. A dark-haired woman she hadn’t met before stood with them, wearing a nicely fitted suit. Agatha’s stomach did a weird flip at the sight, but she tried to ignore that feeling.
“That must be Rio.” Evanora eyed the young woman. “Do whatever she says, you hear me?”
Agatha frowned, already prepared to be defiant.
“Fine, don’t talk to me, but when we open this door, you better speak like your life depends on it, damn it.” Evanora’s face was twisted with anger. “Do you hear me? Answer me.”
“Yes,” she said, quietly, through clenched teeth.
Ernie opened the door.
Evanora slipped out first, and when Agatha joined her, she had a tight smile in place, ready to perform.
Once the initial greetings were over, Mrs. Vidal turned to Agatha with a smile.
“We thought you and Rio could spend the day together, get to know each other a little, while we discuss business,” she said, motioning to Rio.
Rio stepped forward without a word and held out her hand.
“Yes, of course.” Agatha nodded, smile still intact, and took Rio’s hand.
Rio led Agatha away quietly. They headed inside and up a giant set of stairs; all the while Rio held her hand.
Agatha stole glances at her as they walked down a hallway. Up close, she was even more beautiful. She swallowed and tried to ignore her attraction. This was a business arrangement.
Rio let out a heavy exhale once they were standing in a smaller room with several fancy, cushioned chairs, and art on the walls instead of windows. She gestured to the chairs with her free hand. “Have a seat wherever.”
“Oh, um, thanks.” Agatha let go of Rio’s hand and sat down in the first chair.
“So,” Rio said, holding the ‘o’ a little longer. “I’m Rio. Nice to actually meet you.”
She plopped down in the chair across from Agatha, a softer smile had replaced her public one.
Agatha eyed her. “I’m Agatha. Nice to meet you, too. But. This is all so stupid.”
Rio laughed. “Yeah, super archaic practice, right?”
Agatha nodded vigorously. “Yes! It’s so creepy.”
Smiling, Rio rested her head in her hand. “Yeah. So. How old are you?”
“Twenty-two. You?”
“Twenty-three.” Rio rolled her eyes. “We’re adults. We really shouldn’t let them have a say in our love lives like this.”
Tension loosened in Agatha’s shoulders. “Yeah. Were you seeing anyone? Before this matchmaking happened, I mean?”
Rio shook her head. “No, which is probably why they thought they could get away with this nonsense. What about you?”
“Yeah, this woman named Jen. But I was on the brink of breaking up with her anyway.” Agatha sighed. “But when my mom said I needed to break up with her and marry you, I kinda just wanted to keep seeing Jen out of spite. But…I couldn’t. Obviously.”
She looked at Agatha with a sadness in her eyes. “I’m sorry your mom did that to you.”
She shrugged. “It’s fine. Like I said, Jen was getting on my nerves, the relationship was over. I just didn’t want my mom to tell me I had to do something.”
With a small chuckle, Rio said, “I get it. I’m still sorry. Your mother shouldn’t have that kind of say over your life.”
She shifted in the chair, averting her gaze from Rio’s to the floor. “Yeah. Not the worst thing she’s done to me, so I guess it pales in comparison.”
Rio’s brow furrowed. “Oh. I’m sorry you have that kind of parent.”
Agatha looked up. “Thanks. Um, so anyway. What do you…do?”
Rio shifted, angling herself toward Agatha more. “I’m the heir to the business, of course. But.”
She looked out into the hallway and then looked back to Agatha with a mischievous glint in her eye. “That isn’t my dream job.”
Agatha laughed, looking at her with curiosity. “Okay, then what is?”
“I want to make movies.” She pulled out her phone and tapped on the screen for a brief moment. “Look. These are mine.”
She tilted her phone toward Agatha and scrolled slowly through a website with a bunch of short film titles and embedded videos.
“Who is Lady Death?” I frowned.
“Oh. It’s an alias. I can’t be me, you know? Nobody can know.” Rio slid her phone back into her pocket.
“Oh.” Agatha swallowed. “I’m sorry. Those seem fun.”
“It’s okay. My parents can’t tell me to stop since they don’t know.” She gave a wide smile and chuckled.
