Chapter Text
This is all Keeley’s fault, Rebecca thinks as she stumbles in the rain. What started as a light drizzle starts falling in sheets, harder the farther she strays from the resort. Her instincts scream at her to turn back, to return to where it’s warm and dry. Sheer stubbornness drives her forward, mixed with a bit of stupidity, but also growing concern.
Ted is out here and it’s all because of her. And bloody Keeley for saying the quiet part out loud when Rebecca is very much not ready to face the consequences or admit the truth. Spitting out a harsher retort than the suggestion warranted, Ted overheard, took off, and now she’s stalking him in the rain.
All because Keeley suggested they go somewhere tropical for her birthday. “You deserve it, babe. Treat yourself, yea? I want to see that fit as fuck arse in the tightest, tiniest bikini possible.”
Keeley caught her in a weak moment, a good mood from ending the season well. Assuming it was a girl’s trip, Rebecca wasn’t upset upon learning Ted was joining, they’ve been in a weird spot for the last few weeks and she has no idea what to do.
“Ted-“ she tries again, but the rain muffles her shout. She can’t hear herself.
A few more steps, unable to see more than a few inches in front of her, Rebecca slams into something solid. A scream rises in her throat and then-
“Rebecca-“ Ted sounds breathless and oh so close.
Relief hits her square in the chest at having located him. With his hands firm on her shoulders, the concern for her evident in his voice, the anger that’s been building within her hits its peak.
“You absolute wanker,” she yanks herself out of his grip. “What were you thinking? It’s pissing down. Ted, I can’t even-“
“Rebecca-“ his eyes flash a dark brown, pleading, and the fear in them makes her pause. “Which way is the villa?”
The sky pitch black, trees thick, Rebecca looks around and realizes she has no sense of where they are or which direction from whence they came. She made a sort of strange turn when Ted was still in her periphery in the beginning and then he distracted her with his sudden reappearance.
“I’ve no fucking clue, Ted,” she says to him, her anger close to boiling over.
“I think we’re lost.”
“You should have thought about that before you took off in a bloody hurricane.”
“It wasn’t rainin’ when I first left.”
She laughs, no humor evident. “Was the three day’s warning not enough for you?”
She watches him sigh, sliding his hands through his dripping hair. “We need to get you back.”
“‘Me?” Though she’s drenched and freezing, she can’t help but feel indignant. “I’m not the damsel in distress here, Ted. I came after you.”
“Yeah well-“ Rebecca wants him to fight back, enjoys the way his voice rises and his fists clench, but his anger fades as quick as it came. “You’re tremblin’.”
Melting at the softness in his voice, his fingers grazing her arms, Rebecca resists leaning into him. Forcing away thoughts about the rain-soaked white t-shirt sticking to his chest, she blows out a breath of air. Hasn’t she suffered enough this week in the face of him bare chested and sweating on a beach? She shakes herself from her mind’s wanderings, a mental slap. Get a grip, Rebecca, she thinks.
“I’m fine,” she says through gritted teeth, but unable to move out of his grasp. She’s fucking freezing. All she’s wearing is the bathing suit wrap and bikini she hadn’t had time to change out of when Keeley accosted her with all her questions.
What a sight she must be right now, hair plastered to her face, mimicking a drowned rat. Somehow Ted’s devastatingly handsome, so wet, so concerned for her- Rebecca, focus, she shakes herself again.
“We need ta find somewhere warm. This is only gonna get worse.”
She agrees, but won’t give him the satisfaction of saying so out loud. Squinting in the dark, she looks around to try to orient herself. They haven’t spent much time outside of the resort beyond their villa, the beach, and a few dinners at local spots. No time for wandering the woods when there’s sunbathing and continuous drinks and luxurious massages and trying to ignore Ted preening as he dives into the waves.
“There,” he says, excited as he takes her hand, leading her toward what seems deeper into the woods.
If she didn’t trust him with her life, Rebecca would punch him and run. Thinks she should anyway when he walks them up to what can only be described as a shack.
Ted knocks, hesitant, then harder, putting his ear up to the flimsy door to hear.
With a gentle shove, the door creaks open and Ted takes a cautious step inside. There’s no light, Rebecca can tell by the way he fumbles a hand on the wall and comes up empty. When he’s inspected the small space, Ted encourages her to join him. A very large, petty part of her wants to turn on her heel or at least refuse. How much wetter could she really get at this point?
