44 The Forbidden Frui (1/2)
When Ruby woke up she was cold. It took her a moment to realize why—Ash was curled up directly in front of her. Their foreheads, forearms, and knees were touching.
Rather than being startled like usual, she was confused. Normally he slept on his back completely still and looked like a dead human in a coffin because he didn't breathe unless he was talking.
He wasn't moving now either but his sleeping posture was much less vampire-like than usual. Some of his long black hair spilled over the side of his shoulder and neck and pooled between them.
Ruby sat up cross-legged and examined him more closely. His milky skin looked whiter than it probably was in contrast with his hair and his angular face was even more like carved marble than usual since he wasn't moving.
She had never met another vampire so she didn't know if Ash was attractive by their standards. He definitely was according to the human aesthetic; he looked like a male model when he had his glamour on.
Fairies tended to have round faces and small, delicate features. But the only male fairies she knew were either her relatives, married, or too young so she had never been attracted to any.
If Ruby really felt like dating, the clan of fire fairies here might be her best bet. There had to be at least a few of them who were currently unattached. She had never thought about that sort of thing before though because of the nature of her existence.
Secrets did not allow for intimacy. She had already accepted that she would spend her life alone long ago, comforting herself that at least she had her family. Now she didn't even have that.
Instead she had this rather contradictory vampire. She knew their friendship wasn't likely to last. He had a major fight on his hands coming up and she couldn't afford to trust anyone completely. It was really nice being able to enjoy someone else's company while she could though.
Ash was fun to be around. They never ran out of things to talk about because their experiences in life had been so different and his naivety regarding human society always made her laugh.
Being able to go out and try new things with someone else was much more enjoyable than doing it on her own but she knew it was only temporary. That kind of put a damper on things.
Ruby couldn't trust him with her secrets but she still wished that things were different. That he wasn't about to plunge himself headfirst into danger so they could spend more time together and she could enjoy having a friend a little while longer.
Unfortunately, that wasn't realistic. They had never been compatible from the beginning. He was a vampire with some sort of grudge against a powerful coven; she was a bizarrely overpowered fairy who couldn't reveal her true appearance to anyone.
Ash may be easily amused but he wasn't a happy person. That much was obvious. She might not know the cause but it was obvious he was holding onto some serious hatred and grief. Maybe he lost a lover or a family member because of the coven he mentioned.
Ruby reached out and ran her fingers through the coil of hair flopping over his neck, absentmindedly braiding it. She didn't know why she was doing it either aside from the fact that he would never allow this when he was awake.
The forbidden fruit was the most tempting and all that. She had never seen such long silky hair before meeting him. When he stood it went nearly to his knees and yet there was never a wisp out of place.