What Goes Around Comes Around

Chapter 4

~Rubee’s POV~

It happened so fast, I got bored of waiting for Leo in the living room and walked around for a while messing with some weird stuff around the room. I approached the work bench or one of them at least and see how messy it is, there were wires tools and other miscellaneous stuff all over the place, I pick up one of the wires and bend it slightly in several places till it looks like the chrome skeleton of a paper air plane, I wonder if it would work like one if I stretched canvas or something over it. I pick up another wire and bend it around the triangle frame when I notice extra heat on my back, I look up and see Leo’s light gold face alive in the glow of the hearth. He urges me to continue and I’m suddenly completely overwhelmed by how nervous I get, my shaky hand completes the handle and searches for canvas. I’m startled when a hand holds out red canvas and I grab it. My head is so cloudy I know I’m supposed to attach it but I can’t figure out how. I look down at my hands to avoid his eyes.

“I uh, I don’t know how to attach it.”

“Oh that’s easy, here. Just take the canvas- “ he takes my hand and guides the canvas around the small hooks on the edge of the frame. The last edge of the canvas is hooked on and I look up and him to see him looking at me. His dark eyes melting me in my spot into a puddle on the ground. I put my hands down on the table to keep them from shaking. A warm feeling takes over my entire body and clouds my head even more. It feels natural when he leans in towards me, I start leaning in, I want nothing more than to be alone with him to not have to worry about anything else, and I start to believe it. Until my unwelcomed mental visitor starts shouting at me.

 RUBEE!! Warning: This is incredibly stupid!!!!!! Then let me be stupid mother, let me be stupid for once in my life.  You can’t afford to be stupid, people need you. Like who huh?! Me that’s who I need me. Rubee, stop that now, No.  What would Ethan say about this? Suddenly I envision Ethan, my brother, lost in endless tunnels, no not lost, held hostage. It seems so real so vivid, but it can’t be true Ethan would know how to trick his captures, he would escape, wouldn’t he? I snap out of it and see Leo leaning in closer. I panic, Mom was right, this can’t happen not now, oh but how much I want to, to feel his warm soft lips on mine, I know now, it could happen, and maybe, just maybe he would fight for me. I make my decision, I can’t shoot him down not when I don’t want to, I make my hand “accidentally” knock over the structure and I am actually kind of upset that it might break. It hits the floor with a clang and I jump at the sound, so does Leo.

“Oh my gosh!” I tore my eyes from his startled face and look at the ground. The plane is in pieces on the floor and a part of me sinks. I kneel down and pick up the pieces noticing that he is still standing up, and hasn’t moved. A new expression resides on his face. Disappointment. He finally moves and joins me on the ground.

“Your fine, it was an accident, a shame though, it was really cool.”

“Thanks Leo, but you helped.” I say willing him to meet my gaze, to show him I’m not shutting him out. When he turns up to look at me, he doesn’t. He turns just before eye contact and places the broken plane on the bench.

“Nonsense, you would have figured it out. We should go if we’re going to be done from the woods.”

            ~Thump~

I pull out my whip and flick my wrist towards the sound, the end makes a satisfying crack, scarring off the animal that had made the noise. I briefly see a squirrel scamper out of the bushes in the other direction.

“So what exactly are we looking for?” Leo’s warmed up a bit since the bunker but he still won’t look at me for more than a few seconds, I just hope he can forgive me soon.