Agatha ran her fingers over the cushion of the chair and studied the other lady, unsure what to say. She felt a little jealous that Rio had a secret that her parents couldn’t touch; she couldn’t think of anything she could share that was like that.
She was enjoying looking into Rio’s eyes and felt unsure how to continue the conversation. She wanted to ask something, but suddenly, she couldn’t remember what kinds of questions to even ask. She eyed the suit and the way Rio’s fingers drummed on the armrests.
When she looked back to her face, she found Rio watching her with a soft gaze.
“Hey,” Rio said, quietly. “I know all this is weird and stupid. But I want you to know I’ll look out for you. I won’t let anything bad happen to you, and…I won’t hurt you. Like, I know sometimes people get into situations like this, and they wind up with someone who…hurts them. Or is cruel. I-I’m not like that. I don’t want that to be our dynamic.”
Agatha’s chest fluttered. She swallowed and nodded. “Thank you. I don’t want that either. I…I have to admit I was nervous you were going to lead me to some sex dungeon or something, because the last thing my mom did before we got out of the car was threaten me and tell me to do whatever you said. Then you led me away. So…you know.”
Agatha laughed, shook her head, and looked down; her hair fell forward hiding her face a little. She pulled it back.
Rio shook her head and crossed her arms. “Yeah, no, that would have been insane. I would have cried if you’d done that to me. I don’t have a sex dungeon. And I-I mean, you’re very pretty, and I would be with you for real, but I respect you and want that to be a choice we choose together.”
She shifted in her seat, crossing and uncrossing her legs, and picked at the cushion, keeping her eyes on Agatha. “I’m okay if this is just a…friendship. I want it to be whatever you want it to be, okay? And it can change obviously, like, we decide on something now and change our minds later, but…you know, I—I don’t want either of us to feel like…hostages or—or um, you know, captives or something.”
Agatha felt all of the tension and nerves fade. She nodded furiously. “Thank you for saying that. I really appreciate that and agree.”
Agatha took a deep breath and let out a shaky exhale. She ran her fingers through her hair and bit her lip. She eyed the walls, wondering if Rio had made these strange paintings or if her parents would allow such a thing. She was just thankful she didn’t have anyone to answer to right now. Nobody could see her. There weren’t any spots for someone to look in at them, paparazzi or otherwise. “I’m glad this room doesn’t have windows.”
Rio laughed and leaned forward. “I picked it on purpose for that reason. I hate when people can get photos of private moments like this.”
“Me, too.” She held her gaze, a small smile on her lips. “And, um, you’re very pretty, too.”
Rio smirked. “Thanks.”
Agatha pointed to the paintings. “Did you paint these? They’re kind of…haunting.”
“I did!” Rio sat up straighter. “I told my parents I bought them from an independent artist online. They didn’t want them in any of the shared spaces. But we came to the compromise that they could go in my bedroom or my office. Those were the only acceptable options.”
Laughing, she followed Agatha’s gaze. Agatha was staring at the one closest to the door. It was a white mask, with a dark silhouette of a person behind it, there was a hand removing the mask from the face. Peeking out from behind the mask was a skeletal face that Agatha couldn’t look away from.
“For a skeleton, it feels like there’s a lot of emotion in that image.” Agatha turned her attention back to the other woman. “What’s that one called?”
Rio’s face warmed. “A Peek Behind the Mask.”
“I like it.” Agatha was quiet for a moment, studying one of the other paintings. She pointed to it. “Is that one inspired by the Salem witch trials?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I really like witches.”
“Are you a witch?” Agatha said, narrowing her eyes.
“Maybe someday, when the time is right.” Rio laughed. “Are you?”
“I wish. It would really…fix some things in my life.” She sighed and then realized something and quickly turned her attention from the painting to Rio. “Wait. You live here?”
“Yep.” Rio rubbed her neck. “Why?”
“I live with my mom.” Agatha felt a weird sensation coming over her. “Will you and I live together?”
Rio smiled, nodding slowly. “Yes, I believe they’ll expect us to do that.”
“Without our parents?” She felt her body tense with anticipation.
“OH! Yeah, definitely not living with them. Nobody needs to live with their in-laws, arranged marriage or not.” Rio shuddered at the idea.
