[Well. That was stupid. Do I go throw it up? Or is it too late.]
Renée opened the door to find the wedding planner holding a covered plate. The woman's smile was professional… but touched with that slight nervousness Renée was starting to recognize.
[Well, that's the 'I want them to like me' face. Careful, don't make the 'Oh crap' one.]
"She was quite insistent about making sure you had an actual breakfast. Something about payback from when you arrived?"
"I see. Thank you."
The empty cup sat on her desk, perfectly visible from the doorway. Carmen's eyes flickered past her to it, then back to the woman with barely concealed curiosity. The writer found herself shifting to block the view… not wanting to talk about her very stupid actions.
"Did you... already have something delivered?"
The woman didn't get the hint.
"No, I mean... yes, but not..."
Renée took the dish out of her hands quickly while shutting her rambling mouth for a minute. Part of her was still panicking while the other was trying to calm down by telling herself that she'd be feeling something by now.
If it had been laced with something dangerous.
[But I still consumed it without confirming its origins like I was seeking the Darwin Award.]
"Not officially. Someone else… sent me something."
Her mind was only just getting to that part. If it was not these two then someone else had left her the pink drink. Carefully chosen for a sensitive stomach and done anonymously. Before she could even stop breathing - as she'd realized who it had to be - the woman spoke again.
"Mind if I come in for a minute?"
The professional demeanor she had wavered. The request was obviously personal and Carmen shifted her weight on the balls of her feet like a nervous grade schooler. But she continued to unsuccessfully 'hide' her intention.
"I mean, just to make sure you're settling alright with... everything."
Renée nodded without really processing the kind of request she agreed to. The woman's voice speaking to her didn't actually prevent her more important thoughts from crystallizing. That Alya had thought of her.
In some confused shock, she stepped back to let the wedding planner enter.
When she closed the door mostly out of habit, the sound of it clicking shut made her suddenly aware of what she'd just allowed to happen.
[Oh. Right. She has...]
The woman hovered close to the desk and caught sight of the notebook, closed laptop, and the line of medication bottles before politely shifting away. She hadn't come by to be especially nosey!
But now that she *had* seen it…
"I remember you mentioning how important routine is. What with your... history."
[Oh.]
The word hung in the air only a second when Renée was able to slot the last missing piece into the jigsaw mystery. She was already pretty certain that the only person left who would have thought of her was her ex. But now she knew 'why'.
Their conversation about her hospitalization yesterday - and the way Ayla had reacted at the reception when Leana mentioned it. That made the careful selection of that smoothie's ingredients almost inevitable. The wedding planner misread her continued silence as something else and tried to comfort her.
"The resort has good medical facilities. Maybe not private hospital quality, but just in case anything…"
She trailed off as Renée's expression changed a few times. The writer wasn't really listening to the person in front of her. Had barely paid much attention to her at all. Instead, she was mentally racing backward through the past twenty-four hours.
Ayla's clear expression of jealousy at the reception. The way she'd looked at Renée during their brief eye contact at the meeting. That familiar concern she'd tried to ignore in those amber eyes.
[She remembered that I would eat light or not at all some days. She always remembered everything, but for six whole years?]
"Carmen."
The writer's sudden voice was filled with confidence, though it still came across gentle. It made her jump expectantly, which was only part of what Renée was looking for.
"I need to be completely direct about something."
She moved to sit on the edge of the bed while gesturing for the woman to take the desk chair. The position gave them both a clear amount of space while still keeping things as casual as she could.
As civil as any turning down she had ever done.
[Some people prefer to be harsher about it, but I say that depends on the other side's actions until that point.]
"I've noticed how you look at me. And I'm flattered, truly. But I think we both know it wouldn't be fair to either of us."
Her tone was kind but clear. It didn't place the other person on a hook or make them feel bad about themselves. Even still, Carmen's cheeks flushed and her eyes unfocused - but Renée continued her approach before she could protest.
"Especially since we're all trapped here together. It might only make things more awkward than needed. And..."
The ash green hair shifted to the side as her head tilted. She smiled softly, some of her usual charisma and charm showing through when she spoke, despite not looking or feeling her best.
"And because there's someone I can't seem to stop thinking about, even when I probably should. My heart was taken by them and never returned."
Such sincerity alone was attractive to many people.
"...Oh."
A small voice finally found room to respond weakly. Carmen stared at the ground for a moment, before inhaling deep and exhaling loudly through her nose. An almost visible relief stretched across her face.
The look of someone holding it together but also happy to have an answer.
"Is it... obvious? How I've been looking at you?"
"Enough. But that's only because I used to be very good at noticing such things in my youth. Probably too good."
Renée's smile turned slightly self-deprecating.
"Though lately I seem to be better at running away from them. It honestly took me longer than I'd like to admit to see it. I could have had this conversation sooner."
[No, I probably couldn't. I would have rejected her, still… but would I have admitted then that it was because I had someone else in mind?]
It didn't take a lot of experience drafting plots and characters for her to be certain of that answer, with how she had been avoiding her feelings.