Page 68 of Because I Liked A Boy
She gave me a look sharp enough to cut. “Belle. Please. You’re gone for him.”
My stomach twisted. “I don’t know what I am.”
“Oh, I do. You’re fucked.”
Her grin returned, but this time quieter, knowing. “So? Did he touch you?”
Heat flared up my neck. I exhaled hard. “Yes. He touched me. He fingered me. He went down on me. He cleaned me up. He held me until I fell asleep. Happy now?”
Ruby froze for a beat, then laughed low, shaking her head. “Shit, Belle. That’s not nothing. That’s a man putting in the work.”
“Can you please stop making this a bigger deal than it already is and just help me?”
Her smile sharpened. “Wardrobe. Let’s go.”
“Ruby—”
But she was already marching to my room, flinging open my closet like she owned it.
“Cardigans. More cardigans. Belle, do you actually own anything that doesn’t scream school librarian?”
“I like cardigans.”
“Hunter Hayes doesn’t want to fuck a cardigan.”
“RUBY.”
She turned with a wicked glint, pulling out a wine-red dress I hadn’t touched in months. “This is it.”
I blinked. “That’s too much.”
“It’s perfect. Lace-up back. Legs for days. Trust me.”
The fabric slid cool over my skin, snug in all the right places. By the time I turned to the mirror, even I couldn’t deny it. Ruby’s mouth curved slow and satisfied.
“Hunter’s done for,” she said simply.
She sat me at the vanity and set to work. Curling my hair, brushing makeup over my skin, quiet focus replacing the earlier teasing. Her hands were steady, her expression almost protective.
When she finished, I barely recognised myself. Hair soft in waves, makeup subtle but sharp, the dress hugging close.
Ruby studied me in the mirror. “You’ve never looked more yourself.”
My throat tightened. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
I forced the words out. “Because this is new. All of it. I’ve never dated. Not really.”
She frowned, waiting.
“Every guy before? My father arranged it. And the first one I ever slept with… he paid him.” The words came out flat, heavy. “It was supposed to end in marriage. He called it off. After that, I stopped. It’s been three years. I’ve never wanted someone just for me.”
Silence pressed in.
Ruby reached for my hand, firm and steady. “That’s not on you. This time it’s yours. No contracts. No deals. Just you choosing.”
Tears threatened. I swallowed them back.