Agatha’s soul soared with this revelation. “Oh my god. This might give us both the most freedom we’ve ever had.”
Rio cocked her head to the side. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, your paintings, your movies, you could…we could have a space for those things. It would be wherever you wanted to have them.” Agatha was nearly bouncing in her chair with excitement.
Rio’s eyes widened. “Oh my god, you’re right. Hot damn. We’re going to have so much fun. We have my art to account for. What do you want to be able to do at home that you can’t now?”
Agatha’s expression was unreadable for a moment. She bit her lip and after a lot of roving around the room, her eyes landed back on Rio.
“I’d like to be able to just…exist without being expected to be a certain way.”
Rio tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
She sighed and threw her hands up. “I don’t know. I want-I want to be able to wear my pajamas after ten in the morning without it meaning I’m depressed or letting myself go. I want to be able to read, do puzzles, play games, without worrying about how that might look to the staff or, like, what they could leak about me or what my mother might say or do if I’m doing things her way.”
She ran her hand through her hair and shrugged. She stood up and paced, walking the length of the rug in one direction, then turning back and following to its other end. She stopped in front of Rio’s painting with the witches lined up, burning at the stake.
Rio stayed quiet, watching her.
Agatha turned to look at her. “Is that…okay?”
“Of course.” Rio nodded. She got up and walked over to stand next to Agatha. “We’ll live on our own terms for once. Whatever makes you happy, okay?”
“Whatever makes you happy, too,” Agatha said, glancing at her lips and back to her eyes.
Rio smiled. “This will be fun.”
“Yeah,” she said.
“I-I do hate to ask, but I need to. Is it okay if we start as friends and work our way to a real engagement?” Rio said. “I’d prefer to take it slow, get to know each other.”
She nodded. “Yes, that would be wonderful. Way better than what I was worried about when I showed up.”
“Thanks. I’m glad we’re on the same page. Um. Would it be okay if I hugged you?” she said, timidly.
Agatha wrapped her arms around Rio and gave her a good squeeze. When Rio’s arms were around her, their bodies pressed together, her breath hitched. This was nice. She felt…safe. She rested her head on Rio’s shoulder and held on to her tightly, staring at the skeletal face on the wall, wondering if that was maybe intended to be a self-portrait. Her eyes fluttered shut and she stayed quiet, holding on to Rio.
Rio held on to her, cradling her head. She was careful not to mess up Agatha’s hair as she gently stroked it. She could tell Agatha found relief in the hug, so she didn’t want to be the one to disengage. She wondered how often Agatha was afforded comfort. From the little she’d learned about the relationship between Agatha and her mother, Rio suspected it might not be very often.
Agatha let out a big sigh and pulled away. “Sorry. I-um, thank you. I needed that.”
Rio smiled. “Of course. Anything you need, Agatha. I’m here.”
“Thank you,” she said, staying put. Her hand still cupping Rio’s elbow fell away, but neither of them moved.
They stood in front of each other while Rio worked up the nerve to bring up the business aspect of this whole situation. She rubbed her neck and stuck her hand in her pocket.
Finally, she said, “Um. I-I was asking if that was okay, because that’s what I’d like for us privately. But, um, you know, publicly, we will have to start being seen on dates, and I’ll have to propose after, like, the fifth date. And I don’t want that public stuff to…put pressure on anything between us.”
Agatha’s brow furrowed as she listened. “Oh. Yeah, okay. Sure. You mean, we’ll have the pretend relationship for our parents and the public, and we’ll have our real one for…just us.”
“Yeah, and I don’t want all of that to make you feel any kind of way about me, or us, or anything. They can force us to do certain things, but…you know, they can’t force us out of our pajamas in our own home.” Rio scratched her head. “I think that’s an old saying.”
Leaning into Rio, Agatha laughed and gripped her arm. “They can’t force us out of our pajamas in our own home. If it’s not an old saying, we can make it one.”
Rio smiled, feeling the warmth of Agatha’s hand through her jacket. She was thrilled she actually liked the woman standing in front of her. She’d be scared Agatha would be horrible, and mean, and hateful to her. But here they were, laughing and sharing secrets, already creating inside jokes.
