Ruffles & Beaus

by Carina Adams

  It was perfect. I took a deep breath and turned back toward my car. I couldn’t wait to share the good news.

  I ignored the disappointment in my gut.

  Nineteen

  Ruffles

  I tried to stifle the sigh, but it was no use. I dropped my pen and pinched the bridge of my nose before I tucked my chin to my chest and rubbed the back of my neck. I was cramped, exhausted, and bored out of my mind.

  It was official. I hated Business Presentations. I despised the assignment Brooke and I had spent the greater part of the week working on. The damn thing had taken more energy than all of my other classes combined.

  Thankfully I didn’t have work for the upcoming weekend, so I had been able to dedicate all my extra energy on the stupid assignment rather than going to the studio. I had no idea what I was going to do when I had both a party and had a paper due for this class.

  I was terrified I was going to be the pathetic senior that failed an entry level class.

  “Tough assignment?”

  Recognizing the voice, I jerked my head up, surprised to find Reid settling into the chair across from me. I looked to the left, then to the right, before I focused back on him. I was exhausted, and while strange things had happened to me when I was this mentally drained, I’d never hallucinated before. There had to be steps before you imagined an entire person into existence.

  He beamed, reading my mind. “I’m really here.”

  “That obvious, huh?” I tried to fight my smile, but couldn’t. We’d talked on the phone a couple of times, but I’d missed his goofy grin. For some crazy reason, his presence had the ability to calm me. “It’s a brutal assignment.” I picked up my pen and tapped the end on the table between us quietly. I needed a distraction and he was perfect. “You’re stalking me, aren’t you?”

  “Of course I am,” he nodded without missing a beat.

  I grabbed one of the many crumpled pieces of paper scattered around my books and tossed it in his direction. He didn’t try to dodge. It hit him in the chest and bounced away.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Looking for you,” he deadpanned with a shrug and a wink. “Lucky guess.”

  I rolled my eyes and wheezed out a silent laugh. I motioned at the library around me. “Of all the places I could be, you just happened to pick here? I look that studious to you?”

  “Ruffles radar.”

  I giggled. “Ruffles radar?”

  He nodded and tapped his temple. “Yeah. It lets me know when you walk into a room. Makes my heart beat faster whenever you’re around. Glues my eyes to you at all times.”

  My snort earned us dirty looks from others who were trying to study at surrounding tables.

  He was obnoxious. Annoying as hell. A talented flirt. And utterly adorable. “You’re far too cute for your own good.”

  “When you gonna go out with me?”

  I fought a smile as I shook my head. He was relentless. “So, what are you really doing here? U-Maine Law students don’t usually schlep with us normal colligates.”

  “I’m asking you out.”

  It took a second for his words to penetrate. When they did, I couldn’t stop the cautious scowl. I was used to him playing the date angle as a distraction, something to take my mind off other things. Yet, his face showed no signs of humor, his jaw tense and eyes clear.

  “Wait, are you serious right now?”

  “You act like that surprises you.”

  I chewed on the inside of my cheek. This was foreign territory for us. I didn’t know what to think or how to process that, let alone what to say. Discomfort and confusion fought my mind for control as warning bells rang in my ears.

  Before I could engage the filter, my nose scrunched and my eyes narrowed. “Why?”

  He didn’t seem upset by my reaction. “Why not?”

  “Answer the question.”

  “Just say yes.” He insisted.

  “No.”

  “No, you won’t say yes? Or no, you won’t go out with me?”

  “No, that’s not why you’re really here. No, I won’t simply say yes just because you told me to. And no, don’t deflect. Answer the question. Why in the hell would you want to go out with me?”

  “Because you intrigue me.”

  I sat back in my chair, stretched out my legs and glanced around in an attempt to look cool and calm. I didn’t understand. We were surrounded by co-eds who were a thousand times more suitable for him than I would ever be, yet I’d never heard him talk about a girlfriend–current or ex.

