Page 5 of What are the Risks
Pat snickered. “Which is never.”
I’d spent my entire life defending my relationship with Ruby and ignoring theare you datingandwhen are you going to get togetherandyou two will get married one daysnide remarks.
It wasn’t a shock that my college teammates couldn’t understand our relationship. Only those who had known us since we were kids tended to be the ones who got it.
“You only see us together when she’s here. I’m not about to abandon her at parties when I’m one of the only people she knows at Phil-U.”
“Whatever you tell yourself, man,” Evan derided. “All I’m saying is that if she wasn’t dating that water polo snob, I’d hit on her in a heartbeat. And if you give her some breathing space tonight, you’ll see for yourself that I’m not the only one who feels that way.”
*
When we finally ambled into the burger place, my stomach mumbled its appreciation as the smell of grilling meat hit me. Most of the team had followed our lead and were here as well, filling up the place. After we ate, plenty would scour the streets for somewhere fun to party on.
Not me.
While I was willing to stick with Ruby for however long she lasted, my ribs were playing the fun police.
I caught sight of the back of her head by the bar. Her blonde hair was secured at the nape of her neck, and she was wearing a baggy beige knit over cream pants, along with the Adidas Sambas I’d bought for her birthday last year.
A guy was next to her, crouching to talk into her ear. Ruby smiled politely before shaking her head. I couldn’t read lips well, but I caughtsorryandboyfriend.
Huh. Clearly Evan wasn’t talking shit.
Taking that as my cue, I crossed the room and came up behind Ruby. As if sensing my presence, she turned, a grin stretching across her face.
“Wheels!”
Pressing onto her tiptoes, she wrapped her arms around my neck. I ignored the sharp pang that shot through my ribs as I ducked down to her height to hug her back.
Her signature scent hit me, making me feel like I was at home and not in some random city. With how often we travelled for games, it was nice seeing a familiar face for a change.
As I pulled back, my gaze shifted to the guy beside her. He cautiously looked me up and down, seeming a little guilty.
“You must be the boyfriend,” he murmured.
“Actually–”
“Yep,” Ruby interjected with ease. “Thank you for my drink.” She placed her hand over my forearm, winking subtly. “But he’s got the rest covered for the night.”
With his tail between his legs, he walked off, retreating to his group of friends hanging by the jukebox.
Once he was gone, Ruby’s attention switched to me smoothly, as though he’d never been there. “What took you so long, Wheels? Come on. We’ve got a table back here.”
Scooping up her free drink, she headed to the booth where Bri, Jaz and Daisy were sitting.
I hadn’t spent as much time with Ruby’s friends as she had with mine. With my hectic schedule, Ruby mainly came to visit me. I’d only been to her place in Columbus twice, and both times it had just been to pick her up before we continued home to Detroit.
Given how often we spoke though, I still knew her friends well. Ruby would often prop me against the fruit bowl while she ate dinner, and I’d get sucked into whatever conversation they were having in the kitchen.
It was usually something pretty fucking whack – girls talked about the most random stuff. I knew way more about Ruby’s friends and all their dating drama than I needed to.
Ruby slid in beside Daisy then scooted over to make room for me.
“Hi girls,” I said.
“Sup, hotshot,” Bri greeted.
I hated that nickname. It’s what she’d called me ever since Ruby mentioned I was a draft prospect.
