then ~ RUEL FANFIC~

Alira's POV

My phone buzzes. It's a text from Coco.

C: if R does anything stupid lmk 

Ruel must've told her about me and Ezra today, and Coco must've realised that he was jealous, or didn't like Ez, or whatever.

A: boy did he do something stupid

C: what happened?

A: he punched ezra

C: what the fuck why

A: idk they got in a fight 

C: over what?

A: me I think

C: do you want me to come over?

I hesitate.

A: not yet I'll let you know if I need you 

C: call me in the morning 

I put my phone back down on the bed beside me and wipe my eyes.

After I ran after Ezra I finally caught up to him near the gate. He stopped and got pretty aggressive talking to me, saying how he can't deal with Ruel and therefore couldn't deal with me. I countered that it wasn't my fault and I could fix it but he just left.

I came home and sat on the bed and cried and cried. I'm tired and drunk too much.

There's a knock on the glass door. I turn and can see through the curtains it's Ruel. He's looking at the floor. I consider leaving him locked out of the house for the night but I can't bring myself to do it. I stand up and cross the room and there's a slight hesitation before I unlock the door and slide it open. He looks up at me.

"You're bleeding." I murmur.

"Where?"

"On your cheek. He must've hit you there."

He reaches up and wipes a bit of blood off onto his hand and looks at it, then shrugs.

I step aside to let him in and he walks straight to the bathroom and loses the door. The shower turns on and I sigh.

I'm too exhausted to argue but too angry to sleep. I wonder if it might be better if I sleep on the couch tonight.

I turn the light off and lay under the covers fully clothed, facing away from the bathroom door so I don't have to see him. After maybe 10 minutes the shower turns off and I can hear him getting changed. The bathroom door opens and closes again, and then I feel his weight and warm presence sit down on the bed.

"Alira?" He murmurs. I don't answer and close my eyes, pretending to sleep. "I'm sorry, baby."

That makes me snap. "Don't you dare." I say, sitting up. "Don't call me that."

When I look at him he's crying, which like always draws me out of my rage. It feels manipulative. 

"I'm sorry." He whispers again.

"You need to sleep. You drunk too much."

"I'm not drunk, I swear."

"You're lying. Go to sleep, we'll talk in the morning."

"We can talk now, honest to god, I didn't drink anything."

"Stop lying to me! I saw you drinking, you're not in the right mindset, lie down, just..." I Try to push the lump down my throat but it's no use. Tears come hot and fast.

He eyes me angrily, but lies down anyway.

I sigh and resist the urge to reach out for him, hold him. But it's him who moves his hand to my leg, running one finger back and forth soothingly.