by Claire Raye
She’s been mixing up the routes, showing me around the town, but also giving me an opportunity to work out. It’s nice, more than nice actually, and I’m not sure if it will continue to happen if I move out. Which is also part of the reason I’m stalling on the house hunting.
When I get home, I head inside to find the place quiet, everyone else clearly in bed. I grab some sweats from my bag and head into the bathroom to take a quick shower.
When I walk into the kitchen to grab something to eat though, Ruby is sitting at the counter, an open beer in front of her and a second one sitting in front of the empty stool next to her.
“Hey,” I say, surprised. “I didn’t know you were still up.”
Ruby looks up and smiles at me. “Yep, I am,” she says, swallowing hard. “I got you a beer.” She points her pencil toward the second bottle sitting beside her, before ducking her head.
“Thanks,” I reply, taking a seat beside her. “What are you doing?” I glance over at the books in front of her.
Ruby shrugs, taking a sip of beer. “Just some reading.”
I reach for one of the textbooks, spinning it around so I can see the cover and title. “Professional Counseling: A Process Guide to Helping,” I say out loud, as I glance at her, a brow raised in question. “There’s a process to helping, huh?”
Ruby takes another sip of her beer, her eyes staring at the textbook in front of me. “Yeah I guess, although mostly I think you just need to be a good listener.”
I slide the textbook back to her. “I think it’s probably more than that.”
Ruby tilts her head to the side as she watches me, and I suddenly feel a little nervous. I didn’t mean to start a discussion on the ways and means of counseling someone, because that’s honestly the last fucking thing I want to talk about.
I’m not sure how much she knows about me and what happened back in Providence. I mean the situation with Reid’s dad: the arrest, the charges and him going to jail, was all over the news, so that she definitely knows about. Plus, I’m pretty sure Sienna filled her in on some of the details while we were in hiding back at the safe house and again when we eventually got back here.
But all the stuff that came before that, the reasons I didn’t come to Hawthorn two years ago, all the shit I went through with my dad and the even bigger shit that came after that. I’m pretty sure Sie hasn’t told her about those things.
Because if it’s one thing Sie and me have always done, it’s protect each other and the shit we’ve come from. Neither of us is big on telling people about our fucked up family and with the exception of Reid, who of course knows everything, we’ve basically kept our mouth shut. It’s why the three of us have always been so tight. We know each other’s secrets, but we know how to keep them, too.
I take another sip of my beer, my eyes on the kitchen window and the darkness of the night on the other side of it. “I think in order to be a good listener,” I start, unsure why I’m even saying this, “you have to be able to make people feel comfortable enough to talk.”
From the corner of my eye, I see Ruby reach for her beer and take a long sip, nodding almost to herself as she lowers her bottle to the counter. “Oh hey,” she suddenly says, turning on her stool to face me. “So how was your first night of work?”
I chuckle, surprised at the total one-eighty in conversation, but also grateful. “Yeah, it was good,” I say, shrugging. “Quiet night, no major drama. Seems like a cool place though.”
“Good,” she says. “I’m glad.”
I take another sip, looking sideways at her. “Reid and Sienna came by,” I say, trying to act casual as I add, “You should come in sometime.”
“Yeah, I would have,” she says, “but I had a late class.”
“How’s things with the creepy professor?” I ask.
Ruby’s brows narrow. “He’s not that bad, really.”
Now it’s me giving her a questioning look. “Yeah, he kinda is,” I say, finishing off my beer. I get up to grab us two more, not bothering to ask if she wants one. I also grab a slice of leftover pizza from the box in the fridge, suddenly realizing I’m starving. “You should be careful around him,” I add, turning to her as I walk back to the counter.
I can feel her eyes on me, watching as I walk over and take a seat beside her, opening her beer before sliding it down to her. I realize again, that I’m not wearing a shirt, but I seriously wasn’t expecting her to be here when I came out of the shower and going to put one on now would just be weird.
