Page 9 of No One's Like You
Fortunately, Adele can't detect the sarcasm in Amelia's voice, but Ruby can.
The car ride from Ruby's mother's house to theirs takes barely eight minutes, but it feels endless to Ruby because Amelia doesn't say a single word the entire way, though that changes as soon as they cross the threshold of their house.
"Why the hell didn't you tell me Ellie was getting divorced?" she asks, dropping her purse on the sofa and turning toward Ruby with a furious expression.
Ruby really dislikes the tone Amelia uses with her, and besides, she feels like Ellie does when Marcel says her name—she doesn't want Amelia to say it despite knowing it's perfectly logical.
"As far as I know, I'm not obligated to tell you what happens in my best friend's life," Ruby fires back defensively.
"Your best friend, of course," Amelia repeats ironically. "You're right, you're not obligated, but you told your mother just fine. I don't understand why you hide it from me."
"Don't start, Amelia. It just slipped my mind."
Amelia puts her hands on her hips and lowers her head, biting her lips. She wants to cry but doesn't want to and won't. She has always been very aware of what her girlfriend feels for her best friend, and even so, she made the decision to stay with her, partly because Ellie was married to Marcel, and that gave her security, but she hadn't counted on this.
"Amelia..." Ruby says, approaching her, calmer now.
"What?" she asks without looking up.
"I'm sorry I spoke to you like that. I really was going to tell you. It's just that I couldn't find the right moment," Ruby swallows, aware that her excuse is garbage.
"Why not, Ruby? Why is it so complicated for you to talk to me about her?" Now she does look her in the eyes, and Ruby feels like she's drowning.
"I don't know," she whispers, shifting her gaze toward the window.
"I think you do know. We both know," Amelia insists.
"Please don't start this," Ruby begs.
She might have been in love with her best friend her whole life, but she's so resigned to the impossibility of it that she's been able to set it aside and love other people. She loves Amelia, and the last thing she wants is to hurt her.
"Can I trust that nothing will happen between you and her?" Amelia asks.
The question irritates Ruby, but her heart also tightens hearing it. Seeing the fear and insecurity in Amelia's eyes destroys her.
"Yes," she responds, moving closer to hug her while wondering if Amelia deserves to be with someone who causes her such unease.
Chapter 6
Ruby Hebert's mind pounds like a crazed drum. She can't stop thinking about yesterday's argument with Amelia and her eyes filled with uncertainty. During their time together, Ruby has been happy. They live well together, both understand each other, and each has her own space without the other demanding it, but Amelia isn't Ellie and, no matter how well they get along or how much she loves her, she still misses that piece that doesn't fit, the one her best friend has that would complete the perfect board she's never had.
Today she's arrived earlier at the bar; she felt restless in bed and didn't want to disturb her girlfriend. She kissed and hugged her before leaving home, but felt like a wretch because the fleeting thought that she's keeping Amelia trapped in a relationship destined to fail has made her feel disgust toward herself.
"Ruby, what are you doing here?" Ellie's voice interrupts her intrusive thoughts.
The girl looks up and her eyes lock onto her best friend's face. Ellie dresses casually, the classic dark jeans and a simple t-shirt she wears to work. Everything about her attracts Ruby, and sometimes she wonders how she's endured this feeling toward Ellie for so many years. The answer sits on the tip of her tongue—she simply loves her so much that her friendship is enough as long as she can keep her close.
"I couldn't sleep," she says, stretching in her chair.
"Everything okay?" Ellie frowns as she approaches her business partner and leans against the table in front of her.
"The situation with my mom has me worried," she lies through her teeth. "Yesterday we had lunch at her house and she didn't like that I was going to talk to the director of the volunteer center."
Ellie strokes her arm; it's a gesture she always makes when she wants to provide her friend some comfort. Ruby always reacts the same way—her skin breaks out in goosebumps and Ellie ends up smiling, convinced that her friend has very sensitive skin.
"I think you should keep insisting because if she can't see for herself that she's sinking, you need to help her."
Ruby nods with conviction.
