Cynthialinlin:
Let me first apologize for uploading last week as promised. I promised at least three chapters per week, but I only uploaded two last week. I was ill for some days and wasn't able to write much. But I will make up for it this week.

Really owe it to my readers to keep to promises. I hope you all understand

Oya, let Ruby's story continue.

It's like a lot of people like the 'Gideon and Ruby' pair. Originally, Gideon was supposed to remain the annoying colleague, but oh well, since he is popular, let's give him a chance. And hope he doesn't *Bleep* it up

Also, I want to write Rose's story, independent of "Ruby's Search". I am curious about her own story. What do you guys think?

She deserves it... Heart break no get competition

EPISODE THIRTY-NINE

Ruby's eyes remained on Fred sitting opposite her. This was the first time they were seeing each other since the call she'd got from him, two days ago. She sighed and took a spoon of the rice in front of her. She didn't have much appetite but seeing his attempt at trying to ease the tension between them, ordering her favourite, asun, and more food than she could finish. She still didn't know how to face him. No matter what he said, how much he emphasized how dark it was that he couldn't see the girl clearly or how drunk he was, she also believed that he must have thought of something like that before that day. The conviction in his voice, how strongly he'd reacted to her on the phone, it wasn't something that could build up to that intensity in a day.

“You were saying that you have a new GM at work. How is he?” It would be the second time he was asking the question since they met an hour ago, but she still answered.

“I've not seen him since he arrived yesterday. I assume he would be a little more serious with work than the former one. He doesn't look too friendly though.” She chewed slowly on the spicy asun, enjoying the peppery feeling that was coating her tongue.

“That's good. How is Rose?” he asked again.

This time, Ruby paused and dropped her spoon on the plate. “Are we going to keep on beating around the bush like this?”

“I thought we'd settled the matter.”

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, keeping her emotions down. When she opened her eyes again, she gave him a small smile. “So I am supposed to ignore the fact that you called me, virtually accusing me of cheating on you and just forget it all, eh?”

“It's not like that. I told you before, it was a little dark and I was-”

“And you were drunk,” she cut in. “I know. You were drunk. But you really don't feel like giving me a legit explanation, like why you didn't even try to listen to what I was saying and you were so bent on the fact that I was cheating on you. It may look so simple to you, I assure you it isn't for me. You can't just accuse someone of cheating on you like that. How do you think I feel?”

“But I didn't mean anything. I know that you will not do something like that. I didn't know what came over me that day. Seriously.” He reached over the table and caught her hand, tracing lines on the back of her hand, he looked into her eyes. “I trust you, babe. I don't want this to ruin our relationship.”

Tingles ran through her hand, sending her heart racing. She looked at his hand on hers, his skin colour a shade lighter than hers. In the brightly lit restaurant, she saw that the nail polish on one of her fingernails was beginning to peel off.

She turned her gaze at him. “You trust me?”

He nodded. “I do. I really do. We've come a long way and through the months of knowing you, I am certain that I do.”

“Okay.” Her voice was low. She pulled her hand from his, picked up her spoon, and continued eating.

“Okay?” He stared at her.

“Yes. I said okay. I just hope it won't happen again.”

The uncertain expression on his face was replaced with a radiant one, his lips stretched out in a wide smile. “Thank you, babe. I promise it won't happen again.”

The tension between them gently eased out and their dinner date continued with a light atmosphere.

***
“I just don't think I can fully trust him again,” Ruby told Rose later that night as they sat in front of the TV drinking juice and watching a movie.

“Why?”

When she came home and met Rose in the living room, she joined her and related what had happened between her and Fred. “I just have this feeling that he thinks I am cheating on him, that I am not entirely faithful in the relationship. I mean, with what happened, I feel really sad that he would think of me in that light. If I were really cheating, I wouldn't feel as bad. But Rose, you know how I feel about him” The back of her throat tasted sour and she could feel a tingle in her nose.

Rose rubbed her shoulders. “I understand. You feel he doesn't trust you as much. Even if he said he was drunk, it doesn't change anything for you. Am I right?”

“That's what he doesn't understand.” Ruby turned teary eyes at Rose. “Do you know what I felt that day when he called saying that he saw me go into a hotel with another man, a hotel? Rose, he sounded so sure, so certain. I even started to doubt myself. I was just coming out from the company, I had a stressful day and this is what I get.”

Ruby shook her head slowly. “I keep wondering if he has always thought that way towards me. If he didn't have an inkling of suspicion towards me, he would have believed me at first when I told him I was just leaving the company.”

“Or he shouldn't have made the call at all. If he felt that he saw, honestly, what I would expect is going into the hotel intending to catch the person red-handed. But this…” she breathed in deeply.

“Maybe he did go into the hotel,” Ruby said slowly. “Maybe after the call with me, he went into the hotel to confirm. So that-”

“Babe, it's okay. It cannot be that serious.” Rose cut in knowing what she was about to say.

Ruby laughed sadly. “Serious?” She leaned back on the chair and turned her face to the ceiling. A single tear ran down her face. “It will happen again.”

“How do you know? I'm sure he will be more cautious about matters like this.” The movie playing on the TV ended, the credits running up the screen. Rose reached for the remote and switched it off.

“This relationship, I really want it. I really like him,” Ruby continued as though she didn't hear what Rose said.

“What do you mean? You want to break up?”

Ruby smiled. “Can you date someone that doesn't trust you?”

“You can build trust, can't you? If what you told me about him is right, he must have gone through stuff in the past that made him like this. You should consider that as well.”

“Don't mind me. I'm just joking.” Ruby straightened up sharply. She wiped her eyes and laughed. “I won't break up with him.”

“Ruby.” Rose's voice was stern.

“Babe, chill. I mean it. It's just that after thinking about these, I just had this feeling. But let me sleep on it. I'm sure everything will be alright tomorrow.” She patted Rose's thigh.

“I still don't believe you, but since you said it. Don't force yourself to do anything that will make you uncomfortable. If you...,” she sighed. “If you feel it isn't working, don't force yourself.”

Ruby smiled at her and embraced her. “I won't. Trust me. I won't.”



For more interesting series and stories, visit my blog @ [url]cynthiaspen.com[/url]

EPISODE FORTY

Ruby, Ama and Amira walked into the restaurant talking and laughing loudly. They ignored the looks of other patrons and went to a table at the corner of the restaurant.

“The man is not as bad as you guys think, seriously,” Amira said as they took their seats around the table.

“I don't believe it,” Ruby said. “I've seen him two times, and those two times, his face had not one inch of a smile. Even when I greeted him, he just,” she made a serious face, “'hmm'. Who replies to greetings like that?”

That morning she had come across Mr Hanson when she arrived for work. When she greeted him, she had merely gotten a grunt in return.

“Well, Mr Hanson, despite having a hardened face, has a good attitude towards work. He doesn't even have that pompous attitude like the former GM.” The waitress came to the table. Amira asked for the dishes available and then made her order. Ama and Ruby did so as well.

“But there's something you're not telling us,” Ama said after the waitress left. “Why did you miss work for two days? Are you also related to the…” she trailed off.

“Yes, I was worried about it. And we didn't even have your number, so we couldn't call you,” Ruby put in.

Amira smiled. “No, no. I'm not anything. Only that my brother is one of the owners of the company, so.” She shrugged.

“Your brother?”
“Owners?”
Ama and Ruby looked at her in surprise.

“Yes.” The waitress arrived with two plates of fried rice. She placed one in front of Ruby and the other in front of Ama. “The company is co-owned by my brother and his friend. But because they have other businesses, they just outsourced this one after setting it up.”

“Really?” Ruby ate thoughtfully.

“I always assumed that the owner was Mr Oboli. The members of the board respect him so much.”

Amira smiled. “He could also count as the owner. I mean, if you consider it, even though a percentage of the profit usually go to my brother and his friend, when it comes to the running of the company, I'd say Mr Oboli is kind of the CEO.”

“Then why did you want to work here?” Ruby asked. “You said you studied IT in uni, and what you're doing now has nothing to do with it.”

