by Claire Raye
Chapter Four
Caleb
The door closes to her bedroom and I exhale, shoving a rough hand through my hair as I glance down at my sweatpants and the obvious hard-on I’m now rocking.
“Fuck,” I breathe out, wondering if she noticed. I mean we were curled up together on the couch, which isn’t exactly roomy. And I’m pretty sure my dick was pressed up against her ass too. Or at least in close proximity to it.
I hear the sound of the shower starting up and almost immediately my brain is filled with images of her naked and wet, which of course does nothing for my hard-on. Readjusting my pants, I move into the kitchen to make some coffee, just as the front door opens and Reid and Sienna walk in.
“Honey, we’re home!” Reid shouts, chuckling as he walks into the kitchen. “Hey,” he says, slapping me on the back.
“Hey yourself.”
“You good?”
I give him a wordless thumbs up, actually meaning it for once. Last night was the best night’s sleep I’ve had in months. Not only did I sleep through the night, I didn’t have a single nightmare, at least not one I remember anyway. Given I was wrapped around Ruby all night, I’m pretty sure I would’ve woken her if I had, which means she would’ve woken me.
I’m also pretty sure she’s the reason for my good night’s sleep, but I’m still trying to process the reasons behind that.
“Yeah,” I say, holding up the coffee pot. “I’m good. Coffee?”
Reid glances over his shoulder as Sienna walks into the kitchen. “Nah, we gotta get to class,” he says, throwing his arm around Sie’s shoulders. “Just came by to grab some things.”
I pour myself a cup as I mentally tell my dick to calm the fuck down so I can actually turn around and face them.
“You working tonight?” Sienna asks.
I shake my head, quickly glancing down to check all is good before I turn to them. “Nah, night off tonight,” I say, leaning back against the counter.
“Good,” my sister replies. “Family dinner and movie night then,” she adds, smiling at me.
My eyes flick to Reid who just grins at me because he’s totally pussy whipped these days and will do anything Sie wants him to do. I roll my eyes at him, a look of mock disapproval on my face, which only makes him laugh.
“Sure, sounds good,” I reply, turning back to Sie as I take a sip of coffee.
Sienna beams as though I’ve made her fucking day, stepping over to give me a hug, because that’s become the new thing since we got to Hawthorn. She and I were never really super affectionate growing up, maybe because we had distant parents who never gave a shit. But ever since I came back with her and Reid, she’s been kind of clingy with me.
As weird as it is though, I don’t mind and honestly, I kind of get it too. After everything we’ve been through, after the two years apart and all the shit that happened when our dad died, the things she came home to when her and Reid drove back, and then watching as they risked everything to get Reid’s dad; it’s all only solidified the bond we share.
Her, Reid, and me.
Because he’s different with me, too.
But again, I get it. This is our family now and we are all each other has got.
“Okay, we gotta go.” She steps back, giving me a once over. “You look good,” she suddenly says as she tilts her head at me as though she’s trying to figure out what’s different. “Rested.”
My eyes flick to Reid again before back to Sie. Shrugging, I try to play it off as though it’s no big deal. “I am.”
Sienna pulls me in for another tight embrace, her mouth at my ear as she whispers, “I’m so glad.”
I exhale because as much I hope it’s over, I really have no idea if last night was a one-time thing, or whether my nightmares will all return when I go to sleep on the couch by myself tonight. Whatever it was though, I’ll take it for now, because it feels good to actually feel so rested. To wake up and not feel like I’m trying to swim through concrete. It’s the first time in forever that I’ve felt like this and it’s even better that Sie somehow thinks I’m getting better too.
“I’ll see you guys later, yeah? And I’ll take care of dinner tonight,” I say, as I put my coffee cup in the sink. “I’m gonna take a shower.”
We say our goodbyes and I head into the bathroom, my mind instantly going back to thoughts of Ruby in her bathroom, naked and wet beneath the water. The hard-on that I managed to talk into submission returns with a vengeance, demanding I do something about it.