A crack of thunder thrusts her forward, stumbling inside and into Ted who steadies her flush against him. Flinching, she pulls away as though burned. She’s trying to avoid touching him.
Glancing around, Rebecca notices a full-sized bed equipped with sheets and a lone blanket. God knows what this place is even for, but it looks clean enough, there’s no one else inside, and neither of them have any idea where to go otherwise.
Watching as Ted shuffles around the space muttering to himself, Rebecca centers her breathing and tries to take control of the situation. Pulling out her phone, she groans, realizing she has no service.
Fuck it, she thinks, texting Keeley. It won’t go through. She dials her friend, nothing. Tries the resort, same thing. When she looks up, she finds Ted staring at her.
“What?” Rebecca hisses.
“I- um, it’s cold.”
Narrowing her eyes, she stares him down. His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows.
“We should get under the blanket. In the bed.”
Rebecca pauses to consider, weighing her stubbornness with how fucking cold it is. Acquiescing, she nods.
At his pointed cough, she turns to him and asks again, “What is it now?”
“Our clothes are soaked. Prolly not a good idea to leave ‘em on and get the bed wet too. It’s our only source of warmth.”
When she deigns to look at him, he’s blushing bright red.
“What do you suggest then?” She asks.
“Body heat.”
— Five days earlier —
“Paradise is the sun beaming, a fruity drink in my hand, and my best girl beside me on the beach,” Keeley says as they step into the resort.
“Plus your boyfriend, two of his closest friends, and your business partner,” Rebecca says.
“Oh please. Like Ted isn’t your best friend too. Did you really think he was gonna miss the chance to celebrate you, babe?”
Rebecca is glad for the distraction of the lavish resort lobby stealing Keeley’s attention. She doesn’t need to fall under questioning regarding Ted.
Having rented a villa for the week, this is the only time they’ll be in the lobby, needing to pick up the keys and check in with their personal concierge. As her friend looks around, Rebecca forces herself to enjoy the moment. Her life nearing 50 is nowhere near where she thought it would be if someone had asked her three years ago. Her traveling companions are to thank, or blame, depending on the situation.
She’s glad Ted joined them. Was looking forward to this time away together up until a few minutes before they boarded the plane and she overheard a rather unfortunate, but important conversation between him, Beard, and Roy.
Things with Rebecca and Ted transformed by the end of the season. More dinners, lingering near each other on nights out with friends, extended Biscuits with the Bosses. But after almost winning the whole thing, Ted considered moving back to Kansas and to Henry.
“Would you please stay?” Rebecca asked him, witnessing the moment the lightbulb turned on in his head.
“Of course,” he said, and that had been that.
Well, sort of. Ted threw himself into moving Henry and Michelle across the Atlantic, which Rebecca found truly wonderful, and comforting in terms of his longevity in England, until he started spending a lot more time with his ex-wife.
Rebecca herself has put in immense effort to help Ted move forward with his life. It’s one thing for him to be cordial with his ex-wife for the sake of co-parenting, but does he need to share so many dinners with her?
For awhile, Rebecca drives her concerns out of her mind, convincing herself Ted is trying to settle them in and things will return to normal soon. His coming on the trip is a pleasant surprise and she’s grateful and a little anticipatory for having him here.
Then she hears the men talking in the lounge at the airport, unable to fully comprehend why her stomach sinks and her heart rate quickens.
“You talk to Michelle?” Beard asks.
“Sure did,” Ted says. Roy grumbles something she can’t quite decipher.
“And?”
“It’s a go. ‘Chelle’s excited, which is downright odd to say, all things considered. Henry’s over the moon, of course. Keeps pesterin’ me with all these questions and I hafta tell ‘im I don’t know yet.”
“It’ll work out,” Beard says. “The two of you deserve to be happy.”
Roy grunts what she thinks is agreement.
Ted is getting back together with his ex-wife. He’s happy, his friends are supportive, and his little boy is getting his family back. Really, it’s all Rebecca’s fault.
Any excitement about the trip dies with the conversation.
When they make it on the plane, Rebecca stops up front to talk to the pilot before joining the rest in the seating area. Pretending not to see Ted patting the empty seat next to him, she slides into the spot on Keeley’s other side. Her friend is wrapped around Roy, their reunion recent but enthusiastic.
“You alright, babe?” Keeley asks, but Rebecca pours herself a glass of champagne and downs it in one gulp in lieu of response.
“The birthday girl wants to start the festivities early,” Keeley says, clapping with excitement.
