Burning Desire

Chapter 3

Waking up to a crick in my neck wasn't the way I had expected my morning to start, but Ruby looked to be in the same state. Princess Bride had only been the start to an epic movie night and we had ended up tangled together passed out on the emerald velvet couch in our living room.

         Ruby had gone all out decorating since I was hopeless at interior design. It wasn't that I didn't have good tastes, just that they were a bit all over the place. I liked too many things at once to focus on one single vision.

         Mom had ensured that we would have a suite like all of the other Princes' children. There were benefits to being one of the Royals, even if I rarely took advantage of them.

         Ruby clearly had no issues taking full advantage of the added space. A mix of modern lines and eclectic colors made the space look straight out of a Pinterest page.

         A black framed glass divider separated the living room from the small kitchenette that was only big enough to house a mini fridge, small counter with Ruby's coffee machine, my electric kettle, and a microwave neither of us was likely to use.

         Sunlight flooded the space since we hadn't thought to close the thick drapes before our movie night. By the time we had passed out, there had been no point as night had descended on the room.

         Plants in a plethora of different sized planters dotted the living room and made the space warmer, more inviting. It was a shame since there was no way they would last as we weren't the best at keeping the things alive.

         To fully wake, I needed my tea. I snagged a mug- Male Tears, must be Ruby's- from the sleek black shelve above the counter and started the kettle. My tin of tea was right where I last saw it and after climbing up on the counter to reach it on the upmost shelf I again questioned why. The climb and stretch caused the paper still lodged in my bra to scratch at my chest and I resolved to finally check it once I was back in my room. It wasn't the first time I could've sworn I moved the tin lower, but whatever. Ruby had probably moved it to mess with me since she knew I was useless without it.

         Two could play that game. With the speakers in the living room synced to my phone's Bluetooth, Supernoize blared in the living room.

         "Holy forking shit! What the hell?" Ruby yelled from the floor.

         "Morning babe," I called as I started her coffee brewing and poured the water over my tea bag. I could throw a little sweet with my sour.

         "Demon," she growled as she walked in bleary eyed. I passed her a mug and reached in the fridge for the milk. She passed me the sugar and we moved in relative silence with the music still going strong behind us as we waited for our morning nectar.

         Ruby poured hers pitch black in direct opposition to her bright attitude as I mixed my tea with enough milk and sugar that it barely resembled tea.

         Ru's groan of pleasure matched mine as we grinned into our mugs. "So what's the plan today?"

         "Honestly? I was going to unpack a bit and then check out campus a bit more. You know me, I need all the help I can get to get familiar with the place before Monday. Not that it's likely to help, but it can't hurt."

         "Solid. Well since you said you didn't care, I took the liberty of decorating your room too. I know, I know, I didn't have to but if I didn't we'd both be staring at white boring walls for the next four years and that wasn't something I could allow."

         Accurate, but it still stung. "I would've decorated a bit. Maybe not to your standards, but a bit," I argued back.

         "A few cute pillows can't be the start and end of your decorations Rory," she pointed out. "But you did good in picking it so I went with it for the theme of your room. If you hate it I can try again."

         Although she'd have fun doing it, I didn't want to put her out by making her redo my room. Chances are I would love it and it would be way better than anything I could hope to do myself. Appreciating beautiful things is easy, creating them is another beast all together.

         The two bedrooms were on opposite ends of the suite with a bathroom shared between the two. While my room was closest to the living room, Ruby's was closer to the kitchen.

         My smile widened the moment I entered. It was perfect and understated just like I needed. The black metal framed bed was covered with my white duvet and the raised quilted pattern that danced across the soft cotton. A simple black throw blanket was draped across the bottom of the duvet and was likely to be thrown around my shoulders more often than not.  A mix of grey and white pillows dressed up the plain bed and though half would probably end up on the floor, it had an instant homey effect.

         End tables on either side of the bed looked like expensive office trashcans turned upside down with a rough cut wooden base on top. I never would have thought they would fit, but that's why I left to design to my best friend. Vision.

         Boxes were neatly stacked in a corner next to a grey armchair with black and white throw pillows that tied it to the bed.

         Wrapping the blanket from the bed around me, I curled up in the armchair and pulled the paper from my chest. Alvaro's handwriting was easily legible, not that he had given any indication it would be otherwise. The note was concise, just his name and number but it was enough. He had spiked my interest and my plans for the day were loose. No reason he couldn't fit into them.

         Typing quickly before I lost my nerve I sent him a quick hey. Unpacking was a good way to pass the time while I waited for a reply.

With a swipe of my fingers, the music switched from playing through the living room to my bedroom. There wasn't much to unpack besides my clothes and makeup. While the rest of the bedroom was minimalist, my vanity was not. Covered with fairy lights when not in use, once I switched it on it was fit for a professional. Drawers were along both legs and jewel colored glass vases were filled with makeup brushes on top.

The black desk in the opposite corner was bare by comparison. Just my laptop, a binder filled with blank notebooks, and an unopened package of multicolored pens.

With my makeup unpacked and ready to go, I moved to tackle my closet. It covered almost all of one wall and the floor held my shoe racks. A standing dresser and jewelry case fit inside as well, helping to maintain the illusion of less clutter.

Left with just the clothes that needed to be hung, my phone went off with my phone's text whistle.

Alvaro: I was hoping to hear from you.

The way my heart sped up reading his words was ridiculous. It wasn't the first time I had flirted with a guy and it wasn't likely to be the last. But Alvaro was making me react in all sorts of new ways. I liked it. Maybe it would be enough to get me out of my funk.

My nervousness must've been clear to him because after typing, deleting, and trying again more than once, he threw me a bone.

Alvaro: Want to meet later? I have some things I need to pick up at the library. See you at 3?

I couldn't get my fingers to move fast enough.

Soria: Sounds good. Can't wait.