“Well,” Amira looked down at her plate with a smile. “I have my eyes on someone in the company.”

“Wow!” Ruby's head shot up in surprise. “Who is it?”

“You're funny. You came to work here because of a man?” Ama asked.

Amira shrugged. “I know it sounds stupid. We were dating before, I just messed up, and the whole thing ended. I still want the relationship, so I'm trying to get it back.”

“Who is the person?” Ruby asked again.

“You don't want to know.” Amira smiled vaguely.

Ama rolled her eyes. “It would be easy to find out. But I don't think coming to work here would do anything much for you. Moreover, you became the secretary. While on paper the position isn't much, we all know that the person in that position has some sort of power over other employees. If you look at it that way, it's sort of…” she trailed off.

“And that is exactly what I want. I wanted to do the GM stuff, after seeing the work involved, I changed my mind. This is the closest I can get.”

“I'm still curious about who this person is,” Ruby mumbled. She thought back to the past few days trying to remember if Amira had been particularly close to someone.

Amira laughed. “I told you, don't think about it. I just wanted to tell you. Don't try to investigate too.” She winked at Ruby.

“Then what is your real job? You must have been doing something bef-”

“I have a software company,” she said flippantly.

“That is not small.” Ruby whistled.

Amira chuckled. “It's actually a small company. My brother helped me start it up two years ago. I have a few software designers there.”

“And you still have time to juggle the two? Impressive.” Ama clapped softly.

“This is just temporary. I'll leave as soon as I get what I want.”

They completed their meal, talking about other random topics. Even though Amira told them to mind their business about her relationship matter, she was still itching to find out exactly who the object of Amira's affection was.

***
“Bye!”

“See you on Monday.”

“Thank God it's Friday!”

The company was a bevvy of activities as employees ended another workday. They were leaving the company in singles and pairs.

Ruby walked down the stairs, typing out a reply to a message Fred had sent her. She missed a step on the stairs and stumbled, her phone fell from her hand. A hand reached out to steady her.

“Thank you.” Her attention was on the phone. She bent to pick it, releasing a sigh of relief when the screen was still as it was.

“You should be careful next time.”

She looked up to see Mr Hanson standing beside her.

“Thank you, sir. Sorry, sir.” She avoided looking at his face.

“Just be careful.” He continued on his way down the stairs.

She breathed deeply, placing her hand on her chest.

“That man's look can make me ice cream.” Gideon's voice came up behind her.

She turned to look at him. “You again?” She looked at her phone, quickly finished typing the message and sent it to Fred.

“Yes.” He jumped from the stair where he had been standing to the one where she was standing. “It's me. Did you think about what I told you before? The date?”

“No,” she said with a polite smile in his direction. “I was so busy, it didn't even come to my mind. Can you give me more time?” She batted her lashes at him.

“Well, I am willing-”

“A joke, Gideon. A joke.” She rolled her eyes and started climbing down the stairs.

He sighed out loudly. “But I am serious.”

“I don't care.” She waved at the receptionist and continued towards the entrance.

He followed her through the company's doors. “I like you, and that is why I am asking you out on a date. And I know because of our previous misunderstanding, you have some misgivings about me. I just want one chance, one date, after the date, you can decide if you want us to-”

“Gideon, number one, I cannot date you. Even if I can, have you forgotten company rules? And two, I have a boyfriend. I don't want to do anything to jeopardize the relationship.” The memory of the call with Fred the other day came to her mind.

“Then I will wait.” He announced.

“Eh?”

He looked at her with a wide smile. “I said I will wait till you break up with him. I will get a chance then, right?”

“Crazy.” She turned and started walking towards the gate, but she had a slight smile on her face.


For more interesting series and stories, visit my blog @ [url]cynthiaspen.com[/url]

I'm so hooked.. Thanks for the update

Cynthialinlin:
Let me first apologize for uploading last week as promised. I promised at least three chapters per week, but I only uploaded two last week. I was ill for some days and wasn't able to write much. But I will make up for it this week.

Really owe it to my readers to keep to promises. I hope you all understand

Oya, let Ruby's story continue.

It's like a lot of people like the 'Gideon and Ruby' pair. Originally, Gideon was supposed to remain the annoying colleague, but oh well, since he is popular, let's give him a chance. And hope he doesn't *Bleep* it up

Also, I want to write Rose's story, independent of "Ruby's Search". I am curious about her own story. What do you guys think?

I think it would definitely be lit . I am also curious has to know rose point of view and her thoughts especially how she was able to get through the heartbreak

Cynthialinlin
Let me first apologize for uploading last week as promised. I promised at least three chapters per week, but I only uploaded two last week. I was ill for some days and wasn't able to write much. But I will make up for it this week.

Really owe it to my readers to keep to promises. I hope you all understand

Oya, let Ruby's story continue.

It's like a lot of people like the 'Gideon and Ruby' pair. Originally, Gideon was supposed to remain the annoying colleague, but oh well, since he is popular, let's give him a chance. And hope he doesn't *Bleep* it up

Also, I want to write Rose's story, independent of "Ruby's Search". I am curious about her own story. What do you guys think?

Nne, thank you for the update. This story is becoming highly addictive and interesting. I heard you might give Gideon a second chance? I think he deserves it, he has shown that he's a man of great principle and standard. I hope you're feeling better now? Take care of yourself.

Thanks so much OP

JustCruise:
Cynthialinlin
Let me first apologize for uploading last week as promised. I promised at least three chapters per week, but I only uploaded two last week. I was ill for some days and wasn't able to write much. But I will make up for it this week.

Really owe it to my readers to keep to promises. I hope you all understand

Oya, let Ruby's story continue.

It's like a lot of people like the 'Gideon and Ruby' pair. Originally, Gideon was supposed to remain the annoying colleague, but oh well, since he is popular, let's give him a chance. And hope he doesn't *Bleep* it up

Also, I want to write Rose's story, independent of "Ruby's Search". I am curious about her own story. What do you guys think?

Nne, thank you for the update. This story is becoming highly addictive and interesting. I heard you might give Gideon a second chance? I think he deserves it, he has shown that he's a man of great principle and standard. I hope you're feeling better now? Take care of yourself.

Thank you dear. Feeling much better now.

EPISODE FORTY-ONE

Ruby lifted her mirror slowly with a sigh. She patted her lips together and reached for some tissue. She dabbed her lips with it to reduce the bright red colour on her lips. She looked at her eyebrows and hummed with satisfaction at the perfect arc she'd drawn. The thickness just as she liked it— not too dark. Her phone beeped with an incoming message on the bed. She stood up and went to get it.

I'll be there in five minutes. It was from Fred.

She didn't reply to the message, instead, she picked up the purse she'd kept beside the phone and tucked her phone into it. She returned to the table and cleared it; tossing soiled tissue in the basket bin beside the table, covering make-up containers and returning them to where they belonged.

She closed the door behind her as she left the room. The house was empty. Rose called her earlier in the evening after she closed from work, saying that she was joining some of her co-employees for some drinks. It was Friday, and Ruby could understand Rose's need to wind down with some alcohol after having a stress-filled week. Apparently, driving through the streets of Lagos was a job on its own.

While she sat down in the living room waiting for Fred, she took a few selfies. None of them was to her liking, so she kept on deleting them. Even the filter she used didn't make the pictures any more attractive. She had to admit that she wasn't at all enthusiastic about going for a date with Fred.

The past few days, their relationship had remained a little cool. The effects of what happened that Tuesday was still fresh in her mind. It would be the second time they were meeting after the event, and she hoped that seeing him would dispel some of the doubts in her mind.

It didn't take long for him to arrive. She got a call from him after she deleted her last attempt at taking a selfie. All the pictures she took didn't seem to come out right. She picked up her purse and left the house, switching off the lights as she did so.

He was standing by the passenger door when she came out. He straightened up to engulf her in an embrace. The hug lasted for a few minutes.

“How was your day?” he asked, rubbing her back softly.

She tried not to shiver from the tingles his touch had sent through her body. She pulled away from the embrace. “It was okay. I'm just happy that it's Friday.”

