Dingo x Posted October 9, 2011 Report Posted October 9, 2011 Great chapter. Can't wait for your next chapter. (: xx
Claire_Blake Posted October 9, 2011 Report Posted October 9, 2011 Thank you for all the lovely comments. It really makes it so much more enjoyable to write knowing that you are enjoying it. -------------------------------------------------------------- “Is she in?” Brax repeated the question as Ruby closed the back door behind her, careful not to draw attention to his arrival. Aware of the necessity to keep her voice to a minimum she scowled across at him insistent upon blocking his entrance into the house. “You know she is.” She shook her head and watched as he anxiously turned his attention to the kitchen window. Luckily for her the blind had already been drawn preventing anyone from witnessing their confrontation. Holding her hands up in recognition of her unanswered question she beckoned in the direction of his current position. Her voice was calm but direct. Her body language, meanwhile, left him under no illusion as to her current feelings regarding his presence. He wasn't welcome. He watched intently as she continued to survey him from head to toe not caring to display her judgement of his current, somewhat far from respectable, appearance. This was without mentioning the potent smell of alcohol that pervaded a bubble around him. He could smell himself. Perhaps this hadn’t been his wisest move afterall. “What are you doing here?” She repeated the question again careful to keep her voice to a level in which they would not be interrupted. The last thing she wanted right now was for Charlie, not least Watson or Casey, to stumble upon the scene in front of her. Casey would be mortified, Georgina livid and Charlie...She paused considering how her mother would feel upon seeing him right now. He would tear her heart to pieces all over again. She pushed the implication to the back of her mind. Not only was he not intent upon displaying himself in a flattering light, her urge to wipe the grin of his face with the back of her hand was on the verge of realising itself. Sensing that her animosity was not likely to render anytime soon he exhaled loudly before stepping forward, impatiently, in her direction. “Look…I just want to speak to her.” Not oblivious to his intention Ruby stepped back reinforcing her position in front of the door. He wasn’t going through. Taking a breath inwards he paced somewhat impatiently in front of her and studied her as, agitated, she ran her fingers through her hair shakily. Making eye contact with him again she held on tightly to the door handle behind her back. “You can’t…” Refusing to relinquish her gaze she shook her head and signalled towards his remaining presence. “You can’t do this to her.” Tapping his fingers impatiently against his leg absentmindedly, he glared across at her intolerant to her reluctance to cave in to him. “What am I doing?!” Raising his arms somewhat violently in answer to her statement Ruby jumped as he addressed her impatiently. “All I want to do is speak to her…ten minutes.” Clenching her hands together in an effort to remain calm and retain her composure she turned slightly in recognition of the harem of raised voices coming from her previous position. Reasserting her ground she summoned the strength - despite his undeniable ability to intimidate her - to remain focused. Lowering her voice in response to his heated outburst she shook her head forcefully in his direction. “Now isn’t the time.” Occupying her hands with the distraction of playing with a frayed string from her t-shirt she attempted to hide the fact that, despite her demeanour screaming calm and collected, in reality, her stomach was doing somersaults. She watched as, remaining silent, he shook his head and kicked at the hard ground below him repeatedly with his left foot. Clearly preoccupied with thought she watched him nervously. After what seemed like ages she exhaled, shifting on the spot as he regained eye contact with her and lifted his hands slightly. This, it appeared, was in an effort to make evident his confusion regarding her abject reasoning. Faltering, half in relation to the amount of alcohol he’d consumed and half in recognition of Ruby's role as his ex girlfriend's daughter, he addressed her calmly. “She’s your mother Ruby…you’re supposed to want her to be happy.” Ruby stared across at him in impatient disbelief. Raising her voice somewhat she scowled in utter amazement at the implication. Shaking her head angrily she flew at him with more venom than she had initially intended. “I do! That’s all I've ever wanted for her.” Grasping her hands together in an effort to stop them from shaking she took multiple deep breaths in a desperate attempt to modify her oxygen intake. Beckoning towards his current demeanour she let her hand rest on her hip in upset at his nerve. “But happiness Brax...you’re not doing that for her right now…” She shook her head in an effort to convince