RubyNo words exchanged, my Father and I walked into the bungalow. After assuring myself that it would be useless to take a brief rest in the living room, I made for my room but my father’s voice stopped my intended motion.“Why do I get the feeling that you are lying to me?” A shiver ran down my spine as I turned to face him. It would be rich to think so, but I think there is a possibility that he knows who Adonis is. But, my father knows or not, I was not ready to tell my Dad with my mouth who Adonis Klaus is to me.“Dad…” I bit into my lip and my eyes darted elsewhere, a motion that ensued the moment he took a step closer to me.“I am going to investigate him. You know that already. So, Ruby, it will be wise if you let me know what the deal is. Because if I find out that there’s something nasty going on, it is going to get difficult not only for you but for all of us.”A particular word of his didn’t sit right with me.“What do you mean by difficult?”My Dad crossed his arms. “I c
Ruby“So, did your Dad say anything?” Adonis asked as he entered the driver’s seat of his car after he ensured that I was wearing my seat belt. Apparently, he wouldn’t start driving unless my safety is ensured.“He asked for the truth and I almost told him. Honestly…” The car engine started. “… I would prefer if he found out from someone else. That’s better than me telling him. I don’t think I would be able to withstand the look on his face once I tell him the truth.”“But he will find out regardless. What will happen when he does?”I shrugged, my mind eager to move on to another topic.“Let’s wait till then. For now, let’s live as though gangsters aren’t after you and me. Let’s live as if my father won't nab us anytime soon. "Adonis chuckled. “I think you are the one that has a way with words. You just made me forget that my past life is haunting me for a moment.”The atmosphere became tense- well for me- because I deciphered something heavy in between his statement.“Adonis, what k
RubyAfter intense silence raided the whole room, Adonis’s shoes introduced noise into the living room.With the hefty men around us glaring at him and Maximus Xylem watching him with a smirk on his lips, Adonis's motion seemed to be a very rash move. But what can I say in this situation?All I can do was watch and hope the raid wouldn’t be successful.If it is… God knows that will be the end. I won’t see my parents again or my friends. My dream won’t get to be realised... So many things will go wrong if their raid is successful.So, with a desperate soul, I trained my eyes on Adonis who was now in front of the boss, his intent still unclear.“What do you think you are doing?” Maximus asked with slight amusement in his voice.“You can’t do this. Not here.”“Pardon?”I watched as Adonis’s hands formed into a fist. His jaws clenched and that made me more curious.“This is between you and me. Don’t drag the girl into this.”“But, she is already dragged into this. You like it or not.”“If
AdonisFor some seconds, it felt unreal. It felt as though I was doing something wrong.But there was this look in Ruby's eyes that made me push all my concerns and hesitation away.As I pinned her hands to the wall in a way that ensured our chests were touching, I felt my reasoning fly out of the room.It is just insane. The fact that one look from her makes my soul feel something different is absolutely insane. Her voice triggers me out of the deadliest thoughts, and her entire existence makes my heart thud with delight and fear.It is just crazy.And it wasn't supposed to be that way. I was meant to protect her from a distance.Things got out of hand, and now... there is no going back.Images of Ruby haunt my brief, inadequate sleep, definitely, there is no going back.So, once my lips met hers, I let it all go.My troubles, my concerns, my thoughts...And all I wanted to do at that moment was make her scream my name in the most beautiful way. As my tongue explored the softness o
AdonisRushing to Mrs. Cook, I asked, "Did Bryan do this to you?""Uh..." She pointed at the entrance to my apartment and I obliged. I followed her pain-filled paces until we got to the door which I managed to open.After introducing illumination into the dark room, I directed her to the bathroom to get rid of the redness and get her cleaned up."Argh," she cried hard as I placed her gently on the covered toilet seat."Wait here, let me get the water running." I rushed to the bath. "Do you think you can walk over here?""Hmm," she grunted, her head dancing to answer me in the affirmative. The sound of rushing water overcoming the room, I reached out to guide her towards the bath, my eyes watching out for her earnestly.Placing her upon the edge of the bath, I helped her get off the blood-stained gown, my being not mindful of the fact that I was going to see her naked.Holding her in place, I told her to take off her undergarments herself and after she did that, I helped her into the
RubyAs if it wasn't enough that my morning was crappy, I had to walk into a loud class discussing Mrs. Cook's affair.With no intention to know the details of the damned discussion, I sat down and took out my phone, my fingers circling over Adonis's number as they had been doing all night."Hey," Jake's voice snapped me out of my deepening thoughts."Oh, hi." I sighed. "You are here."His eyes darted comically, I had to laugh especially when he narrowed his eyes."Of course I am. What's wrong?" he asked, his sight falling on my phone."Nothing. How have you been?"It had been a while since I'd seen him ever since he told me he liked me. In fact, it has been a while since the three of us hung out and that sucks. I could really use some movie nighttime with my friends."I've been okay." He finally realised the chaos in the class. So, with a small frown on his face, he asked, "What's the commotion about?""I don't know." I shrugged. "Something about Mrs. Cook having a lover."He scoffed
