0.1 | No Exit from Deception ✓

0.52 | You Are My Friend And My Only Friend

Ruby's face suddenly discolored. But it was nothing as compared to the young man's haunted gray, who was standing on the other side of the door. His chest touched the sky and hands froze in its place.

"You . . ." she barely whispered and drew in a breath. Ruby shivered as though she was caught wearing hefty pieces of jewellery and a gold studded kaftan by one of the most truculent forty thieves from the tale of Ali Baba. Stripping away from her imagination, she felt a little safer because it was a plain, black shirt she had on. But it belonged to Joseph and she knew that Mark's reptilian eyes had realized its history way before her intellect. And suddenly that black shirt looked too valuable for him altogether.

She instantly pressed her legs together regaining a feminine look.

"But, that should be my question." The skin between his brows folded as he mimicked, "You?"

Joseph was flustered as Ruby walked Mark inside. Mark's gait looked no longer enthusiastic because he had become as dead as the doorknob after taking in the traces of clothes lying on the floor. Because now he couldn't do much to salvage the situation (The clutter around. Goddamit. It happened for real!)

With a sigh-filled justification, Joseph rose his hands and placed them on his hips.

"I get that. You two met at some party and became friends since then. But why would you have breakfast without full clothes on?" He cocked his eyebrow at Ruby and then gritted at Joseph. "You too. That's strange."

Ruby brooded over as to what to do next. She certainly knew if she were, to tell the truth about the deception part to everyone at the mansion, she should begin with Elizabeth's brother first. She gasped and stepped forward. "Please have a seat, Mark. It's a long story."

He stabbed his eyes at her. Like every word she said meant the opposite. "You left the mansion with Mum for some recreational enlightenment of mood. And ended up on his bed. Whoof, what game are you two playing?"

"Mark. I can explain everything if you want me to," Joseph spoke tightly as he was not convinced by the idea of Ruby being ravaged under an obligation of explaining to him. Despite considering it a farce, he ordered in a calm tone, "Ruby, give my shirt back."

"Ruby," Mark repeated her name out loud. He was aghast as if a strong wind blew his facial features away. Another wave of shock made him shift in his seat.

Her mouth was slightly parted; her undivided attention went to Mark. One could easily say she was not in her right mind as the first thing she did was, started undoing her first button and when she was going for the second one, Joseph stopped her, yelling, "Ruby! Not this shirt. The other one, please."

Ruby nodded and bent down to pick up his ocean-green shirt. "Here."

"You have already given her a nickname. Ruby. That's an old name ─ typical Joseph style," his face turned magenta with fury and averted his eyes back on her.

"Mark, you got everything wrong. First of all, I did not come here to have a fun time with Joseph. Secondly─" Ruby stopped as she experienced he wasn't keen about the theoretical part. His eyes meaningfully slid across her chest and before she could button it up, he already stole a glance at the marks.

"Oh, no. Am I hallucinating or you people assaulted each other like some gold diggers?"

Joseph dismissed the contentless humor and clad himself in his shirt only to be seated near Ruby. He folded his sleeves and fumbled to button up.

A moment later Ruby got up, saying, "I'll be back in a minute."

Joseph rubbed his hands together and waited for Ruby to come down. "Want to join us in breakfast?" he asked awkwardly and got a contemptuous retort.

Shortly, she returned wearing loose white trousers. Joseph was taken aback, as Ruby took a breath and prepared to plunge in, sitting closer to him. "Okay, listen up! I'm not what you are thinking me as," she paused and added a few more simplified words, "I'm not Elizabeth Warner."

Joseph rubbed his stubble as he placed his elbow on his thigh. Believing, that she would have to give thousands of justifications to prove she was not. "He won't believe it."

Ruby hung down her head and lifted it upon hearing no comment from Mark's side. Much to her surprise, he blinked.

"I'll ─ I'll talk to Mrs Warner today. This should end somehow. Once everything gets untangled, I'll never dare show my face to you. I'm apologetic if you felt like I played with your emotions. But, trust me I'm not much of a bad person. Hey, are you listening to me?"

He reclined back. "So the bad news for The Warners is that the search for Elizabeth will take place again." Mark sounded dry. Albeit, he was in no rush to run away from her or Joseph, whom he thought was not her accomplice, anyway. "You plodded to the mansion with whatever intentions you had ─ hope you have satisfied them fully. But, I just want one thing from you."

Ruby looked at Joseph and then at Mark, hesitantly. "What is that?"

"I'll forget that I even came to Joseph's place, found and talked to you if you come back to the mansion. Just like how you have been living there. I hope you enjoyed your days."

There was no way of returning, Ruby thought. How should she explain to him, by telling him that Joseph had burned the contract papers in the fireplace; or the red marks he thought were given by Joseph were an attribute of Thomas' persona?

"Mark, I wish I could do that. But, I come from a different kind of world. In all these days, it had only made me realize that I should know my limits. My boundaries. I'm better off with the way I used to live. You can ask me another thing."

"Can I talk to you in private?" he said like a child trying to cool down his mother before he blasted the real bomb.

"Alright." She raised an eyebrow in bewilderment and told Joseph through her eyes to excuse them.

Joseph tilted his head and asserted, "Fine. I'll see myself outside. Ruby, if you need me at any time just take my name out loud. I'll run to you-"

"It's okay," Ruby mouthed.

As Joseph headed outside. Mark pranced forward and she took his hands in hers.

"I bet you can't guess how happy I'm to know that you aren't my sister."

"Mark. I'm not your sister but that doesn't mean we have to have another type of relationship." Ruby looked away.

"Eliza . . . oh sorry, Ruby, you understand me so better. People assumed me to be rotten to the core but you were the first one who didn't. I had given up on smoking just because you didn't like it. I'll do whatever you will ask me to do. Please, be mine." His eyes shone with youthful hope and his lips curved to carve out his willingness.

"I'm sorry but I don't share such feelings with you. I may have brought you outside of the darkness, but that's just who I am, credit my nature for that," she said and squeezed his hands. "You don't deserve a deceiver."

Mark pulled her in the tightest hug and even began to shed tears. "Ruby, I'll miss you. Today, I'm going to perform at the cultural feast at a different university. So, I might have fewer chances of seeing you. I'll miss you so much." It gave him an overbite as he shut his mouth.

Ruby patted his back and jacked up to make sure to send the warmth off her body. "I'm terrifically happy for you. I wish I could sneak inside the college and cheer for you."

In the meanwhile, Joseph opened the door quietly, and Ruby motioned him to stay out for a while more. Mark turned to face Joseph while hugging her. Joseph snapped his eyes at the door frame. "Okay. Ruby, time to go now. Your senior guard has got his eyes on me."

Ruby pulled away and ruffled his hair.
"Love your mother. She's not that bad." To which Mark simply nodded.

Mark flitted through the door and never looked back.

Word count 1350

a/n; gimme some ship names for our main couple 👫