A Jewel in the Night

Ruby woke to the soft sound of a pencil being brushed along a sheet of paper. She smiled briefly, for a moment lost in that beautiful space between sleep and full wakefulness. In a flash, however, the memories of last night came flooding back, and she sat bolt upright, a look of terror on her face. Looking around, she saw herself in an unfamiliar room, and she clutched the sheet around herself, curling into a ball. The tears began to flow, but within an instant, she was again wrapped in those reassuring arms from the night before.

"Relax, my angel. It's over. Those two will be hurting no one ever again." The man's voice was deep and soothing, as he whispered gently to her. Before she realized, Ruby once again calmed down, leaning into the comforting arms of the man beside her.

"Thank you. No words I have can ever match my gratitude. So few people care, and I was certain that I would be used and thrown away by those beasts." Sighing with peaceful contentment, Ruby once again closed her eyes, and rested her head back against the strong arm and neck of her rescuer.

The man studied her features for a few moments, taking in every inch of her face. His expert eyes found every slight ripple in her cheek, every mole, every "flaw". He quickly got lost in the perfection of her human imperfections. Gently, without thinking, he kissed her cheek, brushing his lips across her pale skin. At this, her eyes opened, and she looked, for the first time in the light, at the face of this man. She saw the intense passion in his eyes, the slight curl of his lip, the wild hair atop his head. She knew, in an instant, that this was who she had been waiting for all these years. Her heart immediately got lost in his blue eyes, but her head refused to yield. Fighting against the temptation to stay in this embrace forever, she pulled herself away from his arms.

With a downcast look, the man stood, revealing a lean, muscled body. Stooping to pick up the drawing pad and pencil from where he dropped them in his haste, he whispered, "I'm sorry. I couldn't resist." Without another word, or backward glance, he walked from the room, shutting the door gently behind him.

Cursing herself for her fear, Ruby sat for a moment, wondering at this man who had come from the darkness to save her from rape, or worse, and asked nothing but a kiss in return.

She had never considered herself to be beautiful. She had always been considered "plain", and "just one of the guys" in school, with none of the boys she had known showing the slightest interest in her physically. She was the girl the guys would come to asking advice about how to get a girl's attention. She was never the one whose attention was desired. Her girlfriends had all told her that they envied her raven hair and almond eyes. She had always ignored them, assuming they were just trying to boost her self esteem. Even now, none of the men she worked with had seemed interested in her. She'd gone out on a couple of dates, and even had some good-night kisses. None of the men she had dated, though, had looked at her like this man. She wondered what he saw that she didn't.

Standing up, keeping the sheet around her, as her clothes still lay in tatters in that dank alleyway, she quietly walked to the door. Opening it slightly, she looked around, not sure whether she hoped he was there or not. Seeing the hallway empty, she padded quietly to the bathroom. Letting the sheet drop, she turned on the shower. Catching sight of herself in the mirror, she saw the streaks from her tears under her eyes, and the disarray of her hair. Taking a firm grip on her emotions, she bit back the tears that welled up at the image before her. Something clicked inside her mind, and she decided that she was no longer going to let life pass her by. With that resolution, she stepped under the steaming water and washed the grime of the previous night, and the doubts of two dozen years, down the drain.

To Be Continued...