Hi everyone! Chapter is actually updated at a reasonable time! Please take the time to read the stuff below!
I'm really sorry but I will not be able to update for another two weeks from now at least. I will still be on my ask and twitter a bit but there won't be a new chapter until the end of the month. Sorry :(
BUT.................
Since there is going to be an inconvenience, I have come up with a COMPETITION for you lovelies! I was thinking of putting up a bonus chapter like I did in my last story but I want one of you amazing readers to write it!
So heres the details!- must feature (be about) Ruby and Luke
-doesn't have to fit into the current storyline
-must be at least one page long
-you must choose your characters and setting from the current ones in only Meant To Be?
-your chapter will be published as part of Meant To Be?
-you will of course be given full credit, your wattpad name, twitter etc.
I thought it would be a fun and short little comp! They can be like imagines or scenarios whatever you call them :)
-you have until the end of September to send me your entry
-you can send it over ask, inbox, link- whatever is easiest for you
I will read ALL of the entries and determine the winner on the first few days of October.
Have fun and good luck! Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter :)
100 votes for Chapter 9 <3
http://ask.fm/rubyhannah
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2 MONTHS LATER
I tapped my desk with my pen. I was so so bored and assigned to doing paper work all day. I was literally miserable. I looked out the window into Melbourne city. It was beautidul but I just didn't see it in the same light as I used to.
"Ruby can I talk to you?" My boss Katrina said popping her head around the corner. I got up and walked switly into her office as curious eyes followed my every move.
"Take a seat please," she instructed as she sat in her office chair. I obeyed her and sat nervously. Had I done something wrong?
"I've noticed over the past months you haven't been at all yourself."
"Sorry I've had a lot going on personally." I apoligised and sat up straight.
"I've heard." she said. "I don't know what I'm going to do about it. I can't have an unsufficient worker in the office" she continued. I froze. Was she firing me?
"I'm very sorry I promise I will work harder, I'll do anything to keep this job."
"You just need a break." Katrina told me.
"I understand why you're firing me but I-" begged, close to tears.
"I'm not firing you?" she said confused. Now I was puzzled. "What about that offer I have talked to you about before.
I'd never told Luke about this. When I first arrived in Melbourne I was asked by Katrina to do exchange work in America for a period of time, but I declined so that I could settle down into a constant job. A while later I was offered again, but I couldn't leave, Luke was unwell and not in a stable state of mind. I couldn't abandon him. Maybe that's what made me so mad when he left. I had turned down this amazing offer for him, but I was dropped over his offer almost instantly. But his circumstances were different, I now understood why he had to leave- there were four other people in the equation, he just didn't have to be such a prick about it.
"Ruby," she interupted my thoughts. "I think now would be a good time to embrace this offer. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity and I don't want to see you turn it down again."
"I don't know. If I go to LA I'll be even closer to the boys. I don't know if thats a good or bad thing." I was talking about Luke specifically.
"Stuff boys! Do something for yourself. Think about it, your dream job in a dream location and everything provided for you. How can you turn that down?" she persuaded me. Katrina was right.
"I can't turn that down." I answered, smiling in her direction. She grinned back at me.
"Is next month too early?"
I was so nervous but completely over the moon. LA was going to be amazing. And the best part- I was doing it for me. I had called my mum after I had made my decision and arranged to go to Perth to visit before leaving. I was on 'job exchange' so I didn't know when I could be called back to Melbourne. I walked along the street happily and knocked on Gina's door. She answered to door in her work clothes about to leave. Out of everyone in Melbourne Gina was the only person who knew about this offer and that I'd turned it down multiple times.
"Guess who's moving to LA!" I exclaimed. Gina screamed with excitement and gave me a huge hug. I didn't want to leave her by herself but if she was able to take some time off work, the boys would happily move her over. After much celebration I now had to tell Jake. I didn't know how I should feel.
"Jake!" I called as I opened my front door hoping he was there.
