The Date - Part 2 (Patreon)

"Rubie!" the woman exclaimed, practically hopping out of her seat, grabbing Rubie in a big hug. "Wow, you are even more adorable in person! Oh, I love your hair..."

Rubie squirmed, feeling overwhelmed, standing there as this stranger stroked her long, blonde hair. This was not at all what she'd expected.... Although, she wasn't sure what that had been. "Uh... Hi..." she said awkwardly.

"I'm so sorry," the woman stepped away, composing herself. "I just... When I saw your picture, I thought..." she blushed, quickly steering the conversation away from that for reasons that made Rubie quite curious, if she were being honest. "But you don't have any idea who I am, do you? Hi, my name is Monica." 

She held out her hand, and Rubie shook it. "I guess you already know mine," she shrugged.

"I just might," Monica winked. "Here, let me get that for you." She pulled the chair out, sliding it under Rubie as she sat down, then returned to her own seat.

They hit it off far better than Rubie would have expected, Monica eager to hear all about her. She wasn't even mad when the server came to take their order, and Rubie wasn't ready. "I'm sorry," Rubie told the waiter, flipping through the menu wildly. "I was looking at the desserts, and..."

"Well, did you find something there?" Monica asked.

Rubie smiled and nodded. "B-But we should order real food first..."

"It's a special occasion," Monica declared. "We can have dessert first this once, and it will give you time to look properly for what you want to eat, instead of rushing."

"Are you sure?" Rubie's eyes widened, feeling like a little kid being granted that right, something her parents would never go for. Of course, Monica was hardly her mother... She was a bit older than her, though the difference wasn't nearly as big as it felt. Monica seemed so mature, so composed... She did have her own job, and her own house. 

Rubie had no doubt her parents would have been so much happier if Monica was their daughter instead of her. Yet, she never acted like she thought she was better than Rubie because of it... She listened to Rubie's reasons for not having any of those things, and nodded, telling her that was all right, that everyone had their own pace. Rather than resenting Monica for what she had, the way Rubie sometimes did with her siblings, Rubie already found herself looking up to her.

"Oh, my," Monica said when the cheesecake Rubie had ordered came out. "That's awfully big... You aren't going to ruin your appetite with that, will you?"

"We can share," Rubie offered.

"Aww, how sweet." Monica's tone was, perhaps, condescending... It certainly felt like the one she'd use if a child had told her the same thing. It wasn't quite the same as when her parents did it, however; instead of bristling, Rubie melted a little when she heard it, practically feeling the pat on the head the words implied.