Recent content by Reuben Pendleton

"Huh. Yep. Yeah, that makes it a lot worse, actually," said Reuben, but he was laughing. The warmth of the sun, the success of their project, and the anticipation of his children's excitement had infused the day with a brightness that nothing could spoil. He gave Saveli a quick kiss, then...

It was the last day of June, and Reuben was in the garden applying a final coat of dusty rose paint to the walls of the playhouse. Although playhouse was no longer the right word for it. Earlier that morning, it had been a playhouse, outgrown and abandoned, filled with wet leaves and left to the...

Reuben fought an instinct to follow the girls upstairs, and then an instinct to disappear into the living room. Logically, he knew he wasn't intruding on Monty, but he couldn't entirely shake the feeling that he was. After a moment's hesitation he followed Saveli into the kitchen. He had nothing...

If Reuben tied his shoelaces any faster, he was going to get blisters. He pulled himself upright, wincing as his back clicked, and grabbed his wand. These kids were ageing him prematurely, there was no doubt about it. Or maybe he was actually just getting old, for real. Ainmere was almost old...

I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU :wub: :party: :party: (also dang right I'd end you)

Reuben shrugged. How could he explain it? He'd always known Saveli was out of his league - known it since the day he'd offered her lint-coated candy from his pocket. She'd called him vermin. It made him laugh, now, but the feeling of inadequacy lingered. It wasn't her fault. His parents had...

Now that Saveli said it, Reuben did remember. That must have been why he'd assumed Gabriel was telling the truth. He listened quietly, his heart aching, not just with sympathy but with fury as well. He'd always known Gabriel was a piece of work, but the things she was telling him... the guy was...

"Ummmm... Gabriel told me?" he said, the realisation sinking in. Gabriel lied. What kind of sick person lied about dating someone else's fiancee? "Like... you didn't... do anything together?" he asked. He'd always assumed they'd been closer than friends, even before Gabriel's comment. He had to...

Well, that was a relief. Not the bit about Riley, of course. That sucked. But he was glad he hadn't got Saveli into trouble. "Hey, it's OK," said Reuben, rubbing his fiancee's arm. Obviously the experience had been traumatic for her. That was another reason he'd been hesitant to bring it up. "I...

Reuben nodded, equally happy to go along with whatever Saveli had in mind. Sometimes he wondered if he was a bit of a pushover, but he didn't see the point in arguing just for the sake of looking manly. Anyway, Saveli was marrying him, so clearly she loved him just the way he was. "Did you? No...

Reuben didn't feel old enough to be getting married. In spite of the fact he had kids of his own, most of the time he still felt like one himself, uselessly blundering his way through life, pretending he had a clue what he was doing. It had worked out OK so far. He had to remind himself of that...

Reuben actually snorted. Used to date Saveli? They hadn't been dating. Only in Gabriel's dreams, anyway. Or was he actually deluded enough to think there had been something going on between them? Reuben suddenly felt uneasy again. What if he wasn't lying? What if there was something Saveli...

Reuben felt hollow. Saveli needed her dad. Right. Not Reuben. Because he was the one who'd caused this. Or maybe - and this was even worse - it was because she really did still have feelings for him, and she couldn't talk to Reuben about it. He ran a hand through his hair, staring numbly at the...

Reuben was sitting on the very edge of his seat, desperate for the moment he could stand up and get the hell out of there. It came about half way through the ceremony. He stood up and squeezed past the other guests, avoiding their glares at his interruption. Screw the wedding. Screw Gabriel...

Reuben squeezed Saveli's hand as they took their seats in preparation for the ceremony. He wished Saveli could have met Lexy sooner - he was sure they were going to get along - but her wedding invitation had come at an opportune time. What better way was there to meet someone than on one of the...