Ruby

Due to the rush in getting Abby into a somewhat comfortable position, I was unable to take proper note of Adonis's place. Contrary to the mansion he took me to, the apartment we were presently in was on the simpler side.

It looked like a proper bachelor pad with the modest use of colours that made the rooms look slightly dull yet not bad to look at. As I closed the door to his room where Abby was staying in, I took a turn and entered the kitchen where Adonis was making tea.

From the wide entrance, I watched his broad back flex easily while he washed a cup or two. I wanted to walk in slowly and hug him from behind. Of course, that would be nice.

But my outburst from earlier was stopping me, so I watched him from that distance as if he was my favourite TV show.

"Do you think it is Bryan? Do you think he did that to Abby?" The mouth of the cup in his hand hit the surface of the tray beside him after his sudden question raided the silence.

No words escaped me.

My eyes twitched as I watched him turn.

The abruptness in the way our eyes met caused me to look elsewhere before I finally gave him a response to his question.

"I can't be sure, but-" I eyed the marbled wall that easily showed the blurred reflection of some pots in that surrounding, "I have a strong feeling that he is the one."

"You haven't asked her?" his thick voice asked.

"I think that would be harsh. I want her to rest a bit."

Adonis murmured a response which I chose to ignore. Silence filled the room again until he poured some tea into the washed cups. My eyes followed his movements as he carried the tray carefully and proceeded to walk out of the room.

I watched him with some kind of expectancy, I was waiting for him to say something. Anything that would pick up our conversation from where we left it.

He did nothing of the sort and before I knew it, my hands were forming into fists, a sign that I needed to say or do something before I burst.

A few mini seconds flew by as he walked past me and I made sure to stop him before he moved any further.

"Don't you have anything to tell me?" I asked.

As Adonis carefully turned to look in my direction, he wore a frown. "What am I supposed to tell you?"

"You should be apologising to me, Adonis," I blurted with a tone I didn't initially intend.

With an increase in my flare came a growth in my senses. I could see how his hands clutched the sides of the tray tighter, I did not miss how his lips moved slightly to speak and then stopped. It was as though he hated my statement.

And, when he spoke with a rather monotonous voice, it seemed like he did hate it.

"Why should I apologise for trying to look out for you? You made a decision that doesn't promise your safety, I opposed it but you want me to apologise?"

"I..." Whatever I had to say, it was better said if my voice wasn't on the highest volume, so I put a pause on my brewing emotions.

"Ruby-"

"You said..." I took a step closer to him. "... I should crave a normal life."

"You should," he replied, his eyelids hardly batting.

"Don't you think it is too late for that? Don't you think I have achieved a new normal?" I asked eagerly, my eyeballs widening as each question built.

"I think you should not get used to it." My shoulders slumped. Not at his response, but the way he answered me. His voice... was so dull, so uninterested. It was almost as if he was tired of me.

" This path will bring pain, Ruby. But as I would always say, I am here to protect you from that pain but..." His face finally wore an emotion. "... I might not always be there to get rid of the pain. And that pain could be the worst, even during happy days."

His voice made me sad, as did his words. My building anger now reduced to a reasonable minimum, I wore a small, sad smile and asked, "So?"

"So, please, try to desire that normal life as much as you can."

"Even if you won't be in it?"

It wasn't easy to ask that question. I hate imagining being away from Adonis but there he was, hinting at the fact that it might actually happen.

"Even if I won't be in it," he repeated and I sighed dejectedly. "Hey," he called and I raised my head.

The next moment, the tears in me threatened to gush out because he planted a firm but a short kiss on my lips. As our eyes locked, we both smiled and it occurred to me that it really felt like a goodbye moment.

"We are not saying goodbye, are we?" I asked instantly, my eyes wearing desperation. "You are not going to walk out of that door and disappear from my life, right?"

He chuckled. "Why would you think so?"

"You had better not leave."

Adonis gave a burst of hearty laughter at my pouting face, and then he said, "I am going to drop this in the room. It is for you and your friend."

"What about you?"

"I have to go back to school. I will come back for both of you after closing hours, I believe you and Abby would want to go home together."

"Yes." I nodded.

"Please, do not open the door for anyone until I am back. When I get back, I will call you to open the door, alright?"

"Yes." I nodded again. "Bring the tea, I'll take it in."

"No, just open the door. It is too hot to be transferred." I did as he asked and from the entrance, I watched as he quietly walked into the room and placed the tray on a stool that was right beside his huge bed.

I took a quick look in Abby's direction before walking out after Adonis.

"Don't forget, Ruby. Don't open the door for anybody."

"Okay sir," I replied teasingly as I watched him grab his phone and car keys.

