The Ineffable Ruth Rhodes

bonus scenes

bonus scenes bc i'm attached we get it.

01

A date.

A date.

Something that could be considered a gateway to possibly one of the things Vincent had ever wanted, or in other words, a door to happiness.

He had a date.

For the first time in three years (if that one blind date Anthony forced him to go to counted which he mildly enjoyed), he had a date.

A date.

One which Vincent was missing.

Because he was sick.

Sick!

He turned his head, blinking as he tried to reach for his phone to tell Ruth he was sorry he couldn't make it. His eyes bulged when they handed on the time. He was an hour late.

He was about to say screw it and ask Siri to do it for him when he heard his apartment door click.

He froze.

"Hey, um. Sorry, it's Ruth!" He could've sworn his fever cured itself the moment he heard her voice. Or maybe he was so surprised at hearing it that his fever ran away too. "Sorry. For letting myself in, and for asking Anthony and Sage for your house pin." He heard her voice get farther and closer, as if she was checking different rooms for him as she spoke. "I didn't know you got back in touch with Sage by the way. That's amazing."

Finally, she poked her head into his room, and a radiant smile spread across her face. "Found you."

"Ruth," he said, and he matched her smile as he sat up in his bed, ignoring the pounding head and heart.

She peeked her head into his door, and his eyes dropped to the thermos and bag of what looked like takeout and other things in her hands. Well, after ogling her. "Hiya."

"Nice to see you, and forgiven for the pin thing." She smiled at that. "I'm so sorr--"

"Oh, Vincent, stop." She took her time, taking off her jacket revealing a just below mid-thigh dress hugging her body, and he looked away when she arched a brow at him as if to say 'sexy, right?' (as if he doubted it), and laughed. After draping her jacket over the chair in the corner of his room, she placed her bags by his bed and the thermos on his dark oak headboard. "Don't be silly. I knew something was wrong, so I asked Sage if he'd heard from you or Anthony."

"Did you wait long?"

Did he want to know?

She laughed as she took the remaining things out of the bag she'd brought, placing them gently around her where she sat on her knees. "You never were quite the punctual person, so I didn't mind waiting a little longer to be sure."

"I'm not eighteen anymore though," he said, smiling when she kissed his cheek as a hello.

"No, definitely not," he heard her whisper. "There's much more we can do now." Before he could register what she said and even feel giddy, she spoke again. "Headache or fever?"

"You don't have to be here. Thank you."

"Yes yes but I wanted to, and it's sort of our thing. Headache or fever?"

"Both."

"Chinese or snacks?"

"... both, but Chinese first."

She laughed. It really was musical.

"Be right back." And she was back, a couple minutes later, with a dishcloth she laid on his forehead, tilting his head back so it would sit right. It was warm. "I found that in one of your drawers, sorry, I didn't want to use the one hanging in case you used it to dry your hands or clean the counter." He stayed silent as Ruth stood, humming as she lifted the ends of his blanket and inserted them under his feet, then by his side. "Not sure if that's gonna do anything but being warm never hurt anyone."