Chapter Sixteen #2
“Ruby, you don't have to—”
“I want to.” And she did. She wanted to be part of their lives, wanted to give them things that would make them smile. Even if she couldn't be there to see it. “They're your kids. I want them to have something special.”
Celeste looked like she might cry. “Thank you.”
They found a funnel cake stand and ordered one to share, the powdered sugar coating their fingers as they tore off pieces. Ruby watched Celeste laugh as sugar particles drifted through the air, and felt her heart give a sharp twist.
This was just sex and a fun bit of time.
So why did it feel like Ruby was already losing something vital?
“Ferris wheel?” She suggested, needing distraction.
“Of course. You can't come to a carnival and not ride the Ferris wheel.”
The view from the top was incredible. The whole Quarter spread out below them, the river glinting in the distance. Ruby should have been looking at the view. Instead, she couldn't stop looking at Celeste.
“I was thinking—” she started, then stopped. She knew better than to do this. Knew it would only hurt. But the words came anyway. “After the festival ends, maybe we could keep seeing each other. Nothing official, just, maybe I could visit sometimes. Or you could come to wherever I end up next.”
Celeste's eyebrows grew pinched, as if she was in pain. “Ruby—”
“I know we said this was temporary. I know that. However…”
“Let's just enjoy the festival,” Celeste said in a determined voice. “Okay?”
The rejection landed hard and Ruby nodded, forcing a smile. “Right. Of course.”
They finished the ride in silence that felt heavier than before. Ruby tried to push down the hurt, the sick feeling in her stomach. She'd known this was coming and had agreed to it. So why did it feel so terrible?
Because she'd been stupid enough to fall in love. That's why.
Back on solid ground, Celeste suggested checking out another exhibit, and Ruby agreed, because, what else could she do? They walked to a gallery showcasing modern art, pieces that played with light and shadow in ways that should have fascinated her.
But all she could think about was Celeste's non-answer. The reminder that all this had an expiration date.
One piece caught her attention despite her mood—a massive installation made of mirrors and colored glass, refracting light in rainbow patterns across the walls. People walked through it, their reflections fragmenting and multiplying until you couldn't tell what was real and what was illusion.
“Infinite Possibility.” Celeste read the title from the placard. “The artist wanted to explore how we see ourselves versus how others see us.”
Ruby stared at her own reflection, split into a dozen different versions. “Which one is real?”
“Maybe they all are.” Celeste's voice was soft. “Maybe we're all of them at once.”
They moved through the installation slowly, and Ruby thought about all the versions of herself she'd been.
The cocky teenager who thought she could conquer the world.
The college student who'd crashed and burned.
The artist who hid her best work because she was terrified of failure.
The woman who'd fallen in love despite knowing better.
Which one was real? Maybe all of them or maybe none.
They had dinner at a small diner that evening, both pretending the earlier moment hadn't happened. By the time they got back to the hotel, Ruby felt wrung out emotionally, her chest aching with words she couldn't say.
The moment the door closed, Celeste pressed her against it, kissing her with an intensity that felt almost desperate.
“I need you,” Celeste murmured. “Please.”
Ruby kissed her back, pouring all her frustration and hurt and love into it. Every emotion that had been churning inside her since their argument—the fear of losing Celeste, the desperate need to connect, the overwhelming love she couldn't keep hidden anymore—all of it came out in this kiss.
Celeste responded with equal fervor, her hands fisting in Ruby's hair, pulling her closer as if she could merge their bodies through sheer will. They stumbled toward the bed, bumping into furniture, too consumed with each other to care about grace or coordination.
“Need you,” Celeste gasped against Ruby's mouth. “Need to feel you.”
“You have me,” Ruby promised, her hands already working at the buttons of Celeste's shirt. “You've always had me.”
Clothes were discarded carelessly—Ruby's shirt flew across the room, Celeste's pants ended up draped over a chair, underwear scattered across the floor. They came together on the bed with an urgency that bordered on frantic, skin finally meeting skin without barriers.
Ruby ran her hands over Celeste's body possessively. “You're so beautiful,” she murmured. “Every time I look at you, it hits me all over again.”
