Your pretty face is not enough,
Behind your eyes,
I know you're lying.
"So, I guess I will see you around" Martin Brewer said as he looked at Ruthie Camden, the girl who broke his heart by telling him she was in love with T-Bone.
'T Bone' Martin thought bitterly as he watched her get out of the car and walk into the Camden house.
T-Bone was a joke and Martin knew in his heart that T-Bone would only disappoint Ruthie in the end, but so be it.
The only thing he could do was to wait for her, and he would wait for her because she was worth waiting for.
Besides what did Ruthie Camden know about love anyway? She hadn't had many relationships that were serious…at least what he could remember of her relationships. Like she knew true love, she wouldn't recognize true love if it came and had a cup of coffee with her.
However he didn't know how she could have deluded herself into thinking she was in love with T-Bone. What kind of name was T-Bone anyway? The more he thought about it the angrier he became.
How could Ruthie tell him to his face that T-bone knew how to treat women, as if he didn't? Sure he had made that whole mistake with Jane but he wasn't perfect and Ruthie Camden knew that firsthand.
By this time he had reached home and walked in to see his dad sitting at the table.
"I guess things didn't go as well as you hoped?" Mr. Brewer asked disappointedly. He had hoped that Ruthie would have forgiven Martin but she was obviously still upset.
"What I don't get it how you can tell someone last week that you really like them and then tell them a week later that you are in love with someone else. I didn't see that coming" Martin admitted sitting down as his dad passed him a cup of tea and then said "Well Martin, she is still upset and hurt and perhaps shocked. Just give it some time"
"Give it some time? She sat there and told me that whatever she plans on doing T-bone is coming with her"
"Well this is Ruthie and she does make up her mind pretty quickly, but she also makes decisions without consulting the other party, so perhaps T-bone won't want to do the same things she wants to"
"Dad T-bone would do anything Ruthie asks him to. He would rob a store if she wanted him to"
"Well I have to disagree with that. She did tell him to get a tattoo and he got a fake one"
"I guess" Martin answered dejectedly as Mr. Brewer suggested "Why don't you get some sleep. Things may look better in the morning"
The next morning he woke up, got dressed, and walked downstairs where Sandy and Aaron were sitting with his dad.
"Hey, I'm sorry about Ruthie" Sandy said as she gave him a smile and Martin shrugged a bit before replying "That's my own fault. I waited too long to tell her how I felt"
"Well I'm sure you heard that the Camden's are going on a trip" Sandy stated as Martin shook his head.
"They invited Aaron and I and Jonathan. I think it will be fun"
"Is T-Bone going as well?" Martin asked as Sandy nodded and then said "But he is joining his dad in a couple of weeks"
"Is that his real dad?"
"Everyone seems to think so" Sandy replied as there was a knock on the door.
"I'll get it" Martin stated as he opened the back door to see Ruthie standing there.
"Martin, I didn't know you were going to be home for the summer." she stated pleasantly smiling at him as he scowled a bit and answered "well that was the plan but I'm not sure what I am going to do now"
You think that love is all a bluff,
You flash your smile,
And keep denying me,
"Well I'm here to ask your dad if he will get our mail for us when we are gone"
"That won't be a problem" Martin answered as Ruthie smiled at him again and he found himself smiling back in spite of the fact that he was still hurt by her rejection.
"So just because I don't want to date you doesn't mean we can't be friends right?" she asked peeking up at him beneath her long eyelashes.
"Uh….what?" he asked a bit disconcerted as she giggled and repeated the line softly.
"I guess so" Martin replied slowly as he took a step back and Ruthie stepped forward.
"There you are" they heard another voice as they saw T-Bone walk over and plant himself next to Ruthie taking her hand and smiling at Martin "Well Martin. I'm surprised you are still here, seeing that your plans didn't exactly work out"
"Well you never know what life will throw you huh Theodore?" Martin replied coolly as Ruthie looked at the both of them and sighed.
"We should probably be leaving. Let's go T-bone" she demanded as she took his hand and dragged him away from the staring match that he had with Martin.
