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Ruby stifled the burp that surged from her throat, discreetly using the back of her hand, while her eyes darted helplessly towards Caden. He, however, remained unmoved by her silent plea, a smirk playing on his lips as he observed his grandmother bringing in more food. "Don’t like the food?" Caden's grandmother inquired, a hint of concern lacing her voice as she arranged the bowls on the table, her brow furrowing slightly. Ruby momentarily froze, managing to swallow the food before responding, "It's absolutely delicious, Mrs. Miller," she replied, her voice betraying a hint of breathlessness, which elicited a chuckle from Caden. "She's just a bit shy," he interjected, though there was more mischief in his tone than sincerity. While Ruby shot him a pointed glare, it seemed that every little thing she did only served to amuse him further. "I'm just pulling your leg," the old woman chuckled, her laughter echoing in the room. "I'm accustomed to these two devouring everything in sight."
Florence manoeuvred her car to the familiar street, the engine humming softly as she drove out of Caden’s driveway. Although she had managed to seem chill to her friends, on the inside her conversation with Daniel was suffocating her. The heavy silence that settled between the three as she drove didn’t help either. So she put on some music and blasted it, loud enough to cast out any of the gloom in the car. As they drove, Florence stole glances at Ruby, her mind swirling with thoughts of what had transpired with Daniel at the party. She couldn't bring herself to voice her concerns, the weight of her own confusion and guilt pressing down on her. While Ruby sat beside her, lost in her thoughts, trying to piece together the fragments of memories from the previous night. She couldn't shake the feeling of unease that gnawed at her, the gaps in her memory leaving her feeling unsettled and vulnerable. Caden’s words haunted her, but she was sure he was only bluffing. There was no truth to
Ruby was glad to be back in the comfort of her own house. She wasted no time, throwing herself on the bed as soon as she opened the door to her bedroom. “Now I can scream as much as I want,” she blurted out, realising a moment too late that Florence was right behind her. “Come in, Florence,” she told her, her voice muffled as she buried her head in a pillow. Riley called out from downstairs, “Are you sure you guys don’t want anything to eat or drink?” “No! We’re fine,” Ruby answered, her voice loud enough to reach her sister. “Pretend like it’s your house. Get comfortable,” Ruby offered. In response, she received a smile that clearly showed just how nervous Florence was in the moment. Ruby sat up straight, although she wanted to sleep the day away. She had to do this for her friend. “I’m listening. Tell me what’s bothering you,” she said in a soft voice. “Even if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. We can do something. Watch a movie? Or I’ll let you paint my nails. Ril
Long after Florence had left, Ruby laid on her bed staring at the ceiling above her in deep thought. She had imagined a hundred different ways the previous night had probably ended. There were some that were less embarrassing—but all of them were embarrassing nonetheless. Someone had spiked her drink at the party, and she had ended up being completely out of her senses so much that she couldn’t recall anything. It was so hard to believe that her mind didn’t even register Luke showing up to the party. Caden deciding to bring her into his house was something she just couldn't understand. It was him being too nice. And that was something she couldn’t wrap her mind around. The thought of likely having done something similar to Florence made her nearly want to bury herself deep inside the ground. Had she fessed up something that was best kept hidden?Caden’s teasing behavior was unusual. And the fact that he introduced her as his girlfriend to his grandma? Couldn’t he come up with a bet
The next morning Luke showed up at Ruby’s door. The moment their eyes met, Ruby knew he had been worried sick about her. How had she forgotten to respond to his texts? She expected him to be mad at her. She expected him to scold her. She expected him to be furious about her not responding to his numerous texts. But all he really did, before saying anything, was embrace her into a tight and protective hug. “Burn down your phone,” he whispered into her ears, breathless as if he’d been running for a long time. From the way he was sweating, she was sure he had run up to her front door. “You’re being very cheesy, Luke. Hugging me like this, being all worried,” she replied, but hugged him back. They didn’t hug often, but everytime Luke had hugged her, she’d felt safe and protected. “Well, aren’t you gonna come in?” Riley called out from the kitchen, her head peeking out from the doorframe, staring at them. Luke let her go almost too quickly, as if he was embarrassed by the fact th
Florence tapped her feet impatiently against the gravel road. It had been a while since she was waiting outside her favorite waffle shop. Waiting for Daniel to show up. She pulled out her cell phone and refreshed their chat screen. There were no new messages from him, and the last one still said, ‘I’ll be there.’ She had asked him to meet her there at four o’clock. But now it was twenty minutes past four and he was nowhere in sight. Maybe he wasn’t going to come. Why would he, after all, when she had avoided him for two days, not picking up even one of his 56 calls and responding only after he sent 426 messages? In her defense, she had needed the time to come to terms with what happened, and what it meant, and how it could go from there. She had learnt that being by herself was no help—her brain was constantly thinking of Daniel—and she had to meet him to sort this out. She licked her lips, thinking hard on how she would greet him. How would she even begin addressing the topic? Sh
Luke had never felt worse. He tossed and turned on his dorm bed, the numbness of his chest only increasing in intensity. He wasn’t sure if he was breathing properly. He wasn’t sure if he was breathing at all. Everything was strange—the way the air felt in the room, the way it touched his skin, the way his feet tingled, and the way the pit of his stomach rumbled—but not in hunger. Ruby didn’t remember anything he had said. Of course, she wouldn’t. He had expected that—that being partly the reason he decided to confess in the first place. But it still hurt him, knowing she’d never know his feelings. Because he would never ever gather the courage to speak his heart out again. He could try, perhaps, but what was the point? She liked Caden, and now, after talking to her, he was sure it was more than just a mere crush. She had said so herself. He was to her as he always had been. Her best friend. Luke could be nothing more. He had known it for a long time, and yet every time he reminded
Ruby smeared the tinted lip balm over her lips as she stared at her reflection in the oval mirror. Her sister, Riley, had managed to draw the perfect eyeliner above her eyes. All of this with the silver drop earrings and a maroon ribbed crop top made sure she looked beautiful. She examined herself carefully, wondering if she had overdone that. She had never put much effort before in making herself look pretty; she had believed she looked good without anything on her face and that was enough for her. But now she felt the need to do a little extra. It made her happy, she realized, in surprise. And as much as she tried to not admit the reason behind it, she knew very well why. Caden Miller had her doing things she never imagined she’d do. What was the purpose though?Was she trying to actively get him to be hers? No, that was silly. All she needed was a glance, a smile perhaps. That’d be enough. She slapped her forehead. What was wrong with her? Her cheeks flushed red as she recalled