All a Matter of Timing – Chapter 4

Ruby let out a slow, nervous laugh as those gorgeous golden eyes studied her, positive that her heart was literally being stopped by the teasing smirk that Blake had leveled her way. The silver lining of her own awkwardness was at least that it seemed to take the other brunette's mind off what had happened with Drei.

That didn't save Ruby from her mouth answering on its own accord. "Of course I think you're beautiful! You always dress so stylish and even with what happened earlier your hair still looks perfect-" In the back of her mind, she was mentally hitting herself for not being able to stop, all while simultaneously trying to remind herself to breathe. "And your eyes kinda make me want to keep staring in them because they are really pretty, and that's not even mentioning your butt! I mean, have you seen it?!"

Her question is what broke the rambling, as that heartstopping smirk grew into a full blown grin as the realization of what she had just said set in. "Oh my god.. I am so sorry." It was then she became aware of just how close Blake was, only a few inches away from straddling her. When she had pulled the other girl's leg onto her lap she hadn't considered that they would be so..

Swallowing a breath at the sight of golden irises that seemed to literally smolder as if they were the bright coals that sat at the base of a fire, she felt her tongue dart out to wet her lips. "Um.. You're staring."

"You're cute." The heat that was blooming through her cheeks was now caused by more than just the sheer embarrassment that her rambling had brought, a warmth that wormed its way into her chest and caused her to don a sheepish grin. They both settled into a comfortable silence, enjoying each other's closeness as Ruby sipped at the coffee she had gathered from the table. After a long minute, she glanced back at the other girl with a raised eyebrow, intrigued by the inquisitive gaze that was being leveled back at her. "You said you came into the cafe..?"

The way that Blake trailed off let her know what it was that was being asked, and it made her squirm on the couch as she let out a shaky and nervous laugh. "Well.. I love coffee but I really shouldn't drink as much as I have been." Amber irises widened with curiosity, and the older girl leaned in a few inches closer. "Uh, might as well admit it. I met you a few weeks ago when you served my table at the cafe.. I've been going in after work ever since hoping to catch you again."

"You came in.." She had to stop herself from giggling at the incredulous expression that crossed Blake's gorgeous features, the sheer confusion amusing to her before the girl focused back on her. "I have been walking by the clinic every day since I saw you go in! Trying to work up the courage to go in and say hi." The brunette that had so masterfully teased her, had set her back on her heels and utterly melted her heart by enjoying her rambling, now looked so cute in a state of embarrassment. "But, you know.. Dogs."

"So we've been dancing around each other for weeks now?" Ruby let out a loud laugh at both their expense, shaking her head. "Wow, we are a pair, aren't we?" Settling her eyes on the girl, her grin grew only wider as a nod answered her question. Then a daunting realization came to mind, sobering her quickly. "Oh man, I'm sorry you had to come in to look for me, if I didn't work so late I would have been over to try and catch you during your shift."

A soft touch worked its way over the back of her free hand, and then fingers wrapped around her own to create a gentle hold, calming her and washing away the guilt that was beginning to fester at this new information. "It's okay. It worked out, didn't it?" Glancing down at her hand before returning her gaze to the girl that was holding it, Ruby let out a slow breath. It'd been a while since she'd been in such a close situation with another, but she was sure that the last time hadn't felt this intense, as if any sudden movements would shatter this feeling.

But she moved anyway, leaning in ever so slowly with all the caution of walking on thin ice. Blake moved too, ever so subtle, ever so careful. She could sense it, in the other brunette as in herself, that they had both been burned before in a dance such as this. But the finale never came, as a vibration caused Ruby to flinch back and check her pocket, somehow restoring function to her brain in order to do so.

She avoided Blake's gaze as she pulled her phone from her pocket to check the text message, trying to ignore the pounding in her chest that was sending waves of heat through her body. "Sorry, it's Yang." Unintentionally, she raised her eyes up to find two equally wide orbs staring back at her. For as embarrassed as she felt, seeing the dark blush that covered the other brunette's cheeks calmed her somewhat, letting her know she wasn't the only one left in a mess. "Uh, work thing."

