As I finished, a small smile stretched on Shy's face. At long last, she replied, "you had me at—"
"Hello?" Leo's smartass butted in, but Shy continued as if she hadn't heard him.
"— at 'you were right'." I exhaled and Shy smiled at me like a proud teacher whose student had just exceeded her expectations. It seemed that she hadn't completely given up on me. The thought was heartening.
"And," she continued as she pushed away from the door frame and walked in, leaving the door wide open for us to walk in behind her.
"You should've brought some more coffee. Our birthday girl is not a morning person, you know? She is cranky until she's had some coffee into her system."
"I know," I responded vaguely as I walked in and glanced around the living room and kitchen, before focusing back to Sairey.
"That is why I plan on making her some."
It must've been another correct answer because Shy gave me another approving smile and replied, "sounds perfect."
I placed the bouquet on a small table by the couch, gave another sweeping glance around the room as Leo walked up to the kitchen and surveyed the cluttered counter.
"They weren't there when I left this morning either," he muttered, and moved a few bowls around to make space for the cake box.
"Uh, yeah. I was trying to cook some breakfast—"
"Looks like you were trying... Really trying," Leo cut her off like an ass.
"Don't be an ass," she scowled and I tuned them out as they bickered over the mess. My eyes were fastened on the closed bedroom door, wondering if Ruth was awake on the other side, or if she was still sleeping, looking as adorably rumpled as she had been before, when Shy's voice broke through my thoughts.
"If you're wondering, she's still asleep. I just checked in on her a few minutes ago." Sairey assured me, noticing my glance. I turned to look at her and she hid her smile behind her coffee cup.
"So Ruth is neither a morning person, nor an early riser? Thank God for small favors," Leo spoke, his voice sounding like a bull horn in the quiet apartment and I turned to him with a scowl.
"Can you keep it down? I'd prefer to keep it that way if you don't mind," I hissed at him.
"So, you're not gonna tell her about you run—uh, leaving?" Shy sounded like she was contemplating this information, and I felt a prickle of uncertainty.
"You think I should?"
"Why should he? Its not like she'll find out if none of us told her anything. I don't see the point of causing her unnecessary distress, especially on her birthday," Leo chimed in, only to earn an irritated scowl from Sairey.
"Well, its not something that can stay a secret forever. The cake and bouquet would clue her in anyway. Why hide or lie about something when you can just tell the truth and be done with it? Its not like it would matter much considering the fact that he came back."
"Hey, I'm all for honesty and stuff. But why stir up unnecessary trouble? Afterall, like you said, he came back so what's the point in letting Ruth know that he sneaked out on her?"
"Is that how you think too?" Shy turned her question to me, catching me off guard. To be honest, I had no idea what I should do either.
My inner struggle must've shown on my face, because Leo walked up to me and laid a hand on my shoulder.
"Don't listen to the unicorn, Caleb. Its about you and Ruth. Do what you think is best for both of you."
"Excuse me? What did you just call me?" Shy narrowed her eyes at Leo and he smirked in returned.
"You wanna know? Hm, how about I take you out for breakfast and tell you all about it."
"Uh, what?" Shy repeated again and Leo obliged.
"You. Me. Coffee. Breakfast. Name calling. Sounds like a win-win to me," he winked at her playing the role of a flirt to perfection.
Shy seemed startled, her eyes snapping from Leo to me and back a few times before settling onto me.
"Did he just ask me out ... For breakfast?"
"He did," I nodded, and mentally patted my back. Getting Shy out of the house was the best way to have Ruth all to myself for a few hours, and Leo was the best wingman I could think of.
"What's wrong, doll? Scared to be alone with me?" Leo egged her on as I walked up to the kitchen counter and surveyed the mess. Leo was right on one account. Shy was trying really hard to make something edible out of the mess she had piled up around.
There was flour all over the place except into the bowl, the 2 blocks of chocolate that would take years to melt in room temperature were left to melt at.. well, room temperature.
A small bowl containing an egg yolk with pieces of shell floating into it was missing egg whites, which I suspected was somewhere in the flour. Yep, the same flour that was all over the counter. In any case, whatever she was planning to cook, it did not look like a successful endeavour.
"Scared? Of you? Did you forget who gave you that black eye, Troll?" Ah, so I wasn't the one who had caused that injury. Even though I couldn't imagine how Shy achieved that feat, considering that the top of her head barely reached Leo's pecs, the fact that it was her doing and not mine was relieving nonetheless.
"You just took me by surprise," he waved her comment off with a careless flick of his wrist before continuing.
"C'mon, Shy. I know we got off on a wrong foot," Leo's tone turned cajoling now as he looked into her eyes. I saw Shy avert her eyes, looking at someplace to the left of his head as he continued to convince her.
"But let me make it up to you by getting you some breakfast. It doesn't have to mean anything if you don't want it to. I just wanna thank you for letting me stay instead of making me leave in that storm last night."
"Don't call me, Shy," she answered mildly, but I heard a slight tremor in her voice. Even her hand shook as she lifted the cup to her lips, but it didn't look like she was scared. She just looked nervous. Extremely nervous. So nervous that she was almost sweating.
Leo seemed to notice it too, because suddenly he dropped his playboy camouflage, and looked at her with eyes as sharp as a hawk— the one that he usually reserved for gauging his opponents.