"You're home early" he said as he walked towards me. He held his hands on my waist and pecked my lips.
"I have some news. I don't know what you'll think of it but it's a definite decision I've made."
"Ok, go. I'll handle it. We'll handle it." he emphasised making me want to gag.
"I've got a job offer in LA and I'm taking it." when he didn't answer for a while I continued to speak. "I leave next month."
"I knew this would happen." he scoffed.
"I doubt you did seeing as I didn't even know this was going to happen?"
"Work my ass. You're going for Luke" Jake said his name like it was filth.
"No, I'm going for myself."
"It will always be Luke won't it?" Jake yelled. "It's been six months and you still sleep with a photo of you two next to your bed."
"Just stop it Jake, you are such a drama queen."
"At least I'm not someone who can't get over the fact that their ex-boyfriend doesn't want them anymore. Move on and get over it." he said going to the fridge. "Luke is a prissy bitch that can't do anything better with his life except annoy people professionally." he told me. That was enough. I looked at this guy with utter disgust.
"Don't talk about Luke like that in his own house." I shouted.
"He doesn't even live here, he's in the past now Ruby. Why can't you focus on us?" he tried to reason with me, putting his hand on my hip. I slapped to off and glared at him.
"Get out of my house and don't ever come back. I don't want any contact with you so stay out of my life. I really hope you grow up." I said as calmly as possible as I led him to the door and shoved him out. Before I could even hear what Jake had to say I slammed to door in front of him. Luke was right. He was a jerk.
-----------------------1 MONTH LATER------------------------------
I had just landed in LA after a torturous 16 hour flight. I felt disgusting and was so tired. Once I had got all my stuff I went to the meeting place I was told to go. A man awaited who helped me with my luggae to his vehicle.
"So I'm taking you, Miss Williams to the instructed address?" he asked as he tapped a few buttons on his navigator.
"Yes," I smiled.
"Oh," he stopped and looked into the back at me. "And welcome to Los Angeles." I grinned to myself and sunk tiredly into my seat. I was super excited to see my new home, or apartment as I was told. It didn't take to long to get there but when I did I was shocked. Work had set me up in a beautiful place. It wasn't scummy or disgusting, it was like a deluxe hotel room but bigger and better! I squealed and jumped onto my bed. I had my own place! The window over looked part of the city where the traffic and buisiness intruiged me. My phone buzzed and I checked to see who it was.
"Have you landed yet? Come see us :)" It was Jai who had attached an address to the text aswell. It was just after midday and I wanted to wait and sleep at a reasonable time to adjust my body clock. Why not go see them? I called my mum and Gina to tell them I had landed safely. I then had a shower so that I didn't smell foul and got some of my clothes out. I dressed casually and appropriately, the weater was so nice here, much different to Melbourne.
Although work was providing me with a car, I didn't officially start until next week and I would have to practice when I recieved it. I didn't want to be driving on the wrong side of the road!
I happily made my way downstairs and waved down a taxi. Reading from Jai's text I provided the man with the address to which he raised his eyebrows at.
After almost 15 minutes I arrived at the address. It was a recording studio. Everything still seemed so unreal. I couldn't belive I was here, once again about to see the boys. I was nervous about seeing Luke but I was going to apologise for being nasty to him, clear the air. I walked in trying to appear confident and checked in at the front desk. Jai must've told them I was coming as I got in quite easily. A young women led me through the shiny corridors that were decoreated with photos and albums. I was amazed by everything so far. Finally we got to a door which she also opened for me.
"You have a visitor boys," she smiled. Jai, Beau and James looked up and came and came running. There was lots of yells of excitement and hugs galore. We were finally re-uinted again!
"Come through here," Jai said putting his arm around my shoulder. He opened a door that let to another room, divided by galss. Behind it was Luke and Skip who still hadn't noticed we had come in. When Jai got one of the producers to take a break, the two looked up. Daniel came running out and gave me a hug. Luke came out and sat down in one of the office chairs. He remained silent.
