Page 128 of What are the Risks
Once in her bedroom, she took off her coat and draped it over the back of her desk chair.
The moonlight filtering through the partially open drapes cast a soft glow over her. After all those years of seeing her one way, I could hardly remember ever thinking of her like a friend.
Even the smallest everyday gestures now – like shrugging off her coat, taking a sip of wine, or bumping her arm against mine – felt loaded with tension.
Tucking her hair behind her ear, she faced me with a breath of courage, her wide eyes holding mine as if she expected me to pounce.
The unspoken message was clear – tonight wasthenight. We had the place to ourselves, there was no alcohol clouding anyone’sjudgement, and we’d both said how much we wanted this. But first...
“You want to watch a movie?” I asked, flopping onto her bed and sliding against the insanely high and cushiony headboard.
Last night had been one of my best sleeps in a long time. Ruby’s bed was insanely comfortable, like a marshmallow mixing with cotton candy. I’m sure my physical therapist would have something to say about sleeping on a bed this soft, but I was willing to ignore it for another night.
“You want to watch a movie?” Ruby checked, frowning.
“Uh-huh. Something actioned packed. Maybe with a car chase or two.”
“Okay.” Picking up the remote from the dresser, she threw it my way. “You choose something. I’m going to freshen up.”
After kicking off my shoes, I scanned Netflix and settled on the most cringiest looking action movie I could find. Something about a group of high school students saving the world from a pack of rabid monkeys they’d accidentally created in their school lab. Seemed plausible enough.
I was aiming for the perfect balance – something interesting enough to distract Ruby, but not too exciting that she became invested.
“Do you want any snacks? Popcorn? A drink?” she asked when she walked back into the room five minutes later.
“Nah. I’m good. Come here.”
Albeit a little guardedly, she climbed onto the bed beside me and nestled beneath the arm I held out.
Watching a movie with Ruby? Something I’d done countless times. Cozying up to Ruby? Kind of new. Knowing this was a segue to sex? Exciting and terrifying all at once.
Twenty minutes into the action-packed monstrosity, the movie magic started having the desired effect. Ruby was hooked – and by hooked I meant critiquing how bad the plot was.
“The blonde girl is the worst,” she complained. “I hope she’s the first to get ravaged by a monkey.”
I chuckled. “That’s cold, Rubz.”
“She was the one who added the bad chemical to the experiment. It’s time she faced the consequences.”
Despite the music hinting something big was about to happen, I couldn’t tear my attention from Ruby. She still had her contacts in, so there was nothing obscuring her wide eyes as she gaped at the TV. How had I gone all this time without truly realising how beautiful she was? It’s like I’d brainwashed myself not to notice.
“What does she have to be crying about now?” Ruby grumbled. “Nobody’s even died yet. She’s going to lose her mind when that inevitably happens.”
Pushing her hair aside, I pressed my lips to the soft skin behind Ruby’s ear. Her tangent died off instantly as her eyes fluttered closed.
I swept my tongue along the curve of her neck, tracing a path across her throat until my mouth found hers.
It was all over after that.
I tugged Ruby onto my lap, where she comfortably settled with a leg on either side of mine. Just a few weeks ago, that alone would’ve rattled us. Now, I couldn’t imagine thisnotfeeling normal.
“I thought we were watching a movie,” she teased. “I’m invested in Monkey Rampage now.”
“Fuck the movie,” I growled.
Without waiting for a response, I grabbed the remote and killed the TV. Ruby didn’t protest as my mouth claimed hers.
As my body reacted to the way she was grinding above me, the weight of the moment hit. This was Ruby – my best friend. In all the years we’d known each other, I’d never once pictured things would lead here.
