“She is very pretty, I must admit.” Ruby looked over at her dog, the expanse of fat belly with four legs sticking up at odd angles.
“You’ve literally only had lunch with her, what, a handful of times, in your grotty office.”
Ruby opened her mouth in indignation at the criticism of her working space, but snapped it closed again at the glint in Chloe’s eye, which meant she was joking.
“Not particularly romantic,” Chloe said.
“What if I don’t want to be romantic with Mel?”
“Every time you talk about her you get that dreamy look in your eyes,” Jasmine said, her voice taking on a sing-song quality.
Chloe giggled and gave her mother a look. “You should try to woo her somewhere out of the work place.”
“‘Woo her’?” Ruby laughed incredulously and shook her head. Her hair swiped her forehead as it swished around. “What is this, a fifties film?”
“Might as well be.” Jasmine’s cutting tone made Ruby frown at her. Jasmine rolled her eyes and went back to looking at her phone.
Something inside Ruby started to flutter about. The thought of taking Mel on an actual date was making her palms sweat and her mouth dry. What if she doesn’t want to go on a date? What if she does? What would I wear? What does one wear on a date to the aquarium? A fish-printed dress? That thought caused her to press her lips with her fingers. She forced a look of faint interest back onto her face.
“I just mean that you should take her somewhere nice,” Chloe said, holding one hand up, palm to the ceiling. The brightly coloured silicon bracelets, of which there were many, slid up her thin arm to her elbow.
“And the aquarium is somewhere you’d consider ‘nice’?” Ruby asked, really wanting to know.
Chloe snuck under Ruby’s arm again and laid her head on her shoulder.
A mass of blonde curls brushed Ruby’s face and made her splutter. Ruby pushed the hair back so she could breathe.
“Just see what happens, please?” Chloe squeezed her mother warmly. “I love you and it’s been far too long since you had a date.”
“I have a date, like, every weekend,” Jasmine murmured.
“Will it stop you nagging me? If I invite Mel to the aquarium?”
Chloe’s grin was so wide she didn’t have to answer.
“Are you actually suggesting I ask her now?”
“No time like the present.”
“It’s Christmas Day. She’s probably out with her family or…” Ruby bit her lip and played with the knee of her trousers.
“Just do it.” Chloe shrugged. “Maybe it being Christmas will mean she’s in a romantic mood. More likely to say yes.”
With a strangled sort of snort, Ruby found she didn’t have enough energy to argue. So she grabbed her phone and the tickets and scooted out into the hallway. She stared at one of her watercolour prints for a minute—her favourite, with the deer and countryside—before bringing her phone up and scrolling to Mel’s number.
She had the phone to her ear, her eyes squeezed shut and her breath held, before she had the chance to lose her nerve. The thought of returning to the living room, and the critical but affectionate gazes of her children, was worse than the potential rejection Mel might give her. Just.
“Hello.” Mel’s tone sounded somewhere between pleased and very surprised.
“Hiya. It’s… it’s Ruby.”
“Yes. I know.” Mel chuckled.
Everything relaxed just a bit. Mel didn’t seem bothered that Ruby had rung her, or that it was Christmas. Ruby wondered if she was on her own but threw that idea out. A sociable and outgoing woman like Mel would not be on her own, surely?
“Um… hiya.”
“You definitely already said that. But hey, twice is better than not at all.”
Ruby set her jaw but found humour pulling her lips upwards. “Yeah, all right, clever clogs.”
“Merry Christmas.”
“Oh, yeah. Merry Christmas. Are you… I mean…” Ruby stamped her foot, the noise of which was luckily muffled by her slipper and the thick carpet. “Right. My daughters have badgered me into giving you a ring.”
“Have they?” A teasing note.
Ruby’s confidence grew. “Yep. They’ve given me tickets for… for the aquarium.”
“That’s an… interesting present. Nice though. If you like that sort of thing.”
Anxiety lifted its terrible head again and made Ruby ball a fist. “Is that… Is it something you’d like?”
A pause. Ruby perched on the telephone seat and wound her finger into the curly wire of the landline phone while she waited. Oh God, now I’ve really embarrassed her. Or confused her. She’ll probably hang up.
“I like animals. I think my cat would prefer it, but I’m not sure the aquarium is feline-friendly.”
“No, I can assume it wouldn’t be.”
Mel still hadn’t really answered the question.
“Are you sure you don’t want the ticket?”
“Oh.” Ruby pulled the cord so hard the receiver bounced onto the floor. A growl passed her lips as she bent to retrieve it, settling it back in position. She grimaced as she realised the clattering might have made Mel more confused. “No. Actually, I was going to ask if you’d come with me. There are two tickets.”
“Oh!” Something seemed to click on Mel’s side of the line. “Oh, I’m sorry I thought…”
“Yeah. Sorry. I wasn’t clear. But yes, I’m asking you to the aquarium.” The word ‘date’ seemed to rattle the walls around her, but Ruby couldn’t bring herself to use it.
“That’d… Wow. Okay. I’d like that.”
“You would?” Ruby’s finger was encased in curly wire again.
“Of course. Like I said, I like animals. Usually more of a mammal type of girl, but hey, who am I to discriminate when it comes to species?”