It was a small lie, as the message from Yang was a garbled mess of excitement given that her sister had just found out she had left work with a girl. Rapidly typing away a message to let the nosy blonde know to leave her alone and wait until she was home to ask, she summed it up with a coy declaration that she was 'working on it'.

Even as she watched the notification for the message change from sending to sent, she could feel an impatience permeate the air from her companion on to couch. At first, she believed it to be because of the awkwardness of their previous endeavor, that Blake was simply waiting to extract from their slight misadventure.

What she didn't expect was that the older girl would instead push forward as soon as she set her cell aside, catching sight of a bottom lip bitten in an unsure expression. The very second she returned her gaze to Blake, the slim form slid further into her lap, pushing her back against the cushions behind her.

A noise of surprise escaped her lips in the brief second they were not occupied, as the other girl's mouth closed on her's. Immediately the shock of the moment wore off, and Ruby melted into the embrace. Her hands found the slender hips of her gorgeous partner in this dance, and she met the assault of kisses with an exuberance of her own.

But then it was over, far too soon in her mind, and she was left staring at a breathless Blake who was straddling her. Excitement, happiness, a touch of fear. Ruby observed so many emotions as they swirled through the depths of those smoldering pools of molten gold. "I-I am so sorry, I don't know why I.."

She didn't reply to Blake's attempt to save face for practically jumping her, not verbally at least. Craning her neck as she leaned forward, she held the briefest press of her lips against the soft pads of the other girl's mouth, a hand draping lazily over one shoulder before she fell back. "Don't apologize."

For all that she had been an awkward mess earlier, it made her happy to know she could do the same to Blake. The girl's eyes slowly slid back open, and her mouth moved as if trying to capture Ruby's lips once again, and a deep frustrated breath came when it was realized she was gone again. But she could still feel the heat on her own cheeks when she looked up at the girl, a reminder that victory was not so easily held with the beauty on her lap. "I don't usually kiss on the first date, you know."

Ruby's words did exactly as she intended, putting Blake back on balance as the girl atop her fixed a wry grin in her direction. "But you usually invite strangers into your apartment to talk about dogs?"

"Oh yeah, I do that all the time. Ask my sister, drives her crazy."

Blake released a small laugh at her joke, honestly an undeserved one, but that smirk that was causing her heart to skip a few beats slowly faded away. It's replacement was an expression of worry. "Really though. Was that.. I'm not misreading this whole situation, am I?"

Ruby let a small smile form at the slumped shoulders of the other girl, as if Blake had already accepted that this was too good to be true. "Well if you misread it, then I have no idea what's going on. But.." Using the hand on the brunette's shoulder to guide her closer, she placed another chaste kiss on the girl's lips. "I don't think you did."

Blake wasn't sure how long the subject had been on Ruby's mind, but the very second that she lid from the younger girl's lap, the question came. "Hey, I have an idea.. Would it be okay if I brought in Drei now?" Affixing a confused look to her new.. Friend? Girlfriend? Now wasn't the time to assign labels, but she couldn't help but wonder how they went from here. Maybe getting on friendly terms with the dog was a good place to start? "He's the most well behaved dog over ever seen. Very excitable, but he isn't aggressive or mean."

Her trepidation was obviously causing Ruby some grief, as a hand brushed red highlights away nervously, waiting for her answer. At first there was only a stammering of words as Blake's mouth refused to speak, and so her companion cut in quickly. "It's okay if you don't what to, it really is. I just don't want you to be afraid of him.. He's a real sweetheart."

She didn't know why this girl seemed able to convince her so easily, or why she thought it would be a good idea to accept. But if getting along with a dog, apparently a well behaved dog at that, as the price of Ruby's company.. "Okay. I-If you think that's best."

There was a childlike happiness to the victorious grin that was flashed her way before Ruby bounded up and practically sprinted from the couch. She returned in no time at all, with Blake feeling as if she hadn't processed any of her fear. Drei seemed a giant from where she sat, with massive paws plodding slowly closer. So caught up in her own panic, she didn't realize she was cowering away until a pair of slim pale legs slid into view, hiding the dog.

