She looked into his deep brown eyes, but there was nothing more to be seen than true honesty. And what was it that she was trying to find anyway? She'd been so suspicious of him and there had been no reason for her to be, no matter how hard she'd searched for something. The truth was that he was simply a kind and honest guy with no wrong intentions.

With that came that she was tired of the long walk they'd just taken. Her feet were still hurting and she wasn't ready to leave this place yet. He'd been right when he'd said this place was beautiful. The sun seemed to shine a little brighter here and the water seemed bluer.

She took a deep breath, giving her just two more seconds to convince herself of the answer she gave him. "Okay, I'll stay," she said.

And at the same time, it felt wrong to give in. Slowly but surely, he was trying to convince her to let him into her heart, but she wasn't sure what would happen if she did. Would he betray her? She was afraid, but wasn't ready to admit it yet. It frightened her to let someone new into her life. She'd only returned to her normal daily routine a month ago and it hadn't been long enough to process everything. The bracelets on her wrists still felt like cuffs and the bruises on her skin hadn't yet faded.

But she tried not to think about it when she sat back down and jumped to a new topic. "Do you really not care about losing your job?" she asked him.

He seemed surprised by her question, which caused him to hesitate for a second before answering. "Well, I do, a little," he admitted, letting the words slowly escape his lips. He shifted a few inches. "But I won't care about it two months from now, so I try not to worry about it right after either."

That got her thinking. A lifestyle like that would make everything so much easier, which was why she admired his way of living. She made a mental note to herself to not forget this.

She tilted her head slightly, about to ask him another question while she was still overthinking his previous answer. "Are you always this positive?" she asked. There was a short instance in which she glanced over her shoulder before she fixed her eyes on him.

"You think I'm positive?" he asked in return. He clearly didn't think of himself that way. She wondered why; he had come off as an optimist all this time, so for him to doubt it, there was bound to be more hiding behind those curled up lips.

"Well, as long as I've known you, that smile" - she nodded with her head in his direction to indicate it was his smile she was talking about - "has not disappeared for a second. Adding to that, you don't feel that bad about losing your job. And you've ruined your shirt in the process of it all and never complained for a second."

He looked down at his shirt, which was the same black shirt he'd been wearing in the cafe as part of his uniform and he noticed the few crumbs that were still on it next to a stain the key lime pie had created. The expression on his face told her he hadn't known before she'd said it. "Oh, that's embarrassing," he said, brushing off the pieces of cake. He then looked up at her again. "Though I suppose if you put it that way..." He chuckled in answer to her question.

He wasn't the luckiest guy in the world; she'd learned that really soon about him. She wondered if he'd noticed himself because it seemed as though the thought had never occurred to him. When he'd lost his job, he'd offered to guide her through Miami instead of going home. He'd brushed off the unfortunate events like they hadn't affected him. She'd probably caught him on a bad day, but personality didn't lie.

"I try to be an optimist," he said then. His voice was softer and more considerate. "I have to be."

"You have to be?" she repeated.

He nodded, but didn't say anything. Instead, he looked out into the distance, where the silver skyscrapers were. Was he thinking of something to say?

She waited patiently for him to talk, but he didn't speak. Instead, he just sat there, enjoying the sunlight reaching his already tan skin, the soft splashing of the waves and the indistinct chattering from people on the beach. So, she did the same, and suddenly she realized that it might not have been a bad idea to go to Miami. At first, any place would've been okay with her, as long as she didn't have to be home, but now that she was here, she was actually enjoying herself with River.

Miami was prettier in real life than in the photographs she'd seen. Those frozen moments were different when seen through your own eyes, and the reality was even brighter, full of colors, more beautiful. This city seemed to be one of those places where problems vanished and it was just her, a cool February breeze and the always shining sun.

Suddenly, River broke the silence. "Now, why are you here?" he asked her. He turned his head and looked her in the eyes for the first time in a while. He'd avoided doing that before, when they were walking over the bridge or sitting on the beach. The small movement of him focusing on her took her by surprise and left her startled.

"Why am I..." she repeated, letting the question sink in. "You already asked me that."

"And you said you just chose the flight that would depart the soonest," he said. He hadn't forgotten her answer, clearly. "But why did you take the plane in the first place?" His eyes spoke of genuine curiosity.

"Well..." she started, trying to think of something to say - but the truth was that she didn't know how to answer that. The real story was complicated.

"Well, what?" he asked patiently when she remained silent. "Where did you come from, anyway?" It wasn't meant as a rude or infringing comment, she knew; he was actually interested in her as a person. It was refreshing to be with someone that actually wanted to get to know her for who she was.