I want you to see,
I need something more,
Than you gave before.
For the first three weeks that the Camden's were gone, Glen Oak seemed very boring to Martin. He and Ruthie kept in touch with postcards and phone calls and when she had a chance to stop at libraries, email.
In all their conversations, Ruthie seemed happy but Martin could tell something was wrong. When he asked her about it she would usually laugh and tell him that he needed to stop worrying about her.
I want you to burn.
I want you to steal.
I want you to bleed,
And see how it feels.
That particular phone call Ruthie was asking him about a date he had the other night. He blushed as he realized that he would have to tell her how the date went.
"Martin? Are you still there? How was the date?"
"It went okay" he said a bit hesitantly as Ruthie asked "What do you mean? Did you go on the date?"
"Of course I did but it was horrible. I'm not interested in dating just any girl so why bother to date at all?"
"So that you will be happy, I want you to be happy"
"Well what makes me happy is currently out of the question so let's just drop it. Tell me what's new?"
I want you to beg,
I want you to crawl.
"T-Bone is going with his dad tomorrow, so he's pretty excited about it"
"Are you?"
"I guess so. I think it's great that he will be able to spend time with his father and this way it will finally be over"
"What do you mean?" Martin asked as Ruthie laughed and said "None of your business Mr. Nosy. I have to go. I'll call you in a couple of days"
"Okay, bye" Martin said as he hung the phone up.
Give more than you take,
And smile through it all.
The next two weeks went by as Martin kept himself busy with working and practicing baseball. He hadn't heard from Ruthie, which was pretty weird but he figured she was busy and would call him when she had the chance.
And know that everything you do,
I do it for you.
...I do it for you.
That Friday night as he was trying to find something to eat the doorbell rang. He walked to the door, grabbing an apple on the way. He opened the door to see Ruthie standing in front of him, her red rimmed eyes looking at him.
He didn't say anything as he stood aside and allowed her to come in. Once he closed the door he hesitantly touched her shoulder as she turned to him and started crying.
I see your heart is broken,
And your tears are real.
An hour later, Ruthie had finally calmed down as he moved from her side to order a pizza for dinner. He assumed she was upset about T-Bone but she hadn't said a word and he didn't know what to say.
No word unspoken,
Say what you feel.
How do you tell the girl you have been in love with forever that she chose the wrong guy? Once the pizza had arrived, Ruthie seemed to be in better spirits.
"So how did you get home?" he asked her as she shrugged a bit before looking over at him.
"I took the bus. I just had to get out of the RV, you know? It was getting to be a bit much. My parents dropped Lucy and Kevin off at Crossroads and fell in love with it and….I just needed to get away. There is only so much sympathy a person can take"
"So that's why you came home?" he asked her as she nodded and took another slice of pizza.
"How are things with T-Bone?"
"Fine" she replied smiling brightly as Martin held back a snort.
The way you keep pretending,
It's such a crime.
"So you two are…..still together?" he pressed on as Ruthie sighed impatiently and replied "Why are you so interested? Can we not do this tonight? I am tired, upset, and cranky. I just want to sleep" the last words came out with a pout in her voice.
You gotta give me what's mine.
"No we can't drop it. I want to know why you are home and crying your eyes out? You look horrible. Your parents wouldn't let you take a bus home unless something serious happened. What happened? Where is T-Bone?"
"He's gone. We broke up because he decided I was too bossy for him and he couldn't see himself spending the rest of his life with me. He said and I quote 'I was way too high maintenance for him'"
"Oh" Martin replied a bit dumbfound as Ruthie turned to glare at him, fire burning in her hazel eyes. "Oh? That's all you have to say?"
"Well Ruthie you are bossy and you can be quite dramatic at times. Everyone knows that. I do recall telling you this numerous times before"
I want you to burn.
I want you to steal.
I want you to bleed,
And see how it feels.
"Yes I do remember." She bitterly agreed before humorlessly laughing "at least you have the decency to tell me to my face."