"Hey, you don't have to do this." Silver eyes trained on her held an utterly serious light, letting Blake know the truth. This wasn't a price to begin with Ruby, it wasn't a condition or a rule that she had to like dogs. The younger girl was really just trying to help her, trying to acclimate her to a dog that could be trusted. And if Ruby trusted him..

Slowly, she looked over to Drei, and bit back her fear to truly look at the dog. Whatever nobility may have been contained in the animal was not apparent in the goofy smile the dog was leveling her way. A long tongue was hanging from the side of s mouth, and each pant only increased the impression that the animal was no threat to her.

Just a slobbering, funny looking pet. Not a threat.

"Would you like to pet him?"

The words caused her heart to stop for a second, as all her concentration to keep from panicking was lost for that moment. Blake found solace and strength in the gaze that Ruby sent her way, feeling reinforced by the belief that other girl had in her. A brief nod was all that she could manage, and all that was needed as Drei was brought closer to where she sat.

A tentative hand left her side and reached out toward the beast as it lumbered toward her, surprising herself as it impacted with furred ears and began running over the top of the dog's head. Her first impression was that it wasn't so much different than petting a cat, in that when she moved her fingers to gently scratch at the base of the ears, the animal pushed into her hand in appreciation.

But the fear that was building caused her to pull her hand back. It had been years since she had touched a dog, and uncertainty kept her cautious. What she didn't expect was that long tongue to lap over her fingers as they moved away, a soft gesture of thanks that caused her to freeze in place, and stop her breathing.

"Okay.. I think that's enough for today." Ruby was watching the way that the other girl stared at Drei with wide eyes, and could see that the battle within Blake was steadily building to a fevered pitch. While she wanted to help the girl with the fear, she definitely didn't want to cause another panic attack. "Go home, Drei."

The dog bumped her leg as he turned to plod off towards his kennel, causing her to sway for a moment before righting and donning a wide grin at the shocked expression Blake turned her way. "See? Piece of cake!"

The older girl stood quickly, and crashed into her with the tightest of hugs, straining her rib cage for a second before Blake pulled away. "I haven't been able to be that close to a dog in years, Ruby!" It seemed as if Blake became aware of their closeness, as the brunette pulled away and let out an awkward cough. "What I mean is, thank you. Drei really is a sweetheart."

"He really is." Ruby was smiling like a fool. She couldn't help it. The evening had made a nice turnaround since they had arrived. The coffee, the flirting, the kissing. And now, she felt as though she had helped Blake take the first steps onwards progress on her fear, as if she could conquer the debilitating terror that plagued the girl.

But she wasn't quite that naive to truly believe that her feelings were correct. She knew that something like this, a fear as engrained as it was with Blake would take time, that at best she could hope for Drei to get along with her new friend. Especially if Blake was going to be over more often. "Maybe you'd like to come over again? I think we could make some progress getting you used to him."

With arms linked around her neck, Blake seemed less and less tense as time passed, and even giggled at her words. "Oh, so that's why you'd like me to come over, is it?"

"Well, I.." Ruby felt the bridge of her nose join her cheeks in a heated blush, so easily flustered by the older girl that it was becoming ridiculous. "I'd love-I mean like-to have you over for.. Other reasons. Honestly so long as Yang isn't home we could really do whatever we wanted."

It took a few seconds of staring into the knowing expression on the other girl's face for it to click with Ruby how her words could be taken. Groaning as she buried her face into the crook of Blake's shoulder, she let out a quiet wail. "Why do you keep doing that to me?!"

"Sorry." The older girl didn't actually sound very sorry. "I like making you all flustered. You're cute when you start rambling and get embarrassed, and I really like that I can do that to you." A consolation in the form of a kiss pressed against her cheek came, one that calmed her as she embraced the warm body that held her with renewed heart.

She wasn't sure how long they remained like that, holding one another. However long it was, it was not nearly enough, as Ruby felt herself uncoil from the warmth of Blake's body to stand on her own two legs. "We should.. Exchange numbers. So I'm not dropping by the cafe every day hoping to see you."

Starting when she felt a hand slip into her pocket, she watched as Blake typed in a number, then handed it back to her. "Text me." She complied with the order immediately, only to hear the beginning notes of a punk rock solo play for a few seconds before fading away. The older girl flipped open a phone and smiled at her, even as Ruby tried to ignore the very short distance between them. "Good."