Barbara’s cheers from the seat behind her ring through Rebecca’s mind, loud and endless.
All the alcohol and the several hours’ flight time does is leave Rebecca with a growing headache.
“Have the groceries arrived?” She asks the concierge as he drives them to the villa, longing for paracetamol and a large glass of water.
The young man’s eagerness is draining. “Yes, ma’am. Everything is square and put away. I made sure to check the list twice myself.”
“Thanks,” she says, trying to ignore the carsickness-induced nausea bubbling in her stomach.
“You okay, boss?” Ted leans over Barbara and Keeley to ask her. Once again, the only person to realize anything is wrong.
“Yup,” she pops the p. “Oh look, the ocean.”
It’s a feeble change of subject, but convenient as the car turns and the ocean comes into view for the first time. It really is beautiful. Focus on this, Rebecca, she tells herself. Turning away from Ted’s frowning face, she notices his eyebrows crease in thought and concern.
They settle into the house, Keeley quick to pull Roy into one of the rooms on the second floor, Beard and Barbara heading to the lone bedroom on the ground floor, which leaves her alone with Ted. Beard and Barbara are a surprise couple, but in hindsight, fitting in how they hit it off at the post-season celebration. Their energies weird enough in different ways to match each other.
Rebecca sets out to find the painkillers in the kitchen, letting out a sound of satisfaction when she does. Unscrewing the top, she turns to find Ted holding out a glass of water.
“Jesus, Ted.”
“Are you sure you’re alright? You had a lotta that champagne on the plane.”
“Will you be monitoring my intake all week, then? Should I ask your permission before I consume any more alcohol? Food too?”
She knows her attitude isn’t fair. Ted hasn’t done anything wrong, and Rebecca can’t understand why she’s so annoyed.
“No, I-“ he says affronted, then panicked. “R’becca, I’d never, but- You’re right, it’s none of my business.”
Huffing, disappointed in his giving up so easily, Rebecca downs the pills and the water and goes in search of her own room. It’s the largest one, perfect for the birthday girl footing the bill.
Something about the large bed unsettles her already queasy stomach, another reminder of how alone she is a few years from 50. Well-loved by many friends and family, but hopeless in a romantic sense.
Rebecca hasn’t had sex since the disaster with Sam. One she still cringes when she thinks about. Even more-so when she remembers her evening in Amsterdam, kissing the nameless bald man on his house boat. Looking back, she recognizes how creepy the situation was, and the dangers of having gone along with it. The fact that he was her most recent kiss is unfortunate.
More than capable of taking care of her own needs sexually, Rebecca yearns for the companionship a romantic partner entails. Never more apparent than when Ted cut down on his three dinners a week with her to one if she’s lucky, busy with Henry and Michelle. Their weekend walkabouts no more, movie nights screeched to a halt. Rebecca refuses to think of why these changes and her sudden pining for romance correlate. Simple loneliness, she’s certain.
Lying down on the bed, she flings an arm over her eyes to attempt to block out the light. Only her and Ted are the singles on the trip, and it doesn’t sound like that will be the case for him much longer. Rebecca is soon to be the only one of their friends with no prospects. Not that she is or was interested in looking. For awhile, it felt like- no, she tells herself, don’t go there.
Lulled into a light slumber, Rebecca is shocked awake by Keeley bursting in and jumping on the bed. Had she any more weight to her, Rebecca may have been thrown off based on enthusiasm alone.
After much pleading from her friend, Rebecca relents, rolling herself until her feet hit the ground. Thankfully, the drugs have kicked in and her headache subsided, but she’s still exhausted.
Kicking Keeley out so she can get dressed, Rebecca stares into her open suitcase lying flat on the bed. Not one of these bathing suits seem fit for public consumption at the moment, but fuck it. She’s near 50, she’s fit, and she’s going to enjoy this trip as much as possible. Damn Ted and his stupid wayward ways.
Before leaving the room, Rebecca decides to give herself a bit of a confidence boost by teasing her friend. Throwing on the hat Keeley insisted she wear, she pulls the bathing suit cover-up to one side to show off her long legs and skimpy bikini bottom, and snaps a photo of herself in the mirror. Hitting send, she waits a moment holding her breath, frowning when the expected shrieking doesn’t come. Keeley must not have her phone on her.
Walking downstairs, she finds Keeley sitting on Roy’s lap, tapping away at the phone. Curious.
“See anything you like?” Rebecca asks, trying to settle the persistent self-doubt from the lack of reaction.
