It was all planned. Every single thing had been planned. By her parents. Which wasn't really a surprise.
Cassian's role in the whole thing had been more surprising.
And it had hurt in a way she hadn't been prepared for and all the questioning that had happened had gone by in a distracted blur; something the officers had brushed off as her confusion of what had been going on.
Ruby is sitting on the couch, hands between her knees and eyes on the floor.
"'Sorry'? You're 'sorry'? For what? Letting my parents basically sell me to you? Or lying to me about it?"
He doesn't sit next to her; he doesn't think that he's allowed to, all things considered. Instead he sort of hovers at the edge of the couch, hands in his pockets, watching her.
"I should've told you sooner." Do you hate me? he wants to ask but doesn't.
"Yeah, you should have!" When she looks up, her eyes are filled with unshed tears and she can't keep the hurt and sadness off her face.
Somewhere along the way, with all the time they'd spent together, Ruby had fallen for him and she'd fallen hard and to find out it was all a lie, all a ploy of his parents devices in order to marry her off and give their fortune to someone else.
And he'd been here to trap them!
"Were you ever going to tell me? That this was all a lie and that you're just here with me to trap my parents?"
"Meeting you wasn't all a lie. That was..." An accident? Fate? "That was just us. The universe, or something." He keeps his eyes cast downward. "It wasn't...I didn't do this for myself or because I wanted to. That intel your parents had on me? Wasn't fake. The government just got to it before they did and had a tighter hold."
How does he explain? "I...I wanted us to be friends."
"I wasn't allowed. If you knew, there was a chance that someone higher up would be able to argue that you were in on it." He reaches for her in an abortive movement that ends with one hand at his side and the other running through his hair. Now it's his turn to have hair sticking up everywhere.
"Don't you think I would've asked about that? That I would have tried?"
"In on what? Cassian, I still don't even know what's going on! My parents were just arrested and I was asked questions about things I've never even heard about!" She starts pacing around in front of the couch, the tears rolling down her cheeks.
It's with a sniff that she stops in front of Cassian. "How am I supposed to believe any of this was real, Cassian? Make me believe that I'm more than just a fee to you."
"Embezzlement, for starters. Bribery. There's a list." He watches her pace, blinking when she stops in front of him.
He should kiss her. It's the worst idea he's had yet, and still. He should.
So he does. It's soft, like their first kiss was, months ago. His hands stay at his sides and he lets the kiss end faster than he'd be inclined to otherwise, but. He doesn't know what else to do.
"Yeah, I got that. While the cops asked me a thousand questions about my dad's shitty business deals."
She stares at Cassian expectantly until he kisses her and her eyes fall closed at the soft pressure that leaves almost as quickly as it comes. "Cass... I want to believe you. I want this to be real."
"Then believe me. Take the risk. I promise, I'll...I'll always be honest with you. I'll tell you anything you ask. Just don't...don't go. Don't ask me to leave you."
His hands reach for hers. "Not now." It's going to be long, and probably messy, and he doesn't want to abandon her to deal with all that alone.
"Tell me you love me." Squeezing Cassian's fingers, Ruby looks down at the ring he'd given her; her grandmother's ring that her dad had given to him before he'd proposed. It's an extravagant diamond that she wore for him and not because it suited her style at all.
"I love you." She looks at the ring and so does he, clearing his throat after a second and procuring a box out of his pocket. The ring inside has skulls and a pigeon blood ruby in its setting - much darker than Ruby's current engagement ring. "It doesn't have to mean we're getting married," he says, as he takes the heirloom off her finger and replaces it with the ring he bought for a fraction of the cost with his own money, his own small savings. "If you don't want to. But it is my promise to you. That I love you no matter the rest."
The ring comes off her finger and for a moment, she hesitates, worried, but then he's replacing it with a new ring, a ring that is much more her and she knows -she knows- he chose that for her himself, that he knows her well enough to know what she'd like.
