“Maybe” he shrugged “I haven’t decided yet. I still have a few weeks before Ruby’s birthday so there’s still time to think about what I’m gonna give her”. He wanted something special to mark their first time celebrating her birthday as a couple and would certainly go for jewelry; he just didn’t want to tell Cassie.
Holden hesitated for a second. He just really wanted to go home but since she was offering so nicely then why not? After all, he’d been thinking about making efforts to be nicer to her for a while. She seemed to get along with Ruby so he could at least try, right? And the fact that she hadn’t gotten on his nerves for a while now was a bonus.
He was about to accept when she added something he definitely didn’t expect to hear. What the hell did she mean and how did she know about his cousin? He narrowed his eyes at her. It took him a few seconds but Holden eventually put two and two together. She was not talking about his cousin. “What do you mean so it’s true?” he asked curtly, actually annoyed at thought of people gossiping about Ruby and him “She’s not pregnant, I meant my baby as Ruby, not an actual baby”.
“Everyone loves diamonds.” Cassie told him, “But I really like the coloured gemstones, like sapphires or emeralds, or hey! You could even get her something with rubies! A bit on the nose, but she’d look great in a pair of red earrings.” She offered him the idea, and she doubted he’d say thank you but she thought it was a good one anyway.
Cassie pulled her head back slightly when he seemed put out, and figured that it was supposed to still be a secret and she’d just stomped in and figured it out when she wasn’t supposed to. Then he clarified and Cassie pursed her lips. Shit shit shit. She needed to backpedal and fast, because they were on edge with each other at the best of times but if he found out that she was spreading rumours about them - which she thought was true, to be fair to herself - he’d cut her out of his life full stop, and with that would follow the rest of the group.
“It’s just something that’s been going round, and then I saw you...” She pounted down at the baby shop bag he held, “And then you said that, and I was like oh! It’s actually true, not just some rubbish someone’s spreading. You know what I mean?”