Page 114 of What are the Risks
As we headed for the car, I reached for her hand. If it was too much affection, she was polite enough not to pull away for my sake. I’d never thought of myself as a touchy-feely guy – until I touched her. Now, I couldn’t get enough.
When we came to a stop beside my car, I tugged up the collar of Ruby’s coat to shield her from the cold.
“What now?” she asked.
“Whatever you want. We can go for ice cream, or maybe hot chocolate would be better tonight.”
“I’m stuffed,” she admitted. “I doubt I could eat another thing.”
“The guys are at a party on Frat Row we can check out... or we could just go back to my place and watch a movie.”
Ruby chewed her lip. “Will you think I’m boring if I veto the party? I’m still kind of beat.”
I breathed a sigh of relief, reaching for her door. “That was the answer I was hoping for.”
Hanging out home alone with Ruby sounded a thousand times more appealing than spending the rest of the night crammed into a sweaty frat party. I wasn’t exactly in the mood to play bodyguard every time a guy glanced Ruby’s wayeither.
Just as she was climbing into the car, her phone rang. She stopped cold, her shoulders tensing as her eyes locked on the screen. Judging by that reaction, I had a damn good idea who was on the other end.
“Does he call you often?” I asked.
She slowly shook her head. “He’s probably drunk considering it’s a Saturday night.”
Ruby screened the call before glancing back at me.
With Noah no longer hanging over us, she wrapped her hands behind my neck and pulled me closer. When her lips met mine, it felt like a victory. This was the first time she’d initiated a kiss, and while it might seem like a small milestone to most, it was pretty fucking monumental to me.
Before I could properly kiss her back, her phone went off again. A glare crept across my face, knowing perfectly well who was to blame for killing the mood.
Fuck Noah. Had I said that recently?
“Want me to answer it?” I offered.
Ruby hesitated for a moment before placing her phone in my outstretched hand. As much as I loved that she trusted me with this, part of me wished I wasn’t doing it in front of her. This was my first chance to confront the asshole since everything went down. He’s lucky it was over the phone.
“Ruby?” he slurred when I lifted the phone to my ear.
“Not Ruby.”
Caught off guard, Noah fell silent for a pause. “What are you doing with Ruby’s phone, Richardson?”
“Doesn’t matter. What matters is you harassing her when she’s made it clear it’s over. You do realise this constitutes stalking, right?”
“It’s not stalking. She’s my girlfriend.”
“Not anymore, fucker. You made sure of that.”
His voice suddenly sounded much steadier as he growled at me. “Fuck you, Richardson. You don’t know anything.”
“I know enough. You fucked up and–”
I glanced at Ruby before finishing that sentence. Her eyes were wide, not teary as such, but she certainly wasn’t enjoying this.
“Leave Ruby alone,” I settled with. “I won’t tell you again.”
I hung up without another word. Noah didn’t deserve our attention for a moment longer, and I didn’t want this being something Ruby remembered whenever she looked back on tonight.
After I handed back her phone, Ruby idly twirled it a few times before dropping it into her purse and zipping it shut.
