Ruby lay quiet in Roman's bed, gently holding her index finger between the two rows of her teeth. Roman had left to retrieve water for her two minutes ago, but she had not moved from the spot she was currently in since then.

A part of her was completely still, postulating that she was still because she wanted to be, because she needed the rest and she was tired. But the other contended that it was because of the two people in the other room—Junior and Neo. She wasn't quite trusting of them, and even though they encouraged her to make her own decision, Ruby felt like they did not approve of her choice, no matter how cautiously or incautiously she went about it.

Though she could be making it all up in her head, and they might respect her for showing confidence in her decision. So Ruby sat up, pulled the blanket aside, and set her feet down on the floor. She paused to let the dizziness fade, or maybe just to calm her nerves, but in a few seconds she was up and walking into the next room.

The creaking door alerted Neo and Junior to her presence, her face in the crack between the door and the frame. Upon looking at Ruby standing in the door, Neo looked away, bored. Junior amicably waved her in and nonverbally suggested that she sit down and enjoy their company.

Neo signed something to Ruby.

"She says, 'Evening,'" Junior translated.

Ruby nodded. "Hi," she responded meekly.

"Roman should be back soon. The vending machines are on the twentieth floor, so it'll take some time." Junior patted the seat next to him on the couch as Ruby stood awkwardly in the foyer.

As Ruby circled the couch and seated herself at the furthest end of the couch, Junior asked, "Exciting day?"

Neo huffed.

"U-uh, I guess you could say that, but really, I was napping, like, the whole time," Ruby answered.

Neo looked up at Junior and signed something. Junior nodded in response.

Ruby's eyes shifted from Neo back to Junior. "What'd she say?"

Junior sighed. "Neo is convinced you don't trust us."

Neo gave him a "What the heck?" look and crossed her arms. Ruby looked to her hands in her lap and picked at her school uniform.

"Look, kid," Junior said, getting Ruby's attention, "All three of us—Roman, Neo, and I—knew you were in the closet, and our boss would have flipped if she knew that you were in the closet eavesdropping the whole time."

Ruby clarified, "I wasn't even listening—"

"Doesn't matter. She would have killed you on the spot either way." Ruby averted Junior's hard look. "We all could have given you up, but we didn't. That enough jeopardizes Roman's life more than it does yours, so feel free to sleep a little easier tonight."

Ruby looked to Neo, who nodded once upon making eye contact and looked away. For the next few moments, all of them remained completely silent, letting the heavy feeling hang in the air.

Ruby broke the silence. "If it puts Roman's life in danger, why didn't you?"

Junior smiled and responded, "I think you already know."

Before Ruby could ask what he meant, the door opened and Roman appeared with bottled water in one hand and a granola bar in the other. "All right, guys," he announced, holding the door open, "It's time for you to leave. Neo, I expect nothing less than an empty fridge."

Neo waved and stood up, slapping the sides of her thighs to entertain herself as Junior took his sweet time in lifting himself off the couch. Ruby sat still and ignored the quizzical look that Junior gave her. It quickly dissipated, but as he walked by Roman, he stopped to whisper something in his ear.

Roman responded with, "You won't need to worry." When the both of them had sauntered out the door, Roman closed the door and locked it.

Roman turned around and examined Ruby's state of dress as he approached her. "I'll get you a t-shirt to sleep in. Are you wearing spandex shorts under your skirt?"

Ruby shifted her feet, a blush flowering on her cheeks. "No."

Roman smirked and jerked his head in the direction of his room. "Come on. I need to take a shower before I go to bed. After that, room's all yours."

"Wait, you're not gonna sleep on your own bed?" Ruby asked, confused.

Roman chuckled. "Are you inviting me to sleep with you?"

"No!" Ruby spat out. "Of course not."

Roman shrugged, setting down the water and chips on the nightstand. "If you say so."

Ruby bit the back of her lip and watched Roman sling a towel over his shoulder before he proceeded to the bathroom. When she heard the lock click, Ruby took the water in her hands and opened the cap. The gentle sound of rain on the windows soon picked up into a roar.


Roman finished showering and opened the door into his room, first taking note of the rain. "How long ago did it start raining?" he asked. The second thing he took note of was the scramble Ruby made to cover up her bare legs. He looked at her and smirked.

Her face, as red as the claim to her name, was telling of her modest embarrassment. "I think twenty minutes," she answered.

Covered only by the towel around his waist, Roman patiently strolled to the other side of his room to scrutinize his reflection in the full-length mirror. He looked at her, but she seemed to be trying her best to keep her eyes off him as she hugged the duvet tightly to her chest.

Roman had just picked out a pair of underwear when Ruby suddenly said, "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure, one sec." Roman slid them up his legs underneath the towel until they were around his waist, and then he unwrapped the towel from his torso and began to towel dry his hair. "What is it?" Roman asked, approaching the bed.

Ruby let the duvet fall from her chest. "Does it bother you that I'm—" Ruby stopped herself, reaching for a strand of her hair and holding it tightly between her thumb and forefinger. "That I'm, uh, you know," Ruby trailed off, looking at the pillow instead of him.

Roman leaned forward. "Fifteen?"

Ruby bit her lip and nodded, not looking up at him.

He sighed. "Do you really want to have this conversation while neither of us is wearing pants?"

Ruby blushed at the implication, responding, "What would it change if we were?"

Roman swallowed, letting the silence draw out a little further before responding. "Look at me."

Her gaze pulled away from the pillow on the other side of the bed and slowly made its way to his legs on the bed and finally up to his face. Roman raised his eyebrows, and Ruby nodded her head.

Taking a deep breath, Roman answered, "It should bother me that you're fifteen, but it doesn't. Frankly, I'd be more concerned about the experience gap rather than the age one."

Ruby shifted silently, raising her hand to scratch the back of her neck. "Then does it bother you that I've never…done that?"

"You can say it, you know."

She took a moment to revise her question. "Am I the first virgin you've ever really been with?"

Roman exhaled. "I usually only slept with women who have had sex before. I have never really been in a serious relationship with anyone."

Ruby's eyebrows shot up. "Wait, really?"

"Don't act so surprised—a full time criminal rarely has time to create dedicated, meaningful commitments outside of evading the law."

"Yeah, I guess you're right…what does that make me, then?"

Roman chewed the inside of his cheek. "The first."

Her body loosened visibly upon hearing him say that. However, he felt even tenser telling her that she was, in essence, his first real romantic relationship.

"I just want to know what this is, what we're doing."

Roman smiled slightly. "Me, too." He lifted himself up off the bed and stepped closer to Ruby. Gently leaning down, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead and tucked wayward strands of hair behind her ear. "Good night."


Thank you guys so much for the reviews, favorites, and follows! The support means so much to me, you guys, and I wouldn't be here without it, so thank you :) Chapter 35 is soon to follow.