Chapter 4 - Gen 2 - Blake

by Toby

I have only ever been with Jade, have never really had any experience of adult female company other than Jade and my sister, but I found Rhubarb easy to be with.  We had been pretty good friends at school and I didn't feel like the years had changed either of us as far as our friendship went, but I felt like I had changed so much.   We had just watched our Children get married, her daughter and my son, and now I felt like we were connected in a way, she felt like family somehow.

"Are you crying, Ruby?"

"Sorry I am just feeling a little emotional."

A wedding day tends to do that to you, makes you emotional, I know I was.  Neither of us could believe that our babies were grown up and married already, but she was feeling lost, Lemon being her only child, it was all right for me, I had my four children and my new daughter in law living with me, she now had to face living on her own after being a single mother and bringing up Lemon alone.  She was getting pretty upset and I couldn't help but hug her, there was nothing I could say that would make her feel any better.

She said she was feeling lost, she was worried about living alone and even though she was still young and she had her life back to do what she wanted with, this was no comfort when she had built her whole life around her daughter and not even entering into a romantic relationship because of it, now Lemon was building her own life, Ruby really didn't know what she was going to do.

"You know you could always stay here for a while if that would help you."

"That's nice of you, but really I couldn't.

"Why not?"

"I would feel like I was imposing on you and it would just make it harder for me in the long run, it would be worse me going home in the end."

"Well, you are welcome to stay over any time you feel you need to."

"You really are a sweet kind man aren't you!!"

"If you say so, but I doubt Jade would agree with that!!"

"Yeah well I think Jade was stupid to let you go!!"

Jade was stupid to let  you go - That there should have given me some warning but it didn't, because I was not looking or thinking about Ruby in any other way than a friend that I could talk to and relax with.

She laid her hand gently on top of mine, only for a few seconds, apologizing like she had never meant to touch me, it was just an accidental bumping of hands as we made ourselves more comfortable on the cold concrete floor.

"You don't mind if I lean on you a little do you?"

"No its fine, are you cold, we could always go inside."

"No I am quite happy sitting here, its nice."

It was quite a nice night and the sky was clear, we just sat for a while looking at the stars, then she started to question me about Jade.  How would she react to not being at Blake's wedding, how I felt about her, was I over her, would I take her back, what was our relationship like, one after the other her questions related to me and Jade.

She told me a little about Lemon's Dad, the only relationship she had ever had, how he was a "berry" and had panicked when he found out she was pregnant, he didn't know if he could cope with the prejudice of the "mixing" and how she had waited hoping one day that he might come back, but she always managed to twist the conversation back around to me and Jade.

"So why wouldn't you take her back?"

"I can't live the rest of my life worrying and wandering if she is with Pear making another "one off mistake" as she calls it, she broke the trust between us, you can't have a relationship without trust no matter how much you love someone!!"

"Anyway why all the questions about me and Jade?"

"Just curious"

"I never took you for the nosey type Ruby!"

"I am not I just .........."

"You just what?"

"I eerr ..... I like you ok, and I was just fishing to see if the way was clear for me - there now I have said it."

"I think someone has had a little too much to drink tonight."

"I have not - I am far from drunk it that's what you think!!"

"You are just messing - that was a joke right?!"

"No, I like you Toby, I wouldn't joke about that and its not all of a sudden either, I had a huge crush on you at school that never really went away, and I wasn't the only one - you just never noticed anyone but Jade."

At first I thought she was joking and that's why I was laughing, then I realised she was being deadly serious, I honestly never saw that one coming - this changes everything - my head started swimming and I couldn't think straight.

"I just made a fool of myself didn't I - you don't like me - I am stupid I know, why would you even look at me after ...  ooohhh , I should never have said anything."

"Ruby Stop!!!"

"Toby I am sorry, I can see I have upset you!!"

"No you haven't, you just took me by surprise that's all!!"

We both quickly got to our feet.

"Toby I'm sorry I should never have said anything."

"Its ok Ruby"

"No it isn't, I have ruined everything and we were getting on so well, I have just gone and made things awkward, I should go."

She stepped backwards like she was about to turn and run, I didn't know what I was doing but I just had the feeling that I didn't want her to leave, I did like her, but I didn't know how much.  I grabbed at her, throwing my arms around her waist and I gently pulled her towards me.

"Don't go!!"

"Toby you know you don't have to do this - I am sorry!!"

"Shhhhhhhh"

I kissed her, stupid really,  I don't really know what made me do it or even if I was doing it for the right reasons.  In a way I think I was testing the situation, testing myself, trying to prove to myself  that I could do this, I could get over Jade and I could move on.  I was pleasantly surprised by the way Ruby was kissing me, it was like an intense passion that I had never felt before, suddenly my whole body woke up, it was like a bolt of lightening and every part of me started to tingle, what the hell was this??!!

We just stood staring at each other, my legs were like jelly and I was mesmerised  by her face, I could see the emotion written all over it, I could see it dancing in her eyes every time the sun caught them, the sun, it was morning where had the night gone?

"You do realise we have been out here all night!!"

"Maybe we should get some sleep."

My stomach flipped over - she said sleep but I really don't think that's what she meant, and the last thing on my mind at this moment was sleeping!!  I took her hand and led her to my room.

We didn't sleep.  What we did do took me on a journey I had never travelled before, and along the way I picked up a load of new and strange feelings I had never felt before and never even knew existed.  This felt right, and I never wanted it to end and I never wanted to be without her again.

"Ruby will you move in with me."

"Oh I don't know - maybe we shouldn't rush things."

"A little too late for that don't you think!!"

"I suppose."

"Please!!"

"Ok!!"

Strange isn't it what life throws at you - the curved ball that completely knocks you off your feet.  The slightest little thing that can completely change your way of thinking and blows your whole world apart.  In the cold light of day, I felt like a completely changed man, a new man with a new world  just opening up for me.  It was going to be a much better world too I could already tell.

This somehow made everything that had gone before insignificant and unreal somehow, enough to make me doubt my own feelings - is it possible to think you loved some one so much that it hurt, then later realise you never really loved them at all??

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Chapter 5

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something happened that i have never seen before in my game.  When Toby first kissed Rhubarb a box came up and it said "Toby is not interested in repairing this relationship - he has broken off any romantic involvement"   at first I was a little confused thought the game meant toby and rhubarb but when i looked Jade had gone from being his ex wife with the heart and cross to becoming disliked.  I have never seen this happen before!!!

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