Page 30 of No One's Like You
Margaret laughs.
"My God, do people still play that?" she asks, going back in time.
"I guess so," Ellie responds. "The thing is, I had to kiss him and, when I did, I felt things I'd never felt before."
Ellie notices herself blushing as she remembers Ruby's lips.
"You'll have to explain better, honey," her mother says, genuinely interested.
"I think I've been very clear, Mom," Ellie rolls her eyes. "I felt vertigo, like I was in free fall while we were kissing. I've never felt that with anyone, not with Marcel or any of the guys I've dated before. It was like everything fit, like his lips were the only thing I've been looking for my entire life."
When she finishes speaking, her mother is staring at her, surprised by the honesty of her words, though not more than Ellie herself.
"Then we already have a new candidate to replace Marcel," Margaret smiles.
"Mom..." Ellie protests. "I'm speaking seriously, I feel very lost right now, I don't know what to do."
"Well, for me it's very simple, Ellie. Talk to him and tell him what you felt."
Ellie looks at her horrified.
"I can't do that, we're friends."
"Look," her mother says. "When I'd been married to your father for about ten years, I met a guy at work who I found very funny. We became friends, talked and laughed all the time. I was sure it was friendship, but one afternoon he kissed me. It was something silly, I don't even remember how it happened, but I felt everything you're describing, Ellie."
"And what happened?" Ellie asks intrigued.
"Nothing. I was with your father and I had you, who was barely five years old. I got scared and pushed that guy away thinking I was wrong and that what I felt with that kiss, I should only feel with your father. But that never happened, with your father I never experienced anythinglike it, not with him or any of the men I've met since, and I've regretted all my life not giving myself a chance to explore those feelings. After all, your father behaved that way with Adele, breaking our friendship, and besides, he left me shortly after," she says with a grimace.
"And what are you trying to tell me with that?" Ellie asks, avoiding going deeper into the painful topic of her father.
"Don't make the same mistake I did. If you like that boy, you should tell him and discover what's happening between you. From experience, I tell you that those kinds of connections aren't experienced twice in a lifetime, honey."
"But I'm afraid, Mom. He's my best friend..." she corrects herself, flustered. "If we start something and it doesn't work out, I'd lose him as a friend and I don't know if I could bear that."
"Listen to me, Ellie," her mother takes her hand and squeezes it affectionately. "If the feeling is mutual and there really is something between you, that friendship won't continue no matter how much you want it to, it will end up exploding somewhere and, in the end, you'll lose both things. Trust me, if you like him, you have to tell him."
Ellie throws her head back looking at the sky, clinging to her mother's hand while trying not to let the fear of the sudden revelation of her possible feelings for Ruby paralyze her.
Chapter 18
Ellie runs her hands compulsively through her hair. The nervousness she feels is suffocating her, and she knows this can't be good for her health. Amazingly, after returning home from visiting her mother, she had dinner and collapsed exhausted into bed until this morning. She feels full of energy, even euphoric, but has no desire to enter the bar and face Ruby. Her body sends constant sharp signals reminding her of what she felt when she tasted her best friend's lips, and she feels tremendously confused, but above all, embarrassed. If she thinks about everything that has happened over these years with Ruby, the pieces fit together as automatically as they do astonishingly. She remembers when they met, those vivid eyes, the shy smile, and her small legs swinging while sitting on the wall dividing her house from Ellie's.
"Hi, I'm Ruby," she said shyly, with a soft, sweet voice.
Ellie smiled because that sound resonated deep in her chest.
"I'm Ellie, we just moved in," said the little girl of barely six years.
"We can be friends, if you want," Ruby proposed with bright eyes.
Ellie thought about it for a few seconds because her mother had always advised her to carefully choose the people who would remain by her side. And today, twenty-seven years later, she knows she made the best decision in the world. She can't help but recall when Ruby hugged her tightly, the first time, and Ellie felt so good that she decided to hug her friend whenever she could. The first sleepover, the first time they changed in the same locker room to attend Tommy Robins' party at his grandparents' pool. Highs, joys, and her heart always racing. Now she understands that she has always loved Ruby more than usual, more than one loves a best friend.
"Shit," she hisses and runs her fingers over her mouth.
She gets out of the car—her hiding place for the last twenty minutes—and, without overthinking it, walks to the door of the Early Bayou. She greets the two bartenders behind the counter preparing orders and doesn't stop in the kitchen as she always does to exchange comments with the cook because Ellie isn't in the mood to talk to anyone; she wants to see Ruby at once and get through this like some tedious errand at city hall. She doesn't know what to expect, doesn't know how her friend will react after not speaking since the kiss the other night.
When she realizes Ruby isn't in the office, she leaves her bag and heads to the back patio. Her chest makesa strange movement when she sees her sitting with her phone in hand and a coffee. She's smiling and of course, Ruby Hebert has a beautiful smile. Her eyes narrow a little and her jawline looks sharper. Ellie has always thought she's pretty, but now she finds her stunning. She can't take her eyes off her mouth, so moist, so exquisite.
