Cliché

chapter 27. chocollama

"Remember, it's not the actual event that's important, but the way it propels the plot forward."

school project
first kiss
car crash
-hospital visit
graduation
marriage
reset ;)

"This sounds far from wondrous," I comment in dismay.

Ruby, who's drawing little sparkles and hearts on the floor-to-ceiling glass window of Xavi's penthouse with a red marker, flinches. She draws a zig zag across the heart she drew, then turns to me with a small pout. "Why?"

"It's so... cliché."

"I love cliché! Especially for teen fiction." She clasps her hands together, a sparkling gleam in her eyes. "It reminds me of the adolescence I never had. Mafia werewolf billionaire story, remember?"

"The mafia, werewolves, and billionaires are all clichés," I point out.

"Then... only for teen fiction."

"That makes one of us."

"Miss Iris, you are not allowed to judge me if you can't even drink yet," Ruby lectures, yet there's a playful hint of a smile on her face. "Speaking of, want some? Don't tell your mom though."

"My mom disappeared."

Ruby pales.

"Good job, Ruby," Xavi calls sarcastically from the couch. Then, for the first and maybe last time ever, he addresses me genuinely. "Iris, I give you my condolences."

"I am so sorry," Ruby blurts out frantically, holding her arms out. "Come here."

Ruby wraps me in a tight hug, jewelry dangling and sweet perfume, of diamonds and spices, filling all my senses. Like one of those lovely, stylish, rich aunties, she smooths back my hair and kisses the top of my head, whispering little words of consolation and affirmation.

When she pulls away, she narrows her eyes and smacks her cherry red lips. "Why do you taste like chocolate milk?"

"Now, that's a fucking weird comment, Ruby," Xavi inputs.

"It's fine. Someone in Maddie's story filled the fire alarm sprinklers with chocolate milk, so we got soaked in it."

"Ah, take a shower here! Then you can be clean and not smell like blood," she suggests, then barks at Xavi, "Go buy her an outfit with one of those unlimited credit cards you have!"

"I don't even know her size!" Xavi protests.

"Xavier, you know everything magically fits in the fictional world."

As Xavi leaves the penthouse, grumbling his entire way out, Ruby leads me to his private bathroom— all sleek dark walls with golden accents. It smells of cleanliness and rich people's money, yet with the ambiance of the Underworld. When she sees the shower, a chamber of black tiles and glass, she throws open the door furiously.

"3-in-1 shampoo, conditioner, & body wash? That man—" Ruby throws the bottle with perfect aim into the trash basket beside the sink, then rummages inside a cabinet for a set of four red containers. As she places them into the shower shelf for me, she grumbles, "what's the point of being a billionaire if your apparently broke love interest is the one who has to buy your bath soap set?"

My eyes wander over the labels. Nutmeg and mulberry. Very Ruby.

"I'll leave you to it. Come out when you're ready." She waves as she backs towards the door.

"Ah, just one question," I stop her, although the question is completely irrelevant and quite trivial, "how can you both be main characters? Shouldn't Xavi be unaware?"