He pecked her on the lips and opened the door for her. She got into the car, heaving a breath when she got in.

“Are you settled in?” He got into the car and reached for his seatbelt.

She also buckled in hers. “Yes.”

“Alright.” He started the car and drove away from the front of the house.

Ruby looked out of the window as he drove. She wasn't sure how to talk to him. Though they had been talking for the past days, their conversations usually felt a little too stiff.

“...and they just sent an invitation to me.” Fred was saying.

She had been lost in her thoughts that she didn't know he had been talking. “You said?”

“My cousin sister is getting married. She sent me an invitation last week.”

“That is good. Which of them?” During their conversations, he often talked about this cousin that did that, or the one that got a job in Canada, or the one that left Lagos to settle in Abuja.

“I've not told you about her yet. She stays in Ghana. She doesn't come back much, so I was quite surprised when she called me to tell me about it.”

“Congratulations to her.” Previously, she would ask about the man she was marrying or any small gossip that came with the wedding preparations, but she honestly wasn't in the mood to say much.

“Are you okay?” he asked when a few minutes passed. It became obvious to him that she wasn't going to say any other thing.

“I'm okay, Fred.”

He sighed. The rest of the drive was made without any conversation from the both of them. Only the soft music from the stereo stopped the car from remaining silent.

“You're not really interested in this date, are you?” he finally asked after they made their order in the restaurant.

Ruby looked down at her fingernails coated in light blue polish. “What do you want me to say, Fred? I'm just finding it difficult to move past what happened on Tuesday. It sounds irrational to you, but-”

He reached for her hands on the table and covered them in his. “No, babe, it isn't. I'm glad that you are still willing to talk about it rather than burying it in your mind. Honestly, babe, I just have this fear that I am not enough for you, that you would want something more. Nothing you did justifies this. Sometimes, it just seems that way. I can't help myself from feeling that way. But I promise you, after this time, it is never going to happen again.”

She bit the inside of her lips. “Really, Fred? It hurts to have someone think of you in that way when you have been nothing but honest and loyal. I won't do anything that would break your trust in me, but I also wish that the same courtesy be extended to me. Trust works both ways, and since we are in a relationship together, we can't go on not trusting each other. Whenever you feel this way, just let me know. Don't accuse me as you did.”

“Yes, love.” He took her fingers and bent to kiss them softly. “There won't be a next time. I promise to talk to you when I feel like this in the future.”

She smiled at him. The first real smile she was giving him since that Tuesday. “Okay, babe. I believe you.”

The waitress arrived with their meals and placed them in front of them.

“Get me a side of asun,” Fred said as the waitress made to leave.

“Why? I thought you didn't like it because of the pepper?” Ruby asked.

“It's for you. You said you love the asun here. You didn't order for it, so I supposed you were still angry.”

She laughed. “It didn't even come to my mind.” She had merely ordered for the sake of ordering and had just ordered a plate of rice. “Thank you.”

He winked at her over the table.

As they picked up their cutleries, whatever stiffness that had settled between them in the past few days was slowly dispelled. They settled into their usual banter, talking animatedly over different topics.



For more interesting series and stories, visit my blog @ [url]cynthiaspen.com[/url]

Keep it coming

EPISODE FORTY-TWO

Ruby clutched her thighs together, stopping for a minute. She berated herself for not using the toilet earlier as soon as the urge to pee struck. Now, she couldn't even walk to the women's room without pausing to take deep breaths, fearing that her bladder would burst. She continued in the same manner from the office to the toilet, taking brief breaks to breathe deeply. Rushing wouldn't help, experience had taught her.

As she got to the entrance of the bathroom, she took what she hoped would be the last pause. Taking slow breaths, she heard some voices from the toilet. She stilled for a while, quietening her breath. What type of conversations took place in the company toilets? She thought for a while, and the answer came immediately — gossip. She was also a culprit of escaping to the toilet to either make a phone call or gossip with Ama.

She clenched her thighs tighter and pleaded her bladder to endure for a few more minutes, so she could just get a little gist.

“...so you just expect me to forget everything and pretend as if nothing happened?” She recognized the voice as belonging to Patricia from the Sales department.

“No, not like that.”

Ruby almost called the name out loud. She settled for a low whisper, “Amira?” At this point, her interest was piqued, her swollen bladder was relegated to the background. She edged closer to the entrance.

“Well, then what do you mean? I understand that this thing between us has to remain hidden for both our sakes. But have you ever thought of what I would feel if you go around kissing any guy you meet in front of your friends to prevent suspicions? This is not the first time, Mira. It's not even the third time. Every time you do it, you come back saying that it wasn't your fault. And Ken, what about him? If you like him, then go ahead and date him. Let's end this thing and go back to our lives. It's not like we can even be together in the real sense of it.”

“C'mon, stop talking that way. Ken is just my boyfriend in name. We don't really do anything. You know how my parents get when they see I don't have a boyfriend, especially after…” Amira trailed off.

Ruby's mind was a turmoil and her heart was beating rapidly. What was this she was hearing? The person Amira was talking about was a woman, a lady, a girl? The urge to ease herself struck again and she knew this time, if she didn't obey it, she would end up with a wet skirt.

She tiptoed a few steps backwards and started walking forwards, this time with loud steps, humming a song under her breath.

When she entered the toilet, she saw Patricia by the sink and heard some fumblings in the toilet. “Hey, Pat.” She smiled at Patricia hoping there was no sign of overhearing their conversation on her face.

“Ruby.” Pat returned her smile.

“My God, I'm so pressed,” Ruby said. For effects, she tried to open the toilet that Amira was in.
"I’m inside," Amira said from inside.

“Okay.” She hurried on to the next toilet and settled to do her business, all the while replaying the conversation she had heard.

Before she was done, Amira and Patricia had left the toilet. When she came out, she stood for a while in front of the basin then bent down to wash her hands. As she was washing her hands, a picture arose in her mind. It was of the two ladies entwined on the bed.

She caught herself and slapped her forehead with a wet hand in reproach. “Stop that.”

However, she couldn't stop herself from thinking about what she had just heard. She was lost in thoughts as she walked back to the office.

Patricia was the two-time winner of the company's annual modelling competition. The competition usually took place during the company's end of year's celebration. She was tall, the tallest lady in the company and had a small waist that divided her body into a perfect eight. She wasn't slim. She had the right amount of flesh in the right places. Some of the guys in the company called her a 'big girl'. Despite a wonderful figure, Ruby thought that she wasn't so fine. She had a normal-looking face and there was nothing really special about her. Well, make-up solved that problem. She always ended up the best dressed and the prettier one on the stage during the modelling competition.

Ruby detested the competition. Mostly because all the young ladies in the company were expected to participate whether they were interested or not. It did little for her self-esteem that she always came sixth or seventh among the ten or eleven ladies that participated. Ama was always among the top three, and with the recent addition of Amira, she was sure she would go down by one or two positions.

Though she was tall and looked every bit matured, Patricia was a baby at heart. During conversations, she often took on a childish voice that could only belong to a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl. They had little in common, so their paths in the company hardly ever crossed.

She sat down behind her desk, biting her lips. And now, with the new piece of information she had, she would start looking at both Amira and Patricia in a new light.

***
As soon as the clock struck 6, Ruby shut down her computer and switched off the extension that it was connected to. She quickly arranged the things on her desk and picked up her bag.

“See you guys tomorrow,” she said to the other employees in the office and started walking out of the office. She was anxious, she had spent the rest of the afternoon unable to do anything. She had been thinking of her trip to the toilet that afternoon. She wanted to talk to someone, had to talk to someone. This wasn't something she could keep to herself. The only other person she could talk to and trust not to say anything was Ama. But on second thought, she decided not to. With Ama's religiosity, it would only end up causing a bigger problem as soon as she opened her mouth.

“Ruby.”

That familiar voice was definitely not what she wanted to hear now. She stopped on the third stair and turned to face Amira with a smile, “Hey Amira. You're out this early?” Ordinarily, Amira had to work until the GM was done for the day. It would often take thirty or forty minutes. This was quite early. It was only four or five minutes past six.

