Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
I can help with that
Ryker
Clutching a beer in my hand, I stared up at the screen, absentmindedly watching a replay of last night’s Seahawks game. We were at Lastlings, the sports bar closest to campus, celebrating Pat’s birthday.
Knowing it would likely get out of hand, the guys had voted and we’d vetoed him from throwing a party at our house. Better the bar than my living room.
He was currently dancing on top of the pool table, one arm draped over Lindsay and the other around another cheerleader, belting out American Pie at the top of his lungs. He barely knew any of the lyrics and kept jumping into the chorus way too soon. It was actually hilarious.
My phone was blowing up with notifications since half of the team were filming it and sending it to the group Snapchat.
“What are we doing for your birthday next weekend?” Tori asked from where she sat beside me, nestled in my cousin’s lap.
There was a spare stool at our table, but that was irrelevant to them since they always had to be touching, or kissing... or doing other things.
“Nothing.”
Tori pouted. “We need to do something. You only turn twenty-two once.”
She’d said the same when I turned twenty-one, and twenty, and nineteen. Come to think of it, each year she’d somehow coerced me into hosting a party. Probably so she had an excuse to grind against my cousin all night.
“Is Ruby coming into town for it?”
Simply hearing my best friend’s name was enough to send my stomach into a nervous spiral. I was still reeling from how we’d left things. If I was to bump into her right now, I’d have no fucking clue how to react.
I nonchalantly shrugged. “She hasn’t mentioned anything.”
Probably because I’d barely spoken to her this past week. When she said she was on night shift, she wasn’t kidding. She was responding to my good morning messages at dinner time, and opening my Snapchats at three in the morning.
I was still torn about whether to acknowledge the kiss or not. It didn’t help that I had zero clue where Ruby’s head was at.
Had she not mentioned it because she wanted to pretend it hadn’t happened? Or was she waiting on me to say something first? Would talking about it clear the air? Or would bringing it up make things really fucking awkward?
I wished I had somebody to confide in, but there was no one who felt like a safe bet. Brady would turn it into something it wasn’t, Kyler and Pat would give me terrible advice – which would likely involve fucking Ruby out of my system – and Evan would say something smug and frustrating.
Tori would be the only one with good advice, but knowing she’d snitch straight to my cousin, I kept my mouth shut.
“I’ll text her now and ask,” she said.
“Wait, don’t–”
I stopped. That wasn’t a half bad idea. Let Tori do my bidding a little – let her test the waters.
“What are you going to say?” I casually checked.
“That we’re hosting a small dinner and drinks Friday night and going out on Saturday.”
That suited me, so long as she was willing to stick to the small part. I didn’t need the type of attention Pat was receiving tonight. He currently had his tongue down Lindsay’s throat, and Kyler had also joined the pool table party to make out with Lindsay’s friend.
“Are you going to get up there with Gretchen?” Evan snickered.
“Why the hell would I do that?”
“You’re at three repeated hookups with her. That’s practically a relationship.”
That wasn’t a relationship, not even close. Besides, we were still at two hookups, if you counted the nights we’d spent together and not the amount of times things had happened during those nights.
Despite having told the guys more than once already, I hadn’t hooked up with her last weekend. I’d fallen asleep on the couch while waiting for Pat and Lindsay to finish up. Unfortunately that wasn’t until the following morning.
I’d known I’d fucked up the moment I opened my eyes. Without waiting for Pat, I’d run out the front door and straight to my car.
I tried calling Ruby on the way, but the drive was too short for my phone to recharge in between.
Even as I’d stormed into my house, noisily throwing the door open and waking all the people camped in my living room, I’d known Ruby was gone. It was as if I could sense her absence, like some part of me was missing.
I was a complete asshole. Not only had she travelled all that way to celebrate with me, but after I’d kissed her, I’d all but ghosted her at a party where she knew less than ten people. No wonder she was acting like the kiss never happened.
When Tori’s phone lit up on the table, I nearly jumped out of my seat. “Is that Ruby?”
“Mmhm.”
