Chapter 5 The spark

The Vellion estate had never known the smell of homemade food.

The kitchen, sleek and state-of-the-art, had always been more of a statement than a place of comfort. But tonight, Drace stood by the marble island, sleeves rolled up, carefully plating something warm. Simple. Grounding.

Ruby had barely eaten since the hospital.

He thought maybe food would help her open up.

He didn't expect her to be watching him like that.

Eyes on Him

She sat at the edge of the kitchen stool, chin rested on her palm, her dark eyes trained on him with unsettling stillness.

Drace glanced at her, raising a brow.

"You're staring."

She didn't blink.

"I like watching you do normal things. It doesn't suit you."

He smirked.

"You don't even know me."

"Don't I?"

There was something off about her tone - too direct. Too unafraid. She looked innocent... but her words weren't.

The Question

As he placed the food in front of her, Ruby tilted her head.

"Can I ask you something, Drace?"

He nodded cautiously, settling in across from her.

"Are you in love with someone?"

The question caught him off guard.

He hesitated, then shook his head.

"No."

She leaned in slightly.

"Is there someone who's in love with you that you're aware of?"

Another pause.

A flash of Elowen's face, now blurry like a dream gone cold.

"Not anymore."

She nodded. Looked down at the plate. Picked up the fork slowly.

Then said softly-

"Then I'm allowed to fall in love with you."

His Reaction

The silence stretched like a wire.

Drace blinked.

"What?"

Ruby's eyes met his - calm, unwavering.

"I said... I'm allowed to fall in love with you. There's no one in your life. And there's no one in mine."

He studied her carefully, unsure if this was the result of trauma... or something deeper.

"You're... you're young," he said carefully. "Barely nineteen."

She smiled faintly.

"Nineteen isn't a child. I've seen more darkness than most women twice my age."

That silenced him again.

"Besides," she added, voice softer now, "you saved me, didn't you? Even after hurting me... you stayed. That means something."

Unspoken Things

Drace didn't know how to respond.

He wasn't used to being disarmed - especially not by someone so fragile-looking. And yet... she didn't feel fragile. Not really.

There was something brewing beneath her surface.

Something layered. Complex.

And for the first time in a long time...

He didn't want to run from it.

"Eat your food," he finally said, his voice gentler than he intended.

She smiled.