Chapter Text
Riya looked in her closet, deciding what to wear for the meeting. It was in a bar, so maybe she should go all out? But it was discreet, so maybe something less attention-grabbing. Sitting in her chair, she started putting on her makeup, covering the eventual imperfections on her face. The eye bags born from late-night crying, the wrinkles from the anxiety she had recently developed. Between doubt and fear, a flashback came to haunt her.
Riya was walking when she saw him.
Jake. Jake Hamilton. Second place in All Stars. The man she had once tried to kill for an amount of money so small it now felt insulting.
Her breath hitched. She turned, instinctively trying to escape, but it was too late. Their eyes locked.
Jake did not look shocked. He looked exhausted.
“Long time no see, Riya,” Jake said with cynicism.
“Jake…” Riya forced a smile. “I’d say the same.”
“How’s life been?” Jake seemed uninterested, looking at his agenda while taking notes.
“When you talk to someone normally, you look them in the eye…” Riya whispered very softly before answering. “Greater than ever!” Her smile widened, forcefully.
“Yeah… well, my life couldn’t be better…” Jake finished writing in his agenda and looked directly at Riya. “Matter of fact, if it weren’t for you, I couldn’t be where I am.”
“Oh..! How so?” Riya said, clenching her fists.
“Well, I am a miserable wedding organizer, overworking myself until sleep…” Jake picked up his things. “And still waiting…”
Jake got up, leaving Riya behind.
“We have to go,” Yul said, snapping Riya back to reality.
Yul was wearing the same shirt, pants, and shorts, his face tired.
“Tom’s waiting outside. He’s already in the ugliest car I’ve ever seen. Diego is already there too,” Yul said.
“Thank you. I’m going there,” Riya said as she stood up, taking her purse.
Once in the car, the air was tense. Tom was driving while eating a donut. Diego, sitting beside him, was staring into nothingness. It was the first time everyone had seen him with a different hairstyle than his overworked, gelled hair. Yul sat at Riya’s side, and they did not look at each other. Tom’s music sucked. The ambiance sucked. Nobody talked to each other.
At last, they arrived at the bar. As they parked, Tom said,
“Okay guys, here’s the plan. Me and the Colombian tour guide are talking directly to our special guest. You two are staying as bystanders. Go to a far place, but be attentive to the conversation. If anything gets heated, you guys intervene.”