Chapter 8 : A Ball was the Reason 2

“Ouch!” Ruby landed awkwardly after jumping down, ending up flat on her back on the lawn. She realized—too late—that Chris’s side lacked a chair to climb, unlike her own house. The jump stung, but she rose slowly and went to retrieve the ball.

“Flynn, can you hear me?” she shouted back.

“I can hear you!” Flynn shouted in reply.

“I’m going to throw the ball to you, so be ready to catch it!”

“Yes! Throw it over!” Eager, Flynn got into position to catch the ball as it sailed high above the wall. Yet, her aim faltered; the ball rolled into another corner. The little boy dashed after it, then hurried back, eyes shining, to wait for his beautiful sister.

“Wait for me a bit, okay? I’ll find a way to climb back over first,” she shouted to Flynn, who was standing on the other side.

“Okay.”

Ruby jumped and grabbed for the beam atop the wall. Each time she tried to climb, she slipped and tumbled onto the grass. Again and again she attempted, Flynn calling out from the other side, her voice insisting she was nearly there. Holding her breath, she leaped up, strained for the beam, but her grip failed, and down she fell once more.

“Oh no!”

Instead of falling to the ground, her body landed safely in someone’s arms. Slowly, she blinked her eyes open, only to find her heart fluttering at the sight of Chris’s face, mere inches away. Chris shook his head in exasperation before gently setting her down on the ground.

“Why are you here?” Chris asked her as if picking a fight, his gaze fixed on her like she was completely in the wrong. Of course, sneaking into someone else’s house like this was already wrong.

“The ball flew into your yard. I knocked, but you weren’t home. No car, so I… um…”

“No one at home, huh? Did you try ringing the bell?”

‘You had messed up, Ruby.’

“No, I did not.”

“Next time, ring the bell, understand? Mom and Theo went out, and my car is at the garage. If you sneak into my house like this, I can report you for trespassing, Ruby.” Chris scolded her, making it into a serious matter.

“I used to climb all the time,” Ruby muttered softly.

“Ruby, are you there?” Flynn’s voice shouted across, and Ruby realized that she had left the chubby little boy alone in the house.

“Whose kid’s voice is that?” Chris asked, raising his eyebrows high.

“Uh… Tucker’s son. He left his boy with my mom to look after.”

“Tucker, the one next door?” It was something new; Chris had just learned that Amber was babysitting children.

“Chris, can I use a chair to climb back?” she pleaded.

“No.”

“Why? Shouldn’t let a child stay alone.”

“When I said no, I meant you should go back through the front door, not climb the fence and risk breaking your leg like this. Shout to the boy and tell him to wait.” He spoke in a tone that was half command.

“Flynn, wait for me. I’ll walk back through the front door,” she shouted loudly.

“Okay.”

So the young homeowner had to walk her to the front door, but Chris did not stop there. He even followed Ruby all the way into her house.

“I just want to see that kid’s face,” he gave a curt explanation. It wasn’t as if he actually wanted to talk to her. Ruby tried to restrain herself, refusing to let her thoughts wander any further.

“Flynn, this is Chris.” She introduced them so that the two males of different ages could get to know each other. The little boy lifted his hand and greeted Chris adorably.

“I never knew that Amber also looked after children.”

“Yes, I just found out too. Would you like to sit down?” She pointed to the garden chairs in front of the house.

“That sounds good.”

“Flynn, go sit there with Chris first. I’ll get some desserts for you.”

“Okay, Ruby.” Flynn, obedient as ever, went to sit quietly beside Chris while the young homeowner hurried to the kitchen. When she spotted her mother’s sausage rolls, she quickly brought them out for the two to enjoy.

“Chris, this is a sausage roll. Mom made them for me, but there are too many. I can’t finish them all by myself.”

“Oh!” Chris looked at the plate of snacks in front of him, but he remained still and did not eat right away.

“And this one is for you, Flynn. This is red soda to have with the desserts. Do you know how to eat it?”

“Yes.”

“Put the ball down first, and come have some snacks.” She pulled the ball from the little boy’s hands, then turned to look at the neighbor guest with interest.

“Chris, just water okay? I didn’t buy any juice.”

“That’s okay, I’m not thirsty.” He answered that way, and Ruby was at a loss for words. She turned her attention to Flynn instead.

“Eat a lot, okay? Otherwise, when your dad comes back, he’ll think I didn’t take good care of you.”

“Yes.” Flynn quickly picked up a fork and popped a sausage roll into his mouth with delight. Ruby then put one into her own mouth as well while her eyes flicked toward him, sitting silently without saying a word.

‘By the way, why did you come if you didn't intend to say anything?’

A sense of awkwardness replaced the air. Today, Chris seemed much more serious than before, so serious that Ruby hardly dared to start a conversation with him.

“Chris, aren’t you going to eat any? It’s tasty.” Suddenly, the little boy asked Chris. Ruby felt a secret delight that someone had asked for her, and the corner of her mouth twitched into a small, pleased smile at Flynn’s innocent question.

“Then I’ll try a piece.” Chris didn’t want to disappoint the boy, so he picked up a roll with his fork and put one in his mouth.

“Is it tasty?”

“Yes, it’s really as good as Flynn said.” Chris gave Flynn a wide smile, but turned a serious face toward her. How long would he keep up this stern act toward her? At this rate, would she even dare to get close again?

After a while, Flynn finished eating, full and content. Chris, too, seemed satisfied. He chatted with Flynn in a typically boyish way, hardly glancing at Ruby. Once the snacks were gone, the two set off to play soccer together. Ruby cleared the plates, washed them in the kitchen, and then returned outside to watch with a smile as they played happily.

There were many times when Flynn would jump and cling to Chris’s legs, and Chris would swing him around carefully. Ruby secretly imagined herself sitting and watching her husband and son play together. She sat there smiling to herself like a fool until he looked at her with a stern gaze, and her smile gradually faded.

“Ruby.” After a while, Chris turned and called her.

“Yes, Chris.”