Chapter 42: Chapter 42

Her phone was ringing. Why did it seem that the only way she could wake up on the weekend anymore was from someone barging into her brain—either literally or through the use of her ringtone—to blast her out of sleep?

She looked at the clock on her nightstand and saw that it was past 10:00 and wondered why she’d slept so long. After she’d come back from the store, she’d fallen asleep watching Netflix with Piper and hauled herself to bed before midnight. She hadn’t had any vivid dreams, not that she remembered anyway. With a loud exhale, she picked up her phone, fairly certain whoever was calling would be sent to voicemail before she could answer now anyway. When she saw it was an unknown number, she thought all the more reason not to hurry. Somehow, she managed to accept the call before it transferred to her messages. Falling backward onto the pillow, expecting either a recording or a sales call, she mumbled, “Hello?” Her voice sounded so groggy, she was sure the caller would think she was a zombie, if it was even a person on the other end of the line.

“Oh, no. I woke you up, didn’t I? I’m so sorry.”

Ru bolted upright in bed. Memories from the night before came streaming back. The grocery store. Kyle. Too much ice cream…. “Hey,” she said, drawing it out like a high school girl, hoping her voice sounded a little more chipper, though she thought she might actually be over doing it just a tad. “No, you didn’t…. I was awake.”

“Uh huh,” came the reply. “I’m sorry, Ru. I definitely didn’t mean to disturb you. This is Kyle, by the way, the guy from the grocery store—the one that overshares.”

Ru giggled so obnoxiously it even sounded annoying to her. She wondered what had gotten into her. Even when she really was in high school, she couldn’t imagine having this sort of a reaction to a guy. “What’s up?” she asked, deciding not to tell him she definitely knew who he was, and there was no reason to go into such detail.

“Well, I was going to see if maybe you wanted to grab some lunch somewhere. I told Jess about how you’d said you wouldn’t mind answering her questions, and she’s so anxious about starting her new job tomorrow, she thought it wouldn’t hurt to ask. Of course, we realize it’s very short notice, and I totally understand if you’ve already got plans.”

Other than catching up on laundry and contemplating why she couldn’t get her spirit to slip out of her body, Ru had nothing on her agenda for that day. “No, I’m free,” she replied, trying not to sound desperate or overly enthusiastic. “There’s a diner downtown, Wilken’s Café. Do you want to meet there?”

“Sure, that sounds great,” Kyle replied. “Jessie’s going to be so excited. I’m sure you’ll make her feel much better about her new job. What time?”

“Well, the after church crowd will get there about 12:30, so we’ll want to beat them. I don’t know. Maybe… 11:30? Is that too early?”

“That’s perfect,” he replied.

Just like you…. Ru kept her thoughts to herself. “All right then. I guess I’ll see you two in a little while.”

“Okay. Thanks a lot, Ru. See you in a bit.”

“Bye.” She hung up and tilted her head back so that it was leaning on the headboard. What was it about this guy that had her all out of sorts? Considering everything that was going on in her life right now, Ru had no reason whatsoever to even be considering dating. And yet, here she was, elated over a phone call from a guy.

Of course, this wasn’t a date. She knew that much. After all, his sister was going to be there. Still, she couldn’t help but feel a little bit of hope that this might turn into something more. He had called her only a few hours after getting her number.

Stretching, Ru contemplated her situation. Piper rubbed up against her side, and she stroked her a few times before climbing out of bed. She thought about Cutter. She’d known he was way out of her league the moment she set eyes on him. Though she had to admit, there were a few times when she thought there was a possibility he was actually interested in her, especially yesterday at the coffee shop when he was swearing he’d always protect her, but she knew it was all about the Keepers with him. He just wanted to find her mom and secure her as part of his team, though she wasn’t quite sure why. It all seemed so far out there. She could never date a guy like Cutter even if he wasn’t caught up in some secret world—or crazy for thinking he was.

Kyle, on the other hand, seemed so down to earth. Though she’d only spoken to him once, their conversation had been easy and completely unforced. Unlike Cutter, he didn’t want anything out of her, didn’t want her to be something she could never be. He just wanted to get to know her better. Or did he? Maybe he just wanted her to help his sister, although, she didn’t think that was the case. He seemed like a genuine guy, and even though he was just as good looking as Cutter, it was in a less assuming way. He wasn’t the stereotypical blond demigod. His dark hair and humanly hazel eyes made him a little less obvious. She had noticed he looked like he was in pretty good shape beneath his brown jacket, sweater, and dark jeans, though. Perhaps she only found him more attractive than Cutter because she was certain Cutter was out of the question. Kyle seemed like a normal guy. Cutter seemed like he’d fallen from the heavens. Maybe he had. Although, that would make him a fallen angel and he professed that was exactly what he was fighting against.

Ru pushed all of those thoughts aside and went to the bathroom to turn on the shower. She’d take things slowly with Kyle, like she did with every guy she’d ever dated or even been interested in. She really didn’t need a relationship right now anyway, but he might be a good excuse to get Cutter to leave her alone once and for all. Then, maybe she could go back to life before angels and demons.

The last thought made her mind flicker to Thanatos. Was he still out there, trying to get ahold of her? Cutter seemed to think he wouldn’t give up, but he hadn’t come to her in a dream the night before, so maybe she’d convinced him that he couldn’t overpower her and that she was perfectly content staying in Reaper’s Hollow as a fourth grade teacher. They could carry on with their magic and what-not without her. Eventually, maybe they’d find her mother, but she wasn’t even sure she wanted a part of that. Even if Seraphina hadn’t named her Ruin after all, she had said that she ruined her life, hadn’t she? And if her birth had sent her mother into hiding, she was probably right. Why would she ever want to see her daughter again? No, Ru was definitely better off just going back to the way things were before Cutter had torn into her life like a tornado. Perhaps Kyle could be just the anchor of normalcy she needed to pull her back to where she complacently sat before any of this craziness collided with her world. She’d definitely take a chance on finding out.