| 006 | Ruby |

"I owe you a present now," Leah beamed. "So, you're a writer, uh?"

"So it seems," I nodded softly as they began to serve the dinner.

"Nothing with lactose, Lloyd said you're intolerant," she said.

I nodded again, "I happen to be, yes."

"Thank heavens, she tends to exaggerate on it," Rhett exclaimed and I side-eyed him. "You know it's true, mum, and you already lost weight for this. You promised to be mindful of your health, remember? So, let's move forward."

"Oh, yes, you sound like your parents," Leah said.

I swallowed, "Like me. He sounds like me."

"That's what I said," she said innocently.

"Either way, thank you for the mindfulness," I said instead, not wanting to think about it more than I already am.

"Do you have social media?" Neville asked.

"Not my own, I have one under my pen name, because it's necessary as a writer nowadays, but I don't have one as Ruby Vaughan," I sipped the sparkling wine they served. "Instagram and TikTok are currently tools I can't live without to boost my books online, they play a big part of the market and on playing with the crowd I want to sell them to. And though I don't use them socially, because I'm not a fan of social media, my p.a. helps me with the marketing part in it."

"Oh, yes, there were many bestseller authors that achieved that feat through TikTok ever since 2020, when the pandemic hit and the app because a worldwide phenomenon," Neville pointed. "It's smart to play with it. What do you write about?"

"Romantasy, fantasy romance, and dark romance with supernatural aspects in a contemporary setting," I tilted my head. "Only one of those are alright to be read by younger folk, which is the fantasy romance stories."

"What's the difference between fantasy romance and romantasy?"

I turned to Leah, "Romantasy is romance with fantasy, where the main focus is the romance but in a fantasy settings with other plots going on, and it's normal to be a series of books. Fantasy romance is where there's romance as a big focus, but it's more focused on the fantasy aspects, worldbuilding, magic or power system, politics, and it's closer to what we know as the general fantasy and epic fantasy setting."

"Like 'ACoTaR'?" Leah asked smiling.

"What is 'acotar'?" My son asked me.

"It's short for A Court of Thorns and Roses, it's both the name of the first book and the name of the series, and it's inappropriate for your age," I pinched his nose softly. "But I might let you read Throne of Glass in 5 years, it's not romantasy like acotar, it's also known as tog, it's fantasy romance, it's epic, and it's both from the same writer as acotar, Sarah J. Maas, and from the same multiverse as of now." I turned to Leah, "Yes, like acotar, but that's romantasy."

"What do you write the most?" Neville asked.

"I would say I write them... equally as much? I have two pen names that are fundamentally the same. Rebecca Chloe King for my romantasy and fantasy romance books, and R. C. King for my dark romance books and more mature readers. I've published 14 books as Rebecca in the last 7 years, and 7 books as R. C. in the past 6, from 2019 and 2020 to now. Two trilogies of fantasy romance, a series of six and I started another series that will be five-books-long and has two books out already of romantasy, while I have connected 7 standalones of an ongoing nine-books-long series of dark romances."

"So, you've written 21 books so far?" He asked.

"Oh my God," Leah gasped. "I've read, like, five of your books as R. C. and your complete book series of six as Rebecca, and I loved it. It's all over TikTok, everyone is reading your books, Ruby. You're really famous, in a way many writers dream of being. Shit, this is crazy, I can't believe it's you."

I felt my cheeks flushing, "It is. I don't like to expose myself, so, I picked the pen names to keep my identity a secret, I've also not shown my actual face out there, but my editor, my p.a. and her own assistant show theirs on my accounts, in my behalf, they are known as my team."

"Mum is antisocial," Rhett said, taking a mouthful of the pasta they prepared lactose free.

"Seems like you got that from her," Lloyd said.

My son blushed, "Definitely."

"I wouldn't say it's just from her," Leah said.

"Leah," my nostrils flared as I groaned.

She swallowed, "So, Lloyd said you were planning a trip to the highlands up in Scotland this summer," she said instead, "and that Rhett wanted him to go with you. Ain't that the real reason why you asked to meet with us?"

This is better. "Both for that and because they are best friends, and I think we should have a nice relationship for it to mirror in them. It would be annoying if they were friends while we hated each other or had a bad relationship, no?"

"Are you going to Scotland for vacation?"

I turned to Neville, "Not really, I'm researching locations. I'm writing a new book that will have a modern fantasy setting and will be set in the highlands, so, it's both research for my new book, and summer vacation. But since I won't have 100% of my time for my son, I thought it would be a good idea to take a friend of his with us, and his only friend is Lloyd. I think he's a good influence to my son and vice versa, he's an amazing kid, you're raising him well."

"Well, I think that's a wonderful idea. But why don't we all go together?" She beamed.

No, "I'm not social, Leah, that didn't change."

"Yes, but it would be lovely to go to the high lands. Besides, the girls would like to go too, and we were already planning to go somewhere in vacation this summer, we just didn't know where. We won't bother your creative work on your book, and we could be with Rhett while you're in your own space, it'll be good for you to breathe a bit too, go out alone and enjoy some time for yourself, Ruby. Lloyd said that Rhett told him that you live solely for him and your work, you're still young, you're 26, are you not?"

"I don't want to bother you, or,"

"Not at all!" Neville said gently. "Besides, you could also bond through books, my wife doesn't have friends, she is an avid reader, and maybe having that could help you too, no? A friend would be nice, especially when you already know each other from your teenager years."

I bit my bottom lip, "Rhett?" I asked my son.

"I think this is an amazing opportunity, mum. I would love if you befriended my best friend's mum, that would be amazing. And it'll be nice to travel together, for a change, won't it? Maybe we could call grandma too, so she won't be alone in here. She loves Scotland!"

True, mom is a lover of the highlands, "Okay."

"Really?" The twins beamed for the first time in a while.

"This will be the best summer ever!" Lloyd giggled.

"I'll take care of the place for us to stay," Leah told me. "I love planning. It'll be an amazing summer, I'll make sure of that. I'll love to meet your mum, too, Ruby."

"Well, mum will certainly like you."

"Then it's settled!" Neville clapped his hands.

"You could go on a date there, mum!"

"No, thanks," I scoffed. "I have no time to waste on that, love."

"I wouldn't mind a stepdad," he rolled his shoulders.

"Rhett!"

"Just saying, mum, in case you're holding back for me."

"I'm not holding back," I groaned. "I'm just not interested."

"You haven't even tried, mum."

"Neither will I," I said firmly. "Enough of this."