Ruby hummed out a giggle. “Well then. That’s brilliant.” She clamped her mouth closed. “Um… I mean it’d be really lovely to go with you.”
Another chuckle, broken slightly by static, as if Mel was currently somewhere that the signal wasn’t great. “You too.”
Heat flushed across Ruby’s cheeks. She toyed with the collar of her top. “The only thing is…” Ruby checked the tickets. “It’s not actually until March.”
“What isn’t?”
“The tickets. They’re specifically to go see the new rays. They don’t get them until March.”
“Really?” Mel’s voice had lowered. Ruby thought she could detect disappointment.
“Yes, I’m afraid you’ll have to be patient,” Ruby replied, pressing humour between her words. I hope she doesn’t forget. Or that we don’t fall out before we go.
“I think I can manage that.”
“Oh, good.”
Yet another silence; more uncomfortable this time. Ruby supposed she should say good-bye; make sure Mel didn’t think she was hogging her at Christmas time when they should both be spending it with their families. She cleared her throat, ready to speak, but was beaten to the post.
“How’s your day going?” Mel asked.
Ruby cleared her throat again and dropped the phone cord, settling more comfortably on the seat. “It’s fine. The girls seem pleased with the things I got them. And the things they got each other.”
“You’re at home?”
“Yes. Just me and the girls. Mum’ll be joining us later, with my sister in tow, I’m sure.”
“That’s nice.”
“What about you?”
“Seeing Dad this afternoon. But currently being stared at by my crewmate.”
“You’re spending Christmas morning with your colleague?”
Mel laughed. “Strange, I know. But he just finished a night shift. And his girlfriend is with her family, his folks are away. So he’s
stuck with me.”
Ruby tried to keep the disgust out of her voice. “Oh dear. A night shift? Not the best start to the holidays.”
“It was nice, apparently. He came to mine armed with snacks. Charitable funds delivered a big collection of food and drink to the station, and he mostly gorged himself for the whole shift.”
“Aha. Not many people to save, then?”
“Not too many. He’s off now for a couple of days and the majority of proper poorlies happen after everyone’s consumed far too much food or alcohol. And that’s usually the day after Christmas.”
“Good for him.”
“Good for me that I’m off sick this Christmas.” Ruby glanced towards the door, remembering her daughters. They’re probably amusing themselves with their new belongings. No need to rush back.
A squeak and various expletives from the other side muffled whatever Mel tried to say next.
“Are you okay?” Ruby asked, laughing.
“Currently being poked and prodded by James. Bloody hell, dude, enough!”
Ruby put a hand over her mouth to smother her remaining chuckles.
“I’d better go. He’s getting jealous.”
“Oh right. That sort of friend, is he?”
“Very much.”
“Fair enough. Bye, then.”
“Enjoy your Christmas Day.”
“And yours.”
The line went dead, but not before more squirming noises and swear words flowed down the phone in abundance.
Mel hung up her mobile and stuck one finger in her mouth, grinning around it. James grinned back from his now relaxed position on her sofa. Even Epione appeared smug, sitting with her tail curled primly around her white feet.
“Was that Ruby?” James asked, lifting his coffee in a salute. He’d stopped prodding her when she had hung up and adopted a nonchalant exterior.
“Might’ve been.” Mel slid back around the sofa without her crutches, having dropped them both when her phone had rung and then given up retrieving them in case Ruby had hung up while she was waiting. The edge of the sofa had seemed a perfect place to perch.
“Just wishing you a Merry Christmas?” James asked casually. There was an evil gleam in his eye, however, and Mel knew she could hide very little from him. He had heard the entire conversation, anyway.
“She did say that. But she also invited me to go with her to the aquarium.”
“That’s… nice?” James said, obviously a bit confused by the location of the proposed outing. “But I thought you said she wasn’t into women?”
“I didn’t… I mean… I’m not sure.” Mel huffed frustratedly. “I expect she’s straight and just being kind.”
“Or your gaydar’s wonky.”
“Shut up.” She jabbed his ribs with a finger, and then turned her head to contemplate. “It sounds very nice, actually,” Mel replied defensively. She sipped deliberately from her coffee and threw her head back in a gesture of nonchalance. “She wants to go in March; they have some special rays being added to the collection, so…”
“A date?” James leant forward, his elbows on his knees. “Like an actual one, rather than one where neither of you actually know if it’s a date or not?”
Mel put a hand over her face and groaned a bit. “I’ve no idea.”
“Didn’t you ask?”
“No, of course not.” Mel flicked her eyes from side to side, as if someone could be listening in. “That’s not the kind of thing you ask.”
James sighed dejectedly. “It’s been a couple of months.”
“I know.”
“And you haven’t even established whether she’s gay?”
“She has children.”
James let out a “pfft”.
“She’s quite a private person. I don’t want to ruin it by making it all awkward if I ask her out.”
“Aww, didums.” He leant to poke her good leg and she kicked out at him.
“Leave it out.”
Resting back in his armchair, James regarded her with affectionate eyes. “You won’t ruin it by asking her out.”
“I will. I’m no good at relationships.”
“We seem to have a good thing going.”
“Aha, yes, but we’re not sleeping together.”
“Aren’t we? Why have I not noticed that?”
She threw the television remote control at him.
Epione stared at her with critical eyes and slouched off over the side of the sofa to find a warm spot to curl up in. She flopped down by the radiator, and the rumble of her purr was audible from across the room.
“You’re really good at friendships, mate,” James continued, apparently going down a route that did not include teasing his friend.
“But I’m no good at romance, or dating, or keeping a girl for longer than five minutes.”
Again, he softened. “Rach was a bitch.”
“I know. But it terrifies me when I think about how she treated me. I don’t want that to happen again.” Some of the tension flew from her shoulders as she expressed herself. I can tell him things I could never tell anyone else. Mel sighed and put her head in her hand. Her hair filtered between her fingers and hung over her face, brushing the arm of the chair. I need to get my hair cut.
“You treated her like she was a goddess.” James looked smug. “You’re a great girlfriend.”
Mel groaned and threw the DVD player remote at him. It actually hit him this time, clonking him on the shoulder. He caught it and threw it back at her. She laughed and folded her arms in protest.
“Ask her out, you big wuss, otherwise you’ll die alone and depressed with only Epione for company, and eventually she’ll eat your face.” At her horrified look, he shrugged. “I saw it on a documentary once.”
She threw the remote at him again, and laughed when it bounced off his head.
Chapter 9
Mel wiggled her toes in her trainer, rolled her foot in a circle, and hummed in happiness. Her leg felt cold and unprotected, sure, but it felt wonderful. The cast now gone, she felt free, happy, and she was just about ready to get back on her bike and ride a hundred miles into the countryside.
She didn’t. Her physiotherapist had suggested a less vigorous form of exercise to begin her rehabilitation with, and Mel had agreed—grudgingly. She didn’t want to overdo it, especially with her practical assessments at university looming on the horizon. So she’d taken it easy, going for brief walks around the garden, stretching regularly, and trying to relax. She wasn’t allowed back to work for yet another three weeks, but she figured she’d find something interesting to do.
When she didn’t find Ruby in her office, the first Wednesday back after Christmas, she took a stroll into the middle garden area of the university. There, she stood by the water fountain and gazed at the fish that flopped back and forth in its depths. Taking a seat on one of the benches in the grassy area to the right, she crossed her legs and rolled her foot again, idly. That feels so good. But I really need to shave my leg. Her other leg she’d kept in tip-top condition, but not having access to her broken one had meant the whole thing had been rather neglected. Maybe I’ll go for a beauty treatment or something. That’d kill some time while I wait to go back to work.
A muffled groan from a few metres away made her look up. She caught sight of Ruby, bending over in a dirty greenhouse in the far corner. What’s she doing? Mel stood and strode across derelict land to the glass house, green with algae and covered in streaks of muck.
“Hey,” she called, pushing at the creaky sliding door. It opened—but only after a good shove.
Ruby jumped and whacked her head on a shoulder-height shelf. “Ow,” she mumbled as she rubbed it. Mel pushed the door open fully and stepped inside.
The musty smell of old pots and compost hit her, an aroma she found sweet but stale. She
wrinkled her nose and wafted the air about a bit in front of her face.
“I know. Blooming disgusting, isn’t it?” Ruby sighed and looked around her.
“What’re you doing in here?” Mel leant against one of the work benches and regarded her.
“Trying to sort out what’s salvageable and what isn’t.” Ruby shrugged and held up a dirty plastic plant pot.
Mel grimaced and took the pot from her, brushing out a spider that had taken up residence.
Ruby squeaked and put a hand to her chest.
“You are not afraid of spiders, surely?”
“Only when I can see them.” She squeezed her eyes closed tightly, then let out an explosive sigh. “And sometimes when I can’t.”
Mel chuckled and placed the pot down on the shelf. “I’m not sure anything can be kept, to be honest. Otherwise you’ll have a job to clean it all.”
“Chuck it all out and start again, you mean?”
“I would.”
Ruby nodded and then smiled. “Hello, by the way.”
Mel grinned. “Hi. How’re you?”
“Not bad.” Ruby’s eyes trailed down Mel’s body, and Mel thought for a moment that she was being checked out but then realised she was looking at her leg. “You’re good, I see.”
“Got it off yesterday.”
“I know, you texted me, all excited about it. Good.”
They both looked around the greenhouse, and that stale smell struck Mel again. “Could we go somewhere else? It’s a bit pungent in here.”
They exited the greenhouse and strolled around the little area. “This is what they’ve given me for the gardening project,” Ruby said, scuffling her shoe against the gravel path that surrounded three mucky patches of ground.
“Ah, okay.” Mel nodded, tilting her head in interest. “Ideas?”
“None. I was going to ask you.” They exchanged an affectionate look, and Mel took in the area: Three rectangles that needed turning over and fertilising if they were to grow anything in them; then off near the fountain, a wooden shed—perfect for tools and for keeping seeds in—and finally, a small patio with plastic chairs and a small table.
“So, I’m assuming that the kids are supposed to be learning about where their food comes from? And how things grow?”
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