Page 25 of No One's Like You
"What are you smiling at so much?" she asks and brings her own cup to her lips.
Ruby takes a few seconds but focuses on Ellie. Her friend's lips have always seemed like a ripe strawberry toher, but she diverts her eyes because her plan isn't to keep falling under her spell.
"How easy it is to hook up on these apps," Ruby waves her phone with her hand as if it were a tambourine.
Inexplicably, Ellie feels her stomach contract and her ears begin to burn. She shakes her head in disbelief at what she's experiencing because she can't make any sense of it; dating through apps is something natural that she does too.
"I also think it's time to move on," Ruby continues explaining. "And seeing that in just a few minutes I already have two proposals, it's a good way to start."
Ellie nods, still with her stomach knotted, and thinks perhaps it's because she hasn't eaten breakfast yet. She changes the subject; talking about Ruby's hookups at this moment doesn't appeal to her, she doesn't feel jealous or anything like that. They're friends, but they have more important things to discuss.
"By the way, I've made an appointment at the bank tomorrow to review credit options," says Ellie and adjusts in her chair. Suddenly she feels very uncomfortable.
Ruby doesn't put her phone aside. At another time, she would have done so and given her full attention to Ellie, but one of the steps to distance herself from her feelings for her is to change the priority she has always given her best friend. She doesn't intend to push her aside now, she simply needs to stop acting like a girl in love capable of bringing down the full moon just to make her smile.
"I don't think the bank will give us a solution, but we'll go," confirms Ruby.
Ellie twists her expression. Ruby, of the two, is the positive one, the one who encourages, the one who always says everything has a solution, and now hearing her negative attitude confuses her. She assumes that maybe it's because of what she's going through after breaking up with Amelia; perhaps everything around her is darkness, and right now she can't be the Ruby she always is.
"Well, I'll wait for you inside," says Ellie, standing up. "I'm going to check the order that arrived this morning."
"I'll catch up with you," is all Ruby says without looking at her, smiling at her phone. She's determined to move on.
Chapter 15
"I went shopping yesterday, I've got everything ready for the student hangout," Jerome says after taking a long swig of his beer. "Have you girls decided what you're going to wear?" he asks, looking at his friends.
Ruby and Ellie look at him and smile. Jerome rolls his eyes and sighs dramatically.
"Okay, let's talk about something else because it's obvious that here, the only one who cares about style is me. How's the situation with the place? Do you know what you're going to do? Do you have any plan?" he questions, concerned.
Ruby sighs without saying anything, letting Ellie speak for both of them.
"The truth is we haven't resolved anything. The other day we went to the bank to see if they'd give us a solution, but as Ruby anticipated," Ellie glances sideways at her, resentful because her friend continues showing that negative attitude that seems to stick to her lately, "they won't grant us more credit and, even if they did, I'm notsure we could handle that amount. We need to find another solution before the contract expires or we'll be screwed."
"What a mess," Jerome says, frustrated because he can't help them.
"Yeah, well. I have to go," Ellie says. "My mom has a routine check-up at the doctor and if I don't go with her, she'll hold it against me for the rest of my existence."
Ruby smiles.
"Mothers," Jerome mutters, waving his hand in horror. "Hope it goes well, give her my regards."
"Yeah, see you."
Ruby startles when she feels Ellie's kiss on her cheek. As accustomed as she is to them, these last few days they feel like electric shocks that put her on edge. Does she no longer want them? Yes, of course she wants them, but they're not good for her.
"I adore Ellie, but I'm glad she left," Jerome says.
Ruby opens her eyes wide, surprised by the comment.
"Why do you say that?"
"So you can tell me what's going on with you," her friend responds.
She snorts, wondering why it's so easy for Jerome to interpret her moods. Sometimes she feels like, standing in front of him, she has a bright sign hanging from her neck.
"It's simple," Ruby says, unwilling to play hard to get. "I've discovered I have nothing to do with Ellie, that I got excited over nothing, as always."