We both walked to the entrance, Adonis opened the door but before he stepped out, he faced me, reached for my hand, and said, "Ruby, I have been having a particular dream these days."

All of my attention shifted to him. "In that dream, it is just the two of us, in this very house. There are traces of you everywhere. There are two toothbrushes in the bathroom, a bigger blanket in the room, two pairs of slippers at the entrance, there is your smile brightening the room effortlessly."

Wow... What a beautiful dream. The picture my mind started to paint made me fall more in love with his words and I felt peace in my soul because of his words.

Adonis continued, "I want that dream to come to pass. I want to be with you without having to look over my shoulders repeatedly. I want my apartment to be filled with your smile and I certainly don't mind you scattering your stuff all over this place." He smiled and sighed after. "I know I am wishing for too much right now, but I am going to try to make that dream come to pass. I will try, Ruby."

His words made my heart joyous. "That's so great, Adonis."

"But do not wait for me, Ruby. No matter what happens, never wait for me. When I am done, I will come to you and make that dream a reality."

I wore a frown instantly. There it was again, that sad and cryptic note.

"I shouldn't wait for you?"

Adonis moved closer and planted a kiss on my forehead.

"You'll understand with time, Ruby."

"But-"

He pulled the door handle and the next second, he was on the other side. And I was more confused about the whole thing than I have ever been.

Then it occurred to me, my father's words. The ones about how love makes one confused. It seems love does make one confused.

The gloomy look on my face was the one I carried into the room where Abby was.

"Did you guys fight?"

I flinched because I didn't expect Abby to be awake already. Perhaps she wasn't even sleeping in the first place. I walked towards the bed, my face trying to wear a brighter look.

"We didn't fight. Things are just really weird these days," I said as I sat beside her on the comfortable bed. "Enough about me," I reached for her right hand which had mean scratches that traced all the way to her arm, "what happened? This is not a fall, it can't be." I stared hard at the scratches, "This was done by someone." I looked up and caressed the side of her face that wore a treated bruise. "Who did this to you?"

"Does that matter?" she scoffed, her line of sight darting elsewhere. "What matters is I am close to getting what I want."

"Everything matters, Abby. The entire journey matters. When something good happens, and when something bad happens, those moments are all important. The same goes for the people that have a hand in these moments. So please, who did this to you? We must make sure this person doesn't get a chance to do the same thing again."

"It is fine, Ruby. It won't make a difference if the person is known anyway."

"Abby..."

"I want to go back to school to get something."

I wanted to ask more questions. I wanted her to speak about that thing that was bothering her, I wished to be of help. But it was evident that she wanted to leave things unquestioned. "Uh..." I proceeded to reply to her earlier statement. "Adonis will come after closing hours to get us, we can make a quick stop at school then."

"Good," was all she said, and the next second, she was laying down.

"Abby?"

"Hmm?" she replied.

"It is okay to cry."

"I don't intend to, Ruby."

"Please, consider it." I got up from the bed, my heart squeezing with sadness. She was under some kind of pressure, I could tell. "Adonis made some tea, have some before it gets cold."

"Don't leave me alone," she muttered just as I was about to grab my cup and leave. "I don't want to be alone right now."

I smiled and instantly rushed towards the bed.

At least, I can do as much as hug her to sleep. If that would work for her, I would gladly do that.

~

"What's taking her so long?" Adonis asked after a lot of minutes passed with no Abby in sight.

The school was becoming very quiet and that made me concerned about my friend.

"I should go and check on her," I said as I opened the passenger door.

" I am coming with you." I couldn't tell Adonis not to come because I couldn't shake the feeling that I might need his help.

We both entered through the main entrance and made our way to the art room where Abby had told us she would be going. Getting her artwork submission for her scholarship was her reason for coming back to the school but since that was taking a long time, I just had to reason that something was wrong.

Within minutes, Adonis and I reached the corridors that led to the art room. After a few steps, we were at the door, ready to walk in, but the noise that greeted us made us pause our actions.

Loud slapping sounds filled the room at first, but soon after, a scream followed. That scream caused me to run into the room and when I did, the sight I met wasn't the sight I wished it would be.

Their groins joined erotically, the man's hands violently around her neck, he plowed into an obviously pained Abby whose eyes were tearing as she begged for mercy. The sweaty man ignored her cries. Instead, he roughly pushed in and out for her, his hands slamming her onto the table violently each time she managed to resist.

The hefty man was already spewing harsh words towards Abby and I finally snapped out of it. With no intention of sparing the man a taste of my fist, I rushed towards the half-naked person with a loud cry, and by the time I was done, the man was on the ground, a look of surprise on his face, while his wet, hard manhood was out in the open for all eyes to feast on.