Chapter 19 I Plead the Fifth
CHAPTER NINETEEN
I plead the fifth
Ruby
My head was closing in on me, as were the many bodies as I pushed my way through the crowd. When I finally reached the exit and passed the bouncer to walk outside, the balmy Miami air only made my mood worse.
I was way too hot. And way too drunk. And still shaken up after having walked in on my boyfriend nailing another girl. And embarrassed knowing Ryker had seen that photo. And confused by his admission that he’d, what, liked it?
Who knew where he was going with that. I knew where he was going next though, and that was back to his hotel with Miranda, Elizabeth and Evan.
Tonight had reminded me that there was a side of Ryker’s life I wasn’t a part of. He was a popular college quarterback, a playboy, and a sexual freaking enigma apparently.
My phone vibrated in my hand. Noah was calling – again. As much as I wasn’t ready to face him, he was the only other person I knew in this city. I was drunk, and tired, and starting to feel queasy. I didn’t want to be alone.
Just as my finger hovered over the accept button, an alert popped up.
Scarlett: Hi. I found you tagged on Noah’s Instagram account.
I realise you don’t know me and you probably hate me, but I wanted to tell you that wasn’t the first time Noah and I have slept together.
I didn’t know he had a girlfriend. He always said the pictures on his profile were of an ex.
I expect he’ll try and spin some bullshit that it was a one-time thing, but girl-to-girl, it wasn’t, and he’s hooked up with other girls from our college too.
Just thought you should know. Sorry for fucking your boyfriend.
Now I was definitely going to be sick. I rested against the brick wall, taking a long, deep breath.
How many girls were there? How many times? How many lies? Did I want to know? Or was it better if I didn’t?
Print-screening Scarlett’s message, I sent it to Noah.
Ruby: Classy!
Ryker burst out of the club just as I hit send. He frantically scanned the alley, relaxing after spotting me.
“What are you doing out here?” he asked, jogging over like he was mid-play.
“I was going to call Noah and have him pick me up,” I lied.
As tempted as I was to show Ryker the message, it wasn’t worth the risk.
He’d head for Noah’s place with the intention to kill, but he’d been right earlier.
Noah had his water polo team and his fraternity brothers close-by.
The name Ryker Richardson didn’t carry the same weight it did back at Phil-U, back where an entire football team would willingly follow him into any fight.
“Oh.” He nodded once. “You can still crash with me if you need. Evan is staying at Miranda and Elizabeth’s hotel. He won’t be back tonight.”
I arched a mischievous eyebrow, trying to summon some playful energy, but fell short. I was drained. I was so fucking done with this day and this place.
“You’re not going with them?”
“I thought I made it clear I didn’t want to be anywhere near Evan’s dick.”
I snickered. “Right. What about Miranda though? She’s hot. Are you sure you don’t want her near your dick?”
Ryker squirmed, shuffling from foot to foot. Clearly he wasn’t comfortable with me referring to his... manhood.
“She is hot,” he agreed. “But she isn’t what I want.”
“And what is it you want, Wheels?”
He opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, an idea came to me.
“Because I want pizza – a lot of pizza – and a big glass of icy Coke.” I shoved my phone into my purse. Noah was tomorrow’s problem. “If you’re passing on the orgy, want to get food with me?”
*
I hated myself before I even opened my eyes. My tongue felt like sandpaper, my throat was drier than the Sahara Desert, and my brain pounded harder than Daisy’s bedhead did against our shared bedroom wall.
Last night had gotten out of hand. The sheer number of blackout periods was concerning. Had I made an idiot of myself? Had I spilled someone’s secret? Had I put my foot in it? Had I been annoying? Who the fuck knew. Hangxiety was the worst.
I sat up slowly, surveying the room. Ryker was in Evan’s bed, sprawled out on his stomach, his back muscles relaxed as his arms rested above his head. Evan was nowhere in sight. He must still be tied up – potentially literally – with Miranda and Elizabeth.
I quietly shuffled to the bathroom, softly closing the door behind me. Reaching for the shower, I purposely avoided my own reflection. I felt like I’d been hit by a bus, and then dragged behind it for several blocks. I’m sure that’s how I looked too.
After managing to wash my hair and face, the effort of standing became too much. I collapsed onto the tiled shower floor and threw up – three times. If this wasn’t rock bottom, I didn’t know what was.
Tears welled in my eyes as I emptied the contents of last night’s dinner and late night snack. Pizza and vodka were now on my blacklist of things to not touch for the foreseeable future.