I know what I’d like to do, but I’m pretty sure that’s not an option. As fun as it’s been hanging out with Ruby and as much as I love spending time with her, I’m positive we are squarely in the friend zone.
Plus, it’s been so fucking long since I was with a girl, it almost feels like I wouldn’t even know how to read the situation if she was into me. The last thing I want to do is make a move when she’s not on the same page. These days, it seems jacking off in the shower is the limit of my sexual activities.
I resist the urge to jerk off to thoughts of her though, because as tempting as it is, it also feels kinda wrong. Instead, I turn the water to cold and wash quickly, once again mentally giving my dick the message that it isn’t happening today.
By the time I walk back into the kitchen, showered and dressed, the house is empty. There’s a note on the table, which I pick up and read.
Hey! Sorry, had to bail for class. So, family dinner tonight, huh? Sounds like fun... Will be done with class at 3 if you wanna go for a quick run afterward…you’re getting in better shape, but there’s still work to be done ;)
R
I let out a laugh at her cheekiness, even if she is right. Having spent the last two years working every night and most of the day trying to find ways to salvage our family business, not to mention eating shitty bar food on a fairly regular basis and not having any football practice, I’ve definitely let myself go.
So it’s been great being able to get back in shape again, even if the best part of my run is getting to hang out with Ruby.
I feel like I should text and let her know I’m up for the run, but I can’t because I still don’t have her number. It’s weird, because even though we live in the same house, spend most nights hanging out together and run practically every day, we haven’t done the whole number swap thing.
Again, it’s hard, because I feel so out of fucking practice with this whole thing, I just don’t know how to approach it.
With nothing else going on and Reid, Sienna and Ruby all in class, I spend the afternoon shopping for food for dinner. Now I have a fairly steady income, not to mention the money Reid gave us, I feel like it’s the least I can do, considering I’m crashing on the couch and basically living rent free with them.
And as shitty as it is that I don’t have my own space, I still can’t bring myself to look for somewhere else to live. I know part of it is just not wanting to be alone. It’s not just because of what happened, when Ray Bowen showed up at my house and beat the shit out of me, although I can’t deny that’s a huge part of it. But having spent two years virtually living by myself in Providence, I crave the company I now have, even if it’s just knowing someone else is in the house.
Plus, it’s been fucking fantastic hanging out with my sister and Reid again, the three of us finding our way back to that inseparable threesome we always had going on for most of our lives.
And then there’s Ruby. A girl who I know is nothing more than a friend, despite how much she occupies my thoughts and my dreams. But she’s also a girl who gives me back my life, who makes everything feel so fucking normal again, that I just don’t want to leave.
I’m too afraid of shit going back to the way it was.
Not to mention that I just really like hanging out with her.
By two-thirty, I’m bored shitless, so I pull on my running gear and jog over to the campus and where I know Ruby has her class. I’ve met her after class before, mostly because I just want to remind tha
t creepy ass professor she has that she’s totally off-limits, but there’s never been a situation when I’ve run into him.
If anything, Ruby is usually walking out with her friends, laughing and chatting until she sees me and we walk back home together to go for our run.
Today though, I watch as her friends leave the building, a couple of them tipping their head in my direction because I guess they recognize me now. I don’t see Ruby though and when I glance at my phone, I see it’s been ten minutes since her class ended.
I push off the wall I’ve been leaning against, ready to head inside and check that she’s okay when she suddenly comes barreling through the door, her face white and clutching her bag in a death grip. She’s walking quickly, her head down, so she doesn’t even see me as I move in front of her, my hands grabbing her shoulders to stop her.
“Hey, hey,” I say softly, as I crouch down a little to see her face. “You okay?”
She lifts her head, her eyes wide as they scan my face. “Yeah,” she says, swallowing hard. “What…ah, what are you doing here?”
