Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 121916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
It’s possible Ruby will avoid me like the plague out of guilt for the stunt she pulled this morning. But knowing her, I think it’s more likely she’ll confront what she did head on and beg for my forgiveness. Which I’ll give her. But not before making her squirm a tiny bit.
In her defense, it was only when Ruby drew the comparison between my ridiculous, fleeting crush on Laila back in the day and hers on Kai that I truly understood how dead as a doornail her feelings for my big brother must have become. But even so, I’m going to make her grovel at least a little bit. I’ve never once had the upper hand like this with Ruby. Usually, she’s coming at me, rightfully so, for something stupid I said or did. So now, I’m going to milk my present state of moral superiority. But only for the duration of this six-hour flight. Probably not even that long, if she starts pulling any of her highly effective mind-control strategies on me. The girl is good. But, still, I’m determined not to fold too quickly.
Our tour manager, Caden, and his trusty assistant enter the plane as I’m getting settled into my seat. Not surprisingly, they head toward the back cabin together, probably to go over whatever details and logistics are coming up on our busy schedule.
After that, Kai shuffles on looking like a sleep-deprived, annoyed hot mess. And after him, there’s a trio of high-level staffers.
When my brother locks eyes with me, he motions to the empty seat next to me, and I shake my head.
Whatever, his expression says as he flops down into a seat several rows away.
When our eyes met in the van on the drive to the airport, I flipped him off with both hands, and Kai returned the gesture. But apparently, he’s ready to make nice now. Me, not so much. He doesn’t realize this, of course, but the lies he flippantly told me about Ruby quite possibly changed the trajectory of my life.
Maybe Ruby never would have been interested in me romantically, but I guess I’ll never know. Why not? Because it’s too late now. Because we’re best friends and she’s never shown interest in me, anyway. And oh yeah, mere hours ago, she literally told me she’ll never date another guy who started out as a friend.
But what if Kai had never told me those lies? What if I came back home after dropping out of college, and I finally mustered the courage to spill my guts to Ruby, like I’d been planning? What if I’d told her how I felt about her back then—how I’ve always felt? But no. I returned and found out Ruby had been “desperately in love” with Kai since age sixteen. That, in fact, she’d felt so strongly about him, she’d even begged him to