After soaking under the boiling spray until my skin was raw, I wrapped myself in a towel and stepped out to brush my teeth. Vomiting had helped me to feel slightly better, but I was still operating below twenty-five percent.
As I braved my phone for the first time this morning, a stream of memories came rushing back – most of them unwarranted, particularly the message from Scarlett and the countless missed calls from Noah.
He’d already phoned three times this morning and sent two messages. One was from an hour ago, and the other had been sent while I was in the shower.
Noah: Scarlett is lying. It was only one time.
Noah: She’s not lying. I’m so sorry Ruby. I fucked up. Let me see you today. I’ll tell you about every time and every girl. No more secrets.
Every time.
Every girl.
My stomach was in knots. If I hadn’t just emptied it, I’d probably be puking in the sink right now.
I figured since I was already at rock bottom, I may as well rip the Band-Aid off and hear Noah out. I was certain the conversation would end with me telling him to go and fuck himself, but at least then I could focus on moving on.
As difficult as that was to accept, it was the only option. Because no matter what excuse he gave me, I could never forgive him for this.
I texted him the name of the hotel along with instructions to pick me up in twenty minutes. He wrote back immediately.
Noah: I’m on my way.
After taming my hair and slipping into a grey hoodie of Ryker’s that he’d left on the bathroom floor, I headed back into the bedroom. He was awake now, sitting up in bed watching a football replay on the hotel TV.
“Good morning, Rubz.”
“It’s morning, but it definitely isn’t good.”
He muted the TV. “How’s the head?”
“Sore. So is the stomach.”
He grimaced. “So I heard.”
Damn. I’d been hoping the shower would muffle the sound of me hurling up my guts.
“I didn’t think you’d have anything left to get out after last night,” Ryker said.
“I didn’t chuck last night.”
Ryker snorted. “Tell that to my shoes and jeans.”
As I climbed into his bed, he scooted over to make room.
“I’m so sorry, Wheels,” I said, hiding my face in my hands. “Last night is hazy. Fill me in. What embarrassing things did I do? Please tell me vomiting on you was the worst of it.”
“I plead the fifth.”
“Fucccccccccckkkk.”
As I rolled onto my back, staring up at the popcorn ceiling, the sudden movement had my head spinning. I took a deep breath to avoid throwing up again. Ryker’s jeans, shoes and hotel bed would be unforgivable.
Amused and clearly not hungover, Ryker pushed onto his forearm and hovered over me. He was dressed in nothing but his boxers, his bare bicep flexing as he held himself up.
“You really don’t remember anything?”
“Bits here and there. But the whole club is kind of foggy.”
“Right.” His brow lowered. “All of it?”
“Should I be remembering something?”
“No it’s–” He dragged a hand through his morning hair. “Do you remember the part where I mentioned I saw the picture.”
Heat surged to my cheeks as that conversation rushed back.
“What did you think about it?”
“You don’t want to know, Rubz.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Definitely not. Absolutely not. That picture... You’d be mortified if you knew, Rubz.”
I doubt anything could mortify me more than the visual of Noah balls deep in another girl. Unfortunately that part of yesterday was still clear.
I groaned, shoving Ryker’s solid chest. “I didn’t, but I do now. I expect a picture in return to level the playing field, perv.”
Ryker’s dimple appeared as he chuckled. “Rubz, I–”
We both shifted our gaze when the door was thrown open. Evan staggered into the room, dressed in last night’s clothes and looking well and truly fucked.
Probably because he was thanks to the foursome... which had become a threesome when Ryker bailed to take care of me... only for me to vomit on his shoes. I was the worst friend.
Evan jarred to a stop. “Does elephant still apply?” he checked.
“Huh?” I asked at the same moment Ryker answered, “Nope.”
Evan slowly looked between the two beds. “Both slept in.”
Frowning, I got back to my feet. “Well solved, Sherlock.”
Rummaging through my suitcase, I found a pair of jean shorts and slipped them on. Noah was likely almost here, if he wasn’t already, and I didn’t want to give him a reason to get out of his car and come looking for me.
Ryker sat up, sliding against his headboard. “Are you going?”
I nodded. “Noah is picking me up.”
That sounded normal enough, but it was so far from the truth that the lie left a foul taste in my mouth.
“I’m borrowing your hoodie. I promise to bring it with me whenever I see you next.”
Once I had everything gathered and my suitcase was zipped closed, I climbed back onto Ryker’s bed to say goodbye. He felt tense when I first hugged him, but quickly relaxed, pulling me close as his hand roamed across my back.
“Thank you for last night, Wheels,” I whispered, squeezing him back. “You have no idea how much I needed it.”