“What's up, hun” Henry asked what had made her so cheerful this morning, he knew she wasn't particularly happy at the moment, with all the negativity of her dream job and all, “you went to see Travis didn't you?” It dawned on him that the only times she’d ever been this type of relaxed were after a toss in the sheets with someone.

Ruby hummed a sweet melody as she prepared for the events to come at work today.
“I went to talk him into seeing my brother for his early release.”
She had explained the situation to Henry last year. It had taken her a long time to speak about the reality that is her family, the reason why she had so many walls up when she met new people. The ones who wanted to get to know her and care for her. In college, it was easy to hide all of it; there was too much going on in between them, papers due, exams, projects, midterms, and finals. However, Henry was not the giving-up type. He never gave up on her within those three years.

“And?”

She groaned at his persistent questions but answered them anyway. “We had sex.”
As always, he made a face of discouragement and what seemed like disgust. He’d made that the situation he and her made a couple of months after he had been assigned as a public defender for Fernando’s case. Her brother had at least two he didn’t get along with before Fernando became his public defender. Ruby tried speaking to all of them with her brother in person, but it was just too much, Fernando was too much. Although, with Travis, he got along just fine, not knowing about his sister sleeping with Travis; that information was just something she didn't mention.

“He’s older than your brother!” He criticized her taste in men so often, people would think of him as her adoptive father.

She rolled her eyes and gave him the same answer she always did.“By a year, Travis is only 29. Jesus, I'm grown, I know what I'm doing.” And she did, she knew exactly what she was doing, and her feelings wouldn’t get hurt if she did not have any towards Travis. He was just her bed buddy, someone she'd been toying with that is helping her brother become a freeman again. It wasn't like she planned it. It didn't start out that way, a couple weeks working with her and Fernando about his case, and things just bubbled up. Travis was hot, and he knew it, then he set his sights on her and her lustrous eyes. Eventually, they just went for it and made a nonverbal agreement. He never pressured her into anything, and she never asked anything else of him. Although now, Travis showed all the signs of wanting more, a real relationship, a type of mess she didn’t want or need.

Henry sighed dramatically, “You keep saying that…” he trailed off, not knowing what could convince her to put a stop to that whole thing.

“I just need to get my brother out and then…so am I.”
Ruby grabbed her purse, keys, and so on, then went to work feeling less upbeat than she was earlier this morning. She blamed Henry.

✨

Holiday work hours were like cactus pricks; they stayed there, causing pain until your body was numb from them. When it was over, you really felt it, a huge sense of release on the body and mind. Ruby felt she needed a weekend of relaxation, at least a full day of self care. She was glad she didn't agree to work the actual Easter Sunday. The following Monday was just twenty percent less hectic than the actual holiday.

She made a note to stop at Walmart before heading home. Spending money on face masks, body scrubs, and pre-made cocktail mix was what a home spa day was made of. She couldn't wait to get home to that. A bath, a quiet room, just her and her thoughts. It was where her motivation came from throughout the day. She continued all her tedious tasks until all that was left was to lock her office door and walk out of the hotel. Of course, she wouldn't leave without waving goodbye to the people that work in the lobby.
“Goodnight Jimbo, Jack, Dave….newbie.”
The new guy in lobby security was the cute one she almost always tried to flirt with in the mornings when she didn't feel like crap about her job. He smiled at her, but she could never manage to tell if he liked it or not. Which didn't bother her, but she did want to know if it bothered him. She knew she was a little bold, but it was one of her positive traits.

They waved goodbye and wished her a good weekend as she passed them and headed to her car. Traffic was no hassle, and having an assigned parking space was one of the perks of their little apartment complex. When she got into her apartment, though, there was something that was the complete opposite of a perk. The downside of living in this complex was the stairs. There were many floors in their building, and she wasn't particularly happy about them, but it kept her in shape in her mind. It beat a gym membership, especially when they lived on the
third floor. The thing that wasn't okay was the stuff other tenants left on the stairs. As if it was too difficult to find the nearest trash can.

Ruby would usually tell the maintenance people about it, but today wasn't worth it. She kicked an empty foam cup out of the way and came into the middle of the hall. “This shit is nasty people, take it outside!”
With a grunt and aggressive door slam, she went inside her apartment.
Again, she found herself alone, but this time, it was welcomed. Now, all she could think about was taking a bubble bath and listening to the sweet sound of silence. And that's exactly what happened next.