0.1 | No Exit from Deception ?

0.27 | Je t'aime : First Trial

"No! I have no appetite," she replied quickly. "I'm already full." Her eyes wandered across the room.

"Fine. Then I'll see you at breakfast. Good night Miss Elizabeth!" She smiled and Ruby reciprocated with a pretentious smile, too.

"Goodie good night!"

As the door shut closed, Ruby wended her way to the classic baroque bed with a padded headboard. Hand-carved decorations and matching furniture in the room made her wonder about the high society people's living standards. Ruby stared at the ceiling--- catchy, versatile, modern, and very stylish! Hung below the dropped ceiling serving for both functional and aesthetic reasons. Moreover, they complemented contemporary interiors with exquisite finishing.

"If this is how paradise looks like, then I'm never leaving this place," Ruby said, exalting whatever item came across her eyes; her palms roving over the mattress mindlessly on the other side.

"After robbing this poor lady's wealth, Joseph, his mother, and I will move to some different city and purchase a big house. I'll put forward a similar layout for our bedroom. How awesome will that be?" Ruby expressed her dream in words and giggled with excitement.

She walked over to her inbuilt wardrobe and picked up a baby pink viscose jammies set, with a touch as smooth as silk.

She crawled to her bed again and bumped her head into the soft pillow before closing her eyes and sighing.

"But wait, does he know that I like him? Or does he even like me in the first place?" Ruby sprang up from the bed after hearing her phone's muffled ring from inside her envelope bag. "Who the creep on earth is daring to intervene in my reveries?"

"Hello!" Ruby barked.

"Ruby, it's me." A familiar, husky voice sounded from the phone.

"Joseph...." she exclaimed. "Joseph, there is something that I'm dying to tell you. And I'll not be able to sleep if I don't tell it to you right now. Just where can I find you?"

"Ruby... I'm outside in the parking lot, sitting in my car as I'm about to drive back home. I just called you to check up on you." Joseph stated as his one leg was outside the car. "Ruby? Ruby? Are you hearing me? Why aren't you answering? Hello?"

Joseph got tensed and got off his car which was technically Sarah's car. "Did anyone catch her talking to me? What if they try to hurt her by---no, no, no...Ruby, where are you? Goddammit, pick up the phone?"

****

Ruby quickly slid open the shoe almirah and slipped her feet into the loafers. Ruby poked her head out and then her body, she scanned the place, and luckily the coast was clear. The soreness in her legs restrained her movements, but the thought of declaring her love for Joseph produced some sort of magical energy in every move she took us farther away from the core of the mansion.

Ruby saw Mary talking to someone as they trudged from the foyer towards another room. She breathed out, bending down, holding the pillar for support. "Joseph just wait for a minute more. Why is this bitch taking so long to proceed inside the room? Are those prosthetic feet?"

"Ma'am, whom are you talking to? Also, Mrs Warner must be waiting for you in the dining hall. You must be there."

Ruby spun around, horrified. "I-I already informed Mary that I won't be having dinner tonight. I just w-wanted to see how the mansion
l-looks at night so that's why I'm here. Shall I go back if you want me to?" Ruby's stuttered attempt was successful in satisfying her doubt.

"Oh, no please do whatever your hearts say," she said and vanished off.

The cold wind slapped her face as she stepped out of the foyer. Ruby looked everywhere to the distance the light strew out to and reached the parking lot. She looked up at the soft sparkling sky, panting, "Guess, he's already gone."

"Time passes by so fast, but then you are here-- shouldn't you be in your room right now."

"Joseph," Ruby took his name passionately. She pivoted on her heels and dashed towards him.

"You got me worried for once. I even had to make the rounds---- and somehow dodged your beloved Mary's wide-awake eyes," Joseph said weakly, looking at her. He walked in between the two cars and placed his elbow on its roof as he was facing her.

The most impeccable moment came when her body crashed into his and she tiptoed, reaching out for his mouth. She inclined his face towards her; his eyes were completely open, unlike Ruby who had her eyes closed, completely driven in the pleasure ride.

She pressed her lips gently without caring to ask him about his feelings first, or about his thoughts about her. His face had the slightest bit of stubble and it tickled against her chin and pushed him back.

His lips were tender as if they had never been touched before. A storm of words jumbled in her head as to how to start a conversation after this lip attack, and why not. It was her first kiss. Ruby was the first one to pull away, closing her eyes to devour the moment. "Joseph, this friendship has become a sort of punishment now."

Joseph cleared his throat."What was that?"

"In layman's terms, it's called a kiss."

Joseph's eyes softened for a brief moment and began to burn with sage fire like always which was also equally acceptable by her."You did a... marvelous job. Most of all, you didn't get nervous which is a good thing."

"At one point, I did feel nervous and just wanted to give it up. But, then I recalled your words 'just remember the person whose closest to your heart'. And guess what it worked."

His corners turned up as he forced a smile and dropped into a thin line in a split second.

"You are not going to ask who did I imagine?"

"Go inside. From now on, you are no longer an outlier, there will be an army of people spying on you, your activities, and what you do. whom you talk with? Be on full alert!" Joseph grabbed her shoulders and shook her a little.

Ruby nodded, smiling.

"Joseph, I imagined you."

Joseph's lips parted and his strained eyes swam. Discontent running high in his calculative head, he simply stated, "I shall get going now." With that said, he got inside his car and deliberating started searching for something inside. Why wasn't she leaving?

Ruby answered after a few seconds.

"Fine. Inform Sarah that I'll be missing her bacon cheeseburgers. Eat well and make sure your mother eats, too."

"Yeah. Good night." Joseph tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.

"Um, night!"

They exchanged their wishes quietly. Ruby ambled in the opposite direction, glaring at the seven sparkling white sedans that looked like the cars of the guests who arrived. Her backlit body's shadow fell on the ground just as he pulled his car at full speed.

She did nothing to wipe the speck of hair from her face, as she declared to no one but the moon high above, "You were the witness to our undeniable love."

Word count - 1800

a/n; dunno bout y'all but I'm not convinced with that kiss.

in the next chapo you'll be introduced to the second male lead *ahem ahem* of AOOD. yay!

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