Tonight is something else.
Something I don’t have a name for yet.
I check the clock again.
7:58.
The penthouse lights are dimmed. Music low. Whiskey poured, but untouched. A throw blanket moved because it wasn’t soft enough for her. Fresh flowers I never buy for anyone on the table.
I catch myself adjusting the cuffs of my shirt.
Twice.
I don’t get nervous.
But she makes me feel… anticipatory. Focused. Alive.
My phone buzzes.
Ruby:
I’m outside.
My chest tightens.
I walk to the elevator doors and hit the button.
When they slide open, she steps in, and I forget how to breathe.
Red dress. Soft curls. Glossy lips.
Beautiful.
So beautiful I feel it like a punch.
She looks at me with a shy, breathless smile.
“Hi.”
I swallow hard.
“Ruby.”
The elevator closes around us.
We don’t speak.
We don’t need to.
Her breath stutters.
Mine isn’t much better.
When the doors open at the penthouse floor, she steps out first.
I follow.
But only because I want to watch her walk.
