Chapter 63 It's complicated
CHAPTER 63
It's complicated.
Ruby closed the door behind her gently, as though trying not to disturb the silence that already filled the room. The faint sounds from downstairs had faded, leaving only a distant echo of laughter that no longer reached her. She stood still for a moment, her hand resting lightly against the door, as if grounding herself.
Then she exhaled slowly. She could feel her heart beating in her chest. The composure she had held throughout the night began to loosen. It wasn’t dramatic; there were no sudden tears or visible breakdown but there was a clear shift in her energy. The effort of maintaining a calm expression, of pretending everything was fine, had quietly drained her. She couldn't imagine why she was feeling this way, and whatever it is, it's not good for her.
She walked toward the bed and sat down, her movements slower now, more thoughtful. Her gaze drifted to the side, landing on nothing in particular. Her mind, however, was far from still.
The events of the evening replayed in fragments.
Leo is trying to catch her attention. Her not responding. Trent waving. Leo stood in front of her, asking if she was okay. And then, beneath all of that, the memory of the garden.
She remembered the most. Ruby leaned back slightly, her hands resting in her lap as she stared ahead. She let her head fall back gently against the bed, her eyes closing for a moment as if that would quiet her thoughts. But it didn’t.
Instead, her mind wandered to something else. Things she isn't supposed to remember there it was.
Flashback
“Who do you think you are, good for nothing girl”........
Everything came back, from the moment her stepmom poured stew on her,as she was rushed to the hospital immediately, the disgust in her face, that hatred, that look.
“Dad, please don't leave me.”
Yes he left her, she remembered everything,he claimed to protect her, claimed to protect her from everyone when her mom died but he failed.
“If I sign this….”
“I will protect you”
She remembered when he saved her, how she signed the contract the first day she moved in, their first kiss, their moment together and this wasn't enough for him to love her. She let the tears drop freely.
“Oh no”. She felt her head ache immediately as she tried opening her eyes again.
That was what this was supposed to be. Simple.
So why did it feel like it had gone beyond that?
Ruby sat up again, running a hand through her hair in a small, restless motion. She wasn’t someone who easily lost control of her emotions, yet here she was uncertain, unsettled, and unsure of how to move forward. Part of her wanted to confront Leo. To ask him directly. To understand where they stood. But another part of her hesitated. Because what if the answer wasn’t what she wanted?
Downstairs, the conversation between Leo and Blake continued, though the tone had shifted. What had started as light conversation had turned into something more reflective, more serious.
Blake leaned back slightly, studying Leo with quiet interest.
“You’re overthinking,” he said calmly.
Leo let out a faint scoff. “I’m not.”
“You are,” Blake replied. “You just admitted you like her.”
Leo didn’t deny it this time.
Instead, he stared ahead, his expression thoughtful.
“It’s not that simple,” he said.
Blake tilted his head slightly. “It usually is. People just complicate it.”
Leo shook his head. “You don’t understand.”
“Then explain.”
There was a brief pause.
Leo hesitated, as though deciding how much to say. Then, with a quiet exhale, he spoke.
“It started as an arrangement,” he admitted. “Something controlled, predictable.”
Blake’s expression shifted slightly, his curiosity deepening.
“An arrangement? Wait a minute ….he repeated.
Leo nodded. “A contract,” he clarified.
The word hung in the air.
Blake didn’t interrupt, but his attention sharpened.
“We agreed on boundaries,” Leo continued. “No emotions, or complications.”
Blake let out a small, knowing breath.
“And now?”
Leo didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees, his hands loosely clasped together. “Now it doesn’t feel like that anymore.”
Blake watched him closely. “Does she know how you feel?”
Leo shook his head. “No.”
“Why not?”
Leo gave a small, humorless smile. “Because I don’t even know what I’m feeling.”
Blake raised a brow. “That’s not true.”
Leo looked at him. “It’s not?”
Blake shook his head slightly. “You just don’t want to admit it fully.”
There was a quiet pause. Leo leaned back again, his gaze drifting toward the stairs for a brief moment toward where Ruby had disappeared earlier.
“She’s different tonight,” he said.
Blake nodded. “Yeah. I noticed.”
“I think I upset her.”
Blake considered that. “Did you?”
Leo’s jaw tightened slightly. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
Blake didn’t press immediately. Instead, he let the silence sit for a moment before speaking again.
“If you did,” he said calmly, “then leaving it like this won’t fix it.”
Leo didn’t respond. He knew that.
Upstairs, Ruby shifted on the bed, pulling her knees slightly closer as she sat in silence. The room felt larger than usual, emptier. She glanced toward the door once, as if expecting something, or someone but nothing happened. She let out a small breath and looked away again. Maybe that was her answer.
Downstairs, Leo stood up suddenly.
Blake looked at him. “You’re going up there?” he asked.
Leo hesitated for a second. Then he shook his head. “Not yet.”
Blake watched him carefully. “You’re waiting?”
Leo nodded slightly. “I need to think.”
Blake didn’t argue.
But his expression suggested he didn’t entirely agree.
Leo remained where he was, though his attention was no longer on the conversation. His mind had already moved elsewhere upstairs, to the quiet room where Ruby was.
Both of them, in different parts of the house, were thinking about each other.
Neither of them are moving or speaking.
And in that stillness, the distance between them felt more complicated than ever.