The Meaning of Love

Chapter 14

Message to Each Other

That little talk with Weiss' sister made her really think about what was going on between her and Weiss. Of course, it was interesting to hear about all of that from one of her family members, but Ruby really wanted to know more about Weiss. She has already made a huge impact on her life, but she just felt like that there was something missing. This internal conflict lasted all night and through the next day of school. Weiss came back with a smile on her face, but Ruby was back to her normal self. She was quiet and didn't do a lot of talking. She had lunch with Weiss, Jaune, and Pyrrha, but it just wasn't the same. They all noticed her strange behavior, but didn't comment on it. It wasn't until when the day came to an end when things started to take an interesting turn. Weiss met her at the front gate and finally decided to say something.

"Hey, you decided to wait for me."

Ruby didn't comment. She turned around and started to walk home. Weiss couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with her. She just didn't know how to go about it.

"Hey Ruby, are you okay?" It was completely silent. That's when Weiss knew she had to take full control of this conversation. She stepped in front of Ruby and gently grasped her shoulders. "Ruby, if you need to say something, you can say it. I'm willing to listen to anything you have to say. You know that, right?"

Ruby looked at the ground for a few seconds before raising her head up to look at Weiss.

"C-Could we talk about this tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? We don't have school tomorrow."

"I know. I just really need to talk to you."

"Well, then why don't we just talk right now? Does it have to be tomorrow?"

"Yes. I need to think about some things."

"Are you okay?" Weiss tried to get closer to Ruby, but she suddenly pushed her out of the way and ran home. Weiss just watched in confusion as she ran away on her own. The only thing she could do now was wait for tomorrow in hopes that she can clear everything up with Ruby.

When Weiss got home, Winter was standing at the end of the hall leaning against the hall. She asked Weiss how her day was, but she just gave her a boring response and headed up to her room. For Winter, this was strange since Weiss always came home with a smile on her face and a peppy attitude. All she could think was that something happened. That's when she hoped that what she said to Ruby didn't change anything between them. For the rest of the night, Weiss was restless. She was wondering why Ruby was being so secretive. Just the day before, she came and visited her out of nowhere. That was so unexpected on her part and now, it was almost as if she was avoiding contact with her. Weiss suddenly grabbed her phone and decided to call Ruby. Unfortunately, she didn't pick up. Weiss hung up the phone with a huge sigh.

"Ruby, please tell me what's wrong."

…

When the next day came around, Weiss quickly got ready and headed to Ruby's house in a hurry. Once she got there, she knocked on the door and eagerly waited for Ruby to come out. After a few seconds, Ruby opened the door in her same aura as when they separated yesterday.

"I'm ready to hear what you have to say."

"Um, I don't think this is the best place to talk."

"Okay, I know a good place. Come on." Weiss guided her out of her house and to a park that wasn't too far from either of their houses. When they got there, Weiss skipped into the middle of the park and breathed in the fresh air. "I always love coming here. This is my thinking place. It's always calm and comforting, except for that one night."

Ruby's eyes shot open.

"That one night?"

"The time you were being harassed by those kids and I came just in time."

"Oh right, thank you for that," she said nervously.

"Haha. To tell you the truth, I was just planning on thinking about you that night. I had no idea you were going to be here as well. When I saw something going on, I had to intervene and little did I know that it was involving you." Weiss looked at Ruby and saw her slowly walking to the bench. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up." Weiss waited a minute or so before starting up another conversation. Ruby was silent the entire time even though she was the one who wanted to talk to her. "So what's all of this about?"

Ruby waited a few seconds before opening her mouth.

"Weiss, I need to know. Why do you love me?"

That question was so random that it took Weiss by surprise, but as she looked at Ruby, she was completely serious. That look in her eyes told her that she really wanted to know the truth.

"You're special. I've never met anyone like you. I'm pretty sure I've told you this, but when you slapped me, I just knew that you were different. I know it's weird to think about, but that's the truth."

"That wasn't what I was asking."

"What do you mean?"

"I've been thinking about something. It was something that Winter told me."

"Winter? When did you talk to her?"

"It was when I was leaving your house yesterday. She pulled me into her room and talked to me about some things."

"What did you talk about?"

"She told me about how you've dated so many people. In the beginning, I never put much thought into this because I didn't care, but when she brought it up, it made me realize something. Why am I special? Why are you dating me? None of this makes sense."

"Ruby, I don't…"

"Before all of this, I was a loner. I wanted to be alone. I never wanted to be affiliated with anyone because I knew what that entitled. So… Why me?" Ruby dropped her head, but immediately felt Weiss' hand on top of hers. This made her turn her head back towards Weiss.

"I know this sounds completely fake, but… I saw something in you. Something that was very similar to me. Yes, I've dated a lot of people, but almost all of them were empty. I didn't feel that connection that love can bring."

"Your sister that you've been looking for love all of this time. I assumed you would have found it by now."

"I have. You. That's that similarity that I'm talking about. The way you couldn't be with anyone was like me. I never felt particularly close to the people I was dating. It was all just to find that one person I could be with. I made a lot of mistakes along the way, but I'm here now."

Ruby's eyes widened.

"You're the love I've been looking for. You're interesting, different, and you constantly keep me on my toes. I can't describe it. It just feels like every day is an entirely new experience when I'm with you."

Although all of this stuff that she was saying sounded really good, it still wasn't what Ruby wanted to hear. She set out today to figure out this girl, but it just seemed like she was falling further and further into her heart; a heart that was disguised by so many things.

"But what is love? I don't understand it." A tear suddenly rolled down Ruby's face which caused Weiss to respond. She got off the bench and knelt down in front of Ruby, wiping the tear from her face.

"I don't understand it either, but know this. If you always feel restless and unsure, you're on the right track. I've never felt like this until I met you. Every other relationship I had was the same. Boring with a predictable ending. When I'm with you, I don't know what's going to happen. I never feel in control and my heart is always skipping beats. That has to be love, right?" She continued to look at Ruby who was still avoiding eye contact with her. "Don't you agree?" Weiss finally ran out of ideas. All she could do now was hope that her words managed to reach Ruby. At this point, she felt so weak and didn't know what else to do.

"Weiss." She put her other hand on top of Weiss' and lifted her head. "I can tell you're trying your absolute hardest. It's unfair of me to make you do all of this."

"No, it's fine. That's what love is. We do things for the person we love without thinking twice about it."

"So you do love me?"

"Of course. I could never lie about that. Not now, when I've had so many failures. I'm determined to make you see it somehow. I promise and when that day comes, you'll be able to say you love me back. Until then, I'm going to keep working my hardest."

"Um, can I ask you something else?"

"Sure."

"I see Jaune and Pyrrha all of the time and they look so natural and happy. Is it possible for us to be like that?"

"Well, Jaune and Pyrrha have known each other for a long so their relationship is already pretty solid. If it comes to us, as long as we take our time, I'm sure we'll get there. I'm in no hurry."

"Weiss, thank you."

"You're welcome."

End of Chapter 14