Looking up, Keeley takes her in and squawks. “Ho-ly shit, Rebecca. You’re everything I dreamed of and more.”
They both laugh at Roy’s unimpressed eyebrow raise.
“That’s the reaction I was expecting. Not you ignoring my text.”
Keeley sits up, furiously scrolling. “Rebecca, did you send me a thirst trap?” She frowns. “I don’t see it. Maybe the service here is shit?”
Rolling her eyes, Rebecca opens her own phone, waving the sent message in her friend’s face.
“Oh,” Keeley says and even Roy’s eyes grow wide. “Oh my God.”
Blushing despite herself, Rebecca asks,“What the fuck is it?”
“You didn’t send that photo to me, babe.”
At her blinking, Roy says with a smirk, “Gaffer’s gonna have himself a heart attack.”
Fuck.
“Fuck. Maybe he hasn’t seen it yet. Roy, go up there and-“
At the clanging behind her, Rebecca turns in time to witness Ted on the stairs, tripping over his own feet and tumbling down the last few steps. His phone falling out of his grip and onto the floor with a resounding clatter. She doesn’t need to look to know what she’d find on the screen.
“Fucking gaffer,” Roy grumbles, lifting Keeley from his lap to help Ted up off the floor.
Eyes wide, his mouth agape, Ted looks between her and the phone he’s now holding up in the air. Rebecca is overcome with the urge to knock it out of his hands and push him back down.
“That was meant for Keeley,” Rebecca says. And then, “Are you alright?”
“I think you broke him,” Roy says, slapping him on the back. Ted blinks.
Rebecca eyes Ted who remains immobile and silent.
“Ted?”
Still looking a little dazed, he finally closes his mouth and shakes himself. “I can delete it if you want-“
“Thank you,” is all Rebecca can bring herself to say. “You’re okay?”
“Me?” He forces a laugh, pointing dramatically at himself. “I’m a walking advertisement not to walk down the stairs and text at the same time, but I’m just peachy.”
His bright red face and lack of eye contact tell her otherwise.
Keeley crosses her arms with a pout. “At least he’ll have the visual for the rest of our lives. Rebecca try sending it to me again.”
“Everything okay out here?” Beard asks, poking his head out of the room, Barbara following suit.
Deep breath in, Rebecca claps her hands. When in doubt, revert to boss mode. “Anyone interested in the beach?”
The beach is a bad idea. It’s a perfect day, the palm trees swaying in the light breeze, the sun shining without a cloud in the sky, the water glistening and pristine and inviting. They get private access to this area with the villa, but Rebecca finds she misses the distraction of a crowd.
Between Keeley’s begging to send her the photo and Barbara’s relentless questions about her leg routine, the pressure starts rebuilding at the front of Rebecca’s head. As she settles into her chair with a huff, she notices Ted lug his stuff to the opposite side. He still won’t look at her, silent rather than his usual chatty and cheery self.
Now that he’s getting back with Michelle he can’t even look at another woman’s body? It was an obvious accident. Had he any chill, they could laugh it off and move on. Instead it’s become “a thing.” Rebecca decides she’ll ignore him too.
Unable to help herself, Rebecca aims a glare in Ted’s direction, but per usual, her timing is shit. The man in question stands, pulling at the hem of his white t-shirt and lifting it over his head. Tosses the offending garment to the side like it’s nothing.
Shocked, Rebecca has no idea what’s happening to her body. Mouth dry, her eyes hone in on his now exposed torso. She had no idea about the muscles he hid underneath all those clothes. Suspected maybe that his arms were toned by the way he often rolled up his sleeves, but seeing it all out in the open reveals a different beast.
“You alright, babe?” She hears Keeley ask, realizing her hand is reaching out toward Ted like she wants to touch him.
“Bloody amazing,” she says, slapping her thighs with her hands and chastising herself for this brief bout of insanity. Forgoing sex for so long she combusts at the first sign of a half naked man.
A small voice at the back of her mind tells her that’s not quite true. Both Roy and Beard took off their shirts and Rebecca hadn’t batted an eye. In solidarity of her friends who are dating them, she convinces herself.
Her pink tone having nothing to do with the sun, Rebecca braves one more glance at Ted. He’s now sitting in his chair, sunglasses on and a glob of sunblock on his cheek. So damn charming, Rebecca thinks as she feels herself soften. But then he looks over, meets her eye, and swivels his head back toward the horizon.
Wanker.