"Ruby you're here!" he shouted. "We're gonna live it up yeh!" he smiled as I agreed.
"Let's give them some time." Jai whispered and gave Luke a stern look. They both left the room. It was just Luke and I, awkwardly in each others presence. It was quiet for a while.
"Hi." I broke the ice. Luke looked up at me then looked back down. He completely ignored me.
"So you're not even going to say hello?" I was appalled by his rudeness. Still no answer.
"I came here to see you and apologise for fighting with you over Jake if you're interested." I said. Luke raised his eyebrows and pondered. I shouldn't even be the one apologising. He owed me an apology at the least. Still ignoring me.
"Thankyou Luke for making me feel so welcome," I smiled sarcastically and went into the other room where everyone else was. Luke sat there still in a mood.
"Sorry I can't stay long, I just wanted to say hi. I need to go back and get sorted." I said after twenty minutes or so of hanging out with the other four boys.
"I'll take you home," Beau volunteered.
"We'll see you soon?" James asked.
"Come over and see our place this week. Once you've caught up on some sleep." Jai said hugging me good bye.
"Sound's great!" I agreed. "Text me the address." I said bye to everyone except Luke then left with Beau. I was here to enjoy myself and if Luke wasn't going to be co-operative then that was his problem. So be it.
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I knocked of the large house that sat near the top of a hill. I could hear the loud music playing from the back yard. "God this place is huge." I said under my breath. Knocking wasn't going to do it. I stepped forward and rang the bell, hearing it ring inside. I suddenly became existant, and through the glass on the side of the door I saw James approach, unlocking and opening it.
"Rubes! You made it," he smiled as he gave me a tight hug.
"Yeh," I smiled as I observed the area. It was beautiful and open "Your place is stunning!" I gushed.
"It's something isn't it!" he scoffed in disbelief himself. "The boys are in the pool, you brought your stuff right?" he asked. I smiled and nodded as I continued to look around.
"Come on," he said putting his arm around my shoulder. "Let me show you around first."James took me upstairs as he briefly pointed out to where all the living and dining areas were. "And we all have our own bedrooms." he exclaimed.
"The twins would be happy," I laughed. Luke and Jai hated sharing a room as they got older, they would be in their element.
"Jai's loving it here." James nodded. My brain ticked with curiosity.
"And Luke?" I asked quietly.
"He's having a good time." James said hesitantly. I forced out a smile. "And this is Beau's room." he continued the tour. I walked into the room and an offensive smell caught my attention. The room was messy and putrid.
"This is foul!" I snicked as I walked over to the window, winding the lever to open it. I walked back to James, picking up various items on the way, throwing them on Beau's unmade bed.
"Next room." I said closing the door behind me. The whole house was so nice and bright. Sunlight poured into every window and fresh air filled the open spaces.
"Last one," James said as he opened the door. The four previous rooms were identical to this one. Same size, small bathroom attached and a walk in wadrobe. Except this one was neat, and clean. I knew automatically whose this was. "This one's Luke's" James explained hesitantly. I went and looked out the window to see the view of the pool. The rest of the boys were down there, except the one I was so crazy about.
"Listen, the boys are downstairs in the pool, you can get changed in the bathroom if you want." James broke my train of thoughts.
"Yeah, I'll see you down there." I agreed.
"Want a drink?"
"A beer would be good," I smiled. James smiled and went to walk out.
"Luke not here?" I quickly asked.
"No, he's uh, out with a friend." James said.
"Ok," I nodded. James closed the door behind him so I could get changed. Once I was done I walked out of Luke's bathroom into his room. I wasn't suprised about the cleanliness of the room. Even back at home Luke would clean up and keep the place neat. I observed his room. I sat on his bed and looked at the photos that were framed on his bedside table. My heart fluttered as I saw the photos of Luke and I being silly in a photobooth from a party we went to back in Melbourne. I grinned at the memory. I couldn't dwell on this anymore. I was in LA for gods sake- time for new beginnings. I headed down to the pool. The boys yelled their hello's as I came out of the house and towards the pool which overlooked a spectacular sight of LA. It was truly breathtaking.