Amira spread her empty hands. “I'm going to get something from the file room. This one you're going home this early, hope there is no problem? What of Ama?” Most of the employees were still in their offices, taking their time to either pack up or talk with their co-workers.

She would have waited for Ama, but knowing her mouth, she would end up talking about it before they boarded a keke to take them to the bus stop.

“Yes. Something came up at home.” Amira joined her and they continued together down the stairs.

“Oh, okay. See you tomorrow then.” They got to the end of the stairs and went their separate ways, Ruby heading straight out of the company.



For more interesting series and stories, visit my blog @ [url]cynthiaspen.com[/url]

Really interesting. Keep it coming.

Thanks for the update OP

Thank you Op.keep it coming

So sorry for the late updates. No long stories, let's just get into it.

EPISODE FORTY-THREE

Ruby didn't like to think of herself as a gossip. She loved to listen to gossip, enjoyed eavesdropping on other people's conversation. But life had taught her never to be the source of any gossip. Back when she was in secondary school, she had a mouth that ran like tap water. It didn't matter whether it was true or whether she heard it from someone else her sentences always began with “Have you heard that…” “Did you know that…” “You don't even know what ... did.” This attitude got her in trouble with both her friends and teachers. On numerous occasions, when a rumour was traced back to her, she ended up kneeling in front of the staffroom for a long time.

Even though she learned to keep her mouth shut, her love to listen to gossip remained strong. She would listen, but she wouldn't talk. It wasn't easy to always keep her mouth shut, but when she started losing friends, and people started avoiding her, it wasn't hard to make the change.

And so, with Amira and Patricia, she didn't know how to handle it. She could simply ignore what she heard and pretend that nothing happened, that she didn't make that trip to the toilet. Deep in her heart, she wanted to talk to someone. But there wasn't anyone to talk to. It was a sensitive issue, and even though she was a little jealous of Amira because of her physical looks, she wasn't enthusiastic about watching her get ridiculed or judged by other people.

She finally decided to forget the whole issue. After all, what was her business? She and Amira were not best friends. However, Amira chose to live her life, who she liked didn't and shouldn't concern her.

So the next day at work, when she came across Amira, she treated her the same way as before. There was no judgement in her expression.

***
“You already have the qualifications to apply. It's actually a good idea. It's something that I also planned to take, but I'm not sure I'm ready yet,” Rose said.

Ruby had just announced her decision to become a chartered accountant. Despite the good pay that she was getting from her job, she had come across job opportunities with high requirements for accountants.

“It's just that with your busy schedule, will you be able to have time to prepare? The process is quite difficult, and you would need time to study. Simply having money is not enough.”

Ruby sighed. She had been browsing through the steps she would have to take. She had to admit, the motivation she was feeling at first was slowly dissipating. Being a chartered accountant was always her dream, right from when she was in secondary school. From a young age, she wanted to be an accountant. She was mostly inspired by her aunty. Aunty Genny now owned her accounting firm in Abuja. She had gone through the university stage and had come out with a second class. She could easily remain a normal accountant and still earn a reasonable amount of money, but that wasn't what she wanted. She wanted to become a professional.

“I'm also thinking of a way around it. It may have to take me about one year or so, to prepare for it with my current work schedule. I'm not sure I want to give up half of my sleep for preparing for it. What about you? Don't you want to take the exam?” She looked at Rose.

Rose shook her head. “You know the only reason I studied accounting was because of my father. I'm thinking of switching to another area of expertise. I told you about real estate, right? And stock investment. That is where most of my interest is in now.”

Ruby nodded thoughtfully. “Do you have to go back to school or something like that?”

Rose eyed her. “There are online courses now. I bought one some days back,” she yawned. “But I've not had time to look at it.”

“Omo,” Ruby also yawned and settled back on the coach. “I spoke to Mrs Oyena about my decision too. She advised me to take it too. She said if I did, I could apply for a salary increment. The way my salary is now, it's just like chicken change in this economy.”

The night was still young. The two of them sat in the living room, talking about how their decisions could change their lives. It wasn't making the decision that mattered though, both of them required to make sacrifices to live the life or get the type of job they wanted. The question was if they were willing to make the sacrifice.

***
“You're kidding right?” Ruby was fuming. Her chest felt like someone had lit up a pile of charcoal and was fanning it. She looked at Fred, tasting bile at the expression on his face. On any other day, his scar that had begun to appear attractive to her looked as ugly as ever.

He scoffed. “Really, Ruby. Stop playing innocent. All these calls you have been taking, who is it? And the guy you posted on your status this morning? With all the love emojis, who is he?”

Ruby honestly didn't know how to reply. “That... Jerome, the guy I told you about. He is just my good friend. We grew up together. I told you that before, didn't I?” She was torn between being angry and defending herself.

On any Friday night, what she wanted a good night rest tucked in his arms. But just as soon as he opened the door for her, he burst out in a ridiculous accusation, saying that if she had found someone better than him, she could break up the relationship and stop playing him.

“Where is all this coming from?” She asked, not waiting for him to reply to her previous confession. Wasn't it just five days ago Jerome who was currently in China posted a selfie with a Chinese girl on his status. She and Fred had a good laugh over her chat with Jerome, teasing him about leaving Nigeria to marry a Chinese girl. And now, he was saying that she was cheating on him with Jerome?

Fred snorted. “And the call you were making on Wednesday night? Who was that? Why did you have to hide in the toilet?”

Slowly, she began shaking her head. This was a joke, right? This conversation they were having, the conversations were just a prank on her. “You're crazy,” she finally said.

On Wednesday night, they had been watching a movie when her phone rang. It was her younger brother, the only sibling she had. He was supposed to be in boarding school yet he was giving her a call in the middle of the night. She didn't want to disturb Fred as he was engrossed in the movie, so she excused herself to the toilet to make the call as she relieved herself. It turned out that her brother borrowed a phone that had been sneaked in to call her. He wanted to ask for more pocket money. She told Fred this, didn't she? She thought she did.

And now, for the second time, he was accusing her of cheating on him.

Glad that she hadn't taken off her shoes and her bag was still hanging on her shoulder, she gave him a bitter smile. “It's obvious that I'm not welcomed here this night. I'll just be on my way.”

She turned and left the house. Behind her, he continued saying, “I know what I heard. You can't play with me and expect me to continue being the fool.”

Maybe, she was the fool. She thought sadly as she walked the distance from his gate to the junction, hoping she would find a keke at this time.

EPISODE FORTY-FOUR

Ruby got home by minutes past midnight. Lagos traffic must have connived with Fred to make her Friday night as horrible as ever. She was a teary mess as she unlocked the door and entered the dark house. She didn't switch on the lights, finding her way blindly to her room. Thankfully, she didn't hit her head or her feet.

She didn't take off her clothes when she got to her room. She laid on the bed and let the tears flow freely. From Fred's house, she had called a cab. But the cab had cancelled, saying that there was traffic and it would take a long time to get to her. She first took a keke and then switched to a bus. All through the journey, she controlled her tears, not wanting to be the recipient of pitiful looks from strangers.

Fred's actions were shocking. She still didn't know what to make of them. One day they were enjoying each other's company and playing together on the bed. The next, he was accusing her of cheating on him. What happened within the space of twenty-four hours to cause this reaction from him?

She reached for her phone and unlocked it, blinking when the glare of the screen light flashed on her face. Her eyes hurt from the glare. She squeezed her eyes shut, opening them when the pain subsided.

There was no message from him. She went to his WhatsApp chat, and when she saw that he was online, her chest felt heavy. She started typing a message to him, questioning him on his reasons for thinking she was cheating on him. On second thought, she wiped the message and exited the app. He should be the one to call her to apologise. Why should she have to explain something that she didn't do?

It didn't stop her from shedding tears. This was the second time this was happening. This time, she believed that there was not going to be a third time. She wasn't sure she could stay with Fred after seeing that look on his face.