"T-Bone didn't?" Martin asked her as she shook her head "No he was talking about me behind my back. What kind of relationship is that? Who talks about their significant other behind their back?"
"Apparently T-Bone does" Martin replied as Ruthie sighed once more and flopped onto the couch.
"Apparently, I really thought he was different. I thought he loved me but apparently he was confused with being in love and loving someone"
I want you to beg,
I want you to crawl.
Give more than you take,
And smile through it all.
"So it's over between you two?" Martin asked a few minutes later.
"Well duh... I definitely don't need to date a guy that would rather talk to everyone else but me about my behavior"
"So you admit that you are bossy and a drama queen?"
"No. I am not bossy….at least not always. Plus I am not melodramatic" Ruthie replied softly more to herself than Martin.
"So now what? Why did your parents let you come back to Glen oak? I thought T-bone went with his dad?" Martin asked Ruthie
"Well he did and then my dad decided that they could both join us for another week. This was of course before he found out that we were no longer together. So Lucy comes up to me and says 'see what happens when you decide to punish the guy you are really in love with' and I blew up at her. So after Simon's graduation, he says Hi by the way, I took the first greyhound bus back"
"So where are you going to stay?" Martin finally asked her as she looked at him nervously.
"Well this is the point where I beg you to let me stay here until my parents come home"
"Are they coming back?" Martin asked as Ruthie wrinkled her nose and said "I don't know but I need somewhere to stay for the last two months of summer"
"What about school? What have you decided to do?"
"I'm going to go to the community college and try to find somewhere to live and then I'll decide where to go from there. What about you?"
"I'm going to go back to school once the summer is over"
"Right, baseball scholarship"
"Yes. You could probably transfer your summer courses and enroll there for the fall semester"
"But I would need a place to stay" Ruthie said pouting a bit as she looked up at him.
"Well you can apply for housing and if that is a problem, you can stay with me for a while" he said as she squealed and rushed over to hug him as he cautioned "but we would need your parents permission first and set ground rules and…."
"Martin for once in your life why don't you just go with the flow" Ruthie exasperatedly said as Martin looked at her, a wicked gleam in his eye before saying "Go with the flow huh?"
"Yes" Ruthie replied as he stepped closer to her, wrapped his arms around her waist and bent down to kiss her.
And know that everything you do,
I do it for you.
They pulled apart from one another as Martin looked at her uncertainly and Ruthie seemed a bit dazed before she smiled shyly at him and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him again.
Your pretty face is not enough,
Behind your eyes,
I know you're lying.
The rest of the summer passed by as Martin and Ruthie tiptoed around the fact that they had kissed. If it was one kiss it would have been easier to ignore but it seemed as though they had agreed on some unspoken pact that kissing would be part of the deal.
Ruthie enrolled in some summer courses and worked while Martin worked and practiced. Night times were spent hanging out with Mr. Brewer having dinner and watching movies and on most nights making out with one another.
At first Martin was a bit concerned that perhaps Ruthie was kissing other guys at well. He had picked her up a couple of times from her classes and she seemed to only hang out with guys.
Guys that obviously were attracted to her; however he realized that she was only kissing him when one of the guys introduced himself to Martin and seemed to know all about him stating that Ruthie spoke of him often.
Of course Ruthie seemed intent on ignoring it and Martin was stuck with the decision of not bringing it up.
Even though Ruthie wanted to ignore it, she knew she had somehow fallen back in love with Martin. Kissing him was an activity she truly enjoyed and he was so good at it, making her feel as though she was the most important person in his world.
For the first time in two years she finally got what she wished for….her best friend back. With the added bonus that she could make out with him whenever she wanted to, which was most often.
Their relationship was so easy. He knew when to push certain issues and when to back off. He was attentive and supportive and intelligent and even though his ego was, at times, too much to handle she wouldn't change him for the world.
The real reason she had not bought up the subject of them together was because she was scared. She remembered when she thought they were dating and he told her he didn't love her like that and then when he finally admitted his feelings to her she had told him she didn't love him because she had thought she was in love with T-bone….