His eyes softened after studying her for a couple of seconds and he turned to look at me, silently asking me to relent.
I sighed. Even though I wanted Ruth all to myself, deceiving Shy felt cruel now that I knew she wasn't as comfortable around Leo as she pretended to be.
Afterall, even though we were practically strangers to one another, she had been nothing but kind to me and I hated the thought of making her uncomfortable.
"Shy, the thing is," I stepped ahead and said confessionally.
"I had been hoping to get some time alone with Ruth, and so I asked Leo to ask you out—"
"Not that I'm not grateful to you for letting me stay—" Leo injected, sounding sincere for once.
"Just to get some alone time with her. But if you're not comfortable with that it's fine."
I expected her to be angry at my attempt to get rid of her, but instead she visibly relaxed.
"You were trying to get rid of me? Why didn't you just say so?"
"Uh, didn't seem too polite?" I mumbled, at loss of words. I watched her throw the now empty cup into the trashcan and turn to Leo, looking as comfortable as ever despite having residual tint of red still colouring her face.
"You. Can you drop me at the park?"
"The park? In this weather?" Leo glanced out of the window, where it looked more like twilight than early morning and shook his head in confusion, but Shy nodded.
"Especially in this weather," she replied, wrapping a woolen scarf around her neck.
"It looks like we might get another storm. Maybe even snow if we're lucky. Besides there's a museum close to it," Shy assured him as if that explained everything.
"Museum close to it? But... What if you get drenched in rain? Or get stuck in a snow storm? Or get a frost bite? Its fucking freezing out there."
"I won't. Never been lucky enough to have anything remotely adventurous happen to me." she said breezily, pulling snow boots and gloves on.
"The most interesting thing that might happen to me would be that the cafe would be all out of the raspberry cupcakes even at this hour. In any case, you're off the hook." Shy said as she shrugged into a thick coat over her sweater that went beyond her knees and picked a fuzzy cap from the couch.
Leo frowned, clearly not pleased but whether to be off the hook or at the thought of Shy out in this weather on her own, I wasn't sure.
"Adventurous? Are you crazy, little girl? Don't you have some family close by you can visit for a few hours? I can get you some more coffee and drop you there. I'll even get you those freaking raspberry cupcakes."
"I'm not a little girl. Besides, are you kidding me? You want me to spend my time stuck inside with family with the weather so beautiful outside?"
"Beautiful? Its colder than the Hell freezing over out there! People have frozen to death in warmer climates."
"Oh, so you're suddenly concerned about me getting cold after swindling the comforter out of me last night?"
"Hey, that's called bargaining. And I didn't—" Leo started, outrage written all over his face, but Shy pulled the string of a sling purse across her body, and cut him off as she opened the door.
"It's okay, I forgive you. Just drop me at the park, alright?"
It was a guilty pleasure to watch Leo seethe with anger as he glared at Shy. He wasn't the one to show his emotions in the most obvious ways. Whatever he did was carefully thought-out and necessary.
Years of training had instilled a near perfect self-control into him. So it was intriguing to witness him lose it over this seemingly uncomplicated discussion. But ofcourse, it didn't last long.
"Fine, but only if you drop the act," Leo growled looking as serious as a cardiac arrest, but I detected a spark of mischief in his eyes as he slowly came back to his senses, pulling himself under control and looked at Shy.
Shy, on the other hand, looked at Leo over her shoulder warily. "Act? What are you talking about?"
"The act that you're putting on, little girl. Just stop pretending to look so utterly relieved at the thought of not getting to go on a date with me, and I'll drop you off from the edge of a cliff if that's where you want," Leo answered, pumping his chest up like the pretentious ass that he was, waving a hand indicating all of himself as he finished, "I mean, c'mon."
Shy opened her mouth to say something, then closed it and looked back at me in wonder.
"I swear, that defect is not genetic," I held my hands up in surrender.
"Thank God for small favours," Shy shook her head and walked out, slamming the door behind her.
Leo gave a satisfied smile and looked at me, but I just gave him a knowing smile in return making him frown.
"What?"
"Nothing. Just wondering why you went through the trouble of 'bargaining' the comforter out of her when you just went and secretly gave it back to her at night. I mean, I did see it on Shy this morning."
"Did Ruth tell you th—?"
"C'mon bro, I've known you since we were kids too, you know?" I smirked at him as I turned the faucet on to wash the bowls in the sink.
"And?" Leo asked, narrowing his eyes at me in warning. As if that had ever stopped me before.
"And the thing is, you just couldn't bear to see her shivering in cold, could you, you big, fluffy teddy bear?" I grinned as I watched Leo squirm in discomfort.
I turned back to the sink, intending to finish cleaning up as Leo walked up to the front door and muttered, "Watch your mouth, lill brother. If I so much as— Oh, hey Ruth!"
My head snapped towards Leo first, who was nearly out of the door and then towards the bedroom door that was still firmly shut.
It took me less than half a second to realise the trick that Leo was pulling on me, but that split second of distraction caused me to get sprayed by the faucet water as I held the bowl upside down beneath it, instead of the other way around.
"Fucking hell. You asshole!" I yelped as the icy cold water sprayed over me, soaking through my clothes in the matter of seconds.
"And don't you forget it." Leo called out as he closed the door behind him, leaving me to glare at the closed door as his laughter echoed off the stairway outside.