Unfortunately, she is not wearing the tank and panties she had on the last time we met in this kitchen late at night. This time she’s wearing a t-shirt and leggings, her hair all piled up on the top of her head in a messy knot. She still looks fucking gorgeous though, all long legs and smooth skin, eyes the color of chocolate. And the one good thing about the kitchen window having no blinds, is I can check her out without her noticing.
“How many classes do you have with him?” I ask, sitting back down.
“Um,” Ruby says, finishing off her first beer. “Three, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.”
I take another sip of my beer mentally taking note of the days. “So, we running tomorrow?” I ask, changing the subject.
Ruby chuckles. “Sure,” she says. “We can go after my class if you want.”
I turn to her. “The creepy professor class?” I ask.
Ruby rolls her eyes but she’s smiling. “Yeah,” she says. “I should be done at three, so if that works for you, I can meet you back here and then we can go?”
I take a sip of beer as my eyes stay locked on hers. Smiling, I say, “Great, sounds like a plan.” Knowing I won’t be waiting for her back here. Not now I know what time her class with that creeper ends.
Might be the perfect excuse to go meet her when she gets out, remind this prick that Ruby is off-limits.
Chapter Three
Ruby
We’re at the two-week mark and it’s hard to believe that Caleb hasn’t lived here all along. Our late night chats have become a thing now. Although I may be making them a thing by lingering out in the kitchen or the living room when I would normally be in my bedroom. But my life has gotten exponentially more boring since Sienna and Reid hooked up, leaving me to hang out on my own most of the time.
I don’t hold it against her. It was a long time coming and the two of them together couldn’t be more adorable. It’s also not like I’m hurting for someone to hang out with either. One minute into a party and I’d have a few guys interested, but generally that just turns into a one-night stand. All fine and good, but why seek it out when I have someone to hang out with in the privacy of my own home and I don’t even have to put real clothes on to do it.
I check the time on my phone and know the bar has long been closed. Since it’s a Sunday, Caleb should be walking through the door in the next five minutes. I’m curled up on the couch, the remote in my hand flipping through the guide when I see Jaws is starting in five minutes. It’s one of my favorite movies and maybe I can get Caleb to stay up and watch it with me.
Sienna and Reid are staying at his place tonight and the house is strangely quiet. I think Sienna feels bad that between her and Reid they have two places to stay and poor Caleb is shacking up on our couch. When she stays at Reid’s, he at least has a bed to sleep in. I just hope she washes the sheets.
The back door to the house opens and I hear Caleb kick off his shoes as he lets out a long sigh. I know he hasn’t been sleeping well, but we don’t talk about it. I’m sure it’s hard for him to admit he’s still struggling with what happened.
“Hey!” I call out because even though the house is small and I’m sure he can hear the TV, I don’t want to startle him.
“Hey, Ruby!” he yells back as I hear him open the refrigerator. “You still up?”
“Yeah. I was just about to start a movie. You wanna watch it with me?”
“Yeah sure,” he says. “Just let me hop in the shower first. I smell like drunk peo
ple and stale booze.”
Ten minutes later he’s joining me on the couch smelling like soap and wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants. I’m trying terribly hard not to find him insanely attractive, but he has a body that screams he knows his way around a woman, and he has a face to match with striking blue eyes and a perfectly sloped nose. He’s stunning, but I shouldn’t be surprised because so is Sienna.
Just as I’m about to start talking to distract myself from looking at his half-naked body next to me, he says, “Hey, when you’re home by yourself don’t leave the back door unlocked. I don’t like the idea of you…” he clears his throat and strangely adds, “of you and Sienna here by yourselves with the door unlocked.”
I get that he’s been through some shit and has had his privacy invaded in ways I can’t even begin to comprehend, but Hawthorn is about as safe as it gets. The worst thing that happens here is some drunken idiot falls asleep on our front porch.
