Rose and Ruby continued to stare at each other, studying every detail of each other's faces and bodies.
"Who is this beautiful girl from the next unit... how come I've never run into her before?" Ruby asked in her heart.
"Who is this curvy little brat in front of me? Judging by the uniform, she's a student. Is she Rex's friend?" Rose asked in her heart.
After wondering and observing one another, both immediately put on sweet smiles and decided to speak up.
"Um... are you a friend of Rex? Are you going to his place?" Rose asked with a sweet smile.
"Yeah. And you, miss? Are you going to Rex's place too?" Ruby asked, smiling just as sweetly.
"Yes, I'm going to visit my neighbor. What's your relationship with Rex? School friends?" Rose asked with a smile, though her tone started to turn a bit cold.
"Classmates and desk mates. And why is a neighbor visiting Rex's house? What exactly is your relationship with Rex?" Ruby asked bluntly with a smile, her face starting to turn a bit cold as well.
"Hmm, Rex's friend. I visit my neighbor's place quite often," Rose answered, smiling.
"Oh really? How come we've never met? I even stay over here a lot," Ruby shot back, still smiling.
Without realizing it, they both moved forward until they were standing face-to-face. Ruby had to look up slightly since Rose was a bit taller, looking down at her. Both kept their smiles plastered on, but their eyes were sharp and locked intensely. They fell silent, just staring and studying each other's expressions. Suddenly, something clicked in Rose's mind.
"Oh, so you're the one who likes to leave your underwear lying around Rex's house? Your chest size seems to match the bras that clutter up the place," Rose murmured sarcastically.
"That's right... huh... and you must be the one who likes to leave drink bottles in the kitchen or on the coffee table, leaving lipstick stains on the glasses? They're so hard to clean, even after scrubbing them with soap multiple times," Ruby replied, firing back.
"Exactly," Rose answered shortly.
The two of them fell silent again, but they stared at each other with an intensity that made their smiles vanish. The atmosphere went completely still, but the tension was so thick you could have sliced it in half with a machete; it was a clear omen that a massive, catastrophic storm was about to break. An aura of blue-green energy, representing the elements of water and air, began to swirl around Ruby's arms, while black and white energy—which eventually faded into pure black—began to shroud Rose's arms. Then, both smiled again and reached out their hands,
"I'm Rose," Rose said, introducing herself.
"I'm Ruby," Ruby replied, also introducing herself.
"Swooosh!" When they shook hands, a violent gust of wind blew through, and the entire apartment building shook as if hit by an earthquake. Both smiled and tightened their grip until the veins on their temples throbbed. But before either could do anything else, "click," Rex's apartment door opened. Rex stood there, seeing the two of them shaking hands in front of his door. Rose and Ruby turned to look at him, their faces instantly brightening.
"Rex!" both said in unison, then immediately glanced at each other with looks that could kill.
"Did you guys feel that earthquake just now?" Rex asked, confused.
"Nope," Rose answered, letting go of Ruby's hand.
"Yeah... was there really an earthquake?" Ruby asked innocently, hiding her hands behind her back.
"Hmm, well, if you didn't feel it, whatever. What are you two doing in front of my place? Want to come in?" Rex asked.
"Of course," Rose and Ruby said together, immediately glaring at each other again.
"Alright, come in. I ordered some pizza and ended up with way too much because of a mistake. Let's just eat together," Rex replied, heading back inside and leaving the door open.
Both immediately walked toward the entrance at the same time, but "thud," they collided in the doorway. They turned to look at each other, and though they didn't speak, their faces said it all.
"Damn this girl, she's actually strong... is she just like me?" Ruby asked in her head while staring at Rose.
"This kid is exactly like me... she's a serious rival, damn it," Rose muttered in her head while staring at Ruby.
Since neither was willing to give an inch, they both forced themselves through the door at the same time, squeezed tight against one another. They turned to glare at each other.
"Why are you trying to come in at the exact same time as me?" Rose snapped.
"Why are you trying to come in with me?" Ruby shot back.
Finally, they both put their weight into it and shoved forward until—"plop"—they both popped into the room. They immediately exhaled in relief after being crushed together. Then Rex walked over to them.
"What are you two doing at the door? Come on in," Rex said casually, turning around to walk back inside.
Rose and Ruby looked at each other again. Without thinking, they both reached for the door handle and slammed the door shut together. Then they moved through the small hallway, past the bathroom door, side by side. A little while later, Rex's order arrived. The three of them sat on the floor around the coffee table, sharing the pizza. Rex noticed that Rose and Ruby were dead silent while they ate, but they were staring each other down, which struck him as a bit odd.
"Have you two known each other for a long time? Or did you just meet?" Rex asked, taking a bite of his slice while sitting cross-legged and relaxed, clearly keeping an eye on the both of them.
"We just met a second ago. Right, Ruby?" Rose asked with a sweet smile.
"That's right. We just introduced ourselves in front of your door. Right, Rose?" Ruby asked, also smiling sweetly.
"Exactly," Rose answered with a sugary grin.
"Oh, okay... that's good that you two hit it off so fast," Rex said, clearly oblivious to the tension between them.
"Don't worry, we're getting along great... aren't we, Rose, Ruby," they both said at the same time, putting their arms around each other and smiling. But their eyes made it crystal clear: they wanted to swallow each other whole.
Rex, watching them, feels a bit more at ease because he doesn't want any drama in his house. He stands up and goes to the kitchen, grabbing the wine bottle Rose brought earlier along with three glasses. Rose immediately pours wine for Rex and herself, then sets the bottle back down.
"Hey... why didn't you pour any for me?" Ruby protests.
"You're not old enough," Rose answers casually while taking a sip.
"In your dreams. I'm eighteen; I just have a sixteen-year-old face. I'm plenty old enough," Ruby snaps back, grabbing the wine bottle and pouring herself a glass.
"Oh, so you're eighteen, huh? That means we're a year apart. I'm nineteen and Rex is the same age as me. You're still a kid," Rose says, feeling like she won that round.
"Oh really? I'm in the same class as Rex, so I'm clearly a better fit... are you sure you're nineteen? Not over twenty? You're already old, so why are you hanging out with kids?" Ruby snarks back with a smirk.
The veins on Rose's head start to throb even though she keeps smiling, because Ruby hit the nail right on the head without even knowing it; Rose really would be twenty-one if her body actually aged.
"Hoho... looks like you're a bit gutsy, aren't you," Rose mutters, annoyed but keeping her smile sweet.
"Go right ahead. I'll take you on anytime," Ruby welcomes the challenge, getting irritated despite her own sweet smile.
"Hmm... turns out you guys really hit it off. Thank God. I was overthinking how to introduce you to each other if you ever met here," Rex says while drinking, looking completely calm.
The two of them immediately turn to Rex with sweet smiles. They stay quiet and eat, but their eyes dart toward one another as if saying through their stares:
"Fine, a ceasefire for now since we just met. But just so you know, Rex is mine and I won't let anyone take him from me. So, this is far from over," the two of them say without needing to speak a single word.
Meanwhile, Rex's mind is somewhere else entirely, but he shakes his head to dismiss his thoughts and guesses.
"I didn't go out just now because of an earthquake, but because I felt a massive surge of energy in front of my door. It wasn't them, right? Ah... that's impossible, don't overthink it, there's no way it was them... maybe a monster passed by? Yeah... that must be it," Rex mutters in his heart, completely unaware of how right he actually is.