"You coming in?" Jai splashed. I dipped my foot into the pool while keeping my balance. It was the perfect temperature. I jumped in and heard all the boys shout. As I popped up I caught my breath and swam over to where everyone was.
"Up for marco polo?" I said.
"SHOTTY NOT MARCO" Skip yelled at the top of his lungs.
"Shotty not!" everyone apart from Jai managed to shout.
"Fuck you all!" he snickered. We played for ages, everyone was cheating and Jai's reactions just made it a whole lot funnier. It was almost two hours of swimming, tanning and talking before Beau's phone started ringing.
"Oi everyone shut up." he ordered. It fell silent as he answered.
"Yep. We'll be there soon. No worries, cya." he chatted. We all looked up at him in anticipation.
"Boys, we've gotta go into he office to sign some forms." he said. It must've been for the record company. I went to get up and started looking around for my stuff.
"Thanks for having me, I had a great day." I thanked them.
"What? Don't leave!" Beau said. "Stay for dinner,"
"No, I'm overstaying my welcome." I argued.
"Ruby. We will only be out for like half an hour or so, just stay here and we can hang out more when we get back." he told me.
"You sure?" I confirmed.
"You're like my sister. If I wasn't sure I'd tell you to get the hell out of my house," he said making me laugh.
"Okay," I finally agreed. I felt so comfortable with these people, but I didn't want to intrude on any of their plans, they were all so busy now.
"Back soon, I promise." Beau said as he and the boys walked out the side gate. I waved goodbye then embraced the time I had by myself. I lounged by the pool for a while then got up. Walking around the waters edge, I looked over the beautiful view before sitting down and sliding into the pool. I stayed near the edge and held on. I then went under, using the my hands against the edge of the pool to push myself down. Letting the water fill my hair, I closed my eyes and allowed my thoughts to neutralise. Not that it last long. I heard a huge splash beside me and then I was suddenly being pulled up to the surface by someone. I gasped in shock, inhaling a mouthfull of water. I rose to the surface in this person's arms coughing and spluttering. Wiping my eyes, I opened them to see myself in the arms of Luke.
"What are you doing!" I squealed as i pushed my hair back.
"I thought you were drowning?! I tried to rescue you." he said. Thats when I discovered his soaking wet singlet and shorts that clung to his defined body.
"I was just swimming. Sorry." I said calmly now.
"Yeah well you scared the shit out of me Ruby!" Luke said still freaking out.
"I said I was sorry." I spoke softly.
"It's alright," he must've felt guilty. We stood there in the pool for a few moments. I was still in shock that he decided to talk to me now. When Luke realised what was happening he swam to he edge of the pool and hauled himself out.
"You're not gonna swim?" I asked.
"I have stuff to do." he said bluntly.
"Maybe we can talk later then? When you get home." It was worth a try.
"I'm going back out with someone" Luke explained.
"With Bella?" I asked. Luke paused then nodded.
"Yeah," he spoke awkwardly. It was hard to think that we were once madly affectionate and now it was a struggle just to talk to one another.
"I guess I'll see you around then, maybe." I said. Luke nodded and turned to leave.
"Just do me a favour." he said without any humour in his tone nor his infamous smirk. "Try not to drown yourself." he gave a slight nod as he left. I exhaled and left myself float onto my back. I knew why Luke was so annoyed at me, because I was stubborn and rude when it came to the whole Jake situation. But now everything has changed, I know the truth about him, I know that Luke wasn't lying when he tried to warn me. I was the idiot and I wanted to fix things.
All I wanted to do was talk to Luke, but he wouldn't even let me do that without any trauma.