Miss you again...
Ruby sat at the edge of the bed, slowly rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Ambrose had been working the late shifts again. By the time he came home each night, Ruby had already fallen asleep. By the time Ruby awoke in the morning, Ambrose was too tired to even greet her.
Their love had been tested over the years, they both knew that. The trials and tribulations of a siren and a werewolf. Tested over and over again by countless curses yet here they were, living a rather mundane life, working jobs to keep food on the table and a roof over their head. Not much had changed, it just seemed that in this land, nothing was trying to kill them.
Yet now, as Ruby stretched, turning over to see her lover sound asleep on the bed next to her, she gave a soft smile. Her first instance had been to pick up the book by the side of the bed, gently turning the pages in the late morning light while she scanned across the words.
After maybe an hour or two of reading, Ruby gave in, placing the book on the nightstand before sleepily stumbling towards the bathroom to start her day. She took care in how much noise she made, trying to brush her teeth and wash her face silently, cursing the pipes for banging as she turned on the taps.
Returning back to their bed, she began brushing her hair, glancing down at her sleeping partner to ensure he was still breathing. The clock showed 13:00. She knew Ambrose had probably drifted off to sleep around 5am, so she took less care in how much noise she made this time round. Placing a wash on, turning the kettle on before returning back to bed beside him. Ambrose seemed to sleep through it all.
Ruby cursed herself for not waking him sooner, but as the day grew, and the time ticked away, she knew she would have less and less time to spend with him before he trotted back off to work again. Bringing the man a brew, she gently woke him with kisses, knowing it would be just over an hour until he had to leave for work again.
Ambrose groggily woke, accepting the brew with a grin on his face while sitting himself up in their bed. Ruby snuggled closer to him as he turned the tv on, flicking through a few channels before settling on the news and weather forecast for the day.
Ruby had been dressed for hours; hair brushed, makeup done, she had even made herself a little bit of breakfast. Although she felt well accomplished for a day off, completing the washing that needed doing and even taking a quick stroll down to the harbor and back, something in her mind felt empty. As if she was missing something majorly from her life.
It was at this moment Ambrose had jumped up to begin getting ready for his next shift, pulling a towel from the linen closet before jumping in a quick shower.
Ruby took this chance to change the bedding, trying to complete the task as quickly as possible to ensure Ambrose would have somewhere to get dressed once he had showered himself. Ruby had even got out his general hygiene products to ensure he could get ready with ease.
Once the pipes had stopped banging, Ambrose stepped out of the bathroom, the steam surrounding him as his floppy wet locks stuck to the sides of his face.
In passing, he had offered Ruby a forehead kiss, making her smile and blush slightly as he began to get ready.
The sight of ice that had strewn itself across the fence outside had caused Ruby to pull her hair dryer out of the closet, patting the bed to have her other half sit in front of her while she attempted to remove some of the dampness before he had to leave for work.
Ambrose had pulled his shoes and jacket on, kissing Ruby three times across her face and quickly ran out the door, keys in hand, to get to work on time.
Once the door had shut, the silence filled their little apartment once more. Sitting cross legged on the bed, Ruby felt a tear drop down her face.
It had been weeks since she had last properly seen her partner. Their shifts never quite aligned with each other well enough for them to spend any real time together. Yes, maybe Ruby would wake when Ambrose crept in the shallow hours of the morning, giving them an hour together before the tiredness overcomes Ruby once again, sending her back into a deep slumber, ready for her to wake the next morning for her shift. Or occasionally on their opposing days off, their paths would cross for a few more hours before one of them would fall sound asleep, separating them once more.
Frustration began building up in Ruby. What could she do? Who could she talk to about this? How could she tell him that she was unhappy…
Ruby pushed the thought from her mind. In her absent minded moments, she had picked her nail beds raw, the smell of blood panging her senses as she walked to the bathroom to wash it away from her hands.
Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, her puffy red eyes and tear soaked cheeks seemed to shine on her face. She wanted to scream and cry at herself, tell her she was stupid for feeling this way, neither of them had control over their shifts. Neither of them had been in any position to quit their jobs, or find something that suited the two of them best. Ambrose had been in so many jobs over the last few months, it made her heart happy when he came home smiling to tell her about his day. Yet, in the back of her mind, she had hated where he had gone. How it seemed to get in between them when she needed him more than ever. The stench of his jacket when he came home from work.
Tears began again, this time she watched it as it rolled down her cheeks, reaching for her phone as she opened Ambrose’s name. “Gods..” she sighed, placing it back down on the side. What could she say? ‘I need you to quit your job because I am sad?’ ‘I need you to be here for me’ ‘I need you…’
What if… What if they could go back to how they were, when they were first together. Working together, always in the same place, always completing the same kind of work. Always within arms reach.
@itlurkswithin