I turned around and Emilia and I started talking about her trip and where she was planning to go next. Emilia always had a trip she was working on. She usually saved up for months, but it was always somewhere completely epic. And it always involved sleeping in a tent and carrying her weight in a backpack—ensuring that no matter how gorgeous her destination, I wouldn’t get too jealous that I had to miss out on her wild adventures.
Coco came back with the drinks and introduced me to Fireball and Dr. Pepper. I would not have thought the flavors went together, but it was awesome.
“Ruby, what has gotten into you?” Emilia asked, eying my drink suspiciously.
“Fireball,” I answered honestly. “It’s so good.”
Emilia and Coco gave each other a look and then burst into laughter. “Only you would love Fireball.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means, I forget how little you drink.”
She was right about that. Halfway through my second drink, my head already felt fuzzy. I winked at her. “Just make sure if I go home with anybody, it’s you.”
“What about Mr. Tall, Dark and Angry?” Emilia asked, eyeing someone behind me.
Assuming she was talking Ajax, I said, “Please, no. This night is too much like high school already. I’ll end up pregnant again or something.”
A tap on my shoulder had me turning around, coming face to face with Levi. Oh, god. I’d just shouted that I was going to end up pregnant tonight and now I was face to face with a Cole. I was not a fan of irony. Especially when she bit me in the ass. That bitch.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, without a hello or a hi or a smile.
I had gotten used to his smiles over the last two weeks.
And his hellos.
He wasn’t angry, he just seemed… flat. I missed the twinkle in his eyes and the way he looked at me when he asked for a cup of coffee. Which was dangerous.
This was better. Life was always simpler when we were fighting.
“Dancing,” I told him, even though I was currently just standing.
“I can see that.”
Then why had he asked the question?
“I could ask you the same thing,” I told him, already deciding that I was irritated with him.
“It’s a party for me,” he threw back.
“I didn’t know that!” I pointed at my friends behind me. At least I hoped they were still behind me. “They’re throwing a party for me. So basically, you’re intruding.”
He raised one, sculpted eyebrow. “And what are you celebrating?”
I threw an arm straight up in the air and said, “Getting out of the house!”
When I opened my eyes again, because apparently, I’d closed them in my enthusiastic display, he was trying not to smile. The twinkle was back. Damn that twinkle.
“Thatisa reason to celebrate.”
I leaned closer, so I didn’t have to yell so loud. “What are you celebrating?”
He shrugged and looked around at the packed bar. Kristen March was off in the corner with her usual gaggle of girls, shooting me the stink eye. For real, this was high school 2.0.
“Being home, I guess.” His smile shrunk, fading from his eyes.
“That’s also something to celebrate.”
