Chapter Eighteen Sunday #2
“It’s the only one you’re getting.” My thumbs start moving over the sides of her waist beneath the jumper and I watch her breathing change.
She’s reacting too.
“Josh,” her voice is throaty. “Your pupils dilate when you look at me, did you know that? And not just right now, but every single time.”
“Do they?”
“Yep.” She nods, her eyes watching me for every reaction I have to her. “And your breathing goes all funny.”
I glance at her lips. “Does it?”
“Mhm.”
“Anything else you’ve been keeping track of?”
“You look at my lips a lot.”
“Are you sure about that?” My heart is taking off, galloping in my chest. The closer she stays, the harder it is to pretend this is some harmless little game we’re playing.
My hands slide around her waist and pull her in until there’s no space left between us, then one of them travels up her back, fingers spreading over the nape of her neck until I cup the back of her head the same way she’s holding mine.
“Josh,” she whispers.
“Ruby,” I whisper back.
“Are we going to be just friends?”
I don’t have to answer because three hard knocks pound against the door, loud enough to make Ruby flinch in my arms and drag me straight out of whatever the fuck is happening between us.
“Ruby!” Oscar bellows through it. “You better be in there!” Oscar bangs the door again. “I swear to God!”
“Oh, fuck,” she mutters.
Yeah, oh fuck. He’s going to cut my dick off if he sees me here, he so much as said it himself last night.
He’ll probably kick me off the team, tell everyone what a prick I am, maybe finish the job by throwing me out of the fucking building right now and I’ve got no defence because his sister is between my legs, my hands all over her waist, and I was fully prepared to kiss her.
I was going to kiss Ruby.
Which would be a colossal mistake.
There is a reason I keep people at arm’s length and I just forgot all about them.
What the fuck am I doing?
I want her so badly it’s starting to interfere with basic survival instincts.
Oscar slams the door again and I tense beneath her, my grip on her waist tightening before I remember that being found clutching her probably isn’t going to improve my chances of leaving with both testicles attached.
“Rubes! Open the fucking door.”
I glance towards it, then back at her. “He sounds livid.”
Ruby worries her lip. “He always sounds like that when he’s worried.”
“Reckon he knows I’m here?”
Her brows pull together. “Why would he?”
“I don’t know. Twin radar. Brooke told him. Divine intervention. Maybe he can smell fear through walls?”
She giggles, which is lovely, except I’m about to have a fucking breakdown.
“Ruby!” He slams both hands against the wood, making her jump against me. “I can hear you.”
For one spilt second, Ruby looks scared.
Oh, fuck no.
Every thought I had about Oscar killing me seems to vanish at the idea she’s afraid.
My hands slide from her waist to the backs of her thighs and I lift her off me, setting her carefully onto the mattress before getting to my feet.
Ruby looks at me like I’ve completely lost my mind. “Josh, what are you—”
I’m already crossing the room, and when I yank the door back I’m met with Oscar standing on the other side looking wrecked, hair sticking up in tufts and dark bags sitting beneath his eyes. I give him a hard look. “Stop fucking banging on her door like that.”
Nothing happens as he looks at me, like he’s trying to compute it’s me stood here and not his sister.
Then his eyes drop over the fact I’m standing there in nothing but my boxers, before snapping past my shoulder towards Ruby’s room. The exhaustion on his face gets swallowed whole by rage. “What the fuck are you doing in here?”
I square myself in the doorway. “I’m hanging out with your sister, the fuck are you doing here?”
“Is this some kind of fucking joke?” Oscar fumes.
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
His jaw clenches so hard I can see the muscle jumping in it. “Mate, I am giving you one chance to get the fuck out of my way.”
I hear Ruby get off the bed. “Oscar—”
“No.” His voice cuts straight across hers as his eyes stay fixed on me. “Why the fuck are you in my sister’s room at half nine in the morning, in your fucking boxers, telling me how I can speak to her?”
“Why the fuck are you banging on your sister’s door this early in the morning and disturbing her entire corridor?”
Oscar is blistering. “Because she disappeared last night and didn’t answer her fucking phone.”
“So what?”
“So she should answer her phone!”
“She’s nineteen.”
“She’s my sister.”
“That doesn’t make you her fucking keeper! Or give you the right to fucking scare her!”
“Josh,” Ruby warns behind me.