***
“Babe, what is wrong with you?” Rose sat down on the bed and placed a hand on her forehead.

It was almost 3 pm that Saturday. The previous night, she went to sleep after crying intensely. Ruby had woken up earlier in the morning, just when the first rays of the sun shone through her cream curtains into her room. She woke up with a massive headache, feeling groggy as though she had spent the previous night drinking. She went back to sleep, hoping the headache would disappear if she slept more. Throughout the morning, she slipped in between wakefulness and light sleep. She had listened to Rose from her bed as she cleaned the house. Rose came in two times to check up on her. Both times, she pretended to be asleep. Since it was Saturday, Rose didn't disturb her.

But the day was almost gone, and she was still on the bed, without breakfast or lunch. Rose was getting worried and wanted to wake her up to eat before she went back to sleep.

“Christ! Your body is hot. What happened?” Rose checked the temperature on her neck and her back. It was all the same, hot enough to boil an egg.

Ruby shifted tiredly on the bed. She turned to face Rose, revealing swollen red eyes. “Rose…” she groaned out.

“Jesus! Babe, what happened to you?” She raised a finger to poke at the area surrounding Ruby's eyes.

Ruby couldn't say much. Her throat ached. Her neck muscles hurt. Everywhere hurt.

“Let's go to the hospital.” Rose got up and rushed to Ruby's wardrobe. “Why didn't I notice?” She brought out a simple gown and returned to the side of the bed. “Can you stand up?”

She was already bending down to help Ruby up. Ruby had little inclination to move. She hissed in pain when Rose pulled her arms.

“God. I'm coming. Let me call someone.” She rushed out of the room.

Ruby remained on the bed, eyes shut. Her breath was coming out in wheezes. She lifted her hand slowly and touched the area of the bed around her. She grabbed her phone. She forced her eyes open to look at the notifications on the screen. Her eyes took a while to adjust, blurry images slowly became clear. Twenty-four messages from WhatsApp. None of them belonged to him. A missed call from her mother. Three text messages— two from the network operator and the last one was an advertisement from Jumia. No message from him. No calls.

The phone fell off her hand as she let go of the last of the strength she had summoned to pick up the phone. A bead of tear rolled down from her left eye.

“She's in here.” Rose's voice came from outside.

Ruby closed her eyes again.

Rose came into the room with a guy. He was wearing shorts and a jersey top. “What is wrong with her?” he asked.

Rose sighed with helplessness. “I don't know. Her temperature is very high. I just want to get her to the hospital, but I can't carry her myself. She can't move. I think she is also having body pains.”

The guy nodded and walked over to the bed. With care, he lifted her from the bed with his arms, carrying her bridal style.

“Thank you so much. My car is outside.” Rose led the way out of the room, through the house and then to her car.

She groaned when she noticed that the path from her car out of the gate was blocked by the Sienna. “Do you know if the owner of the car is around?” She turned to the guy after opening the back door of her car for him.

He dropped Ruby carefully and closed the door. He shook his head. “I don't know. You can go and knock on his door.”

The person Rose had gotten to help her with Ruby was one of the other tenants that lived in the compound. Rose hurried to the other apartment and knocked on the door. It took about ten minutes before Rose was finally able to drive out of the compound under the gazes of her other two neighbours. The guy had offered to go with her, but she refused his help not wanting to disturb him any longer.

As she drove to the hospital, Rose finally thought about why Ruby had come home the previous night even though she had sent a message saying she would be spending the weekend at Fred's place.


For more interesting series and stories, visit my blog @ [url]cynthiaspen.com[/url]

EPISODE FORTY-FIVE

Ruby woke up minutes past six later that evening. She frowned when she opened her eyes and saw that she was in the hospital. Rose was sitting beside the bed, her legs crossed, looking at her phone with an amused expression. When she heard a sound from the bed, she looked up.

“Finally, thank God you're awake.” She got up and moved to the bed. She pressed Ruby down when she tried to get up. “Just stay like this for some minutes. They said it's fever and stress. How do you feel now? I'm coming. I want to call the nurse.” Rose hurried out of the ward.

Despite her warning, Ruby still tried to get up when she left. She was in a ward with three beds. She was grateful that the other beds were currently empty. Feeling an itch on her forehead, she raised her hand to scratch it. A slight tug halted the progress of her hand. She looked down to see that her hand was connected to a drip. She sighed and used the other hand.

She felt much better than in the morning. Rose must have brought her to the hospital, she thought with immense gratitude to her friend.

Rose returned minutes later with a nurse on her heels. The middle-aged woman, though her face seemed harsh, had a warm smile on her face all through the process of checking Ruby's vitals and checking the drip.

“There is no problem now. She is okay. Though she would have to watch her activities in the next coming days. No strenuous activities, no missing of meals, also take a lot of water. Dehydration was also part of the causes of the illness. Aside from these, everything is okay,” she said when she completed her check.

“Do I have to remain in the hospital?” Ruby asked. She had looked around for her phone and didn't find it. Rose must have left it at home in her hurry to get her to the hospital.

“No, you don't. You can leave after taking a drip. The doctor already prescribed some medicine,” she handed Rose a sheet of paper, “you can go to the pharmacy and pick them up. Just take it according to the doctor's prescriptions. If you still feel any discomfort, you can come back for another check-up.”

Ruby nodded in relief. The nurse left. Rose was looking at the paper intensely.

“You should be used to the handwriting by now.” Ruby chuckled.

Rose groaned. “I know, right? I just want to see if I can decipher one word or even a letter. The whole thing is like lines and circles.”

“Let me see,” Ruby stretched out her free hand for the list. Rose handed it to her.

“I was really scared this afternoon.” She sat down on the bed beside Ruby and raised her palm to Ruby's forehead to check her temperature. “It's much better now. You were really burning up when I came to your room. Why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well? I was supposed to go out this afternoon. If I did and something happened…” she couldn't complete the words.

Ruby smiled softly. “It's not that bad. Am I not okay now?”

Rose rolled her eyes. “Yes, you're okay now. But next time, make sure you tell me or you go to the hospital any time you don't feel okay. By the way, weren't you supposed to stay with Fred for the weekend? What happened? I didn't even know you were home until I wanted to clean your room.”

“Don't even talk about it,” Ruby said tiredly.

“Did anything happen? You guys fought?” Rose was already edging closer to her. Her expression changed slightly.

She shook her head. “No. Everything is okay. It's just that he said something came up, and he would have to leave early in the morning. So I decided to come back. I don't want to stay in his house alone.”

Rose was dubious. “Ehen?” She studied Ruby's expression.

“It’s true. I'm not lying.” She knew Rose didn't believe her, but she wasn't ready to talk about it. Rose would have to wait until she was ready.

“I wanted to call him, but I didn't know his number, and I left your phone at home.” She handed Ruby her phone. “You have his number by heart, right? Use my phone to call him. He might have called your phone, but no one is picking.”

The last sentence echoed in Ruby's heart. Her heartbeat increased as she took the phone from Rose. Did he really call her? She typed the eleven-digit number into the phone. Just before she clicked on the call sign, she paused. The memory of what he said to her the previous night, the accusations, the fact that he hadn't called since that time all through the mid-afternoon before she lost consciousness flooded her mind. She erased the number and handed the phone back to Rose.

“I will call him later when we get home,” she said.

The doubtful look on Rose's face was replaced with understanding. She took the phone and pocketed it. “If you say so.” She yawned. “I'm so hungry. I wanted to go to the market to get things for soup, but now..., Maybe I will call Tosin to send two plates of soup for us tomorrow.”

“I thought you didn't like her soup. You said she uses something that tastes strange.”

Rose smiled. “It's just for this week. Which soup do you want? I was thinking about that Igbo soup and okra?”

“Which Igbo soup?”

“The bitterleaf one, you said you liked it when I brought it back the other day. I read online that it has a lot of medicinal properties.” Rose reminded her.

“It's okay. What about stew? Tomorrow is Sunday,” Ruby asked.

“I'm preparing coconut rice. You like it too. Since the nurse said you need vegetables, I will get some on the way home.”

At the thought of vegetables, Ruby scrunched her nose. She didn't refuse it. Knowing Rose, she would spend the rest of the week stuffing her full with vegetables and food.

