TWENTY-FOUR.
Ever
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Trouble maker.
I push through the front door and nudge the storm door wide with my foot.
My coffee mug warms my palm, steam still rising in the cool morning air.
A man has his upper body buried inside Gladys’s open hood.
Tools clink softly against metal. I stand there, staring, with no idea why he’s working on my truck at this hour.
“Excuse me,” I call.
Ruben straightens slowly, pulling himself free. He turns just enough to glance at me over his shoulder, a streak of grease marking one cheek. Recognition lights his face, followed by an easy, lopsided grin.
“Did you at least ask her permission before you climbed inside her like that?” I ask.
He laughs, and I feel my own grin spread wide as I step closer to the edge.
“She was still mad I never called after our second date,” he says, matching my teasing tone. “Figured I owed her some attention.”
I burst out laughing and lean my shoulder against the porch post. I lift the mug and take a sip.
Ruben hops down from the running board, wipes both hands on a faded handkerchief, and nods toward the truck.
“Your battery wasn’t holding charge the way it should.
I swapped it out. A couple of the wires are still coming undone, but they’ll probably hold for now.
I’d get new tires before the real winter hits, though.
You don’t want to be sliding around when the ice comes. ”
“I see,” I say quietly, but the details don’t fully land. My mind is still processing him being here. “Did Tobias put you up to this?”
“He didn’t tell you I was coming by?” Ruben’s brows lift in surprise.
“He did not. No,” I tell him, and take another sip.
“Oh, shit. Sorry.” He rubs the back of his neck and glances around the yard, looking a little sheepish. “He called saying she wouldn’t start. I figured you two had already talked it over.”
A small smile tugs at me. “I think you’re just here because you miss Gladys.”
“Well, I did miss you too, if that counts for anything.” He meets my eyes, the corner of his mouth quirking as he waggles his eyebrows playfully.
“The truth finally comes out,” I tease. He wipes his hands on his jeans, like he’s not sure what to do with them when he’s not working. “Tobias told me Val was your uncle.”
“Yeah. He was.” Ruben nods. “My mom used to ship me here in the summer as punishment. I hated every minute of it.”
“My mom did the same thing to me,” I admit. “Except I didn’t mind. I actually liked coming here.”
He gives me a small, sympathetic grin. “I didn’t know that.” I shrug. “It’s funny Tobias ended up here after all these years. I never realized this place had such a hold on him. It really straightened him out, though.”
“You guys were trouble makers?”
Ruben laughs quietly and drags a rag across his forehead. “Oh yeah, we were not good kids. The whole town knew our names for all the wrong reasons.”
“I can picture you causing trouble,” I tell him. “Tobias, not so much”
“I’m offended.” He presses both hands to his chest in mock offense. “It’s the tattoos, isn’t it? Girls always think it’s either sexy or intimidating.” He grins wider. “I was aiming for sexy.”
“They work for you,” I say honestly. I give a small nod of approval as I trail my eyes over the lines on his forearm. “Sexy and intimidating aren’t that far apart, though. Put a guy on a motorcycle with tattoos like that and it’s both at once.”
“What if I told you I do ride?” He leans his hip against Gladys’s fender and crosses his arms casually over his chest. “Maybe I can take you out sometime. Fair warning, though—I like to go fast. You’d have to hold on pretty tight.”
I let my eyes move over him again: the grease-streaked shirt stretched across his shoulders, the relaxed confidence in his stance.
Tobias must have called him late last night to get him here so early, but he obviously didn’t mention what happened between us.
I wonder if I should be the one to tell him.
“You think Tobias would be fine with that?” I ask. He grins wide, but there’s a flicker in his eyes I can’t quite read. I’m not sure if I’m testing him or if he’s the one testing me.
“What do you think?” he asks, voice low and sly. I narrow my eyes, holding his gaze. Neither of us dares to blink.
I reach down and unclip the walkie-talkie from my belt. My thumb presses the button as I lift it to my mouth. “Tobias?”
Ruben’s eyes widen. I catch a quick flash of panic before he tries to cover it with a laugh.
“Yeah?” Tobias’s voice crackles through, rough and impatient.
I keep my tone playful. “There’s this Ruben guy at my house working on Gladys. He offered to take me for a ride on his motorcycle sometime, but he said I’d have to hold on really tight. I was just wondering how you felt about that.”
Ruben buries his face in both hands and lets out a muffled laugh, but I can see the tension in his shoulders. He’s nervous.
“Don’t fucking go anywhere,” Tobias growls through the speaker. I chuckle under my breath.
Ruben drops his hands and looks at me, wide-eyed. “He’s gonna fucking kill me.”
He glances toward the barn in the distance, already bracing himself. “I’m gonna be honest with you. He actually might.”
He swallows hard, eyes flicking back to me, hesitant now.
A low rumble starts over the hill. Then a black truck appears at the horizon and tears down the slope at a speed that makes my stomach tighten. Dust billows behind it. He’s driving way too fast. Maybe calling him was a mistake.
“Fuck,” Ruben whispers. He takes a step back toward the house.
The truck skids to a stop in front of us, brakes screaming. Tobias is out before the engine even settles, door left hanging open, keys still in the ignition. He doesn’t waste time shutting anything off.
“What the fuck did you say to her?” he seethes, stalking straight toward Ruben.
Ruben raises both hands. “It was a joke, dude. Relax. It was nothing.”
Tobias grabs the front of Ruben’s shirt and yanks him forward. I set my mug on the porch and hurry over, wedge myself between the two of them and press both palms flat against Tobias’s chest.
“Tobias, relax.” His eyes snap down to me, dark and furious. “It was a joke,” I say quieter this time, trying to pull him back.