"San Francisco," she said. It was the easier question of the two. "I live there with my parents and sisters." Thinking about them, made Emily miss her sisters. She just wanted to hold them again - after being gone for three years, she didn't want to waste a minute of her life anymore. It already felt like she was three years behind.

He shifted so his entire body faced her. "That's a nice city, too!" he said. "Just as nice as Miami. If you had free time on your hands, you could've gone to see the Golden Gate Bridge instead of taking the plane all the way to the other side of the country." What he said wasn't belittling in any way because of the tone he said it with. His tone was sincere, still, and he was very patient. "So, why take the plane?"

She shrugged her shoulders, trying to pass it off as if it were nothing. "I just wanted to get away," she answered, not giving him much to go off.

"Los Angeles would have been much closer," he said.

"I've been there already."

"Or Las Vegas, there's always something to do in Las Vegas."

"I just needed to get out of there, as far away as I could," she said.

"You needed to?"

It was then that she realized what she'd said. She'd slipped up even though she'd been careful all this time.

What would be next, her telling him all about the past three years and the horror she'd been through, being locked up in the dark and cold without any hope for a better future? Or the way people around her had reacted? These few days away from home would turn into the exact opposite of what she wanted and would instead revolve around her past while she wanted to focus on her future.

"Well, not need, but..." she corrected herself quickly, hoping the damage hadn't been done already. "I, I don't know." She turned away, distancing herself from his eyes. He could've seen the lie if she hadn't. That was when her eyes caught a dog running out of the water in their direction. He was soaking, but sent out a ray of positivity that was contagious. It relieved the moment of some of the pressure she'd put on it.

"I think you do," he said. "Don't you want to tell me?"

It was a blonde labrador, which she knew because her neighbors back in San Francisco had a dog similar to this one. His name was Rocky, and she'd always wished that she'd one day get a dog like him.

"It's more complicated than that," she said.

"If the answer is no, that's okay too," he said, smiling a little.

She turned to face him, looked into his big, honest eyes, and said, "Then no, I don't want to tell you." It was the first time in years that she'd been this honest with someone, and letting out the truth was liberating. She no longer had to hide.

"Can I ask -" River began, but he couldn't finish. There was water being sprayed all over him, which caused him to jump up in surprise, trying to get away from the unexpected shower.

Emily saw it was Rocky's lookalike next to River, shaking himself dry. She chuckled and thanked the dog in silence for picking out the best moment to do so. She was saved by the dog - and at the same time, by River. He blocked most of the water from reaching her and she hardly got wet, whereas River's shirt was see-through by the time the dog walked off.

"I'm wet!" His voice was upset as he stated the obvious and he looked down with fake disappointment at his shirt that had survived the key lime pie earlier today, but didn't look so good after the dog shower. River looked around, searching for the dog, but the rascal was nowhere to be found.

Emily chuckled. "No shit, Sherlock."

"It's not funny," he said, but he couldn't hold back his laughter either. "Now I have to wear this all day."

Emily had no doubt the shirt would dry soon enough on this hot day, but she couldn't help but feel a little guilty. "Do you need a new shirt?" she asked.

"Do you have one?" he asked, chuckling at the thought. She was many sizes smaller than him and even if she had a shirt with her, it would never fit.

"We can go shopping," she suggested.

There was a slight hesitation in his answer. "I can't," he said. "I just got fired, remember? I don't have a single dollar." He tried to laugh it off, but she could see that his own words hurt him.

"I'll pay for it," she said, not even having to think about her offer for a second. She didn't mind doing things like that for a friend, and she considered him a friend.

"Why would you?" he asked her. He wasn't as sure it was right to take her money.

"Well, it's because of me you're on this beach right now," she said. "And if you hadn't been here, your shirt wouldn't have been ruined."

He shook his head, but his lips curled up slightly. "That's the stupidest reason ever, do you know that? I can't take your money, I'll just wear this for the rest of the day."

"See it as something in return for your services," she said.

"My services?"

"As a guide," she said matter-of-factly. "The shirt will be your salary."

"It's really not necessary," he said, waving it off.

"You're really stubborn," she stated.

He shrugged. "I just know what I want."

She let a short silence fall, thinking. "I saw the dog running towards you, but didn't warn you," she tried. She hadn't given up on convincing him yet.

His mouth fell open. "You didn't!"

She just grinned. "Still don't want the shirt?"

* * *