Celeste's response was to capture Ruby's mouth in another searing kiss, her tongue demanding entry. Ruby opened for her immediately, and they kissed deeply, desperately, like they were trying to consume each other.
When Celeste finally pulled back, her lips were swollen and her eyes were almost black with desire. She pushed Ruby down onto the mattress and straddled her hips, looking down at her with an intensity that made Ruby's breath catch.
Celeste's kisses traveled down Ruby's neck, pausing to suck hard enough to leave marks. Ruby didn't care—in fact, she wanted them. Wanted visible proof of this, of them, even if no one else would ever see.
Her teeth scraped against sensitive skin, and Ruby gasped, arching up into the contact. When Celeste's mouth found her breast, Ruby threaded her fingers through Celeste's hair, holding her there.
“Yes,” she breathed. “Just like that.”
Celeste's mouth moved to Ruby's nipple, her tongue circling it before she bit down—not too hard, but hard enough to send a jolt of sensation straight to Ruby's core. The mixture of pain and pleasure made Ruby cry out.
“That feels so amazing,” she gasped, her hips rolling up seeking friction.
Celeste lavished attention on both breasts, alternating between gentle licks and sharp bites that had Ruby writhing beneath her.
Then she kissed her way down Ruby's body, her mouth hot and insistent.
She paused to dip her tongue into Ruby's navel in a way that made her squirm, the unexpected sensation ticklish and arousing at the same time.
“Wait,” Ruby said, catching Celeste's shoulder before she could go lower. Her mind was hazy with lust, but she knew what she wanted. “I want to taste you too.”
Celeste looked up at her from where she was positioned between Ruby's legs, her eyes dark and questioning. “What are you suggesting?”
“Turn around,” Ruby ordered, her voice rough with need. “Straddle me. I want to taste you while you taste me.”
Understanding dawned in Celeste's eyes, followed quickly by a flash of arousal so intense it made her pupils dilate further. “Are you sure?”
“Very sure.” Ruby pulled at her hips encouragingly. “I need your taste on my tongue. Need to feel you come apart above me.”
Celeste shivered at the words, then moved to position herself carefully.
She settled with her knees on either side of Ruby's head, her own face level with Ruby's center.
The view was incredible—Celeste's perfect ass, the curve of her spine, and between her legs, the evidence of her arousal glistening.
For a moment, they just looked at each other from this new angle, both breathing hard with anticipation. Ruby could feel Celeste's breath ghosting over her wet heat, making her clench with need.
“I love seeing how much you want me,” Celeste said, her voice thick. “You're so wet already.”
“Then stop talking and do something about it,” Ruby challenged, even as her own hands stroked up Celeste's thighs, spreading her wider.
Celeste lowered her head, her tongue making the first slow, deliberate stroke up Ruby's slit, and Ruby cried out at the sudden pleasure. The angle was different like this, deeper somehow, more intense.
She gripped Celeste's hips, pulling her down so she could return the favor. The first taste of Celeste on her tongue made Ruby moan—she would never get tired of this, of the salt-sweet flavor that was uniquely Celeste.
She licked thoroughly, exploring every fold and sensitive spot. Above her, she could feel Celeste's thighs trembling on either side of her face, could hear the small gasps and whimpers that escaped her.
“This feels so good,” Celeste managed to say, her own tongue working Ruby with increasing confidence and skill.
Ruby couldn't respond verbally, too focused on the dual sensations overwhelming her—Celeste's mouth on her, hot and eager, while she devoured Celeste in turn. She used her tongue to circle Celeste's clit, feeling it swell under her attention, then sucked it gently into her mouth.
Celeste's answering moan vibrated against Ruby's center, making her hips buck involuntarily. The movement drove Ruby's tongue deeper into Celeste's folds, and Celeste gasped, her own rhythm faltering for a moment before she recovered with renewed determination.
They found a pace together, a rhythm that built steadily.
Each lick and suck was matched by the other, creating a feedback loop of pleasure.
Ruby gripped Celeste's ass, her fingers digging into soft flesh as her tongue worked relentlessly.
She could feel Celeste doing the same, one hand braced on Ruby's thigh for leverage while the other spread her open for better access.