Rio’s phone buzzed, which caused her to let out a groan.
Agatha frowned. “What is it?”
“Pretty sure that means it’s time to go.” Rio pulled her phone out to double check. “Yeah. They’re done with their meeting.”
Rio licked her lips. “Listen, they’re expecting some sort of confirmation we’re good to go. So. I-maybe this is stupid. I got us these…I don’t know. We can call them promise rings or something.” She fumbled with a small box she pulled from her jacket pocket.
“They’re just, like, silver little bands. They have our names engraved on the inside. My parents made some calls and got your ring size from your preferred jewelry shop. Or—um, well, it’s probably your mom’s shop, yeah?” Rio shook her head and sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m way better at being romantic when it’s not…a business transaction. I swear.”
Agatha giggled. “You’re doing great.”
Rio’s fingers shook a little as she opened the box. Two, thin, matching silver bands rested inside. Rio picked up one and held it out for Agatha to see the engraving on the inside.
“See, it says Rio,” she said, handing it to Agatha. “And this one says Agatha.”
She held on to that one and slipped the empty box back in her pocket.
“OH. Shit. Wait.” Rio laughed and shook her head. “Oh my god. I did that wrong. Here, switch me please?”
Agatha, smiling wide, handed her the ring that said Rio.
Rio paused again. “Wait. Do you want the one that says Rio or the one that says Agatha? I—I got them sized for us to have each other’s names, but we can get them resized if you want us to have our own names.”
Agatha placed a hand on hers. “The way you did it sounds great and will probably be better for appearances, you know? You’ve done great. This is really neat. Thank you.”
Rio, still feeling flustered, nodded with a half-smile. “Thanks.”
Agatha smiled, encouraging her to continue.
Rio licked her lips and said, “Um, in that case, here you go.”
She handed Agatha the ring that said Agatha. “You can put that one on me, and I’ll put the one that says Rio on you.”
Agatha fumbled with Rio’s hand for a moment and slowly slid the ring over Rio’s finger. Once she was done, she held her hand out, and Rio slipped the matching band on to Agatha’s finger.
“Thanks. Sorry. Please don’t let that influence how cool you think I am.” Rio flipped her hair over her shoulder, smirking.
Agatha shook her head. “It was incredibly endearing. If I was nervous about anything before, you’ve just put it all to bed.”
Rio raised her eyebrows. “Really?”
“Yeah, you’re very sweet.” Agatha bit her lip. “And kind.”
Rio’s phone buzzed again. She closed her eyes. “I’m so sorry. We’ve gotta go. Let’s exchange numbers and message, okay?”
They quickly exchanged numbers before Rio led her from the room, once again, holding her hand from the moment they exited the room.
Agatha got the impression that any questions she might still have, she should wait until she was able to send her a message privately, so she refrained from speaking.
Rio smiled at her. “I’ve enjoyed our time together today.”
Agatha eyed the photographs and plaques on the walls around them, paying more attention to her surroundings on the walk out.
“Yeah,” she said, quietly. “I’ve really had a good time. When will we see each other again?”
Rio tilted her head. “When do you want to?”
“Soon?” Agatha glanced at the curio cabinets with the trinkets. “Those are fun.”
“Yeah, that would be great.” Rio glanced to where she was pointing. “Yeah, that’s my glass menagerie. I got obsessed with that play and started my own little glass animal collection.”
She leaned in, pressing her lips to Agatha’s hair. “It’s the only acceptable hobby I have.”
Agatha laughed and felt a shiver go down her spine. Rio’s breath against her ear was a sensation she’d certainly be thinking about later.
Agatha saw the staircase up ahead and abruptly fell silent.
Rio winked and mouthed, “Good idea,” before leading the way downstairs.
Once they were downstairs, Evanora and Mr. and Mrs. Vidal greeted them. They eyed the two, bright smiles on everyone’s faces.
“It was great seeing you again, Agatha,” Mrs. Vidal said, taking her hand and patting it. “So glad you and Rio seem to get on well.”
Her finger tapped the new ring on Agatha’s hand.
Agatha nodded, her big smile in place. “Yes, it’s great to see you, and Rio, she’s lovely. Thank you for having me.”
