Ch. 7

That night, a knock sounded on Archie's door just as he was about to prepare dinner. He had had a hard time of it since Granny's little chat, and the universe seemed to be conspiring against him. A patient yelled at him, called him a quack, and Archie's battery died on his laptop so he couldn't listen to Cole Porter until he got home to charge it. Now he just wanted to eat in peace, light a fire and read in his leather chair with Pongo at his feet.

The knocking continued. Archie washed his hands of the chicken fat and spices he had been cooking with and opened his door. He stepped back, startled.

Ruby stood before him in her coat and ear muffs. She had pulled her hair up into a tight bun since he last saw her at the diner, and though she offered a polite smile, the young woman had a twinge of sadness in her eyes. "Hi," she said simply.

"Ruby. Hi." Archie was still shocked, still utterly wordless that the beautiful girl was standing outside his apartment. His heart fluttered nervously. Was she hurt? Did something happen?

"Sorry to bother you." Ruby bit her lip and glanced to the side. "Um, Granny and I had a fight."

Archie blinked. He had been a psychiatrist for as long as he could remember, but he didn't know how to handle a vulnerable woman at his door. He decided to treat her like a patient, it was easier that way, and stepped aside to usher her in. "Come in, please."

Ruby came inside, her scent of fruity perfume and diner grease wafting in Archie's face and making him forget his own name. Archie closed the door and looked around his apartment, cursing himself that he hadn't tidied up. "Is everything okay? What happened?"

Ruby sat at the dinner table and took her ear muffs off. "Granny told me about your conversation with her today. I'm really sorry about that, I didn't think—"

"No, no." Archie sat at the table across from her. "It's fine. She's just looking out for you."

Ruby focused on her hands, which were held together delicately on the table. Her eyes retained that awful, subtle sadness. "I can't believe she said those things to you."

"Well, she—"

Ruby stood suddenly and she paced angrily. "I mean, like, we were just dancing! We weren't hurting anyone, and no one really even knew and we always made sure to clean up the diner afterwards—"

"Ruby, I think—"

"And she said I have a 'reputation'!" Ruby threw her hands up. "What does that even mean?"

Archie sat back in his chair. It was useless to try and calm her down, not when she was blinded by crimson rage. The doctor surmised that she wasn't used to losing fights with her grandmother. Ruby sat back down and looked at Archie guiltily.

"Do you think she's right?"

"About what?" Archie asked.

"Everything. Me. You. Do you think people will talk?"

Archie rubbed his chin and sighed. He would be lying if he didn't worry that Ruby was putting herself in a position to be whispered about—hell, even Archie wondered if the people who passed him by on the sidewalk mumbled about him out of earshot, calling him' the cradle-robber,' or the 'old perv,' even though Ruby was of age and, well, he wasn't that old—

"Do you like dancing?" he asked.

Ruby looked at him. She seemed stunned by the question; as if he had asked her if she liked breathing. A small grin curled her lips. She nodded. "Yeah. I do."

"If it makes you happy, then why do you care what other people think?"

Ruby tilted her head to side. She looked remarkably like Pongo when Archie asked him if he wanted a treat. Her smile grew wider. "You're really great, Archie. Do you know that?"

Dr. Hopper felt himself blush and he looked away to avoid her gaze. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and cleared his throat. "I, uh . . ." He couldn't help but smile like an idiot. "Thank you."

Ruby bit her lip again, but this time as if to suppress a giggle, and looked forlornly at the door. "I should let you get back to what you're doing."

Archie stood from the table as soon as Ruby shot up. "You gonna be okay?"

Ruby put her earmuffs on and nodded. "I'm staying with Emma and Mary Margaret tonight. But they're both gone, so it's top ramen for dinner." She laughed unconvincingly.

Archie glanced over his shoulder at the kitchen. The chicken still needed to be spiced and there were some vegetables to wash. He always bought more than he needed at the grocery store—Marco often told him that he shopped with his stomach rather than his wallet. Archie shifted nervously, then held a hand out to Ruby and said, "Would you like to stay for dinner?"

Her bright, teeth-baring smile was all the answer he needed.

0000000

Archie had seen Ruby deliver hundreds of plates of food to customers, but he had never really seen her eating anything, herself. Even on their double date with Billy and Dru, Ruby only picked at her well-done steak and nibbled her veggies like a countess on ceremony for the Queen Mum. She was probably trying to be a lady for Billy, but with all pretenses set aside, Archie was astonished to see her eat like a wild animal.

Ruby took large forkfuls of chicken and chewed loudly, her mouth closed but her lips smacking with every bite. When she had a dollop of salad dressing or sauce on the corner of her lip, she licked it away with the tip of her tongue. Once or twice, she used the back of her hand as a napkin.

Archie should have been appalled by her table manners, but instead he was intrigued. The woman had an appetite like a man's—no, not even a man's, a wolf was more like it—and she had no intention of apologizing for it. They barely talked throughout the meal, only when Ruby finally looked up from her plate and saw Archie staring.

"Wuh?" she asked, her mouth full of food. "Sowwry, am ah eatin' oo fass?"

Archie burst out laughing and dropped his fork on his plate. He grabbed the plate of boiled potatoes and offered them to her. "Want some more?"

Ruby swallowed. "Please." She grinned and loaded her plate again. Pongo kept a close vigil, his eyes following her fork as best he could, but even the sneaky Dalmatian was too slow for her lightning-fast hands.

After dinner, Archie made a pot of coffee and put a frozen pie in the oven he had bought from a French bakery on Maine Street. He had no intention of keeping Ruby later than she wanted, but the young woman didn't seem too eager to leave. He watched her from the kitchen as he brewed the coffee. She was in the living room, glancing over his collection of DVDs as Pongo lounged on the couch.