him of her reasoning. “Besides, look at the state of you…” She signalled to his present inability to remain standing without the support of the wall next to him. “She won’t even see past the bourbon.” Pausing she watched reluctantly as he, now visibly agitated, ran his fingers through his hair violently. “Ruby…” His voice was raised, impatient and betrayed his failure to recognise his present performance. Unwilling to listen to what he had to say she interrupted him frowning as her voice began to betray her vulnerability. “No…you’re not listening to me. You can’t just show up like this…” She signalled to their current surroundings. “the time for that was seven weeks ago!” She watched as he averted his gaze and shifted on the spot uncomfortably. Reaffirming her position in front of the entrance to the house she glared across at him pleadingly. “Please Brax…" She hesitated contemplating whether she had the right to answer on behalf of her mother. "If you could see her in there…” She motioned to the ever audible sound of laughter echoing from inside the building. “She’s happy...For the first time in however long she is genuinely happy.” By this point she had given up on trying to disguise her emotion and continued as her voice finally began to falter. Shaking her head and lowering her volume to little more than a whimper her voice broke as she begged him gently. “You can’t do this to her again. You had her. She was yours and...you threw that away.” Amidst silent tears beginning to fall from her eyes she observed as he listened to her intently, unable to relinquish eye contact from her. Hesitating she continued, “You have to leave her alone.” She watched silently, rubbing her cheeks with the sleeve of her shirt as he stood in front of her forlornly. He watched her attentively before readjusting his position on the floor in front of her. “I can’t Ruby.” Shrugging her shoulders in recognition of his visible emotional state and sincerity she smiled slightly in sympathy. “You have to try…” Pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear she gazed at him in appeal to his better nature. Faltering, she continued nonetheless. “She deserves someone that worships the ground she walks on…” She persisted despite her awareness of his want of interjecting. “and right now you may think that that’s you.” He watched almost transfixed as she pleaded with him quietly. “You’ll end up destroying her Brax.” She watched, upset, as her words struck a chord and he struggled to retain his composure. Breathing heavily and unwilling to let her see him break down in front of her, he turned around bringing his hands behind his head as he choked at the implication. Ruby, meanwhile, having witnessed this sight brought her hands to her lips in an effort to stifle her upset. Despite weeks of wanting to hurt him - to make him feel an inch of what she had felt observing her mother waking up drenched in sweat after another nightmare - witnessing him in front of her now, like this, was failing to bring her the comfort she had anticipated. Taking a deep breath in an effort to moderate her breathing she forced herself to continue nonetheless. “Given five minutes with you…she’d probably forget everything.” She watched, still with his back turned to her, as the frantic exhaling of his chest betrayed his desperate attempts to moderate his breathing. “but she shouldn’t have to Brax. This…” She signalled to their current position outside of her back door. “is your making.” Faltering, her voice broke as she watched him turn round and rub at his hair in visible distress. Even in the dark she could make out the evident swelling around his eyes. Unintentionally letting out a sob she placed her hand on her stomach as she choked back tears in recognition of his upset. Pleading with him she reached out her hand in appeal to her character. “I’m not doing this because I hate you…” She observed, crying, as he rubbed subtly at his eyes and forced a smile of recognition in her direction. “It’s because I love her…" Hesitating as he, once again, pawed at his eyes she addressed him gently. "I know that we have that in common.” Standing silently in front of him she watched hesitantly as he placed his hands in his pockets focusing all his attention upon her. “Give her a chance to move on…” She faltered, pausing before continuing pleadingly. “She deserves so much more than this.” Brax stared at her intently as she briskly attempted to remove the signs of cascading tears from her cheeks. Patiently waiting for her to regain her composure he nodded, finally accepting what she was trying to do and answering her in abstract sincerity. “If I could change the…” She nodded in acknowledgement of his implication, smiling sympathetically in his direction as he faltered, breaking off, unable to finish his sentence. From behind her the familiar sound of the kitchen light being switched on interrupted their silence. A figure stepped into the kitchen and Ruby froze as the sound of Charlie