Splashes of colors filled the air. Rainbows made out of blood-red, ash like that of burnt wood, and sickly bright colors. Alive in her mind, she was so lost in the moment that she didn't seem to notice when the sky had lost its darkness, the dark blue ink fading to light blue, stained with a ball of bright orange and the other beautiful colors of sunrise. The sun had come out of its hiding place.

Her muscles ached and she longed to stretch her body, but she had to discipline herself and finish the painting or else she'd lose touch with her imagination and never get to finish it. Strokes upon strokes, the painting came alive. She had created something beautiful and she felt more fulfilled than she had ever felt the whole week. Painting relaxed her far more than music ever could. It made her feel at peace and in total control. She could create and control a whole universe just by painting it. It was something she was very good at. Something she had begun to do from the moment she could hold a paint brush in art class.

"Little Gray!" Her aunt's voice sounded far away, like it was coming from underwater.

One last stroke and the painting was done. She stood back and appraised her work like a mother watching her child with pride. One day, she thought, she would see her paintings in an art gallery.

"She's in-" Catherine started, but was cut short at the sight before her.

Ruby turned to find her aunt and her roommate looking at her like a piece of insect under a microscope.

"Are you guys okay?" She said, stretching her aching body.

"Yeah. I just didn't expect this. . ." Catherine gestured widely at the whole room. Ruby turned around to survey her room. It was a big mess. One big artistic mess. She smiled.

"Oops!" was all she said.

"What manner of talent is this?" Amara said, recovering from her shock. "You. . . this is simply amazing. I didn't know you could paint this well!"

Ruby gave a careless shrug. "Yeah." She scratched her neck.

She sat on her bed, listening endearingly to her aunt's non-stop talking. Her bed looked so soft, like it was calling out to her. In no time, she escaped into her dreamland.

****

"Should we wake her?"Amara whispered to Catherine as they hurdled around Ruby's sleeping form.

"No," came Catherine's hushed reply. She continued with a shrug, "Except you want to kill us both." They both laughed.

Ruby lifted a lazy hand from under the covers, opening an eye to look at them. "You know, you guys are so bad at whispering." She stood up and stretched, feeling every aching muscle whine. She checked the time, it was 1:55 pm.

"Oh no!" She was late for her job at the restaurant where she worked every Saturday.

"Yeah, she just realized it." Catherine said, earning a glare from Ruby.

"Should we go?" Amara suggested, but Ruby was not listening. She quickly ran into her closet and threw on a white tank top and dark jeans. She tugged on her hair to loosen the knots and pulled it into a bun. She didn't bother to look in the mirror, grabbing her purse as she ran out the door.

"Goodbye guys. I'll be back in a few hours." She shouted, as an afterthought and made her way out of her apartment building.

Her feet connected with the ground as she weaved through the busy street. She reached the bus station and stood, tapping her legs and waiting for the bus to arrive. It arrived two minutes later. By the time she reached 'Filling Hearts' restaurant, it was already 2:15 pm and her shift was supposed to start by 2:00 pm.

"Hello Junior," she greeted a waiter as she passed him, heading straight to the kitchen at the back.

"Sorry I'm late Jeff," she told the chef she was working with.

She quickly grabbed her apron from the changing rooms and put it on with a hair net. Breathing in, she went to explain to her boss why she was late for work.

"Ruby Grayson, just because you have great cooking skills doesn't mean you can come in late," her boss, Mr Phillip, spoke in a voice that was meant to be stern, but he was failing miserably. He had a soft spot for Ruby because of his friendship with her mother, Bridget Grayson.

"I'm sorry, Phillip. I won't do it again," she said, looking as genuine as she could. She needed the job. Cooking was one of the few things she loved doing. And working in the restaurant gave her an array of wonderful delicacies to cook.

"Alright," he sighed, he could not stay angry at her. "But, don't let this happen again. Now get to work."

"Thank you very much, Mr Phillip!"

She turned to go but he held her shoulder, she flinched.

"Don't let the fact that I am friends with your Mother make you slack on the job." He released her and she walked quickly back to the kitchen.

She got to work immediately and worked the day away, satisfaction filling her as she cooked different varieties of foods with Jeff. When her shift was over, she went to the changing room and removed her apron and hair net, grabbing her purse before heading out.

"Finally," someone whispered next to her. She jumped.

"Scaredy cat." She turned to see Luke and hissed.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She eyed him warily."How do you even know I work here?"

"I have my ways, yunno, computer science student and all that," he said. He was looking at her with a smirk on his face.

"Ugh! You're annoying, do you know that?" Ruby huffed.

"I know." He shrugged and continued " But, you're happy to see me." He stated, matter of factly.

Ruby turned her face away and rolled her eyes, a smile tugging on her lips.

"Let's get going. I want to sleep early today," she said and tugged at his hand for them to start moving.

The streets were still busy, even as the sky had taken on a dark colour. Stars littered the sky like sawdust on a dark surface. They passed a bar and loud music spilled out, accompanied with the sound of people getting drunk, having fun and feeling like they could take on the world. Saturday nights were like this. She liked that its routine and predictable feel. It was something she could count on as constant.

"Hey, Ru. . . It's okay to voice your feelings. I won't judge." Luke shot her a one - sided smile.

She didn't smile back, instead she looked up at the sky. What he was telling her to do was hard. She didn't want to trust anyone with her thoughts. She had done it before and it didn't work out well. But Luke was just too amazing, too worthy of a trial. The butterflies began to play a game of hide and seek in her stomach right then but she willed them to stop. Ruby Grayson did not date, it was her silent anthem, but Luke was already an anthem on his own. Who said they could merge? Who said they could not?

As they walked on the street to the bus station, she thought about how lovely the weather was - the serenity and coolness. She longed to feel that calmness inside of her because all she could feel right then was an overwhelming heat that threatened to overshadow her.

°°°°°
A/N

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