  I met his stare. “I bet if you looked around this room, you’d find ten more women that could do the same.”

  His eyes never left mine. “None of them would keep me entertained for more than a few hours.”

  “And you think I could?” I wanted to laugh at his absurdity. I was boring as hell.

  “I know you can.”

  As I let his answer sink in, I leaned forward, braced my forearms on the table, and lowered my voice, ready to let him in on the secret. “The girl you think you know, the dancer? She’s not real.”

  He attempted to hide his smile by lapping his lips. “Oh, I know.” His eyes burned into me. “I want to get to know the person under the costumes. So, when are you letting me take you out? If you want, we can skip the dinner and head straight to my house.”

  “You are incorrigible.”

  He reached out and took my hand, threading my fingers through his. “Nah. Persistent, maybe. I know what I want, so why fuck around?”

  I swallowed. “And that’s supposedly me?”

  “It is you.”

  It was suddenly too quiet. It felt like we were on display and everyone was watching us. I lifted my head and glanced around, trying to figure out why the hair on the back of my neck was tingling.

  The culprits sat a few feet away. I didn’t know any of them by name, which wasn’t a surprise since I rarely paid attention to anyone outside my core unit of friends, but I did recognize them. A group of girls I’d seen throw themselves at my friend Lucky more than once. They’d given me the same nasty snarls when they’d seen me with him, too. This time, though, their faces showed a mixture of horrified disbelief and amusement.

  For a moment it felt like high school all over again. I wasn’t the same naïve sixteen-year-old, I’d once been. I knew if something felt too good to be true, it was.

  I could see what they saw. A chubby geek with messy hair and yoga pants mooning over the hot boy she had a snowballs chance in hell of actually dating. I wasn’t in the market for a fuck buddy, especially one I could fall for.

  I tugged my hand away from Reid’s. “Careful, now. Your admirers are watching. Don’t want to lose any street cred by hanging out with someone like me.”

  Part of me hoped he’d ignore the comment. He glanced in the direction I was staring. One lifted her hand into the air, beckoning him toward her with two fingers, like she was the queen and he was supposed to obey her every command. He groaned, but waved back before he moved his attention back to me.

  “Friends of yours?”

  “Friends of a friend,” he answered, almost begrudgingly.

  “Roman’s?” I barely remembered Rome from his time at UCM, but he was still a legacy around parts of campus. As soon as I asked, a thought hit me and my stomach dropped. “He doesn’t have you checking on me, does he? I really am busy with school. I’m not lying to him to get out of going into work.”

  His forehead wrinkled. “I’m not Roman’s errand boy. One, if he wants to check on you, he can do it himself. Two, if he’s having someone spy on you, I’ll kick his ass.”

  I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. “Thanks, I think.”

  “I’m meeting a friend for lunch Cady. Her friend, actually. Running into you was pure luck.”

  I almost let out a bitter laugh. Ruffles Radar, my ass. I’d known he wasn’t there to ask me out, yet I still felt a tug of disappointment.

  I pushed it away and f
ocused on the positive. I enjoyed his company. I liked being around my friend.

  “I’m glad you did. I needed a break. This class is slowly killing me.” I pursed my lips and scrunched my nose. “Plus, I missed you.”

  His face lit up. “Yeah? We just talked last night.”

  I shrugged, brushing it off. “What are you doing this weekend? Anything fun?”

  He grinned, as if he’d been waiting for me to ask. “Have you ever seen a real burlesque show?”

  “Other than glimpses of ours? No.”

  “The Mistresses of Mayhem are in Boston this weekend.”

  I had no idea who he was talking about, but I didn’t want to admit it. I took a wild guess. “Is that like a cabaret?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never been, but I’ve heard they’re the best. Want to go?”

  “You don’t log enough hours in a vehicle or at shows as it is, so you to want to spend your free weekend driving three hours to see yet another burlesque performance?”

  “Yeah. It’ll be fun. I want to spend my weekend off with you.”

