I put one of the bottles on the coffee table and take a seat on the couch again. A few minutes later, Ruby Sue emerges from the bathroom certainly lookin' more put together. Her eyes are all bloodshot and puffy and her nose is red, but other than that, she looks okay. "Feelin' better?" I ask her.
She nods and takes the bottle of beer with a smallthank you.
We drink our beers in silence for a while, and pretty soon we're on our third. I glance at the clock on the wall. Penny should have been here by now. Maybe she's not comin'. A feelin' of dread fills my gut when I think about not seein' her tonight. I want to see her every day and every night. It's messed up how lonely I am when she's not around. I don't even know when exactly I fell for her, but I did. Hard.
"Need another?" Ruby Sue asks as she finishes off her bottle.
"Sure."
She walks into the kitchen, and I sit up with my elbows restin' on my knees. I know I shouldn't be drinkin' this much around her, but it's givin' us somethin' to do. I don't wanna touch her and I don't wanna talk, so this is my only option really. I'm just hopin' Penny comes over soon, so she can help me figure out what to do with this situation.
Ruby Sue comes back with our fourth brews for the night. Instead of handin' me the beer, she puts both bottles down on the coffee table. Then, before I can blink, she's straddlin' my lap and kissin' me. At first, I don't know how to react. The damn alcohol is definitely delayin' my response time. I know she's hurtin', and I don't want to hurt her further, but all I can think of is Penny. Slowly, I grab her arms and force her back a few inches. "Ruby Sue, we shouldn't be doin' this. You're upset."
"That's exactly why I need you, Colt," she whispers.
She tries to get out of my grasp to get closer to me, but I hold her at a distance. "I can't do this with you." Gently, I push her over onto another cushion and stand up. "I don't want to keep doin' whatever the hell it is we're doin'."
"Fine. But please don't make me go home, Colt. I don't want to be alone right now."
I can't make her leave after she's been drinkin'. The night that took Connor's life flickers in the back of my mind. Drunks have no business bein' on the road. Connor wouldn't have died that night if that driver wouldn't have been drunk. Not wantin' to be responsible for her gettin' hurt or hurtin' someone else, I nod. I'm not goin' to touch her, but I'm not kickin' her out either.
I sit on the opposite side of the couch, sippin' my beer. I thought Penny would come by or at least call. I'm disappointed that I haven't seen or heard from her, and that makes me want to drink more. What if she isn't feelin' the same things I'm feelin' for her? What if what we've shared together didn't mean as much as I thought it did?
Shakin' the doubts from my thoughts, I listen to Ruby Sue as she tells me all about her problems. Before I know it, I've drunk eight beers and it's almost midnight.
"Ruby Sue, you're welcome to take the couch, but I'm goin' up to bed." I go into the closet and get her out a pillow and a sheet. I place them on the couch, and she puts her hand over mine before I can turn away.
"Thank you, Colt."
I give her a smile and say goodnight. Then I practically run up the steps to my bedroom and close the door. I know we'll both feel better in the mornin' after we sleep it off. I crash on my bed and breathe in Penny's scent left there from earlier today. Just thinkin' about me between her legs gets me rock hard. I can't wait to touch her and make love to her again. I want her to know how much she means to me. Even if I never remember who she was or what we were, I want to know her now. I want her in my life now…and forever.
Seein' Penny gettin' upset about Connor the other day made me realize that I'm not the only one who lost my family. My parents were like a second mom and dad to her, and Connor was like a little brother. Knowin' that she lost them and misses them too makes me suddenly feel less angry. And knowin' that I have another person to share my grief with makes me feel not so alone. And it's been a long time since I haven't felt so damn alone. Penny gives me hope for a future that's full of love, and I can't wait to get a second chance at life with her.
I go to sleep with a smile on my face and dreamin' about Penny.
MyPenny.
* * * * *
PENNY
AFTER WORK, I hurry to my apartment to shower and quickly make up my face and do my hair. I stare at myself in the mirror, in absolute awe at the smile that hasn't left my face in the past few hours. I'm happy, deliriously so. I have Colton to thank for that. And I can think of a million ways to thank him…starting tonight.
I slide into a tight, sexy, black dress and slip on my highest heels before making my way to Colton's house. Underneath my dress is the sexiest lingerie I own, and I can't wait to see the look on Colton's face when he sees my little surprise. I'm runnin' a little late, but I don't think he'll mind when he sees what I have planned for him.
My steps falter, however, as I near the top of the hill. I see a familiar Ford Mustang sitting in Colton's driveway. My fingernails dig into my palms as I force myself to walk the rest of the way. What would Ruby Sue be doing at Colton's house at this time of night?
I keep thinking of all the plausible excuses for why she's there over and over again in my head until I reach the front porch. But all of the excuses go right out the window when I look through the screen door. Colton is sitting on the couch in the living room, and Ruby Sue is in his lap. Their lips are locked in a fierce kiss.
It takes my brain a few moments to process what's happening. My stomach somersaults violently, filling me with dread. I slowly step backwards, almost tumbling down the porch steps. I grasp onto the railing and hold on for dear life. A sob almost escapes my throat, but I clasp a hand over my mouth before it can surface. Quietly, I stagger down the steps, cursing the high heels I decided to wear.
Once I'm at the bottom on solid ground, I pull off my shoes…and then I run. And I don't stop running until I'm back inside my apartment.
Pressing my back against the door, I try to catch my breath. My chest rises and falls with quick pants as my brain is still processing what I just saw. Colton and Ruby Sue were making out…hours after he and I slept together. How could he betray me like that? Why?
The rational part of me decides to wait until she leaves so that he can explain himself. Maybe it's not what it looks like. Maybe she threw herself at him. I'll let him explain the situation…and then I'll decide whether he's a no-good, cheating, lying asshole or not.
My hands tremble as I make a pot of coffee. I'm only making it to give myself something to concentrate on. Otherwise, I might just completely break down. My thoughts are scattered as the scent of the coffee fills my kitchen. If Colton cheated on me, I would never be able to forgive him. We've reached a defining point in our relationship. It's not just the friend zone. We have had sex. The dynamic is completely different now. Sure, before he was dating Ruby Sue, but that was before we began this new kind of relationship. And besides, Colton told me he stopped sleeping with Ruby Sue the moment I got back into town. But now I'm wondering…was that a lie? Has he been lying this entire time to me?
