“Fine, Caleb. You win,” she says conceding rather quickly and it makes me wonder just what Reid said to her, because whatever it was, he’s got her wrapped around his finger.
The movie has been playing for at least an hour and there’s something about the vibe in the room that makes me want a boyfriend, makes me want the comfort of being with someone. Sienna and Reid are curled up on the couch together, his arms wrapped around her as she leans into him. Her legs are stretched out and they both look like they were meant to be together. There’s such a naturalness to their union that most people never find.
Caleb and I are on the other end of the sectional sofa, and while we’re not sitting awkwardly or anything, we definitely aren’t melting into each other the way Sienna and Reid are. I shift a few times, tucking my legs underneath me and then moving again as I try to find a better position.
Without words and without taking his eyes off the TV, Caleb reaches for me, tugging me so I’m leaning into his side, his arm slung casually over my shoulder, resting on my chest.
I seriously hope he can’t feel how much my heart has started to race because fuck me that would be mortifying. I swallow hard and take in a slow breath willing myself to stop acting like an idiot.
I lean forward slightly, grabbing my margarita from the coffee table and I take a few gulps in the hope it helps keep me from losing it.
I don’t know if it’s because of what happened today, but as much as my body is going haywire, I need to feel this closeness with someone. I want to feel wanted and comforted, and it’s like Caleb can read that in me.
Maybe he needs it too.
I catch a glimpse of Sienna out of the corner of my eye and she’s fallen asleep in Reid’s arms. He smiles at me a little and then motions that he’s going to bed. Gently he wakes Sienna, kissing her face and when she burrows into his chest, he picks her up and carries her to the bedroom.
And now we’re alone.
But it’s like with the aloneness and the alcohol, Caleb gets a little bolder, moving so I’m now sitting between his legs, my body resting against his chest. He smells amazing, like summer mixed with tequila and I let myself ease against him.
I feel my eyes grow heavy almost immediately and I know if I stay out here any longer, I’ll be asleep. As much as I want to wake up in the morning with my body wrapped around Caleb’s again, Sienna and Reid are here. It will look like so much more than just us finding comfort in each other, and the last thing I want to do is add stress to Caleb’s already stressful life by having him try to explain it to his sister.
“I’m going to go to bed. I have an early class tomorrow,” I whisper, catching the time on the clock. It’s just after one a.m. and while I’m used to staying up late, I try my best to get to bed before one when I have class at nine the next day.
Caleb gives a tip of his head that’s almost unnoticeable, but I feel his head move against my hair. I move away from him and instantly feel the loss of comfort in having him near, and when I stand up, I’m hit with just how much I’ve drunk. I’m dizzy and I stumble to the side as Caleb reaches up, his hands connecting with my hips roughly as he holds me in place.
I giggle a little, but when I look down at him, his eyes are dark, his pupils wide, and when he wets his lips all I can think about is kissing him.
“Be careful,” he warns and for a second I think he’s warning me to stay away from him, but then he smiles.
“Good night, Caleb,” I whisper, leaning down to kiss him on the cheek, but I let my lips wander until I’m almost touching his, the corner of my mouth, resting against his. We stay like this, suspended in the moment, so close but still so far away. My shirt hangs loose as I’m leaning over him and I feel the warmth of Caleb’s fingers trace a path along the waist of my shorts.
“Good night, Ruby,” he murmurs, pulling away from me far quicker than I would like and I practically run back to my bedroom.
I flop down on my bed and with my face buried in the pillows I let out a muffled scream of excitement.
How the hell am I supposed to fall asleep now?
Chapter Six
Caleb
We were so close to kissing just now.
So fucking close.
I couldn’t do it though. Not because I didn’t want to, I definitely want to. But Ruby and I are friends, nothing more, and as much I might want something else, there’s not a chance in hell I can go there, not when my life is such a fucking mess. She deserves better than what I have to offer her, including a random one night hook-up because both of us have had a few too many drinks.
I already pushed it further than I should have on the couch tonight, pulling her to sit beside me, wrapping my arm around her, fuck, moving her so she was sitting between my legs. I don’t even know why I did any of it.
I blame the alcohol for sure and the way the whole night had just felt so totally fucking normal. The four of us hanging out like this, eating, drinking, talking and laughing, as though this is my life now. As though Ruby is my girlfriend or something, like how my sister is Reid’s.
But that’s not what we are and as the movie continues to play, everyone now in bed, I know I was dancing a really fine line tonight. A line that I can’t cross no matter how much I might want to.
I must eventually doze off to thoughts of Ruby and what we could be if my life wasn’t such a fucking disaster, because when the nightmares finally wake me, the movie has long finished. As I sit up on the couch, my heart pounding in my chest and my whole body tense, I see the TV is now in screensaver mode and the house is almost in darkness.
Glancing at my phone, I can see it’s almost five o’clock, which means I’ve had fuck all sleep and I have to work tonight. My head pounds with a combination hangover and the remnants of this latest dream, another weird trip back in time to Providence.
Resting my head against the back of the couch, I close my eyes, hopeful that I might somehow be able to get a few more hours in before everyone else wakes up. But my brain is filled with images and memories, not of the night Raymond Bowen showed up at my house, but of last night and sitting on this couch with Ruby.
I can still remember the feel of her body resting against mine, the warmth and comfort she provided and the way she seemed to fit so perfectly against me, as though that was exactly where she was supposed to be. She smelled of coconut and tequila and I remembered wondering what she would taste like, especially when her lips had lingered so close to mine when she said goodnight.
I must doze off again, because when I next open my eyes, the sun in beaming in through the front windows and I can hear the sound of a shower running. Glancing at my phone again, I’m surprised to see it’s now seven-thirty.
Standing, I pad into the kitchen to start some coffee, remembering Ruby said she had an early class today. I’m halfway through my first cup when she finally wanders out.
“Morning,” I say, reaching for another mug.
“Morning,” she responds, sinking into a chair at the table.
I slide the cup of coffee I’ve poured in front of her. “You okay?” I ask.
She looks up at me, a sleepy look on her face. “I might be a little hungover,” she murmurs, lifting the cup and blowing on the hot contents.