0.1 | No Exit from Deception ?

0.24 | Peaches And Brown Mascara

"Joseph, please give me a day. It's not like I've not learned anything. I need my brain to relax and work normally," she spoke breathlessly and her hands started to quiver. She groaned and instantly spread her hands across her face. "This was so uncertain. You should have told her to wait for a few more days."

Joseph noticed her jiggling feet. So, he inched closer to hug her after getting down on his knees, arresting the tension that surged through her body.

In return, Ruby wrapped her arms around his neck weakly and whispered, "Joseph, it scares me if I disappoint you anywhere and you start to detest me. Promise me you are not going to hate me."

"Not quite. You will give your best performance for sure. I trust you. And I'm begging you to remove this unsuitable thought that you will disappoint me at any point. I've seen how beautifully you tackle every problem. I'm impressed." Joseph pulled her to cradle her face.

Joseph walked over to his bedside table and grabbed his wallet before extending a glossy paper to her. Ruby analyzed a washed-out colored photograph of a girl--- of Elizabeth.

"Woah . . . she looks so like me."

"You stole my words. I was taken aback when I saw you at the party for the first time. Somehow I was overburdened by the constant worry that how would I convince you to partake in this plan. Your physical attributes ─ your face was everything; it gave me hope ─ an extraordinary hope to find myself at the crest of my dream. But your consent equally mattered."

"So I see you've got enough backing. I shouldn't mistake you for creating such impractical impersonation drama." She huffed. "We are two different people--extreme opposites. She was a rich brat unlike me. It's funny and equally unjust how I'll be making a fool out of everyone just because I've got her looks."

"I refuse to call it so." Joseph coughed and crossed his arms against his chest; he didn't want to touch the grounds of morality. "Now, go to sleep. Above all, a girl will never want to wake up with dark circles around her eyes right?"

"Joseph, please take care of yourself too. In my opinion, it's you who has been working day and night tirelessly." Ruby's lips glossed with a caring smile.

"I'm doing fine. Now give that pretty little head of yours a rest. Go and sleep. Tomorrow is a big day ─ your day."

Ruby exhaled as her brain began to thaw when his eyes appeared to intensely critique her mindset. He was afraid if she blurted out something wrong or much to his dismay--the truth behind this pretense, not only he will be fired from his job but the things they could do to her wouldn't put him at ease either.

"Night Jose!"

"Night Ruby!"

"I think you need a big correction there, it's Elizabeth, not Ruby," she smartly stated only to find an astounded Joseph nodding and showing his teeth.

***

The long-awaited moment had finally come. But there were too many balls in the air for each member in delivering their performance. Sarah was helping Ruby with her makeup and her dressing quotient. Happenings and mishappenings ─ all occurring at the same time. Neither of them was ready for this sudden call, to be honest, not even Joseph who found ways to dress things smoothly.

Ruby didn't ponder about waiting, or proper occasion, she simply did what she was good at, wallowing the other person in her tension, "Sarah, there's something I want to confide in you."

"Go on . . ." Sarah bent to comb through something in a large box.

"I've to confess; a disastrous one indeed," Ruby muttered as she mindlessly dug in and out the brush into the peach nail polish bottle, holding it up in one hand.