Pushing forward into his space, Ruby steals another kiss, curling her hand around the back of his head to hold him close, fingers tangled into his hair. When she pulls back, their foreheads are pressed together and they're sharing air.
"Hey. Te amo mucho, okay?" He lets out a little sound, to relieve some of the tension in his chest. He had no idea that he was so afraid of losing her until it became a real risk.
Did she want that? To start over like everything was new? Not really. Despite the lies and the arrangement she'd been kept out of, they'd built something, something that was true at it's core and she didn't want to ignore that. Even if it meant keeping the bad.
"No more lies. I promise, on my heart." It's his turn to kiss her again, parting his lips almost immediately. He doesn't know where they go from this point but they can figure it out together, right?
It's easy to fall into the kiss, familiar and comforting and it feels a little lot like home. There's things they'll have to work out and the shit with her parents is far from over, but they're together and they can fix it.
"I bought it...six months ago. I know, I should've given it to you sooner, but..." But with all this drama he knew was going to shake out, he wasn't sure. Too afraid, maybe, that he didn't really deserve her.
Well. Ruby always got what she wanted and she wanted him. He wasn't going to argue with her about it.
"Today is perfect." She lets out a sharp laugh and shakes her head. "No it isn't. Today is awful. My parents are horrible people and my life has just fallen apart and I have not idea what I'm going to do tomorrow. But it... The ring is perfect."
She leans her head against Cassian's chest and lets out a soft sigh. "You know what I'd love right now? A bath and a massage."
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Cassian's role in the whole thing had been more surprising.
And it had hurt in a way she hadn't been prepared for and all the questioning that had happened had gone by in a distracted blur; something the officers had brushed off as her confusion of what had been going on.
Ruby is sitting on the couch, hands between her knees and eyes on the floor.
"'Sorry'? You're 'sorry'? For what? Letting my parents basically sell me to you? Or lying to me about it?"
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He doesn't sit next to her; he doesn't think that he's allowed to, all things considered. Instead he sort of hovers at the edge of the couch, hands in his pockets, watching her.
"I should've told you sooner." Do you hate me? he wants to ask but doesn't.
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Somewhere along the way, with all the time they'd spent together, Ruby had fallen for him and she'd fallen hard and to find out it was all a lie, all a ploy of his parents devices in order to marry her off and give their fortune to someone else.
And he'd been here to trap them!
"Were you ever going to tell me? That this was all a lie and that you're just here with me to trap my parents?"
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How does he explain? "I...I wanted us to be friends."
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"Were you ever going to tell me?"
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"Don't you think I would've asked about that? That I would have tried?"
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It's with a sniff that she stops in front of Cassian. "How am I supposed to believe any of this was real, Cassian? Make me believe that I'm more than just a fee to you."
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He should kiss her. It's the worst idea he's had yet, and still. He should.
So he does. It's soft, like their first kiss was, months ago. His hands stay at his sides and he lets the kiss end faster than he'd be inclined to otherwise, but. He doesn't know what else to do.
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She stares at Cassian expectantly until he kisses her and her eyes fall closed at the soft pressure that leaves almost as quickly as it comes. "Cass... I want to believe you. I want this to be real."
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His hands reach for hers. "Not now." It's going to be long, and probably messy, and he doesn't want to abandon her to deal with all that alone.
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"Tell me you love me and make me believe it."
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Pushing forward into his space, Ruby steals another kiss, curling her hand around the back of his head to hold him close, fingers tangled into his hair. When she pulls back, their foreheads are pressed together and they're sharing air.
"Te amo."
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"We can start over, if you want."
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"No. I don't want that. Just... no more lies."
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lotlike home. There's things they'll have to work out and the shit with her parents is far from over, but they're together and they can fix it.Ruby always got what she wanted.
"I love the ring. Thank you."
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Well. Ruby always got what she wanted and she wanted him. He wasn't going to argue with her about it.
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She leans her head against Cassian's chest and lets out a soft sigh. "You know what I'd love right now? A bath and a massage."