I shake my head, as though dismissing her question, because that’s the least important thing in all of this. “Ruby,” I say. “What happened, are you alright?” My gaze flicks to the windows lining the side of the classroom, but I can see it’s empty, no sign of the asshole teaching her class. “Did he do something to you?”
Ruby shakes her head, her mouth set in a firm line. “No, it’s nothing,” she says. “Seriously, I’m fine.”
She tries to pull away from me and I reluctantly let her go, not wanting to feel like I’m forcing her to say anything. Fuck knows I know what that feels like. Instead we both turn and start to walk home, walking side by side in silence.
Eventually I reach over and take her bag, gently easing it from her grip before slinging it over my shoulder. Ruby offers me a small smile, before she turns away. By the time we get home, I’m convinced she’s going to bail on our run. She hasn’t said a single word to me since we left campus, and while I’m absolutely positive something happened back in that classroom with the creeper, I have no idea how to bring it up.
Although I’m definitely going to be waiting for her after every fucking class now.
“You ready to go?” she suddenly asks.
I look up to find Ruby standing in the living room, dressed in her running gear.
I open my mouth to ask her if she’s sure she wants to do this or if she’s really okay or if she wants to talk about what happened back in her class. But then I’m reminded of all the times Reid or Sienna asked me this shit and how much I didn’t want to talk about because all I wanted to do was forget it.
“Yep,” I say, smiling at her. “Pretty sure I’m gonna kick your ass this time, too,” I add teasingly.
Ruby finally laughs and it’s fucking amazing. “You wish, pretty boy,” she says, walking past me to the front door.
“Pretty boy?” I say, smacking her on the ass as she walks by without even thinking about it. “Oh, you’re gonna pay for that!”
Ruby giggles again, opening the front door and heading outside. I follow her out and we both start to run, each of us pushing the other to go further and harder with every stride.
By the time we get back home, we are both laughing our asses off, the old Ruby back as she stands bent at the waist, her hands on her knees.
“Shit, have you been secretly training or something?” she says, each word punctuated by a hard gasp.
I force a laugh out, mirroring her pose as I reply, “Maybe I’m just trying to impress my trainer.”
Ruby scoffs. “Is that right?”
We both straighten and I give her a wink. “Yeah.”
After I’ve showered, I head into the kitchen to start making dinner. I’d grabbed stuff earlier to make nachos, including a bucket of margarita mix. It’s the middle of the week and I’m pretty sure everyone has class tomorrow, but fuck it, it seems like a night for relaxing and having fun. I actually think it might be the first night all four of us are home and hanging out together. And I kind of love that.
“You know how to cook?” Ruby asks as she wanders into the kitchen, her wet hair all pulled into a knot on her head. She’s dressed in a pair of fitted sweatpants and an oversized sweater that hangs off one shoulder, and it takes everything I have in me not to pull her into my arms and kiss the shit out of her.
Instead, I shoot her a quick look. “I do,” I say, grinning. “Makes the whole package that much more attractive, doesn’t it?”
Ruby throws her head back and lets out a loud laugh, back to her old self again, as though whatever happened this afternoon after her class has long been forgotten. “It is appealing,” she says, crossing her arms as she leans against the counter. “I’ll give you that.”
My grin widens as I give her a wink. “I can teach you, young padawan,” I tease, wondering if she’ll get the reference.
My question is answered as her arms fall to her sides and her mouth drops open in shock, her eyes widening. “Holy shit,” she says, breathless. “We are so watching Star Wars tonight.”
I can’t help but chuckle. “Well, whatever you do, don’t mention that to Sie until she’s at least, hmmm…” I pause, hand on my chin as though I’m thinking, “at least three margaritas in. She hates Star Wars.”
Ruby’s mouth drops even more. “Well fuck.” She exhales hard, her warm breath tickling the back of my arm as she reaches for the bottle of tequila. “I literally have no idea how she and I are still friends,” she says, as she starts to mix our drinks.
I laugh, shaking my head as I wonder if it’s at all possible that Ruby and I could ever be more than friends.