calling out her name broke the intimacy between the two of them. Brax hesitated as Ruby turned to him, initially hesitant, but then not caring to glare at him pleadingly. Distracted, he watched intently as through the kitchen window the silhouette of her mother moving carelessly about the kitchen stole his attention. As if mustering all the will power he could manage to force himself to look away he refocused his attention upon Ruby. She returned his gaze fidgeting uncomfortably on the spot in front of him. Observing her for a few seconds he only now became aware of the sight of Charlie's daughter struggling to breathe through tears in front of him. Reaching out and squeezing her hand in an effort to stop it from shaking he lifted her chin up affectionately before finally nodding in acknowledgment of her outpouring. Forcing a smile of final recognition in her direction she watched as his hands dropped down from their position atop of hers and he walked away; leaving her alone in the garden. Gulping back a plethora of tears she clasped her hands together, breathing in and out in anticipation of her need to swiftly regain her position inside of the house. She felt awful. Witnessing him in front of her, like that she considered, had made her doubt her judgement. Pushing the thought to the back of her mind she quickly wiped at her face. Hesitating, she inhaled deeply before opening the kitchen door and taking a step back inside the kitchen. She watched, forcing a smile as Charlie stood inches away from her clutching a bottle of wine to her chest as if it were a child. In the other hand she held a glass of water. Grinning across at her she laughed explaining that Bianca had just thought well of throwing a glass of wine all over herself before, directed by Ruby’s gaze, she acknowledged the water in her hand. Signalling in recognition she hesitated before smiling back at her innocently. “I’m alternating.” Ruby slowly let a grin take shape across her face as, smiling in her mother’s direction, she took the bottle of wine fron her hands. Making her way back towards the living room she stopped suddenly. Turning back to face her she hesitated, pausing and turning round from her position in the doorway. Charlie was now employed with emptying the remainder of a bag of nuts into a steel barrel on top of the worktop. “Charlie…” She watched hesitantly as her mother readjusted her focus, smiling expectantly in her direction. Pausing, she moved her feet slightly from beneath her and set about observing her intently. Faltering, she stared pleadingly silently in her direction imploring her to be as honest with her as she could. “Are you happy?” Nervously, Ruby watched as Charlie paused, staring at her absentmindedly for longer than she had hoped. Watching her intently, Ruby waited patiently as her mother averted her gaze before kicking off her sandals allowing herself to be barefoot. Forcing the biggest smile she could muster Charlie turned back in the direction of her daughter and threw a tea towel at her in recognition of Bianca's spilt drink. Pausing in recognition of the answer she knew Ruby needed to hear she hesitated before grinning at her convincingly. “...Of course I am.”
mft Posted October 10, 2011 Report Posted October 10, 2011 Great chapter. Such an intense and emotional scene between Ruby and Brax. Can't wait to see what happens next.
Claire_Blake Posted October 10, 2011 Report Posted October 10, 2011 Ps. I know I commented earlier saying that there'd be more Charlie and Brax interaction in the next couple of chapters but having considered where I wanted to go with the story, I figured it was best left for the time being. Rest assured though, they will meet again. x
Dingo x Posted October 10, 2011 Report Posted October 10, 2011 Great chapter, Looking forward to more. (: xx
Guest Posted October 10, 2011 Report Posted October 10, 2011 Great updates I look forward to reading more
suz22 Posted October 11, 2011 Report Posted October 11, 2011 Wow that was so good, could really feel the emotion in that conversation, felt like shedding a tear myself!! Can't wait for the next chapter
soph1303 Posted October 19, 2011 Report Posted October 19, 2011 Omg I've missed so many updates while I was on holiday!! They were all brilliant!! First update: OMG!! Heath is gun! I love him so much he is hilarious. Eww Jude!! Second update:Once again Heath was brilliant in that update!! Ooh the whole Jude being introduced to Charlie thing was kinda awkward!! Dear oh dear at Brax losing his temper at Heath!! That chapter was awesome, but all kinds of awkward at the same time !! Third Update: Glad that Charlie is having a good time catching up with her friends! I sense that Ruby is gonna give Brax a severe talking to in the next chapter!! Fourth Update: Aww!! I just wanted to hug Brax in that update! On some levels I agree with Ruby, but Chax are meant to be together !!!!! Update soon please !!!
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