A/N: Sorry for the delay. I've been busy over the last few weeks!
A slow song now gently played through the speakers. It had changed the atmosphere more or less completely. Tipsy couples around the room swayed gently to the beat, the occasional drops of wine sloppily being splashed over the floor. The song wasn't old, but it had the vibe of a classic.
Taking a break from the world of the party mobsters for a while, Ruby sat alone in a booth, staring ahead, distracted by the music. Actually, it was Belle who had forced her to take a break. The second the song had switched from a fast paced pop song to a slow paced melody, Ruby was fully prepared to wrestle the DJ.
"Who in God's name requested this shit?" she had shouted at the ceiling. She had staggered around the room, waggling her finger in her fellow partiers' faces in accusation. "Was it you? Was it you? I bet it was you, wasn't it?!"
Before she could trouble the people any further, Belle had stepped in and told her to take a five minute break. Handing her a glass of water, Belle told her that once the song was over, she could return to the dancefloor. Reluctantly, Ruby had accepted the deal.
Thus far, Ruby had decided that the slow song wasn't so bad after all. Not that she was a music critic, or anything, but the song wasn't unbearable. She tended to listen to songs that were about getting high, or drunk, and having a good time, rather than songs with deep meaning. It was different, to say the least.
"Bet your eardrums are bleeding, right now,"
Belle appeared from out of nowhere. She rested her hand upon the table, and shifted her weight against the edge of it. "How are you holding up?"
There were a few seconds silence, until Ruby replied, "Couples suck," Her eyes focused on the number of happy couples, still grinning wide at each other, joyfully and drunkenly. It seemed like she couldn't have one without the other. Most of the time she faked her happiness. The only time she truly was happy was when the alcohol took over her system. It was nice to get away from her life for a while, and almost be a different person. Sober Ruby was plain. Intoxicated Ruby was juicy, and delicious. Watching the happy couples made Ruby reconsider her thoughts. She was still drunk, but she certainly wasn't jumping for joy.
One guy sneakily tried to grab his girlfriend's ass, but instead received a stern look, and a hard slap. As the girl stormed away, Ruby referred her attention back to Belle. "Guys are douches."
"Tell me about it," said Belle, slipping across from Ruby into the booth. She took a large sip from her white wine. "They only want two things. Boobs and ass."
"That's three things."
Belle smirked. "I suppose it is. Nevertheless, the point still stands. It's like I don't even have a personality. They're not interested in me unless I'm half-or fully-naked."
"It's the classic Halloween party scenario. Two years ago, I was a sexy nurse. I got my ass grabbed six times, and three phone numbers. Last year, I was a pumpkin. Guess how many times my ass got grabbed? Kaput."
"You got a phone number, though, right?"
"Don't remind me," Ruby scoffed. "Dr. Whale. 'Unzip that costume, and let that pumpkin juice flow.'" She shuddered.
"They keep telling me I just haven't found the right guy yet," said Belle. "I'm not sure the right guy exists."
"People are always spewing crap, like 'You'll meet the one. It's fate.' Screw fate. I'd rather stick to one night stands than be stuck in a dumb old marriage."
"Marriage is lame!" Belle declared, slamming her drained glass on the table. "Why should I wake up next to the same man every morning, when I could wake up next to a hot Mexican who works out daily? A guy with a tattoo in a very specific area? Hell, a girl with jumbo sized boobs?"
Taken aback, Ruby could feel herself burning up. She prayed that Belle wouldn't notice. "What?" she said involuntarily.
"You heard me. I'd bang anyone."
Get a grip, Ruby told herself. She's drunk, and doesn't know what she's saying. She worked up a small smile. "Me too," she concurred. They clinked their glasses together.
"Forget couples! Belle and Ruby are in town," Belle took another swig of her wine. After she finished, she slammed her hands down on the table, stood, and leaned in close to Ruby. So close, that Ruby had to scold herself for her subconscious frame of mind. Their eye contact was steel, unbreakable. Belle's voice hushed to a faint, seductive whisper. "And we're here to make a night that you'll remember."
While Belle sunk back into her seat, Ruby felt her cheeks. Just as she feared, they were burning. "It's hot in here, isn't it?" she lied, pretending to fan herself.
