“You helped some,” she said around a mouthful, swallowed, then gave me a cheeky close-lipped smile.
“That’s what fr—” I caught myself like it was a tripwire I had to skip over. Somehow, saying it felt more loaded than saying nothing at all. “Glad I could be of service,” I ended up saying with a smirk.
We migrated to the couch after the food was gone, empty plates on the coffee table, the low hum of the ocean outside, which was more audible at night, threaded in the silence. Usually, by this point, if we hadn’t already, this would be where we’d grab each other and get into action. But Ruby turned on the TV and navigated to a streaming channel.
She paused onFarscape, an old favorite of hers. “Feel like?” she asked.
“Sure,” I said, though I probably would have pickedStargate, which was more my thing.
“It’s like comfort food,” she said, pressing the play button and tucking her feet under her. “I need The Dork Side right now.”
“Exactly why I founded the club,” I replied, my eyes glued to the opening sequence. “This is basically therapy.”
Ruby leaned her shoulder against me, and I let the quiet stretch. A scene came on mid-episode that we used to quote, and I turned to say something, but her head had already tipped sideways, hovering an inch above my shoulder.
She was asleep.
My flight was in the morning. I should’ve left. But instead, I gently laid her head to rest on my shoulder, and stayed until the episode ended and the next one started. Her breathing settled into an even rhythm, and my arm started to go numb.
When her head finally slid fully onto my collarbone, I reached over and muted the sound. Just sat there, holding her. Letting her sleep on me, which was a rare thing in our long, weird history.
“Come on,” I said when her head dipped again, heavier this time. “Your neck’s going to hate you in the morning.”
She mumbled something unintelligible but stirred and got up, and I followed her to the bedroom. She climbed into bed without a word.
“You staying?” she asked, half-asleep, when I pulled the cover over her.
I hesitated, then lay down beside her. “Yeah.”
She curled against me, tried kissing my neck—probably out of habit—but fell asleep mid-kiss, her head resting on my shoulder.
And somehow, lying there next to her, fully clothed, felt more intimate than anything we’d done before.
9
Ruby
I WOKE TO SOFT MORNINGlight filtering through the curtains and the distant beeping of a delivery truck backing into the inn’s lot. The first day of renovations.
I stretched—and then froze.
Sebastian’s arm draped around my waist.
I looked down. It wasn’t there. Just the ghost of it.
Right. That happened.
I blinked, letting the night piece itself together. The food.Farscape.His shoulder under my cheek. I’d dozed off—and when I stirred sometime in the middle of the night, I’d found myself curled against his chest. His heartbeat had lulled me right back to sleep. At some point, I remembered his arms around me, his chest against my back, the way I clung to his solid warmth like I couldn’t let go.
Then, a soft kiss to my forehead woke me to a sky that turned gray and the chirping of early birds. “Have a flight to catch,” he had whispered, his face close to mine, my eyes barely open.
Now I rubbed my face alone in a bed that still smelled faintly of his aftershave and detergent.
Sebastian and I had always been on the same page. I’d just momentarily flipped to the wrong one and needed to get back to the one we’d both bookmarked.
I swung my legs over the side and got moving. My to-do list was a war plan in my head.
By the time I stepped out of my house, I’d had a quick shower—as quick as taking care of curls allowed—braided my wet hair to keep it under control, and slipped into black slacks that were presentable but still dispensable, a comfy top, and flats. Today was for movement, dust, sweat.