“You taste so good,” Celeste panted between strokes of her tongue. “I could do this for hours. Just bury my face between your legs and never stop.”
The filthy words sent a fresh wave of arousal through Ruby. She redoubled her efforts, focusing intently on Celeste's clit, alternating between broad strokes and focused attention on that sensitive bundle of nerves.
When she slid one finger inside, then another, Celeste cried out, her hips grinding down against Ruby's face. The weight of her, the feel of her grinding down seeking more, made Ruby dizzy with desire.
“Yes,” Celeste gasped, her voice breaking. “Just like that. Don't stop, please don't stop.”
Ruby worked her fingers in and out steadily, curling them to hit that spot inside that made Celeste's whole body shudder. Her mouth never left Celeste's clit, sucking and licking with single-minded focus.
But Celeste wasn't passive. Despite the pleasure Ruby was giving her, she maintained her own attention on Ruby's body.
Her mouth was doing devastating things, her tongue moving in patterns that seemed designed specifically to drive Ruby insane—figure eights around her clit, long strokes up her slit, focused attention on the most sensitive spots.
When Celeste slid her own fingers inside Ruby while continuing to suck on her clit, Ruby nearly came on the spot. She had to force herself to hold on, to keep pleasuring Celeste even as her own body screamed for release.
“God, you're so tight,” Celeste murmured against Ruby's flesh. “I can feel you clenching around my fingers.”
Ruby thrust her fingers deeper into Celeste in response, adding a third when Celeste's body opened readily for her. Her mouth never left Celeste's clit, sucking it firmly while her fingers pumped steadily.
She could taste Celeste's arousal increasing, could feel it coating her chin and cheeks. The sheer intimacy of it—of being this close, of tasting and feeling and breathing in Celeste's desire—pushed her closer and closer to the edge.
Celeste's mouth was equally relentless, her tongue flicking rapidly over Ruby's clit while her fingers pumped in and out at an increasingly frantic pace. The pleasure built in waves, each one higher than the last, threatening to drown Ruby completely.
Ruby could feel Celeste getting close too—her thighs were trembling harder now, her inner muscles clenching rhythmically around Ruby's fingers. She was making these small, desperate sounds that Ruby felt more than heard, each vibration against her own sensitive flesh driving her higher.
“Come for me,” Celeste urged, pulling back just long enough to speak before diving back in. “I want to feel you come on my tongue. Want to taste you falling apart.”
That was all it took. Ruby's orgasm crashed through her like a tsunami, her whole body seizing with the intensity of it. She cried out against Celeste's flesh, the sound muffled but desperate, her hips jerking erratically.
The sensation of Ruby coming—the taste of her release, the feeling of her pulsing around Celeste's fingers—triggered Celeste's own climax.
She ground down against Ruby's face, crying out as her orgasm hit hard and fast. Her whole body shook, thighs clamping around Ruby's head as wave after wave rolled through her.
Ruby kept her mouth working through Celeste's orgasm, drawing out every last bit of pleasure even as her own body continued to tremble with aftershocks. She licked gently now, soothingly, helping Celeste come down gradually rather than all at once.
When Celeste finally lifted herself up, both of them were gasping for air, their bodies slick with sweat and arousal. Celeste turned around carefully, mindful of her shaky limbs, and collapsed beside Ruby on the bed.
For a long moment, they just lay there, chests heaving, staring at the ceiling as they tried to remember how to breathe normally.
“That was...” Celeste started, then laughed breathlessly. “I don't even have words.”
“Intense,” Ruby supplied, turning her head to look at Celeste. Her face was flushed, her hair a mess, and she'd never looked more beautiful. “Incredible. Life-changing?”
“All of the above.” Celeste rolled onto her side, propping herself up on one elbow to look down at Ruby. Her expression was soft, vulnerable in a way Ruby had rarely seen.
After, they lay tangled together, sweaty and satisfied but somehow still not close enough. Ruby held Celeste and tried not to think about how many more nights they had left before the inevitable end.
So she held on tighter and told herself it would be enough.
Even though she knew it wouldn't be.
And she was falling in love with someone who'd made it clear she wouldn't catch her.