Your heart smiles, but also hurts
Reflecting on the roof, Ruby Rose always gazes upon the backyard… always telling me that love can bring highs and lows. She says that her relationship with Weiss was not always sunshine and rainbows, but that it had to go through many lows to get to that forever place in the sun.
Weiss and Ruby both audibly laughed as they passed another shop's window in the mall.
Ruby excitedly grabbed Weiss' arm as she tugged her towards the next store, "Look! They have fairy lights!"
Weiss playfully rolled her eyes as she watched Ruby start rambling off the many reasons why she should definitely buy them.
As Ruby fawned over the lights, Weiss' eyes widened as she eyed another shelf.
"S… snowbells?"
Ruby paused and followed her friend's gaze, "Aw! They have flowers!"
Weiss fiddled with the leathery petal, "Well of the fake kind…"
Ruby picked one from the bunch on the shelf as she observed it, "Pretty forever then."
Weiss' face bloomed pink.
Nora grinned as she leaned back on the bench behind the counter.
She watched as Weiss and Ruby both spoke to each other over their early dinner. They were both sitting in their usual booth by the window, their exuberant conversation filled with giggles and inside jokes making the remaining employees at the café smile.
Nora checked the clock, it was almost 5:30 pm. She looked to see they were the last customers still at a table. She opened the counter and began to count the coins inside and noting it on a slip. She looked up again, seeing that the other employees, milling around and casually talking amongst each other.
She sighed as she rested an arm on her belly.
"How done are you in there Ren?" She asked to her husband whose head was peering through the window from the kitchen.
"I've been wiping this bench for the past 20 minutes."
Nora grinned manically as she shoved the piece of paper, she had been noting the money on, into his face.
"You finish it~"
"Nora!"
"I'm preggos Ren! Let me be!"
Nora happily skipped over to the friends and cleared her throat, "Hey you two~ I don't know if you knew but we actually were planning to close the café earlier today."
Weiss turned to Nora and tilted her head, "Where was this stated?"
Nora grinned as she pointed towards the piece of paper taped to the window, to alert customers that the cafe was closing earlier. The reverse of '5:30 pm' was backlit by the sunset. Weiss stuttered stupidly as Ruby let out quiet laughter at her.
"Usually we let you both stay till six but, a lot of us really want to go to that food truck festival tonight."
Looking past the paper, the two friends observed the food trucks parked on the sides of the road and beginning to set up.
"Usually I'm patient but…"
"But she's got cravings and been using that pregnancy card to her full advantage."
Ren popped beside Nora, resting his arm upon his wife's shoulders.
Weiss patted her lips with a tissue, "By the way, congratulations you two!"
"Yeah congrats guys!" Ruby pipped in.
Nora rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah. This little bugger's a blessing and all but the festival gonna start soon!
The food festival was lively and crowded. The good kind of crowded.
The road in between the shops and neighbourhood was closed off, allowing for food trucks to set up on both sides, decorations and lights strung up overhead with tables and chairs nestled in cosy corners between trucks. People sat on the curb, munching on the variety of food that was offered tonight. Owners of the houses facing the shops and the food truck festival took advantage of their homes position, using their front yards as a private gathering space for friends and family to enjoy the different cultures of food piled onto paper plates and wrapped in cardboard coverings.
Ruby and Weiss once again were walking beside one another, within the thick of the crowd as they toured through all the food options. As more people came into the fray, the volume of the crowd caused the two to be pushed up against each other at their arms. To alleviate the uncomfortable pressure of the position, the two women had non-verbally agreed with loop their arms together, pulling each other to various trucks that interested them. Upon their cheeks, they were both very aware of the red flushes resting upon their cheeks.
Whether it was their intimate proximity with one another or if it was just the movement and warm air of the crowd… it was never addressed.
Ruby passed the bucket of curly fries down to Weiss, as she unceremoniously plopped on the usual left side of Weiss on the roof. On the other hand, Weiss busied herself with finding a stable position on the roof to place the bucket between them.
With a brief stretch of her arms from up above her, she reached into the fries and pulled out a long strand for herself.
"Well that was fun!"
Weiss nodded with a smile, as she looked behind them briefly to observe the lights from the food truck festival to light the line between the neighbourhood and the shops.
"We weren't even there for the whole time and I am tired."
"Hm, it says that it's open till mwidight." Ruby said as she chewed on a chip.
"Oh! Awmost fogwat!" Ruby exclaimed as she wiped her fingertips on the side of her jeans, taking out the packaged fairy lights.