"Totally," grinned Belle, in a seductive tone.
Belle looked Ruby up and down, examining. Self-conscious, Ruby wrapped her arms around herself.
"Say," Belle began. She gritted her teeth, then put her long manicured fingernail in her mouth, in consideration. "How about we make some memories tonight?"
Ruby's eyes widened. Was Belle seriously suggesting what she thought she was suggesting? Speechless, she struggled to think of a reply.
"No better time than the present, right?" Belle gave Ruby a large smile.
Ruby nodded in agreement. Sure, she was up for it. It was the fact that it was Belle engaging her for it, not the other way around. For years, Ruby had been trying to build up the courage to confess her feelings for Belle. Feelings that she had been trying to convince herself weren't real. But now, that there was an opportunity to open up, and actually make some memories with this girl. The whole thing was so sudden that Ruby was baffled by the whole thing.
Slipping out of the booth, Belle stood and extended her hand towards Ruby. "It's now or never, baby," she breathed.
Ruby finally allowed herself to smile. She was ready. Confidently, she grasped Belle's hand. Belle pulled her to her feet, and then began to lead her towards a quieter part of the club. The slow song had changed into something more Rubyesque, but she didn't care. The noise around her didn't matter anymore; all Ruby's attention was on Belle.
When they stopped, Belle's grin was wide. Her eyes were full of light, and screamed excitement. "Wait here," she said, before disappearing into the crowd.
This is it. Ruby thought to herself. Don't screw this up now.
Barely thirty seconds had passed when Belle returned. Ruby's smile faded. She wasn't alone.
"Ruby, meet Billy. Billy, meet Ruby," chirped Belle. "Now, Rubes, Billy here doesn't want to be in a committed relationship. He's sick of all the complications, and whatnot, of having a girlfriend. Tonight he's looking for a simple one night stand, with no phone number exchanges, no 'why didn't you call me back?' nonsense, nothing. How awesome is that?"
Ruby bit her lip. Billy wasn't ugly- in fact, if Belle wasn't in the picture, he would be the guy Ruby would go for. She had got completely the wrong idea. Of course, Belle wasn't going to get with her tonight, or ever, for that matter. It was obvious that Belle was straight, and had no interest with sleeping with her. What was she thinking? That Belle suddenly was in love with her, or something? It was never going to happen, simple as. Ruby couldn't believe just how dumb she had been.
The only way out of this was to put on a brave face, to carry on. She gave her most genuine smile to both Belle and Billy. "It's pretty awesome."
Belle squealed. "I knew you'd love him!" She turned to Billy. "See, I told you she'd love you!"
Billy awkwardly shifted his eyes from Belle to Ruby, giving her a nervous grin. It was clear he was uncomfortable with Belle's drunkenness.
"Now, I'll leave you two lovebirds alone," said Belle, taking a couple of steps backwards. She nearly stumbled on a small platform, but managed to keep upright. "Play dirty, you filthy animals!" she called back to them, as she walked away.
"I, uh, hear the dumpster outside is a great place for privacy," said Billy.
"Lead the way," said Ruby, half-heartedly.
Sure, it wasn't Billy's fault that she had got the wrong idea about what Belle was implying. Her mind had created her own fantasy of living happily ever after with Belle, ignoring the reality. She had to get her head out of her ass. Belle wasn't in love with her, and that wasn't going to change. People had had their hearts broken before, and what did they do? Move on. That was what she needed to do. Get over the girl who she would never get to be with. Convince herself that there was no real future for either of them whatsoever. No one night stand, no lasting relationship. It wouldn't be so hard, would it? All she had to do was to follow Belle's advice. Screw relationships, screw marriage, screw feelings. Make sex just be sex, and don't get attached too easily. That was what she had been doing wrong. Being so attached to Belle had prevented her from having fun, doing what she actually wanted to do. She had missed out on so much, just because of some dumb girl.
No more, she told herself. The Past Pouting Ruby is gone for good, and the New Racy Ruby is here to stay.
And the New Ruby was sexy, seductive, and cold as ice. Manipulation was her middle name. Nothing could stand in her way. She had been holding herself back for so long. It was time for the real Ruby Lucas to run free.