Chapter Text
“Goodnight, Rubes.” She heard him alright, smiling like an idiot on her mattress and rolling slightly as if reduced to her pre-teen self who talked to boy for the first time over a phone. If Olivia or Anwar has seen her like this, she would lose her authority over them for sure and maybe it will even diminish her reputation at Moordale but at this moment as she’s thinking about Otis Milburn’s dorky face she couldn’t care less.
“I lov—” Ruby almost blurted it out as her endorphin shoots higher than ever recalling the double date she had with Eric and Adam earlier today. The eerie silence on the other end gives her dread and made her brain processing about what she’s about to do. After a moment, Ruby steeled her will and doused her flame of passion successfully. ‘It would be too fast, and possibly end badly’ she deduced based upon evidence of obvious tension between her boyfriend and Maeve Wiley of all people. Knowing Otis, as much as months in a relationship with the infamous Sex Kid offered to her, he’s still clearly indecisive of his unresolve and peculiar relationship with that girl; why else someone as timid and understanding as him cut two girls down in a middle of a party like he did if not for hormonal-infused teenage drama? Many might take Ruby for a basic bitch, she’s well aware, but she’s not as dense as many might take her for.
She abides by her reasoning, and flushing the desire to confess her love for him down to whence it came from; deeply locked away inside her throbbing heart.
“Um… Rubes?” Otis’s quizzical tone breaks her from her spell, Ruby clears her throat a little and produces a little noise of acknowledgment to her boyfriend. “What were you about to say?” never had she ever been this nervous and dreadful when talking to Otis, aside from that time he miraculously persuaded her to invite him to her house and meeting with her dad.
“Oh… um…” Ruby quickly rushing her brain cells to supply a very convincing substitute phrasing and quickly find one “I love today’s bowling. It would be… a welcoming activity if your friends should ever want to do it again.” It should be enough and, subconsciously, she knows that her words ring true; she does enjoy spending time with Otis’s circle of friends for it provided a sense of connection between herself and him more than physical ones that she excels at and she would be lying to herself if she says she doesn’t want to take this thing with Otis Milburn to the next level.
“Really?” the excitement in his voice tugs at her heartstrings and elicits a soft smile from her lips. ‘What have you done to me, Otis?’ she thought to herself, amused.
“Of course. Anyways, goodnight, Otee.” She softly bid him farewell for the night.
“Night, Rubes.” The softness of how he delivered her nickname chased away the chill veiling her heart and shines a light of hope for her. The call ended in a beep and Ruby took in a deep breath then got up from her bed, heading for her father’s room.
“Oh, didn’t know you are still up and about.” Her dad greets her with that loving smile of his and a ghost of smoke exhaling from his nostrils and mouth. Roland Matthews lounges comfortably in her parent’s bed, taking a joint absentmindedly while inspecting his lovely daughter.
“Just… something on my mind,” Ruby replied as she approaches the bed, she gently sits upon a stool at his bedside and takes his massive warm hand into hers then placing it on her cheek.
“What’s eating you, babe?” her da almost cooed her like a child, but as for his daughter’s sake, he toned it down a bit.
“I think…” Ruby trails off, feeling the caressing from her dad’s hand on her face and that spot on her ear always calmed her down quite impossibly fast.
“You are in love with that Otis fella?” her dad easily read her mind and Ruby will forever wonder how.
“Dad!”
“What? It painted on your face this evening. Smiling that pretty smile and nesting into him. Embarrassed when I told him how you never shut up about him lately.” Her dad pointing out his observations adoringly. “Rubes, dear, anyone who has a minute watching you with him can tell by miles away that you are smitten.” Her dad shot his tender smile at her.
Ruby kept silent and take comfort and support in his fatherly loving touch.
“Have I ever told you how your mum confessing her love for dear old me?” he feels as if he’s being pricked by hundreds of needles at the moment as his symptom manifesting right now, but he’ll not let his baby girl knows that and change the topic of their interaction because this is what he wants to do; being a father she needs and not a damaged and broken man she has to care for. His little kitten is conflicting and he’s more than willing to ease her mind even if it means he has to brave hell.
His baby girl shaking her head, Roland forced a convincing smile on his face and relocated his hand from her cheek to the top of her head. As usual, Ruby sighed contentedly and losing herself in his caring touch,
“I fell hard for her, Rubes, I poured my heart out to her in front of everyone and she just… walked away.” At least old memories like these seem to ease his pain a little, allowing him to properly recounting the event for his daughter “I was furious and hurt that we sort of ghosted each other for weeks. By the time that I thought; well, this is it, she demanded that we talk.” His story baffled her, how come that happened and how eerily similar to what she was considering not long ago.
“It was in a café somewhere at lunch, I’m fuming and she was so calmed and collected like always. If I remember it correctly, kitten, it was something like this;
‘Roland, listen to me before you do anything that we both will regret. I do feel sorry for walking out but I need you to understand that it does not mean that I feel lesser about us. We have agreed on a pact of sort that we will not lie to one another no matter what, and here to tell you that, as of now, I cannot properly reciprocate your confession with mine. It would be easier and a lie to said what you want to hear back there, but then it would be nothing more than a beautiful lie. I need time to be able to allow myself to say it with the honesty you deserve, and if this will end things between us, I’d like to let you know that I understand completely. I like you, Roland Matthews, met you at that subway bogey is the best memory I have. Our time together is nothing short of a delight and wonderful, and I would like to continue this relationship furthermore with you until I can say to you that I love you with all my heart and I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I’m getting there, Roland, be sure about it.’
I was silent, loss for words. She left after a minute or two with this… look in her eyes and after a couple of days afterward, I accepted her reasoning. That was the best decision I’ve made in my life, dear, second only to naming you Ruby, of course.”
Oddly enough, she thinks that her mum resembled Otis in many aspects; both are honest and considerate but tactless when it comes to the matter of the heart, yet her mum reasoning does sound logical and Ruby is sure that if she followed through with her intention back then she would have received the same reaction as her dad was, the difference is that she might not be so level-headed as him.
“Such a sappy story.” She said without any ill intention rather than to tease her dad, he chuckles at her and softly ruffling her hair a little.
“You are one to talk, miss,”
“Thank you, dad.” She leans over him to give him a peck on his forehead with the love she harbors for this wonderful man.
“Anytime, Rubes.” Her dad whispers to her silently.
…
Nah, that’s not it.
Otis refused to even think that Ruby was about to say that.
Not that he detests the thing, rather because he thinks someone like him couldn't coax that out of freaking Ruby Matthews. The radiant, brilliant, wonderful, and lovely Ruby.
His inside swirling with clashing thoughts, that lingering part of him still thinking about Maeve as always, yet he also notices that as of late joyful moments that he spent with Ruby has taken residence as well.
“Huh.” He exclaims silently to himself.
…