Chapter 2
Ruby sat by the window in her bedroom, staring out at the people going about their lives. She decided to take the day off because she hadn't gotten much sleep the night before (and she wasn't exactly ready to face Archie yet).
Ruby knew that she shouldn't have kissed him. She had acted impulsively. She just couldn't stop herself, even if she wanted to. She knew it was wrong of her, but deep down she had no regrets. When Archie was standing there on her porch asking if she was OK and saying that she could tell her anything she knew that she needed him.
Ruby had wanted to thank Archie and tell him everything. Like how much she wanted him and how much everything he said and did meant to her, but she didn't know how. She couldn't find the words so she had just kissed him.
Ruby had known all along that Archie would never go for a girl like her; "damaged goods" as one might put it, but she had to be sure. And now she was. She just wished it were different.
The more she thought about him the more Ruby missed him. It was strange, as far as she could remember she had never felt this way about anyone else. She sighed and got up from the windowsill and went to the front desk of the inn. She decided to do some paperwork to pass the time and to help Granny out. She couldn't believe that someday she would be running this entire place. The thought terrified her, but also made her happy.
Ruby was lost in thought when a knock came from the front door of the inn.
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Archie had spent the entire time on the way to the inn debating whether he should do this or not. He knew deep down that he and Ruby needed to discuss the events of the previous night.
He had walked by Granny's and seen that Ruby was not there. He knew it wasn't unusual for her to take Sundays off, but recently she had been hard at work at the diner. He figured that she was probably working at the inn today. She had mentioned last night that there was lots of paperwork to be done.
The more he thought about last night the more confused he got. He knew from observation that Ruby's behavior could sometimes be irrational and unpredictable, but still, kissing him was very unusual compared to the way she had been recently acting. It made him wonder if something else was going on.
As he stepped up on her porch his nerves began to get to him. He started pacing back and forth, then, before he could think about running, he knocked on the door.
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Ruby opened the door, and when she saw who it was, her gaze immediately went to the ground as her face turned a light shade of pink. She knew she would have to face Archie eventually, she just wasn't expecting it so soon.
"Hello Ruby." Archie said kindly trying not to sound scared out of his mind.
"Hey," Ruby replied quietly, still looking at the ground.
"I was hoping that I would find you here, I thought maybe we could talk about some things."
Ruby smiled at that statement. He was trying to be nice and let her down easy.
"You can say it you know, I kissed you and I shouldn't have done that and I'm sorry. I just got caught up in the moment and I didn't know what to do and-"
"Ruby, you don't have to apologize! You did nothing wrong, I know that you don't think of me as anything but a friend, I was just there. I just came by to see if you were alright"
Ruby didn't say anything she just stood there completely shocked. She had practically forced her tongue into Archie's mouth and he wasn't mad at all, and he had come back to see if she was all right. He even had been nice enough to save her the embarrassment of rejection by pretending that he thought she just wanted to be friends. That's when it hit her, that feeling that she had that she had never remembered having with anyone else; it was love.
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Ruby had that same look on her face as she did right before she had kissed him. He was debating whether to take a step back or forward in case she decided to repeat the events of last night when he saw a tear fall down Ruby's face. He couldn't tell whether it was a tear of sadness or happiness, or maybe it was a tear of relief. He immediately felt that he needed to protect her, so he quickly just wrapped his arms around her.
Archie couldn't believe what was happening. At the moment he had Ruby, the most beautiful and interesting girl he had ever known, crying I his arms. At that moment he realized that he loved her. He, Archie Hopper loved Ruby Lucas with all his heart. He knew she would never feel the same way about him, but he knew how he felt and he also knew that he would do anything for her.
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Ruby leaned against him and breathed in his scent. She was in the arms of the man she had just found out she loved. It was a bit overwhelming, but she was happy. Archie was holding her like he was protecting her. It was the most amazing feeling in the world.
She knew she had to tell him how she felt, but she didn't know where to start. Even the feeling of loving him had brought tears to her eyes. What would telling Archie Hopper that she loved him do to her? She knew he would never love her back, but she needed to at least tell him how she felt.
"Archie?" She asked against his sweater vest.
"Yes," Archie replied.
"I lied"
"What?"
"I lied. I'm not sorry."
~Sorry! I sort of left it on a little cliff hanger because it's really late and I haven't decided exactly where I want things to go after this yet. But I really wanted to put something up today so i just thought I'd do this. So chapter 2 and 3 will basically be like one chapter.
