Page 104 of What are the Risks
But when I thought about how it felt to kiss her, I knew that feeling didn’t come from some casual hookup. It’s like the stars were in sync, or some greater force was at play. Whatever it was, I knew this was the beginning of something, not the end.
“You’re right,” I said, matching her sincere tone. “We could stop this right now and go back to just being friends.”
Ruby nodded her agreement, but the disappointment in her eyes told a different story. Good. Great. Per-fucking-fect.
“The thing is though... I don’t want to stop, Rubz. If you’re wanting to explore your newfound single life, do it with me. And on me. And to me. I can be your rebound.”
Her eyes were buzzing behind her glasses, and she hadn’t even taken a sip of her coffee yet. I’d say she was wired enough already.
“Why would you want that?” she questioned, a hint of doubt creeping through.
“Because...”
Kissing you felt right.
Waking up beside you fixed my homesickness.
Making you feel good gave me a high unlike anything I’d experienced before.
“Because I care about you, Rubz. And you can trust me.”
Her eyebrows furrowed. “If this is a pity thing–”
“It’s not,” I cut in, blunt and honest. “It’s anI-want-youthing. Do you want me?”
When she eventually nodded, small as it was, a triumphant smile stretched across my face. I wanted her and, for reasons I didn’t fully understand, she wanted me back. Why fight it?
I exhaled. “That settles that.”
Ruby’s shoulders relaxed as she chuckled. “It’s that easy, huh?”
“Look.”
Leaning across the table, I reached for her hands. Screw her no PDA rule. I needed to touch her.
“Let’s just take it day by day, and in the meantime, we can set some ground rules. Like we won’t hook up with other people.”
As she opened her mouth to respond, the waitress appeared with our orders, forcing me to drop Ruby’s hands.
Ruby wanted this – us – I knew she did. But she was also afraid, and I understood why. I was just as scared to take the risk, but even more terrified of not taking a chance on something that felt so right.
After thoughtfully thinking for a few moments, she reached forward and stole a piece of bacon from my plate. “Fine.”
“Fine?”
“We can keep hooking up. But we promise to draw the line before our friendship gets caught in the crossfire.”
Grinning, I slid a hashbrown onto her plate too. “I promise, Rubz.”
CHAPTER FORTY
This is your future
Ryker
I sat beside Coach in the dimly lit hotel room. All the curtains were drawn, and all the doors were sealed shut, blocking out any trace of natural light. Even the overhead lighting had been switched off. The only source came from stage lamps, which were all directed at Coach and me.
They radiated a shit load of heat, causing a sweat to break out beneath my football jacket. I pulled at my collar, unzipping it slightly while exhaling slowly. It was worse than a hot locker room in here.
