"What is wrong with all you!" Ruthie finds herself yelling in the middle of all the commotion.
Lucy mouth slants to one side, her arms crossed. Kevin looks exactly the same way he has looked for the past three days, on the verge of losing it. Robbie looks between Lucy and Kevin, silently observing them.
Ruthie glances at Robbie for an explanation. Was he silly enough to say why he was here? Did he tell Lucy that he still had feelings for her even when he said he wouldn't?
Ruthie all of sudden fells panic. Her eyes widen at him.
Robbie's eyes connect with hers as he shakes his head. Ruthie knows that he hasn't said anything.
"Lucy, for the last time " Kevin says, taking a deep breath, not really paying attention to Ruthie or Robbie standing there. "I didn't know you wanted me buy that many covers for the tables."
"Kevin I told you four times!" Lucy explodes.
"No, you told me to get as many as I thought we needed. Which I did."
Lucy narrows her eyes at Kevin and Ruthie knows this wont be over anytime soon. Kevin can probably sense this too as he takes a seat.
Ruthie knows how these things go, so she motions at Robbie to follow her outside.
"Crazy." Robbie says as he takes a seat on the cement path outside the backyard.
"That's Lucy."
Robbie rolls his eyes at her. "No, I mean it's crazy how everyone is so stressed over this dance."
"That's why I'm not going." Ruthie says as she takes a seat next to him.
"You're not?"
She shrugs.
"Is it because of what happened earlier with that girl?"
"Jane? I guess that's part of it. I broke up with T-Bone. Dad told me before he left that he wants to talk about what happened at the Church Hall, but I don't really want to so I'm not going."
"Want to talk about it now?" He asks.
"Right now, no."
"Don't avoid your problems Snooks." He advises.
"You are." She remarks, raising her eyebrows at him.
He laughs, "Well not by choice. I can't really do much about my problem but deny it's there."
"What's going to happen then?" She asks.
"Nothing. I came to visit all of you. See how your dad was doing. So, I'm staying for two more days and then I leave."
She sighs. It was nice having Robbie here. Ruthie didn't want him to leave again.
"So are you and Martin—"
"I told him I had feelings for him, and we agreed to talk about where this is going and what it means, but when he called right before you guys walked in; I didn't know what to say and I just hung up."
Ruthie feels frustrated by this. She doesn't understand her hesitation. What is she doing? She should be calling Martin right now.
Robbie stands up.
He doesn't say anything but Ruthie knows that he is watching her.
"What?" she finally looks up at him.
He has a knowing look on his face. "Nothing."
But Ruthie knows that face; she knows there is something on his mind.
"Nothing" he repeats and offers her his hand. Ruthie takes it and he helps her up.
"Call him Snooks. Tell him the truth." He says.
She doesn't understand what he means.
He smiles at her and puts his arm around her shoulder as he guides toward the back kitchen door.
"When did you become the voice of reason?" she asks him.
He laughs loudly, "Come on."
When they go in, Kevin is furiously rubbing the temples of his head with both his hands.
Later on her dad and mom call her. They want to talk. Ruthie tells them that she's not up to going to any festivity, especially if T-bone is there. Her dad tells her that they would talk after the party. Ruthie also receives three calls from T-bone and she forwards all of them.
It turns out the party goes on until eleven o'clock and when her parents come home she locks herself in her room, pretending to be asleep.
Of course she's not asleep.
It is one o'clock when she receives this text message. I'm coming by in ten, it reads.
He must have seen the light coming from her room.
Ruthie was just about to call it a night. She'd been brushing her hair and in the process and making it frizzy. She sighs heavily. It would be one of those nights. She gets her hair up and leans back into the headboard.
The screen was bright and ready for her to reply, but Ruthie deliberates whether to tell him to come over or just leave it for another day. Martin was obviously not asking for her permission to come over, he wanted to talk.
The whole situation felt so awkward and she couldn't really wrap her mind with all the things that had occurred in one day. First, T-bone and Jane, then talk with Martin; even Robbie just showing up and declaring his love for her sister was just too much.
Her hesitation was coming from their earlier conversation, she tells herself. That's why Robbie must have meant she thinks. Martin Brewer was ready for all of this.
But was she?
Ruthie knew she always had feelings for him. Even since she'd worked out that she had feelings for him a couple of months after moving in. Of course Ruthie had been to young then to really understand what it meant, but she had known that one day they would be together.
A loud beep startles her. It's her phone, again. I'm outside, it reads.
She was a master of sneaking downstairs. So within a minute she had made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen.
When she opens the door she doesn't expect to see that particular sight.
Martin and Robbie stand outside looking like they were just exchanging some words. The whole situation looks comical. Martin takes out his hands from his red letterman's jacket, has 'I told you so' face, as he motions to the door. Robbie is standing there looking like he's freezing, wearing only some sweats and a tee shirt he must have borrowed from Simon, and he narrows his eyes when they land on Ruthie.