"Please Ruby, at the very least don't talk while your mouth it full… Hm, wait I've got a battery pack in here."
Ruby grinned as Weiss dug into her bag, "Always so prepared, Weiss!"
"Well one of us has to be."
Ruby stuck out a tongue at Weiss' statement.
As Weiss continued to eat, Ruby pulled out the fairy lights and laid it across their laps. She pulled off the adaptor and plugged the USB head into the battery pack.
A warm glow emanated from their laps, softly lighting up their faces from below.
Ruby grinned in triumph as she reached for another chip, only to hear Weiss' happy hums.
She watched as Weiss looked down at all the lights and in awe at the warm colour.
Ruby's jaw slightly slackened as she froze at the scene.
Weiss, stuck in her own world reached for another chip, only to brush lightly against Ruby's hand which had also froze and lazily dangled over the lip of the bucket.
They both looked up to meet the others' eyes.
Ruby turned away, red to the face with an awkward chuckle.
Weiss quietly looked the other direction, face flushed as she giggled at the predicament.
Ruby's lips turned into a tiny grin as she looked down upon on the lights in her laps. Then slowly, her face twisted into an expression of serious realisation. She pinched her expression, thinking through all the discussions and talks she had with her sister and Blake. With a burst of bravery and courage she cleared her throat.
"Weiss!"
The said woman flinched in her spot, as she turned towards Ruby with a confused expression, "… Ruby?"
Ruby's heart hammered in her chest. All the attention was on her… those sapphire blue eyes not helping with her heart rate at all.
"You… you know how we both agreed to talk and open up to each other… especially when something was bothering us?"
"… Yes, I do remember that. It… it was raining."
"Yes… it was… I…"
Ruby sputtered, the courage suddenly disappearing again. As she struggled to find the words, Weiss put a hand on Ruby's shoulder.
"Hey, if it's too much you don't have to tell me. On that day we also agreed to respect our boundaries and limits."
"But sometimes things need to be said, don't they Weiss."
Weiss mind briefly went back to the time they talked about her scar, "It was helpful… I suppose so… goodness, feelings are so contradictory and complicated."
"I… I know. God I should really talk about this! I can't put this off any longer!"
"… Ruby?"
"I LIKE YOU! I like you more than I should and it's killing me inside!"
Weiss's hand retreated from Ruby's shoulder, she held it to her chest, "Ruby…"
The brunette sighed as she gathered her thoughts and emotions into coherent sentences, "For a while now, I first thought it was a small and shallow crush since I only met you this year… but god you are so damn amazing, kind! And yeah, I'll admit you are sometimes a bit too prideful at times but gosh darn it! Learning more about you and what a beautiful person you are, just made me just fall for you even more! I… I…"
Ruby's voice faded out as she realised that she got it out. She looked at Weiss, checking to see if she wanted to say anything.
She was still shocked.
Ruby, losing a bit of that courage, continued in a lower voice. She opted to look out at the neighbourhood as she continued.
"I knew I shouldn't have these feelings. So… when I faced them, I decided to let it fade out, you know… So, every day that passed I hoped that I would stop noticing how smart you are, and how pretty your eyes look in the moonlight or how even your hair shines like some kind of moon goddess and-"
Ruby's cheeks bloomed pink as she awkwardly coughed to force herself to rave on, "Anyways… it obviously didn't go away… Gosh darn it, it obviously didn't! Even today felt like a date and I felt so happy about that."
Weiss' eyes stayed wide open as she watched Ruby take a deep breath, trying to compose herself for the final stretch.
"But I know you are not interested in me like that. You have a boyfriend! It's clear as day that you are not interested in me, nonetheless girls… I'm… sorry," Ruby looked Weiss in the eye, "I'm sorry that I let this go so far and that I'm telling you right now but… It's the only way I can move on from these feelings. By actually doing something about them…"
"Ruby… I can't-"
"I don't need you to accept! I'm not even expecting you returning it or something! I just needed you to know and…"
"Ruby, I can't."
Panic rose in Ruby's eyes as she watched her friend scoot away from her. She watched as Weiss fumbled around with the fairy lights on her lap and abruptly pull out the plug in her battery pack, plunging both of them in darkness. The only source of light being the festival in the distance.
"I… I'm sorry."
Weiss hastily got up from her position and clamoured her way to the entrance at the top of the roof, disappearing through the door.
"W… Weiss…" Ruby said weakly, as she heard the heiress rush out of the front door and around the long way to her house.