Page 13 of No One's Like You
"Yes," Ruby lies. "Want some peanuts?"
Chapter 8
Two weeks have passed since Ellie Trahan officially began her divorce proceedings, and Ruby thinks she might lose her mind any moment. Since her best friend gave her the news and she—with her heart pounding against her ribs—realized it was time to take a chance, her brain hasn't stopped creating scenarios ranging from the most implausible to the beginning of a story Ruby has always designed in her mind. Jerome pushes her toward it; he's known them since they were little girls and has noticed the times Ruby pathetically drooled over her inseparable Ellie. She feels miserable; she sits at the kitchen table with a cup of now-cold coffee between her hands, thinking about her eternal crush while wiping off the lipstick mark Amelia just left on her lips. She squeezes her eyes shut; it's not fair to her partner that another woman occupies her thoughts. Amelia is affectionate, cheerful, and fun. She has the most beautiful smile in the universe, the one she just flashed before crossing the front door, the one that, years ago, finally convinced Ruby to ask her out.
"Damn it," Ruby suddenly mutters with a howl of pain.
She just got up from her chair and smashed her pinky toe against the table leg. She looks at it and sees a little blood. It seems fitting; all that is small punishment for what she's doing to her girlfriend. Since she and Amelia started dating, Ruby has tried to be her best version; she has always treated her well and respected her in every way, but she has never stopped thinking about Ellie and the possibility that something might happen between them, and that... that's worse than a one-night infidelity leaving some seedy bar. But Ellie is Ellie, that girl who looks at her with eyes of infinite affection, who hugs her so tightly that Ruby's heart fills up, and who touches her with a gentle caress that transports her to Saturn. She breathes like she saw in that video a few days ago: deep inhalations through the nose and slow exhalations through the mouth. According to the expert, repeating this for a few minutes helps calm stress and brings the body into a state of tranquility.
"Yeah, right," whispers Ruby, who's been doing it for five minutes and feels more nervous.
Her phone rings and, to her annoyance, she has to lift pillows, search under the bed and inside the nightstand before finally finding it on a shelf in the bathroom.
"Ruby, I thought you wouldn't pick up," Jerome's voice sounds distorted amid blaring music.
"Where are you?" Ruby asks, confused.
"Just finished a spinning class," the guy sighs. "I'm dying, it was an hour of torture, but as the saying goes: you have to suffer to be beautiful."
Ruby laughs heartily, and that relaxes her more than the deep breathing the quack guru advised. She needs to stop watching those videos.
"Hey, when we meet this week, bring two bags of coffee, please," Jerome asks her in a childish tone prepared for perfect manipulation.
Ruby rolls her eyes; she's tired of asking her friend to place the order through email because later one of the two business partners forgets to enter the order into the system, and at the end of the month, the inventory at Early Bayou doesn't balance.
Besides being a café in the heart of New Orleans' French Quarter, they also sell specialty coffee bags to individuals that attract many coffee lovers. Among them, Jerome, who has an absolute weakness for it and always keeps a freshly made pot in the salon for his clients' delight.
"I promise to email you next time, Ruby, but then I forget and run out of supplies," the stylist continues, who now seems to be outside the gym with only the noise of cars in the background.
"You always say the same thing; this is the last time I'm doing you this favor."
Ruby always answers with the same words too, and they've been doing this for at least two years.
"You're the best friend in the whole world," Jerome butters her up, but frowns on the other end of the phonewhen Ruby doesn't answer with her usual gruff tone. "Is something wrong?"
Ruby blinks several times and runs her hand over her face. Of course something's wrong, it's Ellie, as always. She feels a mixture of excitement and annoyance because she's spent her whole life feeling this uncontrollable thing for her best friend, and sometimes she thinks she'll explode.
"No," she lies, not wanting to get into a topic that's driving her crazy right now. "I'm running late to the bar and can't find my car keys."
Jerome knows she's not telling the truth. Ruby Hebert has always been bad at lying. Her friend considers her the most transparent person he knows and sometimes believes the world is blind when it doesn't realize she's hiding something: love for her best friend. He lets it go; he's always given her space, letting her seek him out when she needs to talk.
"Okay, I won't take up any more of your time, see you in a few days," Jerome says goodbye, and Ruby stands for a few seconds with the phone pressed to her ear.
She hasn't realized it, but while talking to her friend, she's been standing in front of a photograph in her living room. It shows a very happy Ruby, hugging Amelia outside a bar. They had been together for two years and took a trip to Memphis to visit some of her girlfriend's friends. Courtney, one of the girls, captured the exact moment when Amelia gave Ruby her best smile and she looked at her with love. A beautiful photograph that she has always loved and that now breaks her heart. She makes a decision,this time thinking of Amelia first; she doesn't deserve this, she deserves a woman who has eyes only for her, so Ruby won't let more time pass; they'll talk tonight.
"Is it as good as you say?" Ruby asks a middle-aged man with a disheveled appearance.
"It's been the most requested product this month," the man answers.
"Give me two cases, we'll try it and let you know something."
Ruby says goodbye and leaves the warehouse in the Bywater neighborhood. One of her beverage distributors is there, and today it's her turn to place a special order for a themed party. Rob, the manager, has offered her a new craft beer that he claims is the best on the market right now. Ruby has ordered a sample because Rob could sell his own mother to earn more commission, so they'll first try a couple of cases and then see.
She drives in silence, without the radio on, just listening to the sound of her rapid breathing. Amelia is already home, and she feels like there's a noose around her neck. She's afraid because she knows the moment will be sad and painful, but she's convinced it's the right thing.
"Hi, honey," Amelia greets from the couch. She's watching one of those investigation shows she loves so much.
Ruby's breath catches, and her hands start to shake. She doesn't move, and Amelia, realizing she isn't answeringor hearing her footsteps, turns her head and sees her there, white as a wall.
