Page 41 of Shielding Aubree

Aubree shook her head and smiled when she realized he couldn't see her gesture. "I haven't met a food I don't like yet. I'm pretty sure that comes along with the badge. I can eat anything you want to pick up."

"You're making this pretty easy on me."

"You mean, I've made a mess of this. I'm just happy you haven't washed your hands of me just yet."

"You'll see how determined I am, Aubree, but seriously. If you're exhausted tonight. That's fine. I'll bring over some food and when you're done eating, I'll head out. It'll be nice to see you again."

"Do you need my address?"

She swore she could hear him smiling in the silence from his end of the call.

"You gave it to me before you left The Refuge."

The memory flooded back, and she sighed at herself. "I think my memory is getting worse, not better."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," he insisted. "You've been back to work for a week. You've got to give yourself some time to get back into the structure of your day. And the hours. I bet they've got you loaded down with casework."

"How..." She smiled at his words. "You're just reading my mind now?"

"Not reading your mind, but I remember when I was healing up from my back injury, they brought me all kinds of work to make me feel like I had a purpose. With me it was just a shit ton of forms. You've got case files you're working on. Find a good place to stop and I'll be there in... about twenty minutes."

"Twenty?" She frowned at the thought. "That's really quick."

"Well, I had a feeling you might want to stay in tonight. So I ordered the food right before I called."

Smiling to herself, she sighed and stretched out her legs. "Let me guess. You were a Boy Scout, weren't you?"

He laughed and she smiled right along with him.

"An Eagle Scout, actually." Ruben's laughter slowed. "I can't wait to see you. Bye."

The phone call ended, and Aubree reached for the stack of papers for the last case file, wondering what she could get done before Ruben arrived.

Shaking her head, she decided to change her plans.

Putting her hand on the armrest of the couch, she got up on her feet, happy that her back wasn't hurting all that much. A quick stretch was all she needed before heading into the bathroom.

Stepping into the shower, she turned the water on and made it as hot as she could stand it.

She was going to take a shower and put on some clothes and maybe even run a brush through her hair.

She might have ruined a chance for a romantic date, but she was going to make an effort because she wanted Ruben to know that she cared.

When he gotto the door, Ruben was about to reach for his phone when he realized he was holding the drink carrier with one hand and the food bag with the other. Turning his body to the side, he bumped his elbow against the door. "Yeah," he grumbled at himself, "bang on the door like an idiot."

He waited for response, hoping that she hadn't changed her mind about letting him in.

While he stood there, trying not to second guess the order he'd made, he remembered an old song that his grandparents used to listen to when he was a little kid. The chorus was kind of simple with his grandfather or grandmother taking the first part and the other echoing back.

So he stood outside the door, humming to himself rocking from one foot to the other as the lyrics played in his head.

"Young love... Mmmmhmmm… First love... Hmmmhmmm... Filled with-"

"Dinneranda show?"

He almost choked on the next lyrics, turning around to face the door.

Aubree was standing just inside with one hand on the door and the other on the frame. "I like this."

---