Onyx

Chapter 8: In Which Her Limits are Tested (Onyx)

"Earth to Ruby?"

I could feel my eyes narrowing in utter confusion, my brain scrambling to understand exactly what she meant by her supposed misspoken words.

I thought my head was pounding before, but now it felt as if my skull was cracking, the splintering pieces perforating the deepest part of my brain.

I was ashamed of the harrowing mindfuck with Khalan and now my best friend was telling me she was in love with me out of nowhere.

Images of us in that dark alleyway flooded my mind. I scoffed internally. Khalan hadn't even had the balls to come after me. Not like he even bothered to confront me about the rash decision to pack his things anyway. He was content with losing me and didn't mind not fighting the good fight. He lacked endurance.

He was only a few blocks away too. If he wanted to reconcile, all he had to do was walk around the corner.

He was probably knee deep in the next woman by now.

At this specific point in my life, I was fed up with the half-truths and vague responses. My dwindling patience agreed with that at least.

Why can't I take a mental break tonight?

I was beginning to think the universe held some novel contempt against me. Always lurking in the shadows, waiting for Its opportunity to strike at the least opportune moments.

Would the odds ever be in my favor?

It was like I had a curse bestowed upon me by some old withering witch. One obsessed with blackening my soul to match my colorless name. I wondered if that was why I felt frequently so melancholy.

My stomach continued to twist and whirl in hoops while Ruby still refused to answer me. I peeked up at her through my lashes, absentmindedly picking at one of my loose locs that had long strayed from its intended style.

What was taking her so long? Ruby always had something to say out of her mouth. Most times I had to refrain her from blabbering away. This fact added to my suspicions of how she truly viewed me.

What did she see through those forest green lenses? And why was my heart beating so fast at the mere implication?

There's no denying that she's utterly beautiful. A sort of timeless beauty, you could even say it was a rarity in these times. Her features were equivalent to an angel. However, right now she had fallen out of God's good graces. Lucifer couldn't compare to the rage that was present in those liquid emerald pools of perfection.

"Ruby? What di-

"C'mon, let's just go. I'll drop you off at home." Her voice was as sharp as a bayonet.

The words I wanted to say were caught in my throat, failing me.

My nerves were beyond frayed. I could continue to press her for an answer, or I could live to fight another day. I decided I had discovered enough for tonight. My body ached to curl into a ball in my bed and wallow in the newfound self-pity.

Ruby's face was impassive, her eyes guarded as she swiveled away from me in her sky-high heels. She began walking towards the parking lot without a parting glance. There was a new kind of tension in the air now. A feeling that I had never shared with my best friend.

Would it even have mattered if I found out what she meant? It was obvious that she was upset with me for ditching her at the club, but she was never the type to shy away from how she truly felt.

All of this is truly unsettling.

Nobody in my life ever wanted to be direct with me. It was always me trying to find the microscopic needle in an ever-evolving haystack.