  “You’re not sick of me yet?”

  “Never,” he winked, then lapped his bottom lip. “It’s actually good research. They’re much bigger than us, obviously, but it’ll be good for you and Violet to see how the dancers interact with the audience and for you to experience a show from the other side of the stage. Plus, the timing couldn’t be more perfect. We rarely have a weekend off.”

  “Me and Violet?” The disappointment was back. If he’d been serious about asking me on a date this would have been a great opportunity.

  He tried to fight his smirk, but wasn’t successful. “Actually,” he dragged out the word, “I bought tickets already. I thought the four of us could go and see if we could learn anything.”

  The four of us. He meant Rome, Violet, and the two of us. He wanted me to spend my day off with my boss. The cranky man who barely wanted me around when I had to be. The man who made it clear he only tolerated me for work.

  Before I could reply, or find an excuse that would get me out of a weekend from hell, someone set a bag on the end of our table with a loud thump. Startled, I glanced over and did a double take when I saw Brooke. We’d planned to meet later, but from her agitated expression I wasn’t sure she’d remembered.

  When she narrowed her eyes on me, unease settled in.

  “Hi,” she began almost apprehensively, as if she wasn’t sure what she was seeing. “Sorry I’m late.” Her eyes moved from me to Reid and back to me. “Am I interrupting something?”

  I cleared my throat. Her accusatory tone threw me. “I thought we were meeting later.”

  “She means me. We’re having lunch.” Reid’s eyes narrowed. “You know Brooke.”

  “It’s a small school,” she snapped back, as if it was absurd to think she and I didn’t know other.

  I didn’t like her tone, or how she was speaking to him as if he was an idiot. Reid was many things, but stupid was not one of them. I opened my mouth, ready to argue, to point out that while she and I had gone to the same damn college for the last three years, we’d only met a few weeks before.

  “Looks like we’re all thinking the same thing,” Reid rushed out, as if he knew I was about to get bitchy. “But since you’ve met, at least I don’t have to do introductions.”

  “I’d love to know how you two know each other.”

  Her nasty attitude threw me. I’d spent countless hours with her over the last few days, as we’d laughed our way through the project. She’d always been sweet. But I really didn’t like the way she was looking at Reid like he’d betrayed her.

  My stomach sank.

  There was only one reason she’d be reacting that way. He was meeting a ‘friend’ for lunch. The girls at the table glaring at us were ‘friends of a friend’. The unexplainable reason she and Liv hated each other. Actually, I still didn’t understand that one.

  The rest of it all made sense suddenly.

  Brooke and Reid were dating.

  I searched my mind for a feasible reason that I knew him. Anything other than the truth. Before I could answer her, explain my friendship with Reid was purely platonic and I’d had no idea he had a girlfriend, he spoke up.

  “Cady is a friend of a friend,” he lied effortlessly. “When I got here you were no where to be found. I saw her sitting here, looking bored, and thought I’d say hi.” He held a hand out in her direction, looking at me. “Brooke and I go way back. We practically grew up together.”

  He paused for a moment, forehead wrinkled as if he was contemplating something. Then he nodded slightly. His eyes met mine, daring them to look away. “Brooke actually dated my best friend.”

  My eyes widened and I fought to keep the expression of shock from my face. Holy shit. There was no way in hell that Brooke was Roman’s ex. She couldn’t be the flamingo.

  Yet, that pesky little voice in the back of my mind told me she was.

  “Now it’s your turn.” He moved a finger between Brooke and me. “How do you two know each other?”

  “We’re partners in a class from hell,” I answered, my voice almost non existent. “For the rest of the semester.”

  His eyes sparkled in glee. “Well, isn’t it just a small world after all?”

  Brooke cleared her throat.

  My attention shifted to her and I gave her a small smile. “You grew up together, huh? You must know some embarrassing stories.”

  She laughed, much more relaxed than she’d been mere moments before. “Oh, I do.”