“It’s Hawthorn, Caleb. Nothing ever happens here,” I defend, shoving him with my bare foot, but he grabs hold of it as he looks over at me. Our eyes meet and in that split second I feel my heart skip a beat.
“That’s what everyone says. What about that creepy professor of yours? I still think he’s a fucking weirdo.”
“He isn’t going to show up at our house and if he does, I have you and Reid to make sure he knows not to come around here again.”
“Has he ever been by the house?” Caleb asks, pushing for information.
“No, nosy, he hasn’t, and he hasn’t done anything creepy since I saw him with you when we went running weeks ago. Probably because someone I know has been lingering around campus right around the time my class lets out.” I tilt my head to the side and wink at him, which only causes him to pause for a second before responding.
“If he does, tell me and I’ll…” Caleb stops and smirks at me, like he’s some big protector. Sienna always said he was a little too overprotective for her liking, but I find him kind of endearing. “So are we gonna start this movie or what?” he asks now, that smirk still on his face.
“Yep, it just started,” I tell him, grabbing the blanket that’s draped over the couch. “It’s Jaws. One of my favorites.”
“Never seen it,” he responds and my mouth drops open. I practically jump on top of him out of shock.
“You can’t be serious.”
“Dead serious. Sienna was terrified and we never made it through the first ten minutes. You don’t watch Jaws when you grow up on the east coast.” He winks at me and I bite down on my bottom lip to stifle the moan I feel building when I take in his beautiful face.
He has no idea how attractive he really is.
“Well, you’re in for a real treat because it’s so badly made but still epically awesome.”
The opening scene begins to play, nothing really happening but the intensity of what’s to come is building and even though I’ve seen it a million times, it still grabs me. I look over at Caleb, his eyes locked on the screen and I can tell he feels it too.
“So see,” he whispers, trying not to disturb the quiet stillness of the room, “this is why New Englanders don’t watch this shit. We’ve all been drunk at the beach at night.”
“I thought you said Sienna was the reason you’ve never watched this,” I say, skepticism in my voice as I narrow my eyes at him and shove him once again with my foot.
“Listen, I don’t need your shit,” he teases, grabbing my foot and pulling me toward him. I can feel the warmth of his hand, the comfort of having him close to me and for a split second I debate curling into the side of his body. But he isn’t giving off that vibe and what we have going is nothing more than playful.
“Don’t worry. I would protect you from the shark,” I tease back, trying on my best baby talk and he laughs out loud.
Holy hell, to hear him laugh is like the most melodic thing I’ve ever heard. I don’t think he’s truly laughed since he’s been here and to hear it now feels special and true, and when I look over at him, he looks lighter and happier than he ever has.
“All one hundred pounds of you is going to protect me from that massive shark? Think again, sweets.”
I prop my hands on my hips, hitting him with a bit of stink eye and laughing. “Fine, okay, maybe I can’t protect you, but I can make sure the movie doesn’t scare you.”
“How you gonna do that?” he asks, his head tilted to the side as he waits for me to knock him out with something amazing and resourceful.
But I’ve got nothing, so I shift closer to him and link my arm through his, resting my head on his shoulder. “Like this. Sometimes it helps just to be close to someone,” I say, taking in a long slow breath and my eyes fall closed. He smells like peace and calm, like the salt of the ocean and fresh cut grass and the air right before it rains. He’s perfection.
“What time is your first class?” he murmurs, his lips brushing against my hair.
“Not till one.”
That’s the last thing I remember saying and when I wake up to the sun streaming through the massive window at the front of our house, I’m still on the couch curled around Caleb’s body.
It’s early and the sun is just beginning to rise. I can feel the tug of sleep still pulling at my eyes making it hard to keep them open. I give into it, letting my arm fall around Caleb’s bare torso as he sleeps soundlessly against me. His face is buried in my hair and I can feel the soft puffs of air as he gently breathes.