Oscar takes a step closer and I have to fight the parts of myself telling me to move out of his way. He looks genuinely ready to put me through the wall. “You know absolutely fuck all about me and Ruby, so I’d be very careful about telling me what I can or can’t do.”
“Mate,” I let out a laugh. “Do I look like I give a fuck? You just scared the shit out of her.”
“Both of you, shut the fuck up,” Ruby snaps, coming around me and stepping into view. She glares at her brother. “What do you want?”
Oscar’s attention shifts to her and the fury in his face doesn’t vanish, but it changes, becomes a bit less harsh. He looks her over from head to toe, taking in my jumper, her bare legs, the state of her hair, before settling back on her face “Where did you get to last night?”
She gestures towards her room. “I came back and got into bed.”
Oscars face sours. “With him?”
“So what if she did?” I hotly demand. Why is he acting like a jealous fucking ex?
Ruby glances at me. “Yeah. Josh came back with my phone because I left it in Brooke’s bag, and we watched a film.”
Oscar tuts. “You just disappeared, Ruby.”
“Josh told Brooke I had left.”
“Nobody told me.”
Ruby bristles, annoyance thrumming through her and she juts her chin out. “I didn’t know I had to.”
“You at least have to text me to tell me you’re safe.”
Have to? Why does she have to do anything? He’s her brother not her fucking dad. Who is he to dictate what she can and can’t do? And why is he saying it like they’ve had this argument a million times already?
“I don’t need permission to leave a club, Oscar.”
“This is bullshit, Ruby.” Oscar hisses, his resentment and fury clear as day. “I’ve been up half the night in a state of pure worry.”
“Because you don’t trust me,” Ruby hisses right back, stepping backwards and straight into me, her back rubbing my chest. “You and mum still don’t trust me.”
“It’s not about trust.” Oscar voice is laced with venom. “It’s about making sure you are alright!”
I’m so fucking lost I can barely keep up.
“I am fine!” She throws her hands up. “You’ve seen me and I look fine, do I not?”
“You do,” he nods, then points a finger at her, his whole hand shaking. “But I have every right to check, and don’t you dare act like I don’t.”
“This can’t be the rest of my life, Oscar. It’s been years—”
“I was worried!”
“You’re always worried.”
“Because you give me reasons to be! You’re so irresponsible, Ruby!
And you don’t seem to care that your actions have a massive impact on me.
” He thumps his chest hard once. “I never thought you would be so bloody selfish! But since you’ve got here you haven’t given a shit about how your choices could affect me.
All I’m asking for is a fucking text back! ”
There’s a long, long moment of intense, horrific silence.
“Selfish?” Ruby finally echo’s, her voice broken. “You think I’m selfish?”
Oscar’s face falls. “No. Wait. Look—”
She gives this tiny shake of her head, like she’s trying to clear it, but then her weight starts sinking into me, needing me for support. My arm snakes around her waist, pulling her back against me so she doesn’t have to hold herself up.
Oscar takes another step forward, looking more broken now then he did when I opened the door. “Ruby—”
I start moving her away. “I think you should probably leave, Oscar.”
“Fuck off, Josh. This is nothing to do with you.”
“That might be true, mate, but I’m not going to stand here and let this continue when you’re both getting worked up.”
“This is between me and my sister.”
“Right.” I nod, continuing to turn Ruby away from him, to try and protect her however I can. “And you can have this chat when you’re calmer and I’m not here. But right now, you’re both getting upset and I don’t like it.”
Oscar looks at me like he genuinely cannot believe I’ve just said that to him.
“Just go, Oscar.” Ruby mutters, moving until her face is buried in my chest. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Rubes…” Oscar whispers, seemingly realising he’s fucked up here. His eyes move over the back of her head, then down to where my arm is locked around her.
She shakes her head against me.
Oscar drags a hand over his face and looks towards the corridor. “Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” I watch him as he fumbles for the right words. “I’m really sorry. I’m not trying to upset you.” He takes a deep ragged breath before expelling loudly. “I’ll go.”
Ruby doesn’t move, she brings her hands up to cover her face and I’m worried she might be crying.
I need him to go so I can check her over properly.
Oscar looks at Ruby, “Fuck. Okay. Yeah. Look, I love you.” He takes a step back. “I’m sorry I said that. But I’ll call you later, okay?”
She nods against me.
“Okay.” He dips his chin, then he turns and strides off.
What the actual fuck just happened?