Your Dad's Perfect (Ruby)

Alaric has been gone a lot. Jake has been attached to the controller, which I'm grateful for. It keeps him off my back and prevents him from acting like a doting boyfriend. His phone rings, and he glances at it briefly before ignoring it; I continue to read my book and hear it again. Groaning, he pushes the phone towards me.

"Answer."

Glancing, I see the name.

"It's your dad, Jake."

"Right, so answer." Sighing, I hit the button and held it to my ear.

"Hi Alaric, Jake is busy."

"Well, tell him to get off it. I have guests coming, and I'm not having him lying around like a damn slob." The phone cuts off.

"You need to get off that. Apparently, he has guests coming." I'm not sure which guests. He sighs and turns it off.

"It's fine, I had plans anyway." He walks off upstairs. What plans? I sit waiting, and half an hour later, he walks back down, looking ready to go out. "What's happening?"

He shrugs and grabs his jacket. "Like I know, but I have plans."

"Jake, you're really going to out and leave me here?" Is he fucking joking?

"We're not together, right? You did say that."

My eyes roll. "No, we're not. This is your father's house, though. You can't just fuck off and leave me here with him and his guests."

"Watch me." Turning, he leaves. Great. Grabbing my phone, I message Ivy and Bex. Maybe one of them two could come get me? Ten minutes later, my phone rings. "Bex?"

"I can't get to you Ruby, not quick. Where is Jake?"

"Fucked off. I need to get out of here." I can't stay and see people I don't know.

"Okay, give me some time. I will call you back and let you know."

"Thanks Bex, just let me know if you or Ivy can get me." I hang up and turn.

"You're leaving?" Alaric looks at me.

"Jake has gone." I shrug slightly.

"But you weren't staying for Jake." He stands confused.

"You have guests." I can't stay.

"Right? They won't be here for long, so join us. I laugh. "Ruby, don't run. Get ready and join us. You may as well. I doubt anyone can get here quick enough to pick you up before my guests even leave."

"Fine." I give up fighting this.

"Where did he say he was going?" He sits and looks at me.

"Out, he didn't tell me much."

Sighing, he nods. "These people are

important. Should I sign my

businesses to Jake, these are the people who will be on the board. He can't always avoid them." He

glances at his phone and then back

at me. "Get ready, Ruby."

Nodding, I walk off. Getting into Jake's room, I get showered and changed. Walking down, Alaric is in a large room. I call it the guest room more because the times he's used it was for large gatherings. "Sounds good." He stands with his phone to his ear while looking through some papers. "Page seventy-eight, that has a lot of issues."

I sit and wait.

"I'm glad you noticed. Now you have to get it fixed and sent over again for me to check it a final time. I'll speak to you tomorrow." He gathers the papers and turns, stopping when he sees me. "How long have you been sitting here?"

"About twenty seconds, not long."

Nodding, he walks to the door, and his phone rings. "I'll be back down soon," he says. He walks off, and I stay where I am. A few minutes later, I hear the door. Walking over, I open it.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

"Hi, here for Mr Hendrix." The guy steps in with others following him.

"He's just on a call. If you want to go through," point to the room, and he nods. I watch them walk through, following them into the room. stand awkwardly and watch as they grab drinks and sit talking.