THEM

Ryan stuck his hands in his pockets.

“What about you? You don’t look like someone who wastes her afternoons chasing missing caps.”

“What about me?” Ruby smiled faintly.

“I just came here to paint… not expecting company, but”

she glanced at him once,.....“this wasn’t a bad surprise.”

He shook his head, smiling.

Cute. Way too cute.

"so I'm a good surprise!" he asked.

“Anyway,” she said shyly, “I’m Ruby.”

“I know,” he replied before thinking …then added quickly, “I mean… you look like a Ruby.”

She blinked.

“And what does a Ruby look like?”

Ryan smirked.“Someone who makes the whole place feel brighter without trying.”

Ruby’s cheeks warmed instantly.

He looked away for a second, collecting himself.

“Alright,” he said lightly, “before the wind steals anything else from you… I should probably continue wandering.”

“Looks more like a guy modeling around,” she muttered without thinking.

Ryan paused.

Then ...a slow, warm smile spread across his face.

“Oh?” he lifted a brow, eyes lighting up. “So I do look like a model to you?”

Ruby’s eyes widened. “I—I didn’t mean it like—”

“No, no,” he cut in playfully, “please continue. My ego hasn’t been fed this kindly in years.”

She groaned softly, covering her face for a second.

“You’re impossible.”

“And you,” he said gently, “are very bad at hiding compliments.”

Ruby’s lips twitched.

Cute. Too cute.

Why did he have to look at her like that?

“Well…” she said, trying to recover, “thank you again. For the cap. If there’s anything I can do to repay you…”

Ryan didn’t miss a beat.

“Paint me.”

Ruby blinked. “What?”

“You’re an artist,” he said with a tiny shrug. “And apparently, I look like a model. Seems like destiny is basically screaming at us.”

She laughed .... a soft, surprised sound.

“Fine. I’ll paint you.”

His eyes brightened with a boyish excitement he hadn’t felt in years.

“Now?” he asked, hopeful.

Ruby glanced at the sky, the trees, the way the light hit him.

“It’s actually… a perfect scene,” she admitted.

Ryan looked around, then leaned slightly closer, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret.

“I don’t like it.”

Ruby frowned. “What do you mean? It’s beautiful—”

“I mean…” he scratched the back of his neck, trying not to smile too much, “it’s not the right moment.”

“Moment?” she echoed.

“Yeah.”

His gaze softened on her, deeper than before.

“If you’re going to paint me… I want the first picture you draw to be perfect.”

She swallowed, cheeks warming again.

“So… tomorrow?” he asked casually. “Same time. I’ll be here.”

Ruby hesitated — not because she didn’t want to, but because she liked how he said it.

“Tomorrow,” she agreed softly.

His smile widened — slow, steady, confident.

“Good,” he murmured. “I’ll look forward to being your model… painter girl.”

Ruby’s heart did a strange little flip in her chest.

Ryan turned as if to leave, took two steps… then paused.

He looked back with a teasing tilt of his head.

“Don’t forget,” he said, “you owe me a painting. And I’m very punctual.”

Ruby laughed softly.

“I won’t forget.”

“Good,” he said softly, and this time when he walked away, there was a smile he didn’t even try to hide.

~Tomorrow suddenly felt too far away for the both of them ~

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