Chapter 21 #3
“No!” Mrs. Davis shouts. “I need help putting out the fire!” She gestures at an open doorway up ahead. Smoke is billowing from it. “I burnt—” Then she gestures again. “The stupid fire extinguisher! I can’t get it to work!”
“I’ve got it,” Houdini barks. Then he races into the woman’s apartment. Less than thirty seconds later, he comes jogging back out. His lips are rolled in like he’s trying not to laugh. “Fire’s out!”
From the other end of the hallway, Greg Haverford comes running towards us. His hair is sticking up like he just woke up from a nap. His eyes are wild and worried. “What happened?” he yells. “Where’s the fire?”
Before anyone can answer, the fire alarm cuts off.
The older woman’s hands flutter nervously. “It was me. I’m so sorry!” She glances at me, Houdini, and Jester clustered around Ruby in a protective circle. “Oh, my.” Her eyes widen. “Well. Ruby. Your friends are certainly something.”
My heart is still racing. I’m not convinced it’s safe. I want to throw Ruby over my shoulder and carry her out of here. But now that the alarm is off, and we’re all standing around like we’re having a normal conversation…
“They are,” Ruby replies. She comes out from behind me and presses close to my side. I can feel her shaking. Her face is far too pale. But she takes a steadying breath to gather herself. “What happened, Mrs. Davis?”
“Oh, the biscuits,” the older woman says.
Her hands flutter again. “I was making biscuits, and then I got wrapped up in this TV show. These couples were dating, but they couldn’t see each other.
So they had to decide if they liked each other sight unseen.
” She makes a skeptical face. “Lovely concept. But I don’t believe it. ”
I quickly scan the hallway. Aside from me and Ruby, Houdini, Jester, Mrs. Davis, and Haverford—who thankfully doesn’t recognize me without the silicone mask on—it’s empty.
The smoke is already fading. The emergency lights are still blinking, but without the alarm sounding, everything feels less threatening.
Still. I’m not letting down my guard.
“The fire?” Haverford urges. He doesn’t look worried anymore. He just looks annoyed. “Is it out?”
“Yes,” Houdini says. I notice him hunching a little, trying to keep Haverford from noticing how tall he is. “I put it out. Fortunately, the damage doesn’t seem too bad. I opened a window, too. So the apartment should be airing out.”
“It was the biscuits,” Mrs. Davis repeats. “Those stupid biscuits. And the show. I got distracted and I forgot to check on them. I didn’t realize they were burning until the smoke alarm came on.”
Ruby stares at the other woman. “You burnt your biscuits?”
“I did. I’m so sorry.” Glancing at Haverford, Mrs. Davis says, “I’m sorry, Greg. I know you wanted your last month here to be quiet. I promise I won’t start any more fires until you’re gone.”
Haverford covers his mouth with his hand. He makes a sound halfway between a laugh and a cough. “That would be very nice, Mrs. Davis. Thank you.”
Ruby tugs on my arm. “Should we go outside? Or back to my apartment?”
“We’ll check the building,” Jester says. “Why don’t you wait outside until we’re sure it’s clear.”
I nod at Jester. “Thanks.” Then I put my arm around Ruby’s waist and hustle her to the stairs. As soon as we reach the stairwell, I lift her into my arms, koala style, and carry her the three flights down to the lobby. Only when we’re out on the sidewalk do I put her down again.
“Micah,” she scolds. “You shouldn’t have been carrying me.”
“I needed to,” I admit as I pull her into my embrace. “And I’m fine.”
She tilts her head back to meet my gaze. Some of the color is back in her cheeks. The panic I saw in her eyes earlier is gone. “Are you sure you’re alright?”
Framing her face with my hands, I lean down to kiss her. “I’m sure. Are you?”
“Yes.” After a brief hesitation, Ruby adds, “I was scared. When the alarm went off. I thought… maybe it was happening again.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Her hand comes to my cheek. “You protected me. Even though it ended up just being Mrs. Davis’ burnt biscuits. And I wasn’t scared like I was before. Because you were there.”
“Rue.”
“I love you, you know.” Ruby holds my gaze. “So much.”
Warmth swells in my chest. My heart squeezes. “I love you, too. And I will always, always protect you.”
The corner of her mouth pulls up. “Even from biscuits?”
I smile. “Even biscuits.”
“It’s kind of fitting, when I think about it,” she says.
“What is?”
Ruby grins at me. “The biscuits. Since you burned ours in class and all.”
A laugh rolls out of me. “I thought you said it wasn’t my fault they burned.”
She giggles. “I was just trying to make you feel better.”
“Rue.” I kiss her again, this time taking my time with it. When we break apart, I just look at her for a moment, memorizing everything.
How beautiful she is.
How her smile lights me up from inside.
How she shows me in so many ways that she loves me.
“I really, really love you,” I tell her. “Signing up for that class was the best decision I ever made.”
“Micah.” Her eyes shine as she looks at me. “I really, really love you. And I couldn’t agree more.”