Page 52 of What are the Risks
“Just hear me out, Ruby.”
“Then start talking.”
Noah’s eyes were as dark-rimmed as I imagined mine were. His hair was messier than usual too, and there were creases in his shirt.It didn’t appear like he’d slept a minute last night. I doubt I would have either if I hadn’t passed out.
He sighed. “I don’t know where to start.”
“How about the first time you cheated on me,” I drily suggested.
Every time.
Every girl.
Noah dropped his head, unable to meet my eye. “The first time was Halloween. I was smashed and missing you–”
“Nope.” I forcefully shook my head. “You don’t get to blame any of this on long distance. I’ve missed you every single day for the past four years, and not once did I ever consider letting someone else fill that void.”
“Fine. I was drunk and an attractive girl gave me attention.”
“That simple, huh?”
Noah ignored the jab. “I was a fucking mess the next day. I hated what I’d done.”
“Did you consider telling me?”
“Not for a second,” he admitted, surprising me with his honesty. “It wasn’t a risk I was willing to take when it meant I might lose you, especially because I vowed to never do it again.”
“But you did...”
He slowly nodded. “I did.”
I fidgeted with a loose thread on Ryker’s hoodie. It smelt like him, his cologne lingering on the soft fleece. The sleeves were soaked from having wiped away so many tears, but I needed to get them all out now, before I boarded my flight. I didn’t want to bethat girlsobbing and making everyone around her uncomfortable.
“Thanksgiving?” I asked.
Noah shook his head. “Piper from high school was all over me at The Dime. I might’ve – could’ve – but then she asked about you and it snapped me out of it.”
Gee, thanks, Piper. Thanks for thinking to mention me while shamelessly flirting with my boyfriend.
I couldn’t exactly be angry with Scarlett and the girls from Noah’s college, since none of them knew me and likely hadn’t known I existed. But Piper knew me well. So Piper could go and fuck herself.
“How many girls?” I checked.
“Six.”
“And how many times?”
Noah still couldn’t meet my eye. “Does it matter?”
Probably not. There’s only so many times a person can handle a body puncture and not die. The more I pushed for details, the closer I got to a wound I couldn’t come back from.
“What was I doing wrong?” I asked.
Noah finally looked at me. “Nothing, babe.”
“Then why?”
I sounded needy and desperate, but I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t comprehend why he’d done this. A once-off mistake was one thing, but to repeatedly break my trust was something else.
