To the Love of My Life

Chapter 677: Chapter 677: Ruby, I Like You (7)
 

It was only when Ruby Gregory felt like she was running out of oxygen that Steve Burton finally let her go. He then pulled her tightly into his embrace, lowering his head and burying it in the crook of her neck. “Ruby, I like you, and I have liked you for over 20 years.”

-Ruby, I like you.

-Ruby, I like you.

-Ruby, I like you, I’ve liked you for over 20 years…

Ruby pondered these three sentences over and over before she understood what Steve had just told her.

He actually liked her… and he had liked her for over 20 years…

She stood there frozen, as if her acupoint had been tapped, with her blood seemingly stopped flowing and her ears unable to hear any sound.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

In Steve’s solitary days, he would often dream at night of holding her in his arms, only to wake up holding either a soft quilt or the pillow she had slept on. The familiar scents of her in his dreams were nothing but illusions, replaced by a refreshing mint aroma in the real world.

But now, her faint, elegant scent filled his breath, making everything feel incredibly real and tangible.

Steve couldn’t remember the last time he had held Ruby like this. He couldn’t help but pull her tighter into his embrace, realizing that this hug felt just as real as he had hoped.

Tears welled up in Steve’s eyes, as he tried to suppress the indescribable mix of excitement and long-repressed emotions bubbling up from within. He buried his head deeper into the crook of her neck.

However, no matter how hard he tried to control himself, a tear managed to escape through his tightly shut eyelids.

Ruby distinctly felt a warm drop of liquid touch her neck, quickly spreading to form a small damp patch.

Her bewildered mind, initially thrown off by his repeated “Ruby, I like you,” suddenly awakened. Her eyes opened wide, staring at the pristine white bathroom wall in front of her. It took a while before she understood what the dampness on her neck truly was.

Her heart felt as if it was being gripped tightly, the pain spreading slowly. Subconsciously, she tried to reach out to touch her neck.

Her movement made Steve clasp her even tighter, his voice carrying a hint of panic: “Ruby, don’t leave me…”

His tone still had the quality Ruby was familiar with, but there was an emotional timbre to it she had never heard from Steve before.

Grief, anxiety, fear, and terror… Ruby couldn’t believe her ears.

Before she could fully regain her senses, Steve’s weak and helpless voice whispered into her ear again, carrying a hint of pleading: “Don’t leave me…”

“Don’t leave me, Ruby…”

As Steve spoke, Ruby felt another drop of dampness on her neck.

The heat of that tiny droplet burned her skin, causing a searing pain.