AdonisI wished to say a word or two to Ruby before she got down from my car, but I couldn't find anything to say.Perhaps, I wished to tell her to hang on. Or to not worry about her father or Maximus and his gang.But we live in a world where things happen in strange ways. In the face of such situations, it is usually hard to make promises or give assurances.So, I maintained my silence and watched while her footsteps led her away from me. Maybe it's for the best... That we get to be apart for a while.The things I intend to do henceforth might endanger her, so maybe we aren't being cruel to each other. My hands took charge of the steering wheel again and I was ready to move when my phone rang. A look at the screen caused a smirk to find its way to my lips. The call was from the right person. "Yes?"'I'll text you his address. He is there,' the man responded and I ended the call.'Yes, this is for the best,' I thought as I engaged the car's gear and stepped on the accelerator.Wi
RubyMy heart feeling heavy, my eyes staring at nothing in particular, I found myself dreading my father's arrival from time to time. I have been that way for nearly an hour, so my imagination has been painting some terrible scenarios about my father's decision concerning Adonis.Fear gripped me at the thought that I might never get to see Adonis again. How would I survive a day if that happens? It is already hard enough that I presently keep wishing to hear his voice and feel his touch.Lord...Sighing hard, my head thrown back, I wondered how I became such a mess. Is it normal that just thinking of Adonis sends my whole body into jeopardy?It seems I am yet to discover just how much I like Adonis. I took another deep exhale, and the chill that came with the day rushed into the room to give me some sort of embrace. Reaching for my blanket to cover up, I heard the front door close and the lack of chattering between my mother and Zion told me that it was my Dad that arrived.I guess i
AdonisI resisted the urge to smile as I studied her face the moment she closed her eyes. My arms crossed and I let out a shuddering breath. I was slowly being pulled into some kind of trance, I needed to remind myself that I was not dreaming.I needed to remind myself that I should be alert, and waiting to hear her response, but I couldn’t help myself.Apart from a few times when I managed to send one of the men to check up on her, I had no particular idea of what she looked like in person. Definitely, the pictures sent did no justice to how beautifully grown she was.My head tilted as I observed her entire face. Her lips kept twitching as she delved into her thoughts. Her forehead wore some kind of frown and I realized once again how selfish it was of me to suddenly show up and ask her to choose from painful options. Options that make my heart ache as well.But I have no choice. I had to do it that way. Hopefully, she chooses to…“I have an answer,” I heard her blurt out, her soft v
RubyStepping out of the airport, my bag rolling with me as I walked towards the taxi I had flagged down, it hit me more that I was back in Manhattan on my way to see my parents and… him. And my mind became more confused.Thankfully, it was the mid-semester period and we have a one-week break which I will extend to a three-week holiday because I seriously need the break.Soon, the taxi moved and began the long journey that would lead me home.And towards Adonis Klaus.Two weeks after our unexpected reunion, I finally contacted Adonis, telling him I had an answer for him.I sounded so determined that I already had an answer but as the moving car sped and allowed some cool breeze to come my way, as I rested in the seat some more, I realised that my heart was still confused.Of course, I want to be with Adonis, I wish for nothing more. But thinking about the present only is such a short-sighted and risky thing. There is a strong need to think about how any decision I take would affect m
RubyThree years.I have been waiting for three years.Time flew past so fast while I was waiting for Adonis to show up in front of me again. While I managed to go on with my life, I always paused for some seconds to see if he was anywhere around me.He never was neither were there traces of him in his two homes.I graduated high school, took a year break before heading to the university to find out what appeals to me the most in life and now, that I am finally in the university, I am still waiting for him.At first, all I wanted was just to see if he was alive. I placed my hopes on the numerous searches embarked on by the police but, after a while, everything was futile. I watched the cops pack their bags and give up on searching for the man whose existence had become a mystery. Occasionally, I felt anger towards Adonis Klaus, but I always managed to cloud that anger with my need to see him alive.But, as three years passed, I felt anger and many more emotions. Some days I hate him,