  “And, that’s our cue,” Reid stood and pushed in his chair. “Always nice to see you, Cady.”

  I nodded my agreement but didn’t bother to say anything.

  “Actually,” Brooke lifted her purse onto her forearm. “Why don’t you come with us?”

  I couldn’t hide the surprise. “Me?” I attempted to wave her off. “No. I don’t want to interrupt your lunch. I’ll be here when you get back.”

  “Come on!” She tipped her head toward the exit. “It’ll be fun. Plus, I can almost guarantee you haven’t left his room in hours.” Her nose wrinkled dramatically as her eyes darted around. “Tell her, Reid. She should join us.”

  Reid smirked. “Yeah, Cady. You should join us. It’ll be fun.”

  I sighed. They weren’t going to leave until I agreed, and they were already causing a scene. “Okay, you win. I’ll come.”

  Brooke and I had different definitions for the word fun. Lunch with her and Reid wasn’t quite Chinese water torture, but it was close. It definitely didn’t want to have a repeat.

  The two had been friends so long they finished the other’s thoughts and shared food like it was second nature. Like me and Frankie, they had their own bond and the rest of the world seemed to fade away. I wasn’t uncomfortable, but it made me question how Roman had dealt with it.

  As soon as we left the library, Brooke transitioned back into the sweet and funny person I’d gotten to know. Yet, as I listened to the two of them chat, I couldn’t help but think about the things Roman had said about her Saturday night. I watched her with new eyes.

  I’d never thought we had a lot in common, but the differences I noticed were startling. She was very proper and classy. When she laughed, it was soft and comforting. She wiped her mouth daintily with a cloth napkin after every bite and never interrupted when someone else was talking.

  She radiated elegance and charm while I sweat desperation and glitter. The thought made me snort. The stopped mid-sentence and looked at me, which made me laugh harder.

  “Are you okay?” Brooke asked and gave me a radiant smile when I nodded sheepishly.

  I’d always thought she was pretty. Actually, that was an understatement. Angels probably sang the day she was born.

  Now, I found myself scrutinizing her, trying to see her the way Roman did. For a moment I looked closer and tried to find any noticeable flaw, a chink in her armory. There were none. I couldn’t explain why I was searching so hard or what
my motive was. Whatever the reason, all I could see was perfection.

  It was no surprise, really. I’d known that the woman Rome still loved would be brilliant and stunning. He was so surly and hard to please, I expected no less from someone like him.

  I’d spent hours with Brooke, yet as she laughed with Reid, she let her guard down. For a few minutes I saw a side of her she’d always keep hidden. Her smile never reached her eyes. Her laughs were high pitched and forced.

  Her makeup was immaculate, her clothes spotless, and she didn’t have a hair out of place, but it was all an act. I may have worn a costume on the weekends, but Brooke couldn’t leave the house without hers. She was pretending to function, just like Roman.

  It devastated me. He cared so much about her, was so ridiculously hung up on this woman, I had no doubt he would change everything about himself to fit her needs, to get her back. I wanted to know if she felt the same way.

  When she excused herself to go to bathroom, I turned on Reid.

  “Why’d they break up?” I demanded as soon as she was out of sight.

  His fingers traced the rim of his wine glass. “That’s a long story.”

  “One you wouldn’t tell me even if we had time, right?”

  A ghost of a smile tugged at his lips. “Maybe one day.”

  “She’s practically perfect. I can see why he loves her.”

  His eyes narrowed, not in anger, but in concentration, as if he was trying to figure out if I was serious. “You think?”

  The question took me by surprise. “You don’t?” I fired back.

  He ran his tongue over his top teeth and shrugged, “I know she’s not.”

  I bit my lip, trying to hide my disbelief. He shook his head at me, as if he knew I was doubting his words.

  “I guess it depends who you ask, then. I like wild and fun, unpredictable. Perfection to me is found in imperfections. I find beauty in the broken. The things others see as flaws are fascinating to me.”