There’s so much comfort in being this close to him and with the way he’s finally sleeping peacefully, I know he feels it too. If this is what he needs to calm what ruins him, he can have me every night of his life.
The hours pass and the sun burns brighter as my alarm chirps out waking both of us up. I reach out to my phone as it sits on the coffee table in front of us. I hit the snooze button and I feel Caleb nuzzle his nose into my hair, his mouth turning up in a small smile. Something I notice as his lips move against the top of my head.
“I’m sorry I trapped you on the couch all night,” he says, a rasp to his voice as he clears the sleep from his throat.
“It’s okay. I actually slept really well.”
“It’s the best I’ve slept in months,” he mutters, his admission of honesty not lost on me and something about it breaks my heart just a little.
“You don’t ever talk about it,” I say, feeling a little bolder after our forced closeness. “But if you want to, I’m here.”
Caleb falls silent, but he doesn’t move and I’m concerned I’ve crossed a line, a line that was drawn when we decided to become friends and nothing more. I don’t know why I thought he might suddenly want to open up to me about what happened to him just because we fell asleep on the couch together. It doesn’t make me a therapist or someone to confide in; it just makes me a girl he lives with.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t—” Caleb cuts me off and my heart begins to race with wondering if he thinks I’ve taken things too far. I begin to wonder what it will be like if he decides he doesn’t want to hang out with me in the evenings or go running with me anymore because I’ve gotten too damn nosy.
“Why are you apologizing?” He shifts so we’re both sitting up. I can feel his eyes on me and I look down at the floor, almost embarrassed that I’ve acted like I can help him in any way. I’m a fucking counseling major not a fucking counselor, at least not yet and I don’t want him to think I’ve been sitting here analyzing him during all our time together.
“I don’t know. I guess I don’t want you to feel like I’m judging you because that wasn’t…” And again I don’t finish, my words stopping short when I feel his fingers on my chin, moving my face so I’m looking at him.
“I’m a fucking mess, Ruby. I know that, but never once did I think you were judging me. Honestly, you’re the first person I’ve spent any time with that doesn’t look at me like I’m going to lose my shit any second.” He lets out a hard exhale, tugging a hand through his already disheveled hair. “Ever
y time I’m with Sienna she’s asking if I’m okay and it’s making me fucking crazy. Reid looks at me with so much fucking guilt that it nearly kills me. But you, you’re just…”
He stops, smiling at me and then he shakes his head as if he’s clearing his thoughts. I reach over and run my finger down a crease in his cheek, smiling back at him.
“You still have pillow marks on your face from the couch,” I say, laughing a little.
“See, that’s what I’m talking about. You make me feel…normal.”
That’s all I really want for him. For him to feel like himself again and if I can bring him that peace, I will.
I pull the blanket off my legs, but instantly regret it. I have no idea when it happened, but I’m no longer wearing any pants. When I fell asleep last night, I was wearing a pair of leggings and now I’m not. I never sleep with pants on so it’s obvious I took them off and didn’t even realize it.
“Where the hell are my pants?” I call out, covering my face with my hands as Caleb laughs out loud. I can feel the blush creeping up my cheeks and onto my ears as Caleb stands up and scans the room.
“I don’t know, but you better find them. People are gonna start calling you the crazy one, wandering around without pants on,” he jokes, laughing that perfect musical laugh again.
I wrap the blanket around my waist and stand up, walking toward the kitchen. I find my pants lying behind the couch.
“Here they are!” I yell, snatching them off the floor.
“Must have been pretty bothersome for you to toss them all the way over there in the middle of the night,” Caleb jests, a cheeky smile on his face now.
“Mind your damn business, Caleb,” I shame, pointing a finger at him as I retreat to my bedroom, but just as I’m about to close the door he calls out, “Hey Ruby, I’ve seen your perfect little ass in your undies before and it was the best part of my night.”
Such a fucking tease.