Rose went out to get some food. The loud, incessant rumbling of her stomach was hard to ignore.

They remained in the hospital for the rest of the evening, only leaving when the drip was empty. By the time they got home, it was almost 11 pm.

Ruby checked her phone as soon as Rose left her to change her clothes. Rose's assumption was wrong. There was no missed calls or text messages from him.


For more interesting series and stories, visit my blog @ [url]cynthiaspen.com[/url]

Thanks for the update. Gradually Fred's insecurities is taking centre stage. Insecure people are the worst and should be treated like criminals.

Fred can go to hell

Thanks for the update ma’am

EPISODE FORTY-SIX

Ruby was awoken by a sudden weight on her legs. It was Rose's leg. She'd insisted on sleeping in Ruby's room so that she could monitor her. Ruby didn't argue with her. At this time, she wanted the company of Rose.

She gently removed Rose's leg that had been thrown over hers and placed it properly, close to her other leg. In the dark, she searched for her phone with her hands and found it lying between her and Rose. She switched it on and used the light to find her way out of the room. She switched on the lights of the small passageway that separated the rooms from the living room and the kitchen. When she got to the living room, she didn't switch on the light. The light spilling in from the passage was enough for her to find the couch without stumbling.

Even though she expected it, there was still no message or call from Fred. It was almost two days since their argument and he hadn't called her. She looked through her phone with a desolate expression. No matter how many times she refreshed her call history and her messages, there was no new message. What did this mean?

She didn't need a soothsayer to tell her that her relationship with Fred had ended, ended on ugly terms. Or hadn't it? Would he call her days later saying he was sorry that he suspected her despite his promise not to do so? Even if he did, what was she going to do? Forgive him and continue staying with him, ignoring the two instances where her trust and her dignity got trampled?

She found his contact and saw that he had posted a few status updates. She looked through them, remaining on each for some seconds. They were all pictures, recording how he had spent his Saturday. He had gone for a wedding, dressed in light blue senator and took shots with the bride and the bridegroom. He took a few more pictures with other attendees. There was one where he stood in the middle of three girls, all dressed in blue asoebi and heavily made-up. The next one was with the groomsmen, in their neat black suits. Another one with two girls, a bridesmaid and another girl dressed in a sleeveless red gown. After the wedding, he must have gone with his friends to a bar. The rest of the pictures were taken in the bar, dark faces sitting around a table filled with bottles of beer.

When she got to the end of the posts, she went back to the beginning and watched them again. This second time, her eyes remained fixed on his face, studying the look on his face. But each time, his smiling face contorted to the one that shouted at her on Friday, filled with repulse and intensity. What happened? She kept on asking herself as one picture changed into another. She was no longer seeing the picture updates. Her time with him was now playing out on her screen, changing from one to the other.

The first day they met... date nights with him... going to church together... going to sleep cuddled in his arms... drinking wine after having sex... They all replayed in her head, yet the pictures had changed. The faces changed— his face contorted in repulsion while her expression creased in confusion and fear.

He was supposed to be the one, wasn't he? She kept the phone aside, noticing the wetness on her cheeks. He was supposed to be the one that would pop that question at her. She never considered it but somehow, the expectation was there. They were heading somewhere, might have ended up in front of a pastor. But no, it had to end. And its ending was something she couldn't explain.

Soft sounds came from her mouth now. Her body was shaking, shaking so hard that she could no longer control it. The tears came from her stomach, she could feel it. It first started as a sour feeling in her mouth and then her stomach would curl and the tears would pour out of her eyes. Her chest hurt like someone took a knife and was stabbing it into her chest. She wheezed. The pain went in deeper. The person would stab it in, pull out and stab it again. Her heart burned, it was tearing apart. She wheezed and curled into herself on the couch. Tears racked her body. She opened her mouth to let out the tears that were bubbling in her throat. No sound came out. She laid there, crying silently yet wishing to scream, scream so loudly that Fred from his apartment in Ikoyi would hear her.

She wasn't sure why she was crying. Was it the pain of losing someone that she loved? Someone that was beginning to mean the world to her? Or was it that the accusations? The poison laced in the words that came out from his lips that day. Maybe she didn't mind breaking up with him, but that it came like this, stripping her of her dignity and tossing her in the mud?

She was faithful to him, wasn't she? Of course, she had men that chatted her up, men that had shown interest in her. Maybe she was stringing some of them along for the fun of it, but she never, for once, thought of dating someone else while with him. She liked him enough to say no to Raymond, the fair entrepreneur that pestered her for almost a year before he gave up. Raymond was good. He was handsome. He had money, he had mentioned being ready to settle down. He cared about her, buying gifts for her even when it was obvious nothing would come out of them. If she ever cheated on Fred, it would have been with Raymond. But she had been firm in her refusal of Raymond's advances.

“I am in a serious relationship now, Ray,” she'd told him two weeks after she started dating Fred. “I don't want anything to jeopardize it.”

Raymond had stepped back, respecting her wishes. And what had she gotten for her loyalty? Accusations, not once but twice. Ruby wondered if Fred had always thought of her in this light, walking around with the expectation that she was either cheating on him or would one day cheat on him. Crouching in wait for her to prove him right. So their time together had been what? A test for her, monitoring her to see when she would commit. All these at the expense of her time, her loyalty and her trust?

“She left me because I was insecure.” The words from the first day they met offline came back to her. Was this the insecurity he meant? Why hadn't she paid attention? Maybe she could have done something to prevent him from suspecting, assured him more of her faithfulness? Even if she did, would it have stopped him from flinging outrageous accusations at her?

She was deeply caught in her emotions that she didn't hear the door to her room open. She didn't hear Rose calling her name. She didn't notice when the lights in the living room were switched on. She didn't hear Rose's gasp and soft “babe” when she saw her curled up on the couch. But she felt the comfort of Rose's arms when she put her arms around her.


For more interesting series and stories, visit my blog @ [url]cynthiaspen.com[/url]

Though heart breaks suck but Ruby is been so dramatic about abeg...I really hope Gideon takes his shot now.

Spent the entire night reading other stories on your site. Your stories are awesome.

EPISODE FORTY-SEVEN

Outside, the day was slowly becoming brighter. They could hear the sound of a car driving out of the compound. Rose and Ruby were still on the couch. At some point, they had both slept off. Ruby was the first to awake. With most of Rose's weight on her, she couldn't move much. She didn't want to disturb Rose, so she decided to remain the way she was. The last night, Rose met her crying on the couch. When she woke up, she would demand an explanation. She mentally prepared herself for the deary task of explaining everything that happened between her and Fred.

Rose must have felt her muscles getting sore. She woke up barely thirty minutes after Ruby opened her eyes.

“Oh, my God.” She rubbed her eyes and yawned loudly. “Sorry. I didn't even know when I slept off. Is your leg paining you?” She massaged Ruby's leg, the one that she had placed most of her weight on.

The leg had gone numb. Ruby allowed her to massage life into it. “It's okay. I also slept off. I'm just waking up.”

The movement of Rose's hand paused for a split second, and she continued massaging Ruby's legs. “What did he do to you?”

“Eh?” Ruby pretended as though she didn't hear. “What did you say?”

Rose sighed. She didn't say anything. She massaged Ruby's leg for a few more minutes before she stopped. “I'm coming let me use the toilet.” She stood up and left the living room.

Ruby tried to place her legs on the ground but winced when she felt a sharp pain around her knee. She continued the massaging with her left hand. With her right hand, she picked up her phone. It was switched off. She tried to switch it on, it remained lifeless. Low battery, she concluded, remembering that the low battery warning she had ignored when she was looking at Fred's status. She placed the phone on the table, somewhat grateful that it was switched off.

Rose returned minutes later. “I'm going to make breakfast. You will take tea right?”

“Isn't it too early?” Ruby looked at the light coming in through the window. The sun wasn't even up yet.

“With the way you cried last night, I'm sure your stomach is empty now. Just take something, then we will talk.” Without waiting for a reply from Ruby, she left the living room.

