What are the Risks (Phil-U #3)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Humour me

Ruby

Grey’s Anatomy hadn’t prepared me for this. My entire body felt exhausted. My feet were sore, my back ached, and I could sense a headache forming behind my eyes.

With heavy limbs, I collapsed onto the rickety bench in the co-ed locker room. As ready as I was to escape the hospital after that sixteen hour shift, I had to wait for Bri, my roommate. I’d passed her on my way here, wrapping up her handover.

To keep myself from falling asleep, I reached for my phone. I hadn’t checked it since midday, so the notifications had built up.

I opened a message from my boyfriend, Noah. It was a picture of him and his fraternity brothers in their Halloween costumes. Noah was dressed as Aladdin, rocking the signature open purple vest, white harem pants and red hat. One of his close friends was dressed as the Genie, and another as Abu.

Noah: Wish u could’ve been my Jasmine tonight. Miss u babe. X

Ruby: I miss you more. Less than a month to go now.

Ruby: P.S. I don’t remember cartoon Aladdin being that hot.

Noah and I had been together since our sophomore year of high school, and we’d committed to long distance after graduation. He’d gone to Miami on a water polo scholarship, and I’d accepted a nursing position in Columbus, Ohio.

I was set to wrap-up my graduate residency year in May, and Noah graduated from college around the same time. After that, we had plans to move back to our hometown in Detroit together.

As much as I’d enjoyed living away from home for the past three-and-a-half years, I was ready to be in the same place as him. There was no nice way to put it – long distance was tough. I couldn’t wait until it was over.

I watched my phone as the typing dots appeared beside his name, but before his reply came through, my best friend Ryker started FaceTiming me.

I’d known Ryker my entire life. Our mums were best friends, so we’d been forced to spend time together whether we liked each other or not. Luckily we did. We’d been inseparable since kindergarten.

Leaving for college, it had been just as hard saying goodbye to him as it had Noah. Ryker had gone to Phil-U, a college in Philadelphia renowned for its athletics programs, on a football scholarship. He was one of the best – if not the best – college quarterbacks in the country.

I’d been to visit him about as often as I’d gone to Miami for Noah... maybe more, if I was being honest. Between the two of them, I’d clocked up a lot of airline miles.

While Noah and Ryker were both still in their senior year of college, I’d finished up already.

My degree had consisted of three years of study with an accompanying residency year working full-time in a hospital.

I was now nine months into it, and apart from missing Noah, Ryker and my parents, it had been one of the best experiences of my life – even the exhaustion.

“Wheels,” I said in greeting as Ryker’s face filled my screen.

His familiar blue eyes narrowed. “Please tell me you didn’t go as a nurse to Halloween, Rubz.”

“This isn’t a costume. I just finished a double. Some of us are too grown up to spend Halloween playing dress ups anymore.”

He chuckled. “Sounds boring.”

“Not even a little bit. I got to stitch up a naughty maid who’d impaled herself playing beer pong.”

“How does one–” Ryker shook his head. “Never mind. Are you home yet?”

“I’m waiting on Bri. We carpooled.” I paused, yawning. “I can’t wait to climb into bed. I’m beyond wrecked.”

“I can let you go–”

“No. This is good. You can keep me awake until Bri clocks off.” I squinted, attempting to make out Ryker’s costume. “What are you wearing?”

He temporarily glanced down at his chest, which I could just glimpse was covered in a red, yellow and blue striped top.

“It’s a long story.”

“I’ve got time. Humour me.”

He sighed. “I was trying to impress a girl.”

I bit down the snicker that rose to the surface. Standing at six-foot-two, with brown hair, a chiselled jawline and a matching chiselled body, complete with a panty-dropping smile and a perfectly placed dimple, Ryker didn’t have to try all that hard to impress girls.

“Let me guess,” I drawled. “She’s blonde. Stunning. Killer body.”

“Yes to all those things. But not in the way you’re thinking. You would’ve really liked her, Rubz.”

“Liked?”

“Yeah. I’m quite confident she’s currently hooking up with the hockey captain in my room.”

“Ouch, Wheels. I’m sorry.”

He shrugged it off. “Wasn’t meant to be.”

