The Limits of Loving a Sick Man

Chapter 1: A Budding Romance

Ruby Robinson was just a twenty-something college student, and wannabe author when she met Mitch Turner at her local coffee shop. Most of the kids in her dorm were loud and obnoxious when she tried to work and often called her "lame and paranoid" for not joining in the late night parties where people got drunk and had meaningless sex with strangers.

Her best friend Michelle who had recently started a grief counseling group had once been offered a drink from a handsome stranger and later found out that he had been arrested for carrying roofies in his pocket. Fortunately, she didn't like beer, had she taken it her life would have been changed completely.

So Ruby headed toward the small coffee shop a few blocks from campus, a small cozy cafe with a few love chairs, a fireplace, and tables. She ordered a little pick me up from the counter and while she waited, she took out her purple spiral notebook and began writing her newest story, The Pawed Couple.

The Pawed Couple was a feel good romantic comedy that had actually started out as a Being Human fanfiction. The story was simple and rather typical: it was set in a world where humans and supernaturals coexisted, and her main character Allison fell in love with a handsome, dark werewolf named Harry Wolfe. Wolfe's roommate, was an effeminate, presumably homosexual vampire named Coffin who had ironically developed a blood allergy after an overdose.

Ruby sat at the table with her papers all scattered about with close to unreadable handwriting and referred back to her outline for the next step. She was reminded of her upcoming comic scene where Coffin freaked out after finding Allison's tampons in the garbage can and Wolfe had forgotten to dress himself after having transformed the night before.

Looking up to see if her drink was ready, Ruby noticed that a man only a few years older than herself had walked in and was waiting for his drink. His back was turned to her, but she could see that he had shoulder length black hair that was bunched up in curls and was wearing a red, rather retro looking sweatshirt on top of blue jeans. She saw the smile on the corner of his face as he grabbed his drink, and waited for him to turn around so she could get a better look.

To Ruby's surprise, he didn't yet turn around, but instead grabbed a second drink after taking a brief glance at her. Ruby figured that he was either taking the drink home to someone, or was just one of those caffeine freaks who bodies were practically steal. But if that was the case, why not one big cup instead of two smaller ones?

The man thanked the barista and turned toward Ruby's direction. Dropping her pen, she felt her cheeks flush as she got her first look at the mans face. He had tanned skin framed by dark sideburns, golden hazel eyes, and just enough stubble to bring out his plump red lips. The smallest bit of chest hair could be seen above his white shirt collar, and his proud stride brought out the form of his tall, slender body.

Ruby felt a rush of enlightenment. He is the one! She thought. He is the Wolfe model I have been searching for! She wrote a brief description of the handsome stranger in her notebook, and saw a figure standing at the corner of her eye. She slowly looked up and her heart became a drum. It was him, and he was holding out the second coffee cup.

"I believe this is yours."

Ruby just blinked, speechless and mesmerized by the man's eyes which she now saw were not just hazel, but heterochromatic with their flecks of brown and blue. She opened her mouth to say something, but the stranger smiled back and his perfectly symmetrical and whitened teeth brought her heart up to her throat.

"Sorry . . ." she finally managed to choke out with a nervous giggle. "Is - is it a tall caramel latte under the name Ruby?"

The man laughed, causing the cutest dimples to form around his eyes.