Page 48 of No One's Like You
"What if I don't go alone?" Ruby asks, leaning forward a bit.
"Excuse me?" Ellie furrows her brow, confused, as the first thing that pops into her head is the image of that girl Ruby was kissing in front of the bar.
"Instead of going by myself, we could go together. I'd love for us to do it together," Ruby clarifies.
Ellie's eyes widen so much that if they were spotlights, they could illuminate the entire city.
"Do you really want me to go with you?" Ellie asks, trying to make sure. "I don't want you to suggest it out of obligation. Just because our relationship has changed doesn't mean you have to invite me."
Ruby arches an eyebrow.
"I'm not suggesting it for that reason. I'd never do that. I'm asking because you were the one who asked to come with me years ago when I first talked about the idea. Although I kept postponing it, I always dreamed we would do it together. The only reason I decided to do it alone wasbecause I needed to put distance between us to accept that nothing would ever happen between you and me. But now those circumstances have changed. There's no reason why I wouldn't want to take that trip with you."
Ruby extends her hand across the table, seeking Ellie's, but Ellie can't contain herself anymore and instead of taking her hand, she jumps up, sits on Ruby's lap, and kisses her with such force that they almost fall off the chair. Ruby laughs against her mouth while Ellie kisses her as if she hasn't done so in years.
"Should I take that as a yes?" Ruby whispers against her mouth when Ellie pulls away just an inch to catch her breath.
"You bet," Ellie responds, kissing her again while her hands, desperate to touch Ruby's skin, start slipping under her shirt.
Ruby shivers under her caresses but also feels panic when she notices Ellie has no intention of stopping there. Not that she's complaining about Ellie's more than demonstrated sexual appetite, but Ruby feels exhausted, and tonight she wants to continue enjoying her company with clothes on.
"Hey, relax," Ruby says with an amused expression, gently removing Ellie's hands from her body. "We had sex this morning. Give me a break, please."
Ellie laughs, rests her forehead against Ruby's, and then gives her a kiss on the cheek before getting up to return to her chair.
"You're right, sorry," she apologizes with burning cheeks. "Lately, I'm worse than a teenager who just discovered sex."
"Well, actually, it would be fair to say you just discovered sex with women," Ruby says. "It's normal that you want more," she jokes playfully, "but you need to give me a little breather or you'll end up killing me."
Ellie smiles again, and Ruby gets up to grab two more beers.
"How's your mom?" Ruby asks as soon as she returns. "Is she still asking you about that supposed friend of yours?"
Ellie's eyes fly open.
"What's wrong?" Ruby asks.
"Oh my God, I almost forgot to tell you," Ellie says, surprised by her oversight, though she can't really beat herself up too much because when she's with Ruby, it's hard to think about anything other than biting her cotton-soft lips.
"Tell me what?"
"I told my mom we're together, yesterday, when I went to have breakfast with her."
Ruby's mouth drops open as if her jaw has become too heavy.
"Seriously? How could you forget something like that?" she asks, astonished. "How did she take it?"
"Better than I expected, honestly. I didn't tell you yesterday because I wanted to do it tonight, takingadvantage of our quiet time," Ellie responds, leaning back in her chair as she remembers the conversation.
Flashback
"So, tell me, how are things going with Rob?" Margaret asks, picking up her coffee cup. "Have you told him how you feel yet?"
Ellie puts her fork down on her plate and looks at her mother. She can't take it anymore. The lies are piling up, and it's becoming harder to make up answers about a non-existent Rob. Besides, she wants to be able to talk to her about Ruby, the woman who makes her eyes shine.
"Mom, I need to tell you something," Ellie says, taking a deep breath. "Rob isn't a guy."
Margaret puts down her cup and looks at her daughter with a furrowed brow.