Ruby“Did you hear that Bryan was arrested? Even Mr. Grassi! I wonder what the deal is with this school.” My ears caught the loud whispering from one of the girls who were in front of me as I dragged my feet sadly out of the last class for the day.Well, it wasn’t exactly the last period in school, but for me, who was already tired of the talks about Mr. Klaus resigning and how they miss him, I was already done with school for the day, I just wanted to go stay in a lonely place.All I want to do now is stare into the air and pray fervently for Adonis’s return.I might seem hopeless for banking on the idea that Adonis is still alive. Given the fact that it has been almost two weeks since the incident and no traces of him being has been found, my prayers seem useless.But, at the same time, traces of him being dead were yet to be found. Unlike others, evidence in form of pieces of burnt body parts belonging to Adonis has not been found.Yes, they are yet to fully get rid of the rubble,
Ruby This time, I slept for a longer period. I could tell that much as I grudgingly sat up. I was rubbing some sleep remnants off my eyes, when I felt a hand on my head, its fingers pushing back the strands of my hair in a very loving way. I know that touch! With happiness instantly overriding the sadness that had followed me into my long sleep, I fully opened my eyes and smiled widely at the man whose eyes watched me with affection. My throat felt heavy and tears threatened to come again. My eyes squinted and my forehead creased while I tried not to break into another bout of tears. But I was just so happy to see him. I was so glad that he came back to me. I was glad that my bad thoughts didn't come to pass after all. Filled with more and more emotions as seconds went by, I held onto his hand which sent soothing waves down my spine “Adonis…” I called him, my voice cracked as I couldn’t disguise the tears anymore. “Hey, Peanut.” His other hand leaned against my cheek and I rest
RubyWhile some men tended to Mark Lumber’s injury which didn’t have a good look, old man Matt circled the three hostages that were in the room. I was back on the chair, tied down as well. Adonis and Jake had been forced to kneel and some men were placed behind them. Those men watched the duo keenly as did their guns which were pointed at their heads.I sighed hard as my health situation got even worse. At intervals, my body shook, due to fear and the terrible state of my headache. At that point, my system had gotten used to the loud banging but that didn’t mean I wasn’t in pain.I was trying so hard to hide it but my entire body felt like it had been hit with a huge rock.“Where on earth are the fools that went to get the ropes?” Matt hollered as his annoying footsteps came to a halt and his eyes fell furiously on the entrance which was now destroyed thanks to the earlier exchange of bullets. “I need to make sure that these bastards don’t escape. Especially Adonis."”I’m sure they ar
Ruby I woke up from my long sleep and had a tight grip restricting my wrists and ankles. It was hard for me to move, my entire body felt like it had been pulled into sudden stillness.I finally opened my eyes which I closed to ignore the crazy headache I was still having. It had magnified its effect, and my head was practically about to burst at that point. My opened eyes made me fully aware of the dangerous situation I was in. While my nose tried to get rid of the yucky smell the strange building was oozing, I saw the number of men that were guarding the entrance that led to where I was. The strong, weapon-carrying men looked so unforgiving, it would be hard for any uninvited individual to make his way in or out peacefully.And… it would be harder for me to plot a possible escape.I sighed, my mouth feeling somewhat heavy as my entire soul felt like breaking down and crying.As I took another look around the tall building, the rusting machines surrounding me and especially at the u
AdonisIt was a Saturday evening.That meant it was a busy evening in the den. The wild party I walked into told me two things. One, a certain part of the gang wasn’t aware of the plan that involved taking Ruby. Two, the longer I stay in that environment, the more likely I was to attain an unforgivable height of anger- The kind of anger that could make one turn into a complete beast, with all sides of the face drawn into ugly wrinkles, with a voice coarser than sand, and with energy so negative, the world could turn to chaos.I don't want to be that angry. All I want to do is get the possible location of Mark Lumber or whoever the fuck kidnapped her. Then, I can spring into action.So, I hurried my steps towards the executive lounge of the hideout. As usual, the executive lounge was where the real party was always happening. There was hardly any noise but you can tell each person is having fun, one way or the other.As my eyes scanned the entire span of the room, I noticed Maximus
RubyIt happened too fast.One second, I was adjusting the towel covering my wet body while I stared at the food Adonis made for me. The next moment, glass shattered around me and these hefty men dragged me out of the apartment, ignoring my cries.It seemed like the building was empty as well. The people that heard my shouts were the security men who were mere souls in front of the tall, angry-looking men.Looking down at my chest as the jeep raced some more towards the highway, I let out a sigh. I then noticed that one of the men seated beside me had his eyes glued to my body."Listen," I started talking, my eyes furiously eyeing the pervert beside me, "I did as you said, I have not made noise since you guys kidnapped me.""We did not...""Get me some clothes before someone eye-rapes me." The tone of my voice was intentionally raised on the last statement, and my head tilted slightly towards the man on my right. The man seated beside the quiet driver let out a sigh. His hand rubbed