“I’m sure there are plenty of other girls who would happily keep you company tonight.”

Ryker’s football team was throwing a Halloween party. They alternated hosting the annual notorious event with the hockey team.

Last year I’d been in Miami with Noah over Halloween, but the year before that I’d stayed at Ryker’s place. Hands down, it was the biggest and wildest party I’d ever been to.

Ryker and I had gone as Tinkerbell and Peter Pan. When I’d retired to Neverland – aka his bedroom – to call Noah, Ryker had snuck out and spent the rest of the night with a skimpy Snow White.

“I’d rather talk to you,” he said, lounging against an unfamiliar headboard.

“Where are you?”

“Hiding out in Brady’s room.”

Brady was Ryker’s cousin, and he was also on the Phil-U football team. While he wasn’t on Ryker’s level and wouldn’t get drafted after college, he was talented enough for Phil-U to offer him a spot straight out of high school

Sceptics from our hometown claimed that Brady was only picked up because Ryker was talented enough to make his cousin look good. Whatever the truth, I knew Ryker liked having Brady close by.

Ryker was the type of person who thrived when he was surrounded by family and friends. Next year was going to be challenging for him.

He was currently estimated to be picked sixth in the NFL Draft, and that pick could come from any team in any state. The chances of it being in our hometown were low. Detroit’s team was currently too high in the standings.

“You’re sounding kind of pathetic, Wheels.”

He exhaled slowly, shrugging. “I wish you were here, Rubz. When do I get to see you next?”

“Probably not before Thanksgiving. I only have one weekend off between now and then.”

“What about a midweek trip? Mondays and Tuesdays are my quietest report days.”

“I could probably make that work,” I admitted, mentally checking my roster. “But I haven’t seen Noah for over a month and I’m not seeing him until Thanksgiving. If I came to see you before him–”

“So we don’t tell him,” Ryker said dismissively. “Come on, Rubz. I’ll pay for your flights.”

“It’s not about the money, Wheels.”

He implored me with his puppy dog eyes – the same eyes girls tripped over their feet to be on the receiving end of. Ryker had gone his entire life being able to wield people with his handsome face, but it wasn’t going to work on me now.

“We’re playing in Huntington next Saturday,” he tried instead. “Are you working then?”

“I finish at midday.”

His dimple appeared as he beamed. “If you hit the road straight after, you’d be there by three p.m. The game starts at five.”

I thoughtfully chewed my lip. That was... possible. And I did love football, especially watching Ryker play. It had been a while between games. Seeing them on TV wasn’t the same.

“I could probably swing that,” I grudgingly confessed.

Ryker’s eyes lit up. “Yeah?”

I pulled up the group chat with my three roommates, checking if anyone else was free. The two-and-a-half hour drive would be much more bearable with company. Especially the trip home once it was late.

“Noah’s going to be annoyed,” I said. “I’ve only been to one of his games this season.”

Ryker snorted, drily. “If you’ve seen one water polo game, you’ve seen them all.”

The locker room door burst open an instant before Bri stomped in. Her scrubs, which had been clean when I passed her no more than ten minutes ago, were now covered in what I was guessing was puke.

As I opened my mouth to check, she shook her head.

“Don’t ask. Mind if I take a quick shower before we go?”

“Go for it. Ryker’s keeping me company.”

“Hey, Bri,” he called out from the phone.

“Hi, hotshot,” she returned.

She gathered what she needed from her locker before heading for the showers.

“Was that blood?” Ryker asked, pulling my attention back to him.

“Nah,” I answered. “Probably vomit.”

Now Ryker was the one looking like he was ready to hurl. For all the hard knocks and tackles he took on the field, the guy was weak as hell when it came to anything gruesome.

We chatted for a little while longer, the time passing easily before Bri ambled out of the shower, fresh and clean.

“Bri’s out. I’ve got to go.”

Ryker nodded. “Night, Rubz. Chat tomorrow.”

As I was locking my phone, I noticed a message had come through from Noah fifteen minutes ago.

Noah: Heading out soon. U got a spare 5 mins to FT and say goodnight?

Ruby: Sorry. I got held up talking to Ryker. Going straight home to bed. I’ll call you in the morning. Have fun. I love you x