His voice was soft and determined. “I would never do anything to you, or let anyone do anythingtoyou.”
“It’s noteventhat—”
“I know I’m coming on strong, but the more I think about it, the more I want you to come with us. The entire time I was in Scotland, I regretted not inviting you to come when Max bailed. I wish I would’ve invited you even if he hadn’tbailed.”
Hehad?
I blew out a breath and curled my toes together once more. Why did every single cell in my body get excited at the idea of going to Florida with someone I didn’t know that well and other people I didn’t know at all? If my best friend were to tell me she was going to meet up with her online friend at a cafe by herself, I would tell her she was out of her mind and that her body was going to show up on the nine o’clock news for being a totalidiot.
But my brain rebelled against thatcompletely.
Completely.
Some part of me deep down knew that Aaron wouldn’t hurt me. I didn’t know how I knew that, but I did. I really, really did. And I did love going toFlorida…
“Look, I don’t have any money. I have a lot coins saved I can go get cashed and I have some money, but I shouldn’t be blowing it on a ticket that’s probably going to be crazy expensive because it’s so lastminute—”
That calming voice cut me off. “I got yourticket.”
I felt myself scrunch up my nose and groaned. “You can’t payforit.”
“You just said you don’t have any money. I’m the one who wants you to come…” He trailed off. “If it makes you feel any better, I canaffordit.”
“I have to leave next week forCalifornia—”
“I’ll make sure you’re back before you have toleave.”
I was making a terrible mistake, wasn’t I? Who the heck goes to a beach house with strangers, one stranger I was pretty much totally in love with who had no idea because I’d never even seenhisface—
I’d thought about it. He could basically look like a troll and chances were, if he was as wonderful in person as he was online, I would still be in love with him. Beauty fades, a good personality and chemistrydoesn’t.
“I can afford it, Ruby, and I’ll make sure your flight gets you back home before you need to leave. You’ve sent me hundreds of dollars worth of stuff while I was deployed—no, don’t say you didn’t because we both know you did. I can cover your ticket. You’re the one doing me afavor.”
“How am I doing you a favor?” I asked him in amumble.
“Because I could’ve had a better time in Scotland, and I’m being selfish inviting you to come to Florida because I want to be around someone….” He trailed off again. “I want to meet you, and I’m not giving you any time to think about it. You’re telling me you’re worried, and I’m pushing you into it. That’s selfish, and you know what, Rube? I don’t give much ofashit.”
Was I dead? Was this a dream? Had my mom baked mushrooms into dinner last night and I was still on some sort ofweirdtrip?
I moaned. This was crazy, and I told himexactlythat.
“So what? It’s crazier for me to think about a girl your age going places by herself,” he said. “I’ve got you,RubyCube.”
Ruby Cube. It had killed me the first time I read it and killed me every time since then when I saw the RC he wrote me. I was so dumb. So damn dumb to fall into this position again. Even knowing I was dumb didn’t changeanything.
“I want to tell you yes.” How could I explain this to him? “I really do. I’ve only gone places by myself for work without my family. They’re going to think I’ve lost my mind if I tell them I’m goingwithyou.”
“You’re twenty-fournotten.”
Those words hit my chest with the force of a thousand of Thor’s hammers. Hadn’t I told him all this before? How much I hated getting treated like a little kid? It was my fault, I knew it. I let them all boss me around. I’d let them all clip my wings, and then I’d finished off the jobmyself.
“I know we’d get along. I know it. You know it. I’ll send you my social if you promise not to post it on the Internet or pull out a bunch of credit cards under my name. You can have my dad’s address and all the beach house information where we’ll be staying. It’s a big house. You can have your own room.” There was another pause, but it was his calm, steady breaths that I couldn’t help but pay attention to. He breathed like my sister. Like someone who didn’t get out of breath running up stairs. “I know you’ll get along with allofus.”
My heart thought it was a downhill skier going for the gold. How I could be so excited and so scared at the same time, blew myfreakingmind.
Why wasn’t I telling him this wascrazy?
Why?