This time if she did tell him she had made a mistake she would surly get crushed and her heart couldn't take another disappointment from Martin.
Martin was the one guy that she had always held out for. He was the guy she pictured getting married to and having children with…she saw how great he was with Aaron and knew he would be wonderful with the other kids he would have in the future.
She wouldn't be able to watch him date other girls and just be his friend but she also wouldn't allow herself to date him and get hurt when he decided that he wanted to date someone else.
I want you to burn.
I want you to steal.
I want you to bleed,
And see how it feels.
'What are you doing?' she asked herself one night when she couldn't fall back asleep. She made her way downstairs to find Martin already up, watching TV.
"Hey" she softly said as he jumped and said "hey. I didn't wake you did I?"
"No I couldn't sleep."
I want you to beg,
I want you to crawl.
"Me too" he replied as she sat next to him and laid her curly head on his shoulder as he slipped his arm around her waist.
"Want to talk about it?" he finally asked her as she laughed and replied "How do you know something is on my mind?"
"Because I know you" He replied quietly as she straightened up to look him in his eyes and said "I guess you do, in a way"
"So should I say it or do you want to?" he asked her smiling slightly as she blushed and asked "Say what?"
"Don't tease me now. It's now or never Ruthie Camden"
"I was wrong Martin. I love you and I have always loved you and I'm sorry it took me this long to realize it"
Martin smiled before saying "That's okay. At least you realized it. Besides I was the one that took a long time to actually acknowledge my feelings"
"That's true. So what now?" she asked him beaming as Martin tenderly looked at her and replied "Well now we try to get some sleep"
"No I mean with us?"
"Oh….well first I'll kiss you and then we should try to get some sleep"
"Martin! Be serious for once" Ruthie exclaimed as she pouted slightly and Martin laughed "Okay. So we agree to try this dating thing out until I can convince your parents to let me marry you"
"That sounds great…what?"
"I love you and you are the one. It just took me a little bit longer than usual to figure it out. So now that I have figured it out I want to keep you close as humanly possible"
"Have you ever thought that I may not want to marry you?" she asked a bit cheekily as Martin visibly paled and replied "No I didn't. I just thought we were on the same page…."
"To date each other not to get married!" Ruthie exclaimed as Martin looked over at her and lazily suggested "Why don't you calm down? I just meant that in the near future I want to marry you...isn't that what people do? They date each other to make sure they are suitable for marriage"
"WE haven't technically dated one another"
"I know that but you were...and are my best friend and that is an important aspect of marriage…..so it only makes sense to a certain point. Plus you have been the only one I've been making out with for the past two months so that counts for something" Martin stated before yawning.
"Am I boring you?" Ruthie asked him as he shook his head and said "Sorry, I'm getting pretty tired."
"Well I guess we will talk about this tomorrow" Ruthie said as Martin looked over at her warily and stated "Talk about what? I'm through with talking….Did we just not agree to date one another?"
"Well….yes but what about…"
"Ruthie why are you asking so many questions? Are you trying to sabotage this relationship already?"
Give more than you take,
And smile through it all.
"I need to know Martin" Ruthie finally said tears in her eyes as Martin looked at her and softly asked "What do you need to know Ruthie? Why are you hesitating?"
"I need to know you won't disappoint me…that you won't cheat on me or decide I'm not mature enough, or too bossy…."
"I can't promise that I won't disappoint because I most likely will. I can promise you that I won't cheat on or change my mind. I love you and if you are willing to give me another chance I promise to work really hard on this relationship, as long as you promise to do the same"
Ruthie nodded before walking over to him and hugging him as he hugged her back.
"So are we good?" Martin asked a few seconds later as Ruthie giggled slightly before softly replying "We're great"
"Good" Martin replied before leaning down to gently kiss her on the lips. As they broke apart Martin asked her "so how should we tell your parents the good news?"
"Let's think about that tomorrow" Ruthie said as she smiled at him before leaning up to kiss him once more.
And know that everything you do,
I do it for you.