The air that separated them became considerably less as a hand reach up to cup her cheek, pulling her towards the other brunette. Blake's lips touched her's before exploring a bit further, pushing the chaste bounds the others had established. Unable to do much more than rest her hands on the hips of the taller girl and enjoy it, Ruby made a noise of disappointment when it finally broke.

"You know, I don't usually kiss on the first date either. Especially when it wasn't supposed to be a date, and that date begins with me bawling my eyes out because I got scared." Blake looked entirely less sure of herself than when she had begun, so much so that it sent a pang of hurt through Ruby's heart to see the way the girl's eyes dodged her gaze. "I still don't really understand why you wanted me to stay, or.." Or kiss her, was what Ruby saw the girl was trying to say. "I'm a mess, Ruby. I'm a lot of work in a relationship."

Donning a wide grin that attracted the other girl's gaze to her, Ruby shook her head. "I don't think you're a mess. I think you just need someone to talk to, someone who wants to put in the work with you." Her fingers danced along an attempt to embrace Blake's hand. "And I do want to."

Her attempt was successful, as her fingers entwined with a more slender pair of digits, and she felt a soft squeeze from the other side. "Thank you, Ruby."

Ruby slipped her hands into the pockets of her jacket, double checking that she had her phone and keys as Yang rambled on about her date night with Dr. Schnee and how she needed to set up a double date with her and Blake. For all that she loved her sister, sometimes Yang just wore on her.

Today, it was because her older sibling would not drop the fact that the living room of the apartment had been ground zero for a make out session. And Ruby, in her infinite wisdom, had mistakenly tortured herself by telling her sister of what had happened. "Speaking of Rubes, I think your girlfriend is waiting outside."

"My what?" Blinking at the teasing expression on Yang's face, she followed a pointing index finger to the windows that revealed the street outside. Sure enough, there was Blake, wearing a torn up leather jacket and waving at her with three fingers as the fourth and a thumb held up a coffee cup.

All of the annoyance that she had put up with today, with Yang and Velvet going back and forth on the various topics that could ever be spoken about her relationship with Blake, all of it washed away on seeing that brilliant smile on the brunette's face. Turning back to look at her sister, she donned a smirk. "Clock me out, will you? Bye Velv!"

"Bye Ruby!"

The sound of the receptionist's voice followed her out the doors of the clinic, and was replaced by the sounds of a clunker car that thundered down the road before turning a corner and leaving her quite alone with Blake. Or rather, as alone as she could be with her friend and sister watching her every move like vultures. "You know you can come in, right?"

A smile that had been present since she had been noticed only grew over Blake's face at the light tease, and Ruby chuckled as a coffee was offered in response. "..Not quite there, yet."

Whether it was the admission of the 'yet' or the sudden overwhelming desire to kiss the other girl, Ruby was quite sure it was to get out of the view of the two nosy girls inside the clinic that she closed a hand over the coffee and pushed forward, driving Blake back out of the view of the windows and against the side of the neighboring building.

Now with the older girl's back to the brick, she leaned up on her tiptoes to press her lips against the soft pair that awaited them, enjoying the elicited noise of surprise and approval far more than she should have. But public was no such place for prolonged acts of this nature, and so she pulled away, a wide grin in place as she took the cup of coffee. "Thank you, Blake."

Author's Note: Took a bit to get this chapter done. Ironically, my own dog ran away this last week. We found a few days later, someone had picked him up and taken him home, however that person's friend had the decency to call the number on the tags. Anyway, enough of my drama, hope you all had awesome holidays! Also, wanted to take a bit to do something I don't think I've done yet: Thank you every person who had followed and favorited this story, as well as to all my wonderful readers, you're all awesome. Special shoutout to those who dropped a review, I am really glad you're enjoying the story! -Fox

P.S.: For those who read Abandoned and might see this, or have asked on Reddit about such a thing. I am thinking about continuing that story. However, at the bare minimum I want to finished this story first. Also, I have to decide if I want to postpone my Cyberpunk AU(again), which also postpones Roses & Thorns.. So lots of decisions surrounding that, so lets give it a solid: Maybe.