4. The Push She Needs

By the time Ruby reached Leah's apartment, the sun had already set, leaving the city bathed in a mix of neon lights and the lingering haze of twilight. The air was cooler now, carrying the crispness of early autumn. She pulled her jacket tighter around her shoulders as she climbed the steps to the third floor of the familiar brownstone, her fingers tapping an absent rhythm against the railing.

The door to Leah's apartment was already open, a sliver of warm light spilling out into the dim hallway. Ruby didn't bother knocking, she never had to.

~ Leah: "Get in here already! I opened the good stuff!"

Ruby grinned and stepped inside, greeted by the cozy clutter that always made Leah's place feel like a haven. Art prints and photographs crowded the walls, some vintage movie posters, others snapshots Leah had taken herself on weekend road trips. The coffee table was a chaotic spread of magazines, half-read books, and the remnants of Leah's creative projects: sketches, paints, a pair of scissors resting on a spool of ribbon.

Leah appeared from the kitchen, holding two large glasses of red wine. Her hair thick, black, and wild was tied up in a messy bun, stray curls framing her face. She wore loose, patterned pants and a cropped sweater, effortlessly stylish in a way that always seemed to baffle Ruby. Leah was the kind of person who made chaos look intentional.

~ Leah: "I poured generously. You're welcome."

She handed Ruby a glass, her dark eyes sparkling with curiosity. Leah's eyes always carried that spark like she was one question away from an adventure.

~ Ruby: "Bless you."

They sank onto the couch, legs tucked beneath them, mirroring each other out of habit. Ruby took a sip, letting the wine warm her throat, settling the nerves she hadn't realized were buzzing.

~ Leah: "Okay, so you have to tell me. What the hell happened?"

Ruby exhaled, staring down into the dark red of her glass, watching the way the light caught the liquid. She had been running over the story in her head all day, the narrative of her impulsive decision. But now, sitting here with Leah, it felt real like a confession.

~ Ruby: "I quit."

Leah blinked, her mouth curving into a slow, impressed smile.

~ Leah: "Just like that?"

~ Ruby: "Pretty much. I mean, it wasn't planned or anything. I just... snapped. Douglas was being his usual condescending self, and I couldn't do it anymore."

Leah leaned back, swirling her wine thoughtfully.

~ Leah: "Damn. That's bold. I respect it, honestly."

Ruby laughed, a little bitterly.

~ Ruby: "I'm not sure if it was bold or just... stupid. I don't have a backup plan. No job lined up, no idea what I'm doing next. Just me, my sad little savings, and a lot of unpaid bills."

~ Leah: "Who cares? You hated it there. You've hated it there for years. I mean, how many times have we sat right here and listened to you rant about Douglas and spreadsheets and fluorescent lights that make your soul die a little every day?"

~ Ruby: "Too many."

~ Leah: "Exactly. So maybe this is a good thing. Like a... fresh start or something."

Ruby's fingers traced the rim of her glass. The idea of a fresh start sounded good, idealistic, hopeful. But the reality of it still clashed with the anxiety lurking beneath her skin.

~ Ruby: "I don't know. I spent the whole day looking at job listings, and they all look the same just more offices, more desks, more of the same grind. I can't go back to that, Leah. I can't."

Leah tilted her head, studying Ruby with that sharp, observant gaze she had.

~ Leah: "So don't."

~ Ruby: "It's not that simple. I need money. I have rent to pay. Bills. Groceries."

~ Leah: "Yeah, but what if you thought outside the box? What if you didn't just look at office jobs and assistant roles? What if you actually went for something you want to do?"

Ruby's laugh was dry.

~ Ruby: "I don't even know what I want to do."

~ Leah: "Come on, Rubes. You've always talked about wanting to travel, to see more than this same city. What if you did something completely different? Something that gets you out of here?"

Ruby considered it, her mind racing through possibilities that felt as unrealistic as they were appealing. She had always loved the idea of travel, but it had always been a dream just out of reach, something other people did, people with more money, more flexibility, fewer responsibilities.

~ Ruby: "Like what? Drop everything and become a travel influencer?"

Leah rolled her eyes.

~ Leah: "Okay, don't be an ass. I mean real options. You could teach English abroad. Or work remotely, there are a million jobs out there that don't require you to sit in a cubicle all day. Or...oh! Remember Rachel from college? She did that whole cruise ship thing for a year."

~ Ruby: "Cruise ship thing?" her brow furrowed.

~ Leah: "Yeah! She worked on a cruise ship, traveled all over the place, met people from everywhere. It sounded kind of insane, but also, like... amazing?"

Ruby's mind snagged on the idea, curiosity flickering. Working on a cruise ship, living on the water, traveling to new places, meeting people constantly. It sounded absurd, like something from a TV show, but it also sounded like freedom.

~ Ruby: "I don't know... That sounds extreme, even for me."

~ Leah: "Does it? Or does it sound like exactly what you need? Something big, something different. You wanted out of that job for so long, and now you're out. You might as well do something crazy while you have the chance."

The thought lingered, heavy and tempting. Ruby swirled the wine in her glass, staring into the deep red like it might reveal the answers.

~ Ruby: "I don't know. It sounds impossible. I don't know the first thing about working on a ship."

~ Leah: "Neither did Rachel, and she figured it out. Look, I'm not saying you have to do it, but just... think about it. Think about what you want before you fall back into something that makes you miserable."

Silence settled between them, not awkward, but thoughtful. The weight of Leah's words hung in the air, pressing against Ruby's mind.

~ Leah: "Just promise me one thing?"

~ Ruby: "What?"

~ Leah: "Don't go back to another job just because you're scared. You deserve more than that."

Ruby nodded slowly, the gravity of Leah's request sinking in. The idea of settling back into another cubicle, another mundane office, another life dictated by someone else's expectations. It made her chest feel tight. The cruise ship idea felt outrageous, but maybe that was the point.

Maybe she needed something outrageous.