“But I wanted wings.”
“Trust me. This is what you want.”
She’s upset with the world still. And since I’m the only one near, she’s lashing out at me like a child. Something I don’t put up with. Usually. But instead of barking back, giving her the fight she somehow created in her mind that she needs right now, I shut it down and just tell her to eat.
I pick up a boneless wing with a fork and bite into it. She glares at me and then at her food before finally picking up her fork and using it to push things around her plate.
I swallow and take a sip of water. “It’s the sauce you like. This one is even sweeter. And you don’t like wings, not the bone-in ones, because it gets your hands messy. Andwhile you can sit there all you like and say you don’t mind getting your hands dirty, the truth is, you don’t like it when it gets under your nails and you have to wait till you get home to scrub them completely.”
Her eyebrows go up and then narrow as my words sink in. She knows I’m right, but she won’t say it, and I’m okay with that. I don’t need her to say it. Just need her to eat. She used a lot of energy today, and she needs to replenish at least some of it.
She pops a wing into her mouth and mumbles a “Whatever” around chewing it. I cover my mouth with my napkin to hide my smirk as I wipe my mouth clean.
Just like the last time we ate together, the conversation is nonexistent. Doesn’t bother me. Some can’t handle that, but I know that’s what she needs right now. To just sit and eat, knowing that nothing can touch her with me here and she can think in her own head without me asking or judging.
When the check comes, I pay it quickly, and we go back to her place. I follow her up the stairs and don’t even hide that I’m staying. Nat’s door is shut as we pass it, and I head to the bathroom while Ruby goes to her room.
Once I’m done, I check the house to make sure it’s secure, set my alarms on my phone for issues, and go to her room. Where the door was left cracked open.
I take off my vest and rehang it on her chair, then my shirt. I put my wallet and phone on her desk, along with my keys. Sitting on her bed, I unlace my boots. From the angle, it strains my hips a bit, and I hear a crack but ignore it. Nothing I haven’t heard before. Just like the one I heard in my shoulder when I took off my shirt.
“You need physical therapy.”
I look back at her and see she’s on her side, under the covers, looking at me.
I shake my head. “Fuck off.” There’s no heat to it at all as I stand and turn toward the bed to raise the covers.
She scoots back a bit. “Seriously. It could be getting worse.”
I settle into her bed and lie on my side, looking at her. I don’t reach for her; I’m already pushing my luck with being here. “What can I say? My doc dropped me as a client.” I smile at her, knowing she can still see me with the illumination from the twinkle stars she has set on a timer. They should go off soon.
She looks at me. I see her eyes roam my face, and then she turns over and faces the other way. I close my eyes and let myself get comfortable. I hear the click of the stars turning off from the timer.
“I could help.”
My eyes spring open at her words. It could have been a trick. Something my mind played on me in a cruel joke. I could have misheard or misunderstood.
But as her breathing evens out and she falls into slumber land, all I can do is wish. And hope.
And dream.
Chapter 24—Ruby
When I wake up, I expect him to be there. I know I didn’t imagine him staying the night. I didn’t lose my memory with everything going on and forget all that happened. I remember—everything. The feel of him holding me. The silent freedom of not having to decide and just being able to focus on what I wanted. Okay, not what I wanted, but what I needed.
Skipping class to have a meltdown wasn’t the wisest. I know I can get notes from my classmates, but I hate asking anyone for anything.
Which is probably why I let Kooper stay last night. He didn’t ask, just did. No permission was requested. He also didn’t take anything. Nothing was done for his benefit that I saw. It was all for me.
I know it’s because of what happened with Dad. He pities me. That’s it. That’s all there is to it. Yet when he held me and then made sure I ate and finally slept beside me but never touched me? There was nothing about pity in his arms or his actions.
I shake my head out. I need coffee. Any type of caffeine, really. I’ll even settle for chocolate. Not that that’s settling, but it would be nice.
I get up and head to the kitchen. Finding a skillet on the stove isn’t unusual. But seeing the lid on it? Well, Ihonestly thought we didn’t have tops to these things. I lift it and see an omelet. A perfect omelet.
“Nat,” I call out. I look back and call her name again as I put the cover back on the skillet and then go to her room.
I knock on the door, and it pushes open to reveal an empty room. Taking a quick look in our bathroom, I see it’s open. I spin, though I have no idea why, since it’s not like she’s hiding; our place is too small for that without it being obvious where she was.
