Choux Cream Cake

Ruby

She always liked gems- rubies in particular. It's why I picked the ring with the most beautiful and vibrant dot of red ruby in its crest just for her.
It never reached her finger, though.

It's gone now, hidden someplace in my house, its location unknown to me because when I threw it against the drywall that fateful night I wasn't aiming. I never could find the courage to give it away or sell it off. Even if I didn't want the ring in my sight, some part of me felt comfort in the knowledge that it was still here somewhere, in the walls of my home. I never saw it again.

That is, not until N'Yim came into the kitchen, holding it in her hand.

"Ar'Perth!" I turned to face her, the smile on my face fading when she opened her fist to reveal the slightly dusty gem. She looked at me with excitement written all over her face, "I found this ring under the table!"

A pang in my heart made itself known, but I still tried to keep my smile on for the child, "Yes," I reached out my hand, "I lost it, can I have it back?" She placed the ring into my hand, then she leaned on my thigh as I rubbed the metal of the ring free of dust, inspecting it.

"What's that red circle thing? Looks like a really tiny cherry." She asked curiously, her eyes glued onto the ruby, mouth circled.

"A ruby."

"I like it," she declared, entertained by the new discovery. I scoffed at her childishness, patting her soft hair with one hand, "Yeah, she did too."

"Who did?" P'Saint's voice came in from behind us, the tall figure walking into the kitchen. He approached me and looked over my shoulder, his tone blank when he laid eyes on the gem, "Who's that for?"

"Someone… I used to know," such subjects I didn't want to touch around the child. Her time with us was supposed to be fun for her- my drama could be dealt with later. I stuffed the ring back in my pocket, "Why don't we go out today?"

I could see the question in his expression, but it remained unasked.

Darkness engulfed the movie theatre as we sat down on the velvet seats, N'Yim at our extreme right with a bumper seat because she wanted to be in the centre of the screen. About thirty minutes into the movie, I lost focus as a chill set in my bones, making me shiver in my short sleeves. It just occurred to me that I hadn't brought a jacket. But being the man I was, I just sat there, teeth chattering.

Admitting you were cold was for the weak.

"I told you so," he whispered in my shivering ear. Even if I couldn't see him, I felt the smirk in his voice. So what if I ignored his warning to bring a jacket, sue me.

"Shut up." It was hard to inject that retort with the sarcastic tone I'd intended it to have when every syllable of what I'd said was punctuated with the clicking of my teeth.

He laughed at me softly before he scooched in closer to me, lifting up the armrest between us, hooking his right arm over me to pull me closer into his warmth. My head landed in the crook of his neck, his jaw smoothing against my forehead. He slipped my left hand snug into his jacket pocket and interlocked the fingers of his left hand into my right. If his goal was to make me a cocoon, he achieved it.

"What are you doing?" I asked as I tried lifting my head up only to be shoved back down again into his neck. He wrapped his arm around me again and started brushing his fingers through my hair, warmth fuzzing from his fingertips, "I just don't want everyone to get scared if you turn into a human popsicle." I smacked him for the lame joke but nuzzled back in anyways.

I told myself I was smiling because of the stupid joke. Not because I liked the sound of his soothing heartbeat, the sound of his laughter reverberating through me, his fingers in my hair, nor was it because of the fact that I liked it- being with him.

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Don't hate me for the small update HAHAHA

It's only been four days of Chinese intensive and I had a tiny breakdown yesterday, just one more week and I am free of this bullshit