Chapter 7 #3
At the sound of her melodic voice, my gaze snaps up to meet the stunning blue eyes belonging to the only girl who’s ever made me feel like I matter.
I haven’t stopped thinking about her since that night at the waterfall, when she stripped out of her wet clothes right there in the clearing while I had my back turned, and put on my shirt before I dropped her off at home.
She’s perched on my open tailgate with her guitar in hand, with a notepad and pen beside her.
“You shouldn’t be out here all alone,” I say, approaching.
“Couldn’t sleep. Thought I might channel it into a song.”
“Where’s Connor?”
She shrugs. “Don’t know. I fell asleep while we were watching a movie, and he was gone when I woke up. I don’t have my truck, so… I’m kinda stuck here until he gets back.”
I hop onto the tailgate, keeping a good two feet of distance between us, even though I want nothing more than to pull her into my arms. “You should’ve woken me up. I’m always happy to give you a ride home.”
“It’s fine, Liam. Really. I’m not your responsibility.” Her eyes are downcast, but I don’t miss the slight tremble in her bottom lip. “He’s not coming back, is he?”
“Honestly? I don’t know. I won’t apologize for Connor—he can do that for himself—but you deserve better, and I think you know that.”
I don’t know what’s going on with my brother, and frankly, I no longer give a fuck. He’s hurting her in the worst way, and I can’t stand by and watch it happen anymore. I’ve kept my distance out of respect for their relationship, but he doesn’t deserve it. He doesn’t deserve her.
Ruby and Connor have been inseparable since freshman year, or at least they had been. You’d think a three-year relationship would mean something to him, but lately, Connor has been distracted and neglectful.
This isn’t the first time I’ve found Ruby out here on her own, and unless she finally dumps his ass for good, it won't be the last. After what happened at prom, I didn’t think she would take him back.
I was wrong.
A small part of me hoped she felt something that night, or maybe I wanted her to choose me, but I’ve never been anybody’s first choice.
“Want me to take you home?” I ask.
“Could you just stay here with me for a while?” Her voice is hesitant.
I could never deny her.
“Sure.” I scoot further into the truck bed, resting my back against the side. “As long as you play for me.”
Her fingers find the chords as she strums her guitar. here are no lyrics, which surprises me. Ruby has a beautiful voice.
“Why aren’t you singing?” I ask.
“I only have the melody so far. Still working out what the song is trying to say.”
“Maybe it’s not the song that needs to tell you the story. Maybe you need to pull the words from your soul. What are you feeling when you listen to the chords?”
“You sound like you have experience.”
“I used to write. Back when Connor and I were still in foster care, one of our foster dads gifted me a secondhand guitar and taught me how to play. Then his wife got pregnant, and we were placed with a new family.”
She squeezes my hand. “I want to hear you play.” She pulls the strap over her head to pass me her guitar. It’s well-loved, covered in stickers, and what looks like her signature in faded black marker.
“Are you sure? It probably won't be any good.”
“Please.”
I exhale a shaky breath and place my fingers on the chords. When the first note rings out, it almost feels like coming home. I follow the melody Ruby was playing earlier, and when her tentative voice joins in, it feels like a victory.
We both stayed up late
Three a.m. on your tailgate
Looking for comfort in the stars.
But you found me first,
A blessing and a curse,
Playing my heart like that old guitar.
I play around with the chorus, making up the notes as I go.
Ruby hums along, brow furrowed. “Wait, play that again.”
I restart the chord progression from the top, and more lyrics seem to flow through her.
You whispered words he’d never say,
Laid bare all my fears and doubts.
Found a way to bring me peace as the last chords faded out.
And when the song was over,
And dusk turned into dawn,
You were heaven-sent and hell-bound,
And I was already gone.
She smiles wistfully and leans back on her hands, swinging her legs back and forth over the tailgate.
Some of her earlier tension has melted away.
Ruby has always been beautiful, but never more than she is now, bathed in moonlight with a simple line of music setting her soul on fire as if its very existence is the reason she’s breathing.
She’s breathing for the both of us because I can’t seem to catch mine. Our gazes lock as the music flows through us, and my resolve wanes with each passing second. If I don’t walk away now, I might do something stupid like kiss her.
Could I do it? If the opportunity presented itself, could I betray my brother? Betray the only family I have left?
No, and that's why this is dangerous. Ruby is a temptation I can’t afford.
I stop playing.
I lean back on my hands, and my fingertips brush hers. A warmth spreads through me, starting at the point of contact and working its way through my body. Ruby shifts closer, almost imperceptibly, with her soft lips slightly parted.
I don’t move. Can’t move, but I have to. I won’t do this to Connor.
I look away and tug at the back of my neck, kicking myself for what I’d almost done.
“Why did you stop?” she asks.
I can’t tell if she’s talking about the almost kiss or the music, but I don’t ask. “It’s late. I… um… I should take you home.”
“Oh. Yeah. Ok.” She looks away, and regret settles in the pit of my stomach.
I help Ruby off the tailgate, and a pair of headlights hit us like a spotlight in the dark, coming to a stop beside my truck.
When the passenger door swings open, Connor rolls out of the backseat.
Laughter follows him as he stumbles on the gravel, catching himself before he can fall face-first into the dirt.
“Liam,” he slurs. “How’s it hanging, bro?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “You’re trashed, Connor. Go inside.”
“Pfft. I’m fine. Just had a couple beers with the team.”
Ruby steps up beside him and places a tentative hand on his back. “Let’s get you to bed.”
Her voice is soft and soothing, and it grates on my nerves. She should be furious that he left her, not comforting him. She’s too kindhearted for her own good.
He scrunches his nose and pulls away. “You two are harshing my vibe.”
Ruby’s face falls, and she steps away from him.
I tuck a lock of her hair away from her forehead and cup her cheek. “Ruby, get in the truck. I’ll get him inside, then I’m taking you home.”
Connor slaps my hand away and gets in my face. “Fuck off, man. That’s my girlfriend you’re talking to.”
For now.
His nostrils flare, and his fists clench at his sides. I step even closer, chest to chest with my brother. “Oh, so you do remember her? Could’ve sworn you’d forgotten.”
Connor opens his mouth to speak. Before he can say a single word, Ruby is pushing us apart
“Stop it!” she cries.
There she is.
She jabs a finger at his chest, and he stumbles back a step. “You don’t deserve another second of my time tonight.”
She turns her back to him and addresses me next. “Take him inside. I’ll call my brother to pick me up.”
I slide my hands into my pockets, so I don’t reach out and touch her. “It’s the middle of the night, just let me take you home.”
Connor snorts. “Big brother, Liam. Always playing the hero.”
“I wouldn’t have to play the hero if you weren’t such a fucking prick.”
“That’s enough,” Ruby says, her tone brooking no argument. “Connor, go sleep it off.”
She mutters something like “jackass” and storms off to my truck, hopping into the passenger side and slamming the door. I grab Connor more forcibly than necessary and shove him down the walkway.
Glancing back over my shoulder, I see Ruby slumped in the passenger seat with her face in her hands.
If he weren’t my brother, Connor would be eating my fucking boot right about now.
Ruby deserves the goddamn world, and someday she’ll find it.
She’ll go off to Nashville and make a name for herself, and my dipshit brother and I will both become a distant memory.
That’s how it should be.