Robbie was staying at the apartment and was obviously not asleep.
Ruthie opens the door wider to let them both in.
"Mind explaining this one to me?" Robbie says. He looks suspiciously at Martin as he walks to the island and doesn't miss how Martin stands close to Ruthie.
And when no one says anything he continues.
"Isn't a bit late for you to be here?"
"Relax" Martin says, "We just need to talk about a couple of things"
"Hmm." Robbie s suspicious eyes fall back on Martin and then back at Ruthie, looking for some sort of confirmation.
Martin rolls his eyes at Robbie.
"And it couldn't wait…say, 'till morning?" Robbie questions.
"No it can't and I'm not going to do anything. Just talk."
"Hmm and Reverend Camden is alright with all of this?"
" I'm practically family. Look, I promise I'll leave in twenty minutes."
"Not yet buddy, lets not get ahead of ourselves." Robbie says, unimpressed.
"Snooks?" He turns his attention at Ruthie.
"We promise Robbie." She finally says.
Robbie sighs. "Ok, but twenty, I'll be over there." He points at the direction of the apartment. "I'll we waiting and watching. And don't think I won't be timing you. Your twenty minutes starts now." And with those lasts words Robbie makes his way out.
They wait until the door closes to start chuckling.
"He's really weird." Martin comments.
"Yeah, that's Robbie." Ruthie says with a smile.
She points to the island and Martin follows.
"Want some cake?" Ruthie asks. "We have a lot of cake left over and this is our tradition right? We have many flavors." She says with a laugh and walks to the refrigerator as she starts to busy herself with taking out some of the cakes and lining them up in the island.
Martin just watches her, and she knows that he is purposely looking her. He's just staring and waiting for her to glance up.
Ruthie is not ready.
So for the next couple of minutes she makes herself even busier by opening up cabinets and drawers, takes out plates, cups, and utensils.
The silence is unbearable after a while. Ruthie knows she stalling. She wonders if Robbie is actually counting the minutes and if he'll actually barge in here telling them its time to call it a night. Most of all Ruthie can't believe how horrible she's being.
It is when she places his plate in the island, distracted from her own thoughts that she feels his hand upon hers.
Ruthie freezes on the spot. She finally glances up.
And when their eyes meet, she feels her heart speed up.
"We need to talk." Martin says.
Ruthie agrees with a nod.
She sits on the nearest chair, opposite his. Martin doesn't let go of her hand.
"We haven't even held hands yet." He chuckles softly.
Ruthie realizes that it's true; they never have, even after sharing that kiss a long time ago.
He sighs. "I get it Ruthie. This is happening too soon, I mean it's been, what? Six hours since our conversation at my house?" He says, looking like he's just realizing it himself.
"It's a lot to take in." She admits.
"Earlier with that phone call, I never meant to make unconformable."
"I know."
"It feels selfish that want everything." He says, "And I guess I am. I want to be with you and I know what I did was wrong and dumb, but I'm hoping you'll forgive me."
"I have."
"Ruthie, I know you haven't at least not completely."
"I-"
"Look. It's OK. We can figure it out. You can get to know this me"
"I know you. I know this you." She says with a smile.
"Yes, but you also remember the jerk I was a couple of months ago. That's not me anymore."
Ruthie doesn't know that to say, there is this pressure in her chest that feels unexplainably heavy.
"We can get to know each other, the 'us' now. And I'm sure Aaron would love to have you around more often. We'll be here as long as it takes."
"Little Aaron." She whispers.
At that moment Ruthie is hit with a realization she wasn't ready for. She knows that she had never actually considered what was at stake. Martin was putting everything on the line. He had a family of his own now. Her indecision, the feelings she'd been having…it was guilt. I'd been eating slowly at her, and she knows that even though she loved Martin and she loved Aaron, she wasn't ready. She couldn't put Martin through this, not when he had Aaron.
She is only sixteen years old.
A memory comes to her, it was at Rose's rehearsal dinner, it was her dad telling her to let Martin go. Martin wasn't the one for her. Martin was having a baby and he didn't have room for the life he use to have. Despite everything Ruthie was sure he was the one; even now her heart is telling her he still is.
She feels her cheeks moist.
"No, don't cry." He says, getting up. He is by her side before she even realizes it.
"I can't do this." She says quietly.
Ruthie knows she will never forget the look on his face after those words came out.
Robbie comes barging in through the kitchen door but Ruthie supposes he has enough sense not to say anything after he sees the look on their faces.
She understands what Robbie meant, now.
A/N: Thank you for the wonderful reviews and for continuing to read my story! I hope you liked this chapter. :D