🖤The Last Flame Of Ruby

🖤The Side No One Sees

The music inside the house pulsed through the walls before Ruby even stepped in, the sound blending with laughter, movement, and the kind of careless energy that only existed in places where people came to forget themselves for a few hours.

But the moment she walked in—

it shifted.

Not loudly.

Not dramatically.

But enough for her to feel it.

Eyes turned, conversations dipped slightly before picking up again, and just like that, Ruby became part of the atmosphere without having to announce herself.

She moved through the space effortlessly, her posture straight, her expression calm, her presence controlled in a way that made people look twice without understanding why.

“She actually came…”

“Of course she did.”

“Look at what she’s wearing…”

Ruby didn’t react.

Didn’t slow down.

Didn’t give them anything.

Because this version of her—

the one they saw—

never did.

“Trying to pretend you’re not being watched?”

Jake’s voice came from beside her, close enough to feel familiar already.

Ruby turned slightly, her expression neutral, almost unimpressed.

“I’m not pretending,” she said. “I just don’t care.”

Jake studied her for a moment, his lips curving slightly like he didn’t fully believe that—but wasn’t going to argue with it either.

“Right,” he said lightly. “You don’t care.”

To anyone watching, it looked simple.

Two people talking.

Nothing more.

But when Jake leaned in slightly and said, “Come with me,” in a tone low enough that only she could hear—

something shifted.

Ruby hesitated for just a second.

Then followed.

They moved away from the crowd, away from the noise, toward a quieter part of the house where the music softened and the air felt less crowded, less suffocating.

And just like that—

the performance ended.

Ruby exhaled.

Not dramatically.

But enough for Jake to notice.

“You do care,” he said quietly.

She didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, she leaned back lightly against the wall, her shoulders relaxing in a way they hadn’t since she arrived.

“It’s exhausting,” she admitted finally, her voice softer now, stripped of the control she carried outside.

Jake didn’t interrupt.

Didn’t joke.

Didn’t push.

He just… listened.

“They don’t even know me,” she continued, her gaze dropping slightly, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the edge of her bag. “But somehow, they’ve already decided everything.”

Her voice didn’t break.

Not yet.

But it was close.

Jake stepped a little closer—not too much, not enough to overwhelm her, just enough to make it clear that he was there.

“And you’re letting them?” he asked.

Ruby let out a quiet, almost breathless laugh.

“Do I look like I’m letting them?”

“You look like you’re pretending it doesn’t matter.”

That made her look at him.

Properly.

For a second, she held his gaze like she was deciding whether to keep the walls up…

or let them fall.

“I don’t like it,” she said finally, her voice quieter now, more honest than she had been all day. “I don’t like walking into a place and feeling like I’m already disliked for something I didn’t do.”

There it was.

The truth.

Unpolished.

Unprotected.

Jake didn’t say anything immediately.

He just looked at her.

And for once—

he didn’t look amused.

“You’re not what they think,” he said simply.

Ruby shook her head slightly.

“That doesn’t change anything.”

Silence settled between them again.

But this time—

it wasn’t distant.

It was close.

And then, without fully thinking about it—

Ruby stepped forward.

Not confidently.

Not gracefully.

But instinctively.

Her hand caught lightly onto his shirt, her head resting briefly against his shoulder as if her body had made the decision before her mind could stop it.

For a second—

she froze.

Like she hadn’t meant to do that.

But she didn’t pull away.

Jake didn’t move either.

Didn’t make it awkward.

Didn’t tease.

He just stayed still, one hand lifting slowly to rest lightly against her back—not pulling her in, not holding her too tightly, just enough to say:

You’re okay.

And that was all it took.

The tears came quietly.

Not loud.

Not dramatic.

Just enough to escape before she could stop them.

“I hate it,” she whispered, her voice breaking slightly now, softer than anything he had heard from her before. “I hate that it’s getting to me.”

Jake’s hand moved gently against her back, slow, steady.

“Then let it get to you,” he said quietly. “You’re not made of stone.”

Ruby let out a small, shaky breath, her grip tightening slightly for just a second before she pulled back, wiping her face quickly like the moment had never happened.

And just like that—

she changed.

Her posture straightened.

Her expression reset.

Her composure returned.

By the time voices approached from down the hallway, Ruby was already back to being the girl everyone thought she was.

Untouchable.

Perfect.

Unbothered.

Jake watched it happen in real time.

And for the first time—

he realized something important.

Ruby wasn’t cold.

She was careful.

And somehow—

he had just seen the part of her no one else ever would.