Rio and Agatha shared a brief glance as the goodbyes continued.
Once they were back in the car, Evanora eyed her hand. “So, it went well?”
Agatha held up her hand. “Yep.”
Evanora made a small noise and returned to her phone. “Good. Maybe she’ll keep you in line. We’re closing on our deal once you two are engaged. Do you know when you plan to make the engagement announcement?”
Agatha thought of several biting comebacks, but instead, she shut her eyes and thought of Rio and their future home where no one could tell them what to do. She thought of the way hugging Rio felt. Exhaling, she said, “During the fifth date, we’ll get engaged.”
“Good. That’s sooner than we had speculated during our meeting. Excellent.” Evanora paused with her typing on her phone screen. “When’s the first date?”
Agatha pulled out her phone. “Oh, um, let me double check my calendar.”
Instead of checking her calendar, she quickly texted Rio.
Agatha: Mom’s asking when our first date is, help!
Rio: Friday, I’ll pick you up at 4pm, and we will be out extremely late.
Agatha appreciated how quickly Rio had replied. She was able to play it off like it was a note in her calendar.
She looked up at her mom and said, “This Friday. She’s picking me up at four, and we’re going to be out very late.”
“Oh, what will you be doing?” Evanora said, her fingers still hovering over her screen.
Agatha shrugged. “She said it was a surprise.”
Evanora nodded and went back to tapping on her phone.
Agatha looked back down at her phone and sent a message to Rio.
Agatha: Thanks. She started grilling me in the car. Really appreciated your quick reply.
Rio: No problem. Did you want to video chat later or we could sneak out and hang out somewhere privately? No pressure. I get the sense it might be a bit…lonely at home.
Agatha smiled and glanced out the window. They were arriving home already. She sighed and headed inside. She shut herself away in her room and flopped down on the bed. She looked at her phone. She wasn’t sure if she’d said enough that Rio had understood what she didn’t say, or Rio was perceptive. Either way, it was a relief to know someone knew her home life wasn’t whatever the public assumed about it.
She tapped out a response and hit send.
Agatha: It is. Yeah, I’d love to do both of those things. Maybe a video chat later today, but maybe we could hang out before our first date? Without them knowing?
Rio: Perfect. We could grab coffee tomorrow. I know a place. I can pick you up.
Agatha: Excellent. I’m thankful you’re cool.
Agatha nervously awaited a reply, but Rio didn’t keep her waiting long. Just long enough to type something back.
Rio: I’m happy you’re cool, too, and I’m glad we’re on the same page about everything. It’s a really big relief. I thought…I don’t know…I was nervous we wouldn’t get along.
Agatha: Same here. What time do you want to chat later?
Rio looked at her phone and thought for a moment. She wanted to say they could chat now, but would that be too much? She bit her lip and went for it.
Rio: Wanna chat now? I mean, we can later, too, but no pressure.
Agatha didn’t reply, instead, she hit the button and started a video call. Rio hurried to her room and answered.
“Hey,” Rio said, resting her head against the headrest. She stretched out on her bed and smiled.
Agatha was grinning ear to ear. “Hey.”
“What are you up to?” Rio eyed the background. “Are you in your room, too?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Want to see it?”
“Sure.” Agatha flipped the camera around. “Be warned that this is not how I decorate. This is all the approved things I was able to decorate with.”
Rio laughed and took in the view.
“Lots of ceramics, feels kinda boring, but maybe it’s not. Maybe it’s just boring because I didn’t have much say.” Agatha laughed. “Feels like I picked the most interesting things out of a boring catalog.”
“It’s nice, but I’m curious. How would you decorate if you had full creative control?” Rio’s hair fell across her face.
Agatha watched Rio flip the stray hair out of her face. She smiled, flipping the camera back to face herself.
“Well,” she said, “I’ll talk your ear off if you ask me that.”
Rio tilted her hair. “I’ll listen until my ears fall off. Tell me about it.”
Agatha beamed. She took a deep breath and launched into her dream room while Rio listened attentively, weighing in with affirmative murmurs and questions at all the right times.
Agatha felt the hopefulness swell up inside her chest for the second time that day. Maybe this really wouldn’t be the worst arrangement.