Ruby shook her head in helplessness. Rose was angry, she could tell. She couldn't blame her. She had fallen sick and refused to tell Rose the problem. Rose meeting her in the living room, crying her lungs out when she was ill and supposed to be resting, must have been the last straw. Her feet massage continued. She tried to focus on her legs rather than Fred. What she had with him must have ended.

Breakfast was ready in the next twenty minutes. Rose brought a tray ladled with slices of bread, fried eggs, a jug with hot water and tins of milk and milo. She kept the tray and went to get two mugs.

Ruby sat upright and took one mug from her. She scooped some milk and milo into her cup before she mixed in hot water. She blew at the brown drink and reached for two slices of bread.

They ate in silence, blowing at hot tea, munching on bread and eggs. In no time, the tray became empty. Ruby poured water into her empty mug and drank it. She belched and relaxed back on the couch.

“Thank you,” she said to Rose.

Rose reached for the last slice of bread and ate it. She shook her head, then said while chewing. “What happened with Fred?”

Internally moaning that Rose didn't even let the food digest before bringing up the topic, Ruby relayed what happened on Friday night. She also talked about the first time it had happened, when Fred called her saying he saw her going into a hotel with another man.

All the while, Rose listened, taking sips of her tea. By the time Ruby finished, she had also emptied the cup and, in the same way, used hot water to rinse the bottom strains of chocolate and drank the water. She didn't say anything at all, only arranged the used plates and placed all of them on the tray.

After clearing out the bread crumbs and tea spill on the table, she said, “Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you tell me yesterday?” Her voice was low, filled with disappointment and hurt.

“I'm so sorry, Rose. Everything..., all that happened, I was still coming to terms with it,” Ruby said shakily.

Rose pressed her eyelids shut and breathed in deeply. “This is going to come out harsh, but he is not worth you getting ill at all. Right now, what is important is you getting well. The way you were crying yesterday night..., Ruby, it broke my heart. I know that you loved him, but for the sake of your health, just try to forget him for now.” She stood up and went out of the living room. She returned minutes later with a black cellophane bag. “Your medicine.”

Under Rose's watchful eyes, Ruby obediently put the medicine in her mouth, washing it down with warm water. “Are you not going to say anything else?” she asked when Rose returned the drugs into the bag and started to stand up.

“What do you want me to say, Ruby? Rant about him? At this point, I don't think he is worth my spittle. I don't think he's worth you getting angry.” Rose sat down back and took Ruby's hands in hers. “I'm angry with him. I really am. I want to go to his house and give him what he deserves. Shouting and getting angry will only worsen your condition. The nurse said that you need proper rest and food. That is what I'm going to give you. If you want me to rant with you, get well first, then we can rant all we want.” She sighed. “Though it wouldn't change anything.”

“Rose!” Ruby cried out. She burst out in a fresh set of tears.

Rose brought her hands around her and rubbed her shoulders comfortingly. “See what I'm talking about. If you keep on crying like this, you won't get well.”

“B...but it's so painful. My chest..., even my head hurts when I think about him. And I cannot stop thinking about him.” The tears were now pouring down Ruby's cheeks without control.

Rose comforted her the best she could. Her heart hurt when Ruby talked about how she felt. She could not heal the pain. She could not stop Ruby from feeling the pain. The only thing she could do was to rub her shoulders and whisper words of comfort to her.

Again, Ruby slept off after minutes of crying. Rose settled her comfortably on the couch and with a helpless sigh, went on to take the plates to the kitchen and wash them.


For more interesting series and stories, visit my blog @ [url]cynthiaspen.com[/url]

mhizv:
Spent the entire night reading other stories on your site. Your stories are awesome.

Thank you

EPISODE FORTY-EIGHT

“Are you sure you can handle work today?” Rose straightened her neck to look ahead, as she steered the wheel.

“I'm okay.” Ruby was trying hard to control her laughter. Even though Rose had been driving for about ten days, she hadn't mastered navigating the roads. They had been driving for ten minutes and already had two people cursing at them. Rose's hand around the steering wheel was tight, so tight that Ruby felt that the mere strength on the wheel was enough to detach it. She pressed her leg on the brake so often even though there was nothing in front of them. And she drove so slowly. Combining her speed with the traffic, Ruby now understood why she left the house earlier than she used to before she got the car.

“Are you sure? How is your head? No pains in your body?” While she asked, her eyes remained fixed on the road in front of her.

“It's much better.” Ruby brought out her phone and looked at it. She knew without a doubt that they would both be late for work. For her sake, Rose left much later than usual.

Rose glanced at her and quickly returned her eyes to the road. “Has he called yet?”

Ruby sighed. “No. I tried calling him last night, he busied my call. I sent him a message. He didn't reply.”

“Hmm.” Rose shook her head. “What exactly is going on in his head? If he feels you cheated, shouldn't he confront you with concrete evidence? To be honest, I think it's just an excuse on his part.” The last sentence was said in a low voice.

“I know,” Ruby murmured. She looked at his status updates. This time, he posted some Monday motivational quotes. “At first, I thought he was only being paranoid. If I assure him that nothing is going on between me and any other man, he would believe me. But since Friday when I left his house, he hasn't called or sent me a message. Nothing at all. He just went off. I've sent him WhatsApp messages, and all of them were left on seen. Right now, it's obvious that he wants the relationship to be over so he just found a useless reason.”

“I don't get why he would go through this method. I mean, if you want to break up, just say that you are tired of the relationship or you found someone else. What is the sense in trying to blame your partner? That's stupid.”

Ruby blinked rapidly. “I sent him another message this morning. A break-up message. It looked stupid trying to defend myself at this point. But I did that. It has shown blue ticks, so he has seen it. He still didn't reply. I'm still confused, but it's obvious that I and Fred are over.” Her voice cracked.

“Babe,” Rose was torn between the road in front of her and her friend. She released one hand from the steering and patted Ruby's hand. Her hand quickly returned to the wheel. “Maybe it's best it happened now before you fall deeper for him.”

“I still love him. It's funny, but despite everything I still do. If he calls me now, I would answer the call. If he asks me to forgive him, I will say yes without complaining.”

“Everything is going to be alright, babe. I promise you. You will meet someone much better than him.”

Ruby sniffed. She opened the glove compartment and brought out a roll of tissue. She cut off a piece from it and blew her nose into it.

“If you are not feeling up to work, you can take an excuse. You said the new GM in your company is a bit lenient, right?”

Ruby shook her head. “I'm okay. I missed a fun weekend because of him. I'm not going to lose more money because of it. Moreover, if I stay at home, I'll just be crying all day. It's best if I distract myself with work.”

“Okay o. Just take it easy. Don't try to push yourself too much.”

“Thank you.” She finally took notice of where they were. “Jesus, Rose are you taking me to the company? I thought you will drop me at the junction. See me, I even forgot.”

“Don't worry.” Rose took a left turn. “We'll soon be there.”

“Aren't you going to be late?” Ruby was already getting ready to get down from the car.

“It's okay. I already called them to take excuse. It will only take fifteen minutes from your side. I won't be too late.”

A feeling of gratitude arose in Ruby's chest. Rose was the closest thing she had to a sister. They had been friends for over seven years. In those seven years, she could count on one hand the times that they quarrelled. Even when Rose was dating Boye and their relationship cooled, she remained a good friend to her. Rose came from a slightly well-off family, her father was a businessman and her mother was a lecturer. During their university days, she was often the one that handled the expenses for their room. She would fill up the gas and restock foodstuffs. Several times, when Ruby asked to borrow money from her, she simply dashed her the money.

Her friendship with Rose was one of the longest-lasting relationships she had maintained. She lost contact with some of her friends, fell out with some, drifted away with others. Yet, their friendship remained strong. With such a friend in her life, why did she need to kill herself over another man? Someone that didn't care a dime about her.

She smiled to herself, comforted by the citrus smell of air freshener that Rose used in the car. At least there was someone that cared about her.

“Why is this one laughing now?” Rose looked at her dubiously. The traffic had eased by now. Her hands on the steering wheel loosened a bit.

