Spinning Scars

Ruby

*~*~*Ruby*~*~*

He was already my addiction. I knew this the moment I saw him in class. To know he was just down the hall from me was like dangling a carrot in front of a starving horse. Was it normal to crave someone this much? Especially a stranger with more secrets than anyone should own. I wanted to peel off his layers, one by one, bit by bit until his inner core was exposed for me to take, raw and ready for the taking, and cradle it inside my very soul. It felt like a built in obsession burning like embers, which could grow to a blazing wildfire with little to no coaxing, and I was more than ready to burn for it.

We walked out of our apartment building and down the road where the neighborhood café Rosie's was open. The dinner crowd was waning and there was plenty of booths to sit in where we could talk privately. The waitress waved us to have our pick of a booth so we picked one in a far corner where no one could hear us. Sliding into the squeaky pleather booth, I lifted the menu and scanned it for what I wanted to eat. I was famished and a juicy burger was the only thing that could squash my hunger. Placing the menu down, I eyed Matthias. He was a curious creature; the way he kept his head down and avoided people at all costs. The way his eyes peeked past the heavy strands of obsidian locks and twinkled when they found me staring right back.

He was studying the menu with a crinkle between his eyes which made me want to reach out to rub the wrinkle away. He'd left his hood down, which surprised me considering he wouldn't take it off in my apartment until I tried to do it. I'd noticed the stares we got when we entered the diner, but I refused to acknowledge them and hoped he did so, too. Sitting here with him, I was feeling ecstatic.

Here was someone who was probably as damaged as one got. I knew I would have to suppress the caretaker in me. I always got hurt because I couldn't let others suffer. I just couldn't sit back and watch their pain without doing anything about it. Of course, this was the bane of all my romantic relationships. Most men didn't want a strong woman to take care of them and immediately felt threatened. I wondered if Matthias felt that way when a woman tried to be there for him. I hoped he wouldn't run away as fast as he could in the opposite direction in a millisecond when he discovered what kind of person I was.

It was my downfall, this bleeding heart.

"What are you getting?" I asked.

He peered over the laminated menu and I swore I could see an amused twinkle in those hazel eyes. Well, they were a multitude of colors, which I found fascinating and I didn't even want to look away.

"I guess I'll have a cheeseburger with the works. I haven't eaten much all day."

"Are you trying to starve yourself?"

He looked confused. "Um...no. I just didn't think about it until now." A faint grumbling sound emanated from his stomach and made him shift uncomfortably in his seat. "I guess I just don't notice the hunger until I smell food."

"Are you one of those types who dives into your work and forgets to eat, right?" I winked and turned toward the waitress who lifted an eyebrow as if to ask if we were ready. I nodded and she headed our way. "I'm one of those too. I can go a whole day at work reorganizing shelves and cleaning to make it more appealing for customers at the diner and forget to take my lunch break."

The waitress arrived to take our order and Matthias added a vanilla milkshake to his burger order. I liked to see he enjoyed small things, like a malt drink. People who didn't like sweet things were boring in my book.

"So you like working at the diner?" He asked. I wondered if he genuinely wanted to know if I liked it there or was just making small talk to fill the void with mindless chit chat.