Her lips twitched. “Wereyouever?” Looked like she couldn’t bring herself to say the word ‘jealous.’
“Yes. But it doesn’t matter now. Oh, and Brandon sent his regards. From Ellie, too.”
“When did you see him?” Ruby rose, leaning her elbow across my chest.
“That night you were away. Wherewereyou that night?”
“Not with anyone else, if that’s what you think.”
“I didn’t think that. You know why? Because I could feel you couldn’t be with anyone else. Same as me.”
Her throat bobbed. “I was at Evangeline’s. I had to clear my head. It was all too much.” She hesitated, then gave a crooked smile.
“Just in case we run into them—you should hear it from me. Ellie’s friends with Heather, remember her? From school? She hasn’t changed. Still ... ugh. Anyway, I bumped into her in a shop in Blueshore. She didn’t recognize me, then tried to come on to me, and later asked Ellie about me. I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about her. Even a rat’s ass would be overspending.”
Ruby huffed a scoff. “That bitch.”
I weaved my fingers into her curls. “There’s only you, Ruby. Even before you wanted to hear me say that.”
“You know that phrase—‘ruined me for everyone else’? That’s what you did, Sebastian. Without either of us realizing it.”
“Come here,” I rasped, hauling her closer, my mouth a centimeter from hers. “Let me ruin you some more.”
49
Ruby
WHEN HE TOUCHED MEnow, it felt like he was doing his best to take away the things I never let show, insecurities and pain I never admitted until now, except sarcastically. Sebastian absorbed it all with his body, his words, his touch, his confidence in me, in us.
His confidence amazed me—it was like he knew the ending while I was still frantically flipping pages.
It was contagious. The more time passed, the more confident I became. I even confessed I was afraid of our first real fight. “What if, in anger, I go full-on sarcastic, too-much me? You’ll want to catch the first space shuttle and get as far the hell from me as possible.”
“Bring it on. Fight me now. Tell me you prefer Marvel over DC, and I’ll give you our first fight. Then you’ll see that I’m here even when you’re at your most annoying,” Sebastian said, his face calm, his eyes locked on mine.
We were driving back in my car from another date the next weekend, when he came to stay again. We’d spent the evening at the Shore Thing in Blueshore, one of my favoritebeach bars, and I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Sebastian and I were dating. Like,datingdating.
I returned my gaze to the road ahead, my grip on the wheel easing. “I’d never say that Marvel is better than DC.” I scoffed. “My Superman tattoo wouldn’t survive such betrayal.”
Sebastian huffed a breathy chuckle. He’d already said he’d need to get a matching tattoo. Then his tone turned serious. “And you’re never too much, Ruby. Couples fight. But no one’s leaving.”
I swallowed. “You know my dad left, right?”
“Yes, but not everyone—”
“My mom always said it was my fault. Because I could be too much.” I interjected because I had to get it all out before I lost the courage to say it.
“She ... what?”
I shot him a look. He was utterly shocked.
“But you know it’s not true, right?” His eyes stayed on my profile. Then, softer, like the thought had just landed, he added, “You don’t.”
I slowed and parked in front of the inn’s main house, where lines of guests’ cars were already crammed in.
We unbuckled and stepped out. Sebastian came around the car and stopped in front of me. “By now you’ve probably figured out she blamed you because she couldn’t stand to lay it where it belonged—on herself. And him. Right?”
When I only gave a half-grimace, half-shrug, he went on.