His shoulders loosen. Then after a long second he opens his hand and lets Ruben go and steps back.
Ruben smooths his shirt down, breathing hard. “Sheesh, dude. What the hell was that?”
“Keep your hands off her,” Tobias seethes.
Ruben rolls his eyes. “Well, it’s not like the two of you are dating anyway. I can shoot my shot.”
I roll my eyes now too. “That’s the route you’re going with right now?”
He flashes that sly grin again. “You’re not, right? Just because he hasn’t asked you out on a date doesn’t mean I can’t.”
I cross my arms. I can’t believe he’s doubling down after Tobias just had him by the collar. But he’s not entirely wrong. Tobias and I hooked up, sure, but we haven’t put any label on it. It’s still just… whatever it is.
“See? I can tell you’re thinking it now,” he says, pointing at me. I narrow my eyes at him.
I turn back to Tobias. “It was a joke,” I tell him again. “I’m sorry I called you. I was just trying to get back at him for being annoying.”
“And I didn’t touch her!” Ruben adds quickly.
We both glare at him.
He holds up his hands again, then grins wider. “But I did tell you I was trouble, didn’t I?” He winks playfully, and now I know there’s going to be trouble.
Tobias takes a step forward, and this time I don’t move to stop him.
Tobias lunges, wraps an arm around Ruben’s neck, and drags him down into the dirt.
They hit the ground hard, rolling, throwing half-hearted punches.
I wince at the first solid thud of fist against shoulder, but after a few seconds I realize no one is really trying to hurt anyone.
They’re grunting, cursing, laughing under their breath between blows, calling each other names I’ve never heard until dust clouds around them.
I step back and watch. The troublemaker stories I’ve been hearing are starting to feel a lot more real. But these two grew up together, pushing each other’s buttons, fighting and making up in the same breath. I bet this is how they’ve always been. And I’m not getting in the middle of it.
After another minute Tobias rolls off Ruben and pushes to his feet. Ruben stays down a second longer, groaning and clutching his side, then finally props himself up on his hands. Both of them are breathing hard, shirts streaked with dirt, faces flushed.
They look at each other, and something unspoken passes between them—years of conversation and memories in the blink of a moment. Their eyes are bright, alive with the same reckless energy, then Tobias reaches down. Ruben takes his hand and lets himself be pulled up.
“Stay away from him,” Tobias says to me, pointing a finger in Ruben’s direction. Ruben rolls his eyes and crosses his arms.
“You’re the one who sent him here,” I tease, keeping my voice light.
Tobias groans and closes the distance between us. His arm slides around my waist, pulling me against him, and every nerve in my body lights up at once. Heat spreads through me so fast I almost forget we’re not alone.
His mouth finds mine as I thread my fingers into his hair and tug him closer, deepening the kiss.
His hands move up my back, then slide lower, gripping my thighs and squeezing just enough to make me smile against his lips.
He nips at my bottom lip, playful, and I feel the sound I make more than hear it.
“What the hell, Toby,” Ruben says from somewhere behind us.
I laugh softly at first, then process what I just heard and press my palm to Tobias’s chest to ease him back a little. His eyes are wild when they meet mine, flicking back and forth between my own.
“Toby?” I ask quietly. “Do people call you that?”
His jaw tightens for a second. “Most people do.”
I give him a look with an eyebrow raised. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
He grins, slow and wide. His gaze drops to my mouth and lingers there long enough that butterflies erupt in my stomach. “Because I like when you say my name.”
My lips part. I stare at him, suddenly aware of how much better he keeps getting with every word. I nod because words won’t come, and he pulls my hips flush against his.
“Do you want to go out with me sometime?”
“Why not,” I say with a small shrug, though every part of me is giddy and on the edge of anticipation.
Ruben groans dramatically in the background. I laugh and press my forehead to Tobias’s chest for a brief second, breathing him in.
“Why?” Ruben asks, exasperated. “Why do you always get the girls? It doesn’t make sense.”
Tobias tucks me under his arm, draping it heavy and possessive over my shoulders. “You can probably learn something from him,” I offer Ruben.
He rolls his eyes hard and throws his arms up in defeat. “I’ve been friends with him my whole life. You don’t think I’ve tried?”
I glance up at Tobias. There really is something magnetic about him. Confidence rolls off him without effort, like he’s never once doubted himself. It’s hard to picture him uncertain about anything.
“Stay away from her,” Tobias says to Ruben again, tone flat.
Ruben waves him off. “Yeah, whatever. The car’s fixed. Battery’s good now. Change the tires when you get a chance.”
Tobias squeezes me a little tighter under his arm. “You’re not gonna change her tires for her?”
“Hell no. Not after all that,” Ruben says. Tobias chuckles, the sound vibrating through his chest into mine.
“I’ll tell you what—”
“No,” Ruben cuts in. “No way I’m making a bargain with you.”
I slip my arm around Tobias’s waist. He glances down at me, and for a moment we just look at each other. Dust still clings to his shirt, a faint bruise already forming on his cheekbone from the scuffle. But his eyes soften when they meet mine, and something steady settles in my chest.
“Whatever,” Ruben says, waving his hand again. “I’m getting out of here. You two get a room.”
Tobias mirrors the wave, casual.
We watch Ruben climb into his truck and pull away down the road, dust kicking up behind him. Tobias turns me in his arms, hands settling on my hips.
“Was all that really necessary?” I ask.
“It was,” he says without hesitation.
He cups my face in both hands and lowers his mouth to mine again. This time the kiss is slower, softer, now that we’re alone. No rush, no audience. Just his lips moving against mine.