“I'm just laughing at how funny this thing is. You won't believe I was already thinking of marrying him,” she said instead, preferring to keep thoughts about their friendship to herself. Some things didn't need to be voiced, she mused.

Rose laughed. “It happens. You know me and Blossom already picked names for our children. We planned to have three. Maybe a pair of twins and another girl. His mother is a twin, so he might have inherited some of her genes. But look at us now,” she laughed. “It's better that we didn't make that mistake. It would be worse for something like this to happen when you are married to him.”

“Yes. I'll just thank my stars then.” They were now a few blocks from the company. “This chapter of my life is closed, huh?”

Rose pulled to a stop in front of the company. “Exactly. Just turn the other page and start another chapter.”

Ruby breathed deeply and said to Rose, “Thank you so much, Rose. I'm not sure what I would have done without you.”

“If you want to thank me, first take care of yourself so that you won't fall ill, alright.”

Ruby smiled and reached over to hug her. Rose returned the hug. “I won't.”

She bade Rose goodbye and came down from the car. She watched until the back of the red car disappeared before she turned to go into the company.



For more interesting series and stories, visit my blog @ [url]cynthiaspen.com[/url]

Thanks for the update.

Godbless you for this update,really needed it..

Thanks for the update ma’am

Thanks for the update. Please keep it up.

Hello Op, how are you? I hope all is well with you? I have really missed your update please come and update the story biko.

Ruby's Story Continues (Back from long hiatus)

Hello, readers of Ruby's story. (I wonder if we still have any readers left.)

First, I want to apologise for the long absence and the unplanned break, without posting episodes of our favourite story. I started my master's program last year and things were really tight for me as it was a new zone for me. Way different than I had expected it. Anyway, I'm sorry for the absence.

Without further ado, we're going straight into the story, right where we left off. And this time, we're coming strong.
I'll try to upload more than five chapters a week so we can get this story moving.

Please leave a comment.
I want to know how you'll have been. Hope things have been going on well with you guys?

Welcome back!!!

RUBY’S SEARCH FOR ROMANCE
By Cynthia Linlin

Synopsis
After Ruby ends her ‘friendship’ with Boye, she actively begins to look for a real, serious relationship. Her quest for ‘real and serious’ leads her to start a journey where she would not only find the partner of her dreams but also go through heartbreaks and cause heartbreaks; she would go through dark times, near-depression and find out shocking things about herself.

“Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable.”
– Bruce Lee, “Love Is Like a Friendship Caught on Fire”

EPISODE FORTY-NINE

The atmosphere when she entered the company made it seem as though all the employees had also gotten their hearts broken during the weekend. It was probably the weather outside, cloudy and dry. Ruby was grateful for the cover. She could hide under the guise of the weather to avoid her co-workers from sensing anything wrong with her.

Like she had told Rose, it was better she spent her day working than at home moping and crying. Only that she didn't feel any motivation to work. The thought of going home now sounded appealing to her. But she was already at work. What was the sense in going back home?

"Ruby, good morning. How was your weekend?" Victor greeted her as she entered the office. The smell of akara that had pervaded the office was coming from the black nylon bag opened in front of him. There was a half-eaten loaf of bread beside the nylon.

She wrinkled her nose. "Shey Mrs Oyena said we should stop bringing food to the office?" It was a new regulation that came with the new GM. Anyone that wanted to eat had to go downstairs to the coffee room. New chairs and tables had been added to the previously almost-empty room to enforce the rule.

"Don't mind him. He doesn't understand that the smell will remain strong even after hours. Just pray it doesn't attract Mr Hanson." The reply came from Gina. She entered the office blowing at a cup of coffee.

Ruby sat down behind her desk.
"It's just akara. I don't need to go all the way down to eat it. Moreover, I'm almost done. She's not going to notice it." He tucked two akara balls into the remaining half of the bread and pressed the bread together. He munched into it, taking a huge bit.

"With how sensitive Mrs Oyena's nose is, even if you spray air freshener, she is still going to notice," Gina said.

Ruby ignored their banter and focused on switching on her computer. As she waited for the computer to boot, she felt a little dizzy. She placed her head on the table and hoped for the feeling to pass. When she heard a ping from the computer, she raised her head. With a small prayer that she get through the day, she placed her hand on the mouse and entered work mode.

***
By the time for the lunch break, the body pains had returned. Her head was becoming too heavy for her neck and the joints in her leg hurt even though she had been sitting down for the past five hours. She almost cried out when she stretched her body and pain seared through different parts of her body. She had taken her drugs that morning and even had a filling breakfast courtesy of Rose. Yet, she still felt weak and tired.

"Are you sure you are okay?" Benny asked. She had asked the question about an hour ago when she saw Ruby massaging her temples.

Ruby tried to smile at her, but her facial muscles disobeyed her commands. It came out as a wince. "I'm fine."

Benny wasn't convinced. "You can take excuse from Mrs Oyena. You don't look too well. Your eyes are red too." She got up from her desk and walked over to Ruby.

"I'm okay. Really." Ruby tried again to smile.

"You're sure?" Benny stopped in front of her desk. "If you're not feeling well, it's best to take a-"

"What is the problem?" Mrs Oyena asked. She had just returned from the toilet.

"Nothing," Ruby said the same time Benny said, "I don't think she is feeling too well."

When Mrs Oyena squinted at her, Ruby knew the battle was lost.

Mrs Oyena stretched out still wet her still palm and placed it on her forehead. "Your temperature is high. And you say you are okay?"

"I've gone to the hospital, ma. I just need to take my drugs and everything would be okay," Ruby assured her.

Mrs Oyena frowned. "I noticed it earlier but I thought it was because of the weather, but do you know how you look?"

Ruby raised a tired hand to her face to feel for it. It was oily. She didn't put on any make-up, simply rubbing baby powder on her face. She suspected she wasn't pleasing to the eyes. Even on days when she didn't put on a lot of make-up, she always put on her oil-control powder and lipstick. Even her lips felt cracked and dry.

"Take the rest of the day off. I don't want anybody to faint in my office," Mrs Oyena said with finality and walked to her table.

"Ma," Ruby wanted to explain. She tried to stand up but because of how sudden the movement was, she swooned, almost falling back to her seat. Benny caught her in time, calling her name in alarm.

"Benny," Mrs Oyena's voice was sharp, "Go and call the company's driver." She looked at Ruby. "You are already like this and you want to argue with me. Don't come to work until you're well."

Ruby gave up struggling. Benny helped her into her seat and rushed out of the office. The other employees had gone out to have their lunch. She returned minutes later with the driver on her heels.

"Drive her home," Mrs Oyena told him.

Benny helped her out of the office. On their way out, they met Mr Hanson and Amira coming up the stairs.

"What is the problem here?" Mr Hanson asked.

"Her body is... she... she almost fainted." Benny stuttered. "Mrs Oyena said she should go home."

Ruby wanted to knock her on the head. What kind of reply was that? "I'm not feeling well, sir," she said.

He studied her, looking from her face to her toes and then back home as though searching for evidence of her ill-health. He nodded when he deemed that she wasn't lying. He shifted aside to let them through. Amira said something to him and turned to help her.

"Ouch, your body is so hot," Amira said when she took Ruby's arm. "What is wrong with you?"

"Just a little fever," Ruby said. She had stiffened a little when Amira touched her. She had forgotten all about Amira and seeing her again only reminded her of that day in the toilet.

"Have you gone to the hospital?" They walked slowly across the reception room towards the company's doors.

Ruby nodded. "It's probably because I didn't rest enough."

Amira murmured, "It's okay."

Benny and Amira helped her into the company's Sienna. It was often used to convey employees to and fro meetings with clients or official meetings. It was rarely ever used for office staff. Well, except when Mrs Tosin, an ex-employee in the finance department went into labour. As the driver drove out of the company, Ruby tried hard to keep herself from falling asleep. She needed to direct him to her house.

Two minutes on the road, her phone pinged with an incoming message. She looked at it. Her heart stopped when she saw that it was a message from Fred.