"Can I make a fire?" Ruby asked.

Archie spilled the dark roast beans from the fancy foil bag he was pouring into the brewer. A dozen or so clattered to the tiled floor and Pongo leapt from the couch and made a bee line for the mess. Archie got on his haunches and held his dog back. He scrambled to pick up the beans, tossing them on the counter and prying them from Pongo's mouth.

"Uh . . . I, uh . . ." Archie stood so fast, he felt woozy. "Sure!"

The doctor's heart fluttered in his chest. Was he having a seizure? He fiddled with the brewer, his hands shaking, and finally got a pot boiling. The oven beeped, fully preheated, and he jumped from the noise. Why was he so nervous all of a sudden?

Dinner.

Coffee.

A fire.

It had been a long time, but Archie was almost sure this was what a date looked like. Next thing he knew, Ruby would come into the kitchen with a movie she wanted to watch and they'd end up on the couch with a blanket and—

"Is this any good?"

Archie jumped again as Ruby stood in the kitchen with a DVD in hand. He gaped. Jesus, he was psychic. Ruby was holding up Casablanca. Confusion wrapped itself around his nervous brain. "You've never seen it?"

Ruby shrugged.

Archie's trepidation of the lovely young woman's presence in his home took a back seat to the appalling idea that Ruby had never seen Casablanca. His brain switched to a mode even he couldn't describe—a nagging itch to teach this girl about the greatest movie ever made. He kept mumbling "can't believe you've never seen it" as he put a log on the fire, poured Ruby a cup of coffee, and popped the DVD in the player. He sat on the large leather armchair, giving Ruby the couch all to herself. She took the cashmere throw blanket from the arm of the cream-colored sofa and snuggled in.

When the credits started, Archie's apprehension about the situation returned. What if Granny found out they were having a movie night? There was no way she wouldn't believe something fishy wasn't going on then. And what was Ruby thinking right now? Archie stared at her, trying desperately to decipher the happy look on her face. Was she grateful for a night to herself? Was she simply trying to be a good guest after the meal he had cooked for her? Archie wished she would just come out and say what she was feeling. It twisted his insides like barbed wire.

As the movie went on and they ate cherry pie, Archie let those concerns melt away. Tonight wasn't any different than the nights they would dance together, anyway. No one got hurt. They were both happy. And, most importantly, no one had to know.

"She's so pretty," Ruby sighed at the TV screen.

Ingrid Bergman was chatting with Bogart, the soft lighting and violin music making the pair look like angels. Archie's eyes wandered to Ruby, and he smiled as she gazed dreamily at the Hollywood royalty. Pongo curled up next to Ruby on the couch and she patted his head.

Archie had never been more at peace his entire life.

On the last scene of the movie, when Ingrid got on the plane and Bogart was left on the foggy tarmac, Archie caught Ruby sniffling, tears welling in her eyes. On the last line of the movie, "This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," a single tear rolled down Ruby's cheek.

Archie smiled. He had the urge to go over there and wipe her tear away, but kept his chair. "Did you like it?"

Ruby nodded and stared at the TV. She wiped her face. "It's so sad they couldn't be together." She sniffled again, then looked at Archie and threw a small couch pillow at him. It hit him right in the face. "Why didn't you tell me this was a sad movie?"

Archie laughed. "Sorry. But you liked it, right?"

Ruby grinned. It was the same smile she gave on the dance floor, when Archie had her in his arms and he felt like the king of the world. "I loved it," she said. Ruby sighed, stretched, and got up from the couch. "I better get going."

Archie turned the TV off and stood. "Okay." He motioned to the kitchen. "Do you want to take some pie home?"

Ruby smiled and shook her head. "No, I'm okay." She gathered her coat and put her earmuffs on. "I never had a guy cook for me before," she said, wrapping her scarf around her neck.

Archie grinned sheepishly. "I'm sorry it had to be me. I'm not much of a culinary wizard."

"No, it was great! You should give me the recipe so we can make it at the diner."

Dr. Hopper laughed and stuck his hands in his pockets. Ruby seemed to hesitate by the door, checking her purse for something and fiddling with her hair.

"So, uh . . . where are we going to dance now?" she asked.

Archie shrugged. "I don't know." He moved around to the door so the kitchen table wasn't separating them anymore. "We could always use my office. I can clear a space between patients."

"Really?"

"Sure. I . . ." Archie ducked his head to avoid her eyes and mumbled, "I like dancing with you."

Ruby grinned, showing her pearly whites. "You're the sweetest guy I've ever met." She leaned in and kissed his cheek.

Archie stiffened—man, she really smelled good—and when Ruby pulled away, she was blushing. The young woman cleared her throat and jutted her thumb towards the door. "I, uh—I should go. Thanks again for dinner." Ruby turned for the door, but forgot it was closed and smacked her face right into it.

"Oh, jeeze—"

"I'm fine!" Ruby opened the door, holding her nose, and gave a quick wave to Archie. "Sorry. I'm . . ." She laughed. "Okay, goodnight!"

"Bye."

Ruby was out the door like lightning, and Archie closed it just as quickly. It was obvious Ruby was embarrassed, either by the kiss or the clumsy fall, he didn't know. But, just like in those cheesy romantic comedies he had watched once or twice, Archie put his back to the door and smiled like a dope. Ruby's lips were still warm on his face, still sweet and impossibly red, like the cherry pie they had eaten earlier. He put a hand over his thudding heart and replayed the night in his head.

Everything had been perfect. Stunning.

Archie knew, without a doubt, that he was in love.

To be continued