𝐍𝐎 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 ➳ 𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝟐

𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟮𝟴

A FEW DAYS LATER...

Ruth found herself with her eyes closed, listening to Javier's gentle strums of a melody he entertained with, the man quietly humming along. Her head was rested on Arthur's shoulder, the man puffing peacefully on a cigarette. Ruth was provided with warmth from the campfire, the two lovers sitting together on the log positioned around the fire. She was already provided warmth from Arthur, one of his arms draped over across her shoulders. At first she felt awkward showing affection for Arthur in front of the gang since they made their relationship official a few days ago. Ruth would find eyes on her whenever she was with him, whenever he showed her affection. However, no one was bold enough to say anything because they wouldn't be answering to her. They would be answering to Arthur who doesn't take shit from anyone. 

Ruth heard earlier a couple of the girls gossiping amongst themselves, she overheard them saying that she was the new Mary. She didn't know who Mary was but she assumed it must have been a previous lover of Arthur's. She didn't dare to question him about her though, the past few days she had noticed him treading carefully around her. It was almost like he was afraid of doing something that could push her away. Whoever Mary was, she broke his heart. That was painfully clear. 

"Thank you, Arthur," Ruth softly spoke, sparking up conversation between them. She opened her eyes, looking into the camp fire. She smiled slightly as the man shifted and looked down at the woman on his shoulder.

"For what?" He asked, sounding confused. Ruth didn't move, she continued to look at the fire, listening to Javier's song. She looked over at the man briefly, the man was staring at his fingers on the guitar, completely lost in his music. Her gaze returned to the waves of orange.

"For everything. For helping me with Danny," Ruth immediately felt herself choke up after mentioning her friend. She quickly fought back her emotions, swallowing them back before they could erupt. "The past few days have been hard, but your comfort and company has made it somewhat tolerable. I don't feel alone, Danny never wanted me to feel alone because he knows what thoughts can do to people," she explained, her voice soft as she continued to listen to Javier's guitar, finding comfort in it as she spoke. Arthur stayed quiet for a moment before she felt the arm that was wrapped around her shoulders move, before soon after feeling his hand stroke her hair. 

"I'm just doing the right thing. There's no need to thank me," he reiterated. The man stared down at her, studying her side profile as the woman looked at the fire, watching the flames dance. He smiled slightly, continuing to stroke her brown hair. The camp was quiet besides Javier's strumming, the once camp chatter was replaced by the sound of insects coming to life in the night. "You've been thanking me for the past few days."

"I know," Ruth nodded slightly. She shifted her head, looking up at the man, catching his smile for a moment before it was quickly replaced by the cigarette he smoked. "But I'm grateful. I don't think I could get through this alone."

"Grief is a terrible thing," Arthur reminded her with a sigh before a cloud of smoke left his lips. "No one should go through it alone. Even if you feel alone, just know you're not."

"Danny liked you, you know?" Ruth smiled at him. She noticed a sudden change in his facial expression, his slightly upturned corners of his lips falling down. She sat up, looking at him. "I'm sorry-"