Chapter Five
Ruby
We’re all sitting around the table pigging out on nachos and street tacos, laughing and talking about our day. It feels so normal, like Caleb has always been here and I don’t want him to ever move out. Even though I’m sure he’d love his own space.
“What were you up to today, Sie?” I ask, the conversation floating back and forth between all of us sharing what we’ve been up to.
“World’s longest bio lab,” she replies, rolling her eyes and even though she loves to bitch about the length of her classes and their intensity, she wouldn’t have it any other way. “I can’t get over how many people don’t review the lab before class and then have a million fucking questions.”
Caleb and Reid both laugh out loud at her comment and it’s clear they’ve dealt with her advanced preparation for years.
“Hate to break it to you, babe, but I’m totally the guy who shows up and asks someone what we’re doing,” Reid teases and she smacks him on the arm.
“I know you are and I kinda hate you for it.” Sienna lets out a mock sigh of annoyance and I’m pretty sure we all know she could never hate him for anything. After how hard the two of them were crushing on each other, it was obvious to everyone but them that they were meant to be together.
“And how was your day, Ruby?” Sienna asks me, a singsong quality to her voice as she smiles and returns the question.
“It was fine. One of my professors was an asshole, but you know.” I shrug my shoulders, trying to let the conversation I had with him roll off my back. I’m being too sensitive because I’m sure he’s just trying to make sure I’m working to my full potential.
“Was it that dick Professor Keller?” Reid asks and I can hear the bite in his words. He’s been around long enough to hear me bitch about him, but Reid also doesn’t like the idea of how touchy-feely he is with the female students.
“Was it?” Caleb chimes in and when I look over at him his jaw is clenched so tight I swear he looks like he’ll chip a tooth.
“Shit, you two need to settle down. With so much fucking alpha male testosterone floating around this place, you’re likely to knock Sienna or me up by just looking at us,” I joke, and Sienna laughs out loud.
“Welcome to my life, Ruby.”
We’re both laughing, but t
he boys don’t seem to find it as funny. I get it though. They don’t like it when anyone fucks with their girls. Even if I’m not Caleb’s girlfriend, he’ll still look out for me just like Reid does.
“It was nothing. I got a D on a paper I worked my ass off on, but after reading his comments and talking with him I probably deserved it. It was just disappointing,” I explain, again realizing I need to get a tougher skin if I’m going to be dealing with people’s lives and their issues.
“I doubt that,” Caleb mutters under his breath, shooting a conspiratorial glare across the table at Reid.
“I’m sure you’ll do better next time,” Sienna says comfortingly and it reminds me how lucky I am to have her and the boys in my life. Even if the boys can be douchebags sometimes.
We talk a little longer, the tension in the room dying down as we finish off the last of the tacos. The margaritas are flowing with a tad too much tequila, but everyone seems to have loosened up a bit now. Sienna and I offer to clean up the kitchen, but the boys insist on doing it while Sienna and I take our drinks out onto the front porch.
“So what really happened today?” Sienna presses, knowing now that we’re out the boys’ earshot I’ll be a little more honest. “You seemed a little off today. What did that dick say to you?”
“It was nothing, seriously. I was just being way too sensitive.” I shake my head trying to clear my thoughts. “A few weeks back Professor Keller said one of my papers was the best he’d ever read and you know his reputation on campus. He’s an impossibly hard grader, so I was kinda riding that high and then I got knocked on my ass when I got a D.”
I don’t go into detail about how he tried to hug me or console me when I was visibly shaken, because it’s just not a necessary detail. And also because a part of me feels like I’m being ridiculous, my thoughts going some place that is so far-reaching. I can’t help but think he built me up just so he could drag me back down, just so he’d have a reason for me to visit his office and spend time with him. The thought almost has me laughing out loud. Who am I to think I’m that big of a catch that a professional like Professor Keller would go to that much trouble to spend time with me. It’s so stupid and I blame Caleb and all his protective tendencies.