“What did she say?”
Tori paused, her eyes scanning Ruby’s reply. “She asked if you want her there.”
Fuck this. I pulled out my phone and opened Ruby’s message thread.
Ryker: Of course I want you there.
She wrote back straight away.
Ruby: Then I’ll be there.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Knowing I’d see her soon felt good – too fucking good.
Evan nudged my arm. “Gretchen is watching you.”
I lifted my gaze, and sure enough, she caught my attention immediately.
Ironically, everyone else in the bar was watching her. She was in some kind of denim one-piece, the material clinging to her like a glove. I didn’t need to imagine what the body beneath it looked like – a fact I’m sure every guy here tonight would be jealous of.
“Who’s single from your team?” Tori asked.
Brady’s defences shot up quicker than a laser-focused linebacker. “Why, babe?”
“We should set Ruby up with someone.”
Now Evan was the one with lightning reflexes. “I volunteer as tribute. My trunk and I would happily fuck that ex out of her system.”
Checking out of the conversation with a roll of her eyes, Tori turned her attention to her phone, no doubt scrolling through the Phil-U football team Instagram and stalking every player.
“You don’t do relationships,” I pointed out, swallowing the snarl rising in my throat.
Evan casually shrugged. “After a however-long relationship, I doubt that’s what Ruby wants.”
“Ruby would shoot you down the second you hit on her,” Brady snickered.
Evan flashed a small, cocky grin. “We’ll see.”
I sure hoped not. Ruby and Evan? Absolutely not. Over my dead body – and Evan’s too, because if he touched her, I’d end him.
Ruby: Send me a picture of Joey Nazaar.
Ryker: Why?
Ruby: Tori wants to set me up with him.
Fucking Tori. She was a nuisance.
With a reluctant a sigh, I scrolled through my camera roll. I couldn’t exactly say no without coming across like a possessive creep.
The only photo I’d taken with Joey was at last year’s end of season party. It was a black-tie event, and he’d cleaned up well – almost too well it made me not want to send the picture. But with my tail between my legs, I did.
Ruby: He’s cute.
Ryker: I can make an introduction if you like.
A minute passed. Then two. Then three. Then...
Ruby: That would be great. Thanks, Wheels. I’ve gotta go now. I’m scrubbing into a BKA.
Ryker: BKA?
Ruby: Below knee amputation. Can’t wait for next weekend!
A wave of nausea hit, only I couldn’t figure out whether it was due to the thought of Ruby witnessing someone’s leg being sawn off, or the idea of her making out with Joey Nazaar.
What was clear was that she was choosing to pretend the kiss hadn’t happened. Asking me to set her up with one of my teammates was as final as the full time whistle.
I want him. Not you. Game over.
If that’s what she wanted, I had no choice but to play along. I’d been the one to make the move, so if she needed to sweep it under the rug to get past it without weirdness, I’d do that for her.
I’d wanted it. She clearly hadn’t. It was time to let it go and move on.
Draining the last of my beer, I pushed back in my chair before crossing the room and heading straight for Gretchen. As I neared, her friends were quick to disperse, giddily snickering like they’d been waiting on me to make a move.
Gretchen slowly peered up at me with a knowing smile. “Ryker Richardson.”
“Gretchen–” I paused for a moment to recall her surname. “–Huntington.”
She gently twirled her straw, motioning in the direction I’d come from. “Who were you texting?”
“Pardon?”
“Before you stalked over. Who got you so worked up?”
“Ruby,” I admitted in defeat.
Gretchen was the only person who knew about mine and Ruby’s kiss – at least the only person I’d told. Ruby’s friends were another story. I’ll bet she’d already spilled the details to them, laughing at the clueless best friend who’d completely misread the situation.
Gretchen chuckled. “That’s still going on?”
“No.” I stepped closer to Gretchen, ignoring the drunken catcalls from her friends – some likely belonging to the guys as well. “I need to get her out of my head.”
Gretchen’s clawlike nails traced across my abdomen, sending a shiver down my spine. “You know I can help with that.”