It wasn't that she hated the attention. No, Ruby loved knowing that people either loved her or hated her, because that was exactly what the colour red was all about, wasn't it? It was love and hate, it was two ends of the spectrum, it was what described her to a T. So she blamed her irritability towards Dr Whale on her tiredness from working a double shift and plastered a fake smile on her face, because God forbid she actually complained about his advances when she had, time and time again, rejected him. You know, for a doctor, he didn't seem all that smart.
She leaned against her broom, her eyes darting towards the closed sign, and pretended to listen to Whale yarn on about one thing or another. Maybe one day he would take a hint and let her get back to work- but then again, they had closed half an hour ago, and in that time she had wiped down all the tables, stacked the chairs, cleaned the bar, rinsed the espresso machine, and swept the floor twice, all while entertaining the good doctor. She deserved a better title than waitress. More like therapist. The pay would be better, anyway.
He paused for a minute to sip on his probably warm beer, and Ruby took that chance to give him a quick smile and dodge out the back for the mop and bucket. When she turned back, there was a hand on her bare waist and a hot breath in her ear.
"What do you say, Rubes?" Whale was obviously completely wasted, and she regretted letting him stay for so long. He was harmless, just... annoying.
"I'm not- you know I don't do that Victor," She dodged past him with the mop and bucket. He scoffed in a mocking sort of way, and went back to his chair to finish his beer and pull on his jacket. He pressed a smelly kiss against her cheek and made for the door.
"Night kiddo," He called out, and accidentally slammed the door in his drunken haste. Ruby gave him a half smile and sat down on his still-warm bar stool, exhaling when he knew he was definitely gone. There was a flash of headlights, and then was a pit in her stomach when she realised she hadn't taken his keys from him. Ruby dropped the bucket and ran out the door, only to crash into a hard chest. She stumbled back and fumbled apologies to run past them- the Sheriff, she recalled vaguely. But when she got to the gate, Whale's car was still out the front, and his silhouette lumbered down the street.
Ruby turned back to Graham and sighed, shaking her head. "Sorry, Sheriff, I thought... that was you pulling up, wasn't it?" Graham smiled at her and tucked a set of keys into his pocket.
"I got his keys, so I don't suppose I could bother you for a meal?" He asked, in that self-deprecating way of his, as if Ruby could ever say no to Storybrooke's own Sheriff. It helped that he lived at the inn too, and knowing that she and Granny would be safe every night made him worthy of countless lasagnas.
"Of course," she smiled and sighed, her shoulders dropping slightly, because she knew she didn't have to put up that pretense around Graham. He had been dropping into Granny's diner more and more often these days, but Ruby thought that with the arrival of Emma, and her appointment as his deputy, that he'd have more time to himself. There was a bundle of files beneath his arm, and she knew he'd be in for a long night. Ruby went back to the kitchen to make him his favourite while he settled in a booth.
This was how it was most nights of the week when she had the closing shift. Graham would come in for breakfast everyday (coffee, cream, no sugar, and poached eggs on toast), and most nights he missed dinner anyway, crawling back in at some ungodly hour for the leftovers. He would sit and do his work, while Ruby finished hers, in that comfortable silence between them that she always respected. He was one of the few good men in this town, one she was glad was her friend. His obligations to Regina meant he was never far from the Mayor, always at her beck and call, even though it was obvious that he was once attracted to Emma Swan, not the other woman of power. But she mad moved on and left their working relationship a little more than broken. See, Ruby was more than just a waitress. She knew more about the people of this town and how they worked more than she ever wished to.
She grabbed a knife, fork, napkin, and a glass of Irish whiskey, and laid them before him, snatching away files with a quick hand. He frowned and grabbed for them, but she held them behind her back.
"Eat, Graham. You can't appreciate the goodness of frozen lasagne while you're working." She messed his hair a little before placing the files on the other side of the booth, and returning to the mop and bucket.
Ruby slipped off her high heels and socks, and began pushing the warm soapy mop across the floor, when Graham spoke up. "When are you going to get out of here, Ruby?" She turned and saw his eyes scanning the files again, a scoop of lasagne on his fork, and huffed. She gave a shrug and continued cleaning.
"One day. Why?" She dipped the mop again and squeezed out the water. "You going to come with me?" She grinned at him, which in turn made him smile.
"Sure. Where're we going?" Graham teased, taking a sip of his usual drink. Ruby leaned her chin on the mop and pouted her lips in thought.
"How about Hawai'i?"
"Too hot,"
Ruby rolled her eyes, and tip toed across the wet floor to start a new section. "Antarctica?"
"Too cold!" He laughed and shook his head.
"Make up your mind, then! What about..." She twirled a little too fast, and before she knew it, she was slipping over, and fell on her back and elbow. Graham made a choking noise from his seat, and went to get up, before she waved him off, her blush peeking out from below her make up, and gingerly made her way over to his booth.
"Here." He slid his whiskey across to her, which took gratefully and pressed to her sore elbow. Graham frowned and slid closer, holding her wrist to inspect the bruise that blossomed beneath pale skin with calloused, warm hands. "Does it hurt?" She nodded and laughed off her own clumsiness, aware of just how close he was. And when she wasn't expecting it, Graham lifted her arm to kiss her sore elbow. She was too embarrassed to even speak, but her mouth dropped ajar just a little and gave a silent smirk. Graham laughed at her reaction and placed her hand back down, to return to his meal and work.
Sometimes, when she knew he couldn't see, Ruby liked to watch him. She loved people watching, and to be honest, it was half of her job on a slow day, but she loved the way he crinkled his nose when he opened his mouth to eat, as gross as that was. And the way he wiped off pasta sauce with the back of his hand without any regard for who was watching. But this time he did spot her, and smiled. "What?" he asked. Ruby shook her head and stood to finish her mopping, glad that there would always be comfort between them, even if he did kiss her elbow like a little girl who had fallen.
Sometime later, when the town clock began tolling for midnight, Ruby locked the front door, gathered her things, and stood by the counter. Graham was engrossed in his work again, while the waitress turned her back to him and swiped away the last of her lipstick on a tissue, like letting go of the day's difficulties, a giant weight off of her shoulders, a weight she knew she'd have to pick up again in 7 hours.
Graham's hand grasped her slim shoulder, and she jumped a little, not expecting him. His eyes- too big for his own good- looked at her with concern, and she inwardly kicked herself for acting like such a fool all night.
"Come to bed? Ah, I mean-" He spluttered on his words, and grasped his files with a tighter hand as Ruby barked out a laugh.
"You only had to ask, Sheriff," She grinned, and shoved his shoulder. Her eyes searched his momentarily, hungry for any kind of response, but met only empty eyes. She swallowed harshly and plastered that smile on her face again, not willing to ruin their friendship for a slip of tongue. "Unfortunately, I don't think Granny would appreciate it. Under her roof, and all." She leaned back against the counter, wishing she still had her high heels on to meet his eyes at their level. Graham blushed terribly, and scratched the back of his neck, letting her see a sliver of skin beneath his shirt before he dropped his hand again.
"You know what I meant." The Sheriff spoke quietly, and edged away from her, slipping a heavy stone like guilt into her stomach. She thought he knew who she was, that she was only kidding when she went along with his little slip up. Maybe he thought she really was the town slut too. She nodded, and gave him that same smile again.
The waitress replaced her shoes and socks, hit the switch for the lights, and together they walked out the back door to the inn. She didn't mean to make him feel uncomfortable at all, she just forgot how bashful he could be, how surprisingly innocent and wary of romantic advances the Sheriff had become over years of the bachelor life. The flustering warm cheeks were sweet though, compared to the leering and smug glances of Dr Whale and several other men. Granny told her she deserved the looks they gave her, like she deserved to be treated like trash. Ruby was not trash, and while family was family and she loved Granny more than anything else in her life, there were times when she would give anything to be free of this constricting life. Ruby unlocked the door of the inn and lead the way up the staircase, when Graham's hand grasped her wrist and stopped her in her path. She hadn't realised the thoughts of her grandmother had sprung angry tears into her eyes, and like Graham knew exactly what she needed, the way he always did, he pulled her into his arms, where she buried herself against his chest.
Sheriff Graham may have been a little awkward when it came to the ladies, and more delved into his work than what was healthy. Hell, she had half a hundred flaws and more that even Granny didn't know about. But Graham had always been better than the others because he didn't judge her, and he wasn't about to start when the dark-haired girl stained his vest with tears. She sighed heavily, and stepped back.
"'Night, Graham," Ruby said quietly, letting go of her grasp on his vest to jog the rest of the way up the stairs, and enter her room, the first door on the left. Buried beneath her blankets she could let out the breath she didn't know she had held in, and soon sinking feeling of self-pity followed.