Page 19 of No One's Like You
"Nothing," he responds while fiddling with his watch as if making sure everyone notices it, "I'm just here to pick up Ellie."
Something explodes in Ruby's head when she hears this, and the friendly smile she always has for customers disappears instantly when she puts the pieces together. Ellie hasn't made plans with her mother nor dressed up because she felt like it. She dressed up for this jerk, because she has a date with him.
As if knowing Ruby's thinking about her, Ellie emerges from the office with her purse over her shoulder and the same radiant smile she had when Ruby arrived, except now she directs it at the guy with the fake teeth and pedantic expression.
"Tim, you're right on time," Ellie says, approaching him. "Ruby, I'm going to lunch, I'll be back in a couple of hours, okay?"
"Yes, sure, no problem," Ruby responds, feeling her throat tighten.
A knot forms in her chest as she watches Tim place his hand on Ellie's lower back as they exit. Ruby suddenly exhales, feeling something break inside her. She stands there, still as a statue, feeling stupid for thinking once again that she could have something with Ellie. When will she open her eyes? Ellie will never look at her that way.
The rest of the morning passes in a kind of trance, serving customers without being aware of it, cleaning and preparing orders while her mind is elsewhere, wondering who this guy is and how long Ellie has been seeing him, but mostly, why she hasn't told her about him.
Ellie returns two hours later, just as she said. In a normal situation, Ruby would ask how it went. But the situation isn't normal, not for Ruby, and she can't say anything, though that doesn't seem to be a problem, because Ellie herself sits on the other side of the bar across from her to tell her how it went.
"I had a good time with Tim," she says smiling. "He's a bit uptight, but he has a sense of humor."
For Ruby, hearing her say this feels like someone's slowly driving a dagger into her heart; nevertheless, she maintains her dignity, showing no emotion.
"I didn't know you were seeing someone," she murmurs, wiping the bar despite it being clean.
"Well, it's the first time I've gone out with him," Ellie explains. "The other day I went to see my mother, and she started lecturing me about how it was time I started datingagain. You know what she thinks about divorces, the end of one marriage is just the beginning of another," she says, rolling her eyes.
Ellie leans a bit over the bar and lowers her voice to speak in confidence.
"To be honest, the last few months with Marcel there was no sex at all, and after the divorce, it was the last thing on my mind, but now that some time has passed, I feel like I need to clear the cobwebs down there," she confesses with a mischievous smile.
Ruby's throat dries up, but so does her heart.
"So I decided to listen to my mother and start dating again," she finishes, unknowingly crushing her friend.
Ruby wants to throw herself down a deep hole she can't climb out of. Ellie has just made it clear she's still interested in men, now there's no need to send any subtle or direct signals, she has no chance with her.
"Are you sure it's not too soon?" she asks desperately. "I mean, you just got out of a marriage..."
Ellie shrugs.
"At some point I'll have to be with someone again, right? Besides, I'm not going to get married, right now I just want to have fun, I'm not looking for anything serious."
Ruby nods, feeling her stomach sink as if she'd swallowed a giant rock.
Chapter 12
Ruby Hebert can't remember spending such an uncomfortable night in all her years. Despite struggling with insomnia for several days that threatens to drive her crazy, what happened at the bar yesterday has set her brain on a creative path, sending her images of her current miserable existence.
When she finished at the Early Bayou, she turned down Ellie's offer to grab a drink together because, according to her friend, now that they're both single, they have more time to spend alone together. No thanks, Ruby didn't want to spend another minute looking at that fitted dress Ellie wore for stupid Tim. She went home, cleaned thoroughly, changed sheets and towels, and did two loads of laundry. She wasn't hungry, so she skipped dinner. She tried watching a series, but she used to watch it with Amelia, and the thorny knot in her throat returned with force. She went to her bedroom and picked up a novel she bought months ago that, although she likes it a lot, she hasn't managed to finish. When she realized she couldn't read a wholeparagraph without feeling bitter, she decided to put it aside and try to fall asleep, and that's how she ended up having the worst night in a long time. She estimates she slept, at most, a couple of hours.
When she gets out of bed and looks in the bathroom mirror, her reflection shows a terrible image. She's swollen like a toad, has the deepest dark circles, and a bump under her lip, right in the right corner. It looks like a pimple or an insect bite, she doesn't know, but it makes her look even more disheveled than she already is. Ruby feels rage coursing through her body like a whiplash across her back. She feels disappointed and, if she were selfish, she'd blame Ellie. The reality is that all these negative feelings are directed at herself, because her best friend has never shown any sign of wanting to cross that friendship barrier, and yet Ruby not only remained foolishly in love, but allowed herself to get her hopes up just because Ellie separated from her husband.
"You're such an idiot, Ruby Hebert," she tells herself with a touch of pain while shaking her head.
After getting ready, she heads to the bar. She has to work and, despite not wanting to see Ellie, she prefers to be there than within the four walls of her house. When she parks near the place, her phone starts vibrating in the pocket of her cargo pants, and when Ruby reads the name on the screen, her breath catches. Amelia.
"Hello," she answers the phone with a choked voice.
"Ruby, how are you?" Amelia asks cordially.
The voice hits her in the chest, and she thinks about how hard breakups are. She, who loved her ex-girlfriend deeply, separated because neither her heart beat for her nor did the relationship progress, and still, it hurts to think about Amelia. She can't even imagine the suffering of those who end relationships while still in love.
