unsolved disappearances » otis and ruby

Part 29

Otis POV

The final days that Ruby's friend Noah was visiting Moordale, Ruby had asked to spend with him alone. They both didn't know when the next time he would come to visit, due to his plans to further his university degree back in New Zealand. 

He did warn me to take care of Ruby and the baby, otherwise, he would hunt me down. Like his ancestors that had hunted a native bird in their country to extinction. That created fear inside.

That left me to continue life as normal, attending school and helping my mother out with Joy. She called it practising for my future child. She wanted me to experience the balance between my future studies and raising a child, co-parenting with Ruby. We still hadn't discussed the theory of how we would raise our daughter, other than sharing the duties.

On Thursday afternoon there had been a drizzle outside and I was glad I had worn my usual striped jacket to keep my torso dry from the rain. As I lock my bike up in its usual spot I notice Maeve standing outside the front door to my house, smoking a cigarette. A sight I knew my mother would be pissed about. "Relax, your mother is out," Maeve explains putting out the cancer stick against the redwood panels.

Maeve had been avoiding me at school, while Eric had taken the opportunity to request more information about Noah. The man he had a slight crush on, even with him casually dating Anwar. He too was excited that he would help raise my future child. "So, Ruby bored of you already?" She asks, a sly smile on her face.

I shake my head, crossing my arms against my chest. "What are you doing here Maeve?" I ask.

She shrugs. "A caring friend, I just want to warn you against this idea to raise the demon that Ruby will birth to," Maeve explains. "I doubt the child is even yours."

"With the assumptions of the date, it lines up with the last time I engaged in intercourse with Ruby." Otis retorts in a professional manner. "So I'm positive the child is mine, so your theory is proven wrong." 

Maeve lets out a long sigh. "Let me guess, she's offered up her body to keep you around?"

Once more I shake my head at her ridiculous ideas. "No." I bitterly state. "I'm taking responsibility for my actions, but with your constant moments of trying to poison me again the idea just due to your hard for Ruby is starting to piss me off."

"Because Ruby's a bitch, she gets everything she wants just with the snap of her fingers." Maeve lets out a laugh. "I hate seeing that you're trapped under her spell."

"Ruby has given me no reason not to believe her in the fact that the child is mine!" I stand up for Ruby. "I'm under no spell and I think you're just jealous because I'm not falling for you."

There is a hurt expression on Maeve's face from my words. "You told me you loved me." She comments confused.

It was my turn to sigh. "I fell for the nice girl, might've been a bitch in her own right towards people but she truly cared about my own feelings," I explain. "The one that would be by my side through this new transition in my life, but instead you've chosen to insert yourself between choosing friendship over you or my own child."

"You already chose Ruby, you made that clear the other day," Maeve says with a huff.

"You've expected me to wait for you, there have been so many obstacles in the way for me to admit my feelings to you. Yet every time something pulls us apart and we become awkward, hating each other then we will slowly become friends again and I get the idea in my head that there is more." I breathe a sigh of relief spilling the words out. "It's a toxic cycle, it seems like we shouldn't be in a relationship because something else will come between it."

"This time Ruby and her demon baby is coming between it," Maeve says bitterly, defending herself.

"I get it, you hate Ruby. We could've moved past that and maybe made something work but you keep proving again and again that the decision to move forward with a relationship is a positive thing." I explain. "It will be different after my child is around Maeve and I don't want you to be the person who is poisoning my child against her own mother, or you do something to hurt her."

"Maybe I'm just caught in a crossroads where I have major feelings for you now Otis and I'm freaking out because you are going to be having a child with Ruby." Maeve retorts, her tone showing signs of hurt. 

"You're freaking out?" I ask in disbelief. "I'm going to be a father, responsible for another human, I'm terrified and it's a time I need support for friends, not people trying to meddle drama."

"I'm sorry Otis." Maeve apologises.

I breathe out another long sigh. "I'm sorry Maeve, this complicated thing is not healthy between us. I need to focus on finishing high school and preparing to be a father not worrying about the moment you decide you're ready to date me."

"Do you just need some space?" Maeve asks, still hoping there would be more of a chance in the future.

"I need space to figure out my own shit," I admit. "I can't do this anymore Maeve, the only thing I ask of you is to leave Ruby alone please."

Maeve scoffs. "It's always going to be Ruby." 

She then leaves, stomping her feet against the ground as I watch her leave. There was a screaming part inside me that wanted her to come back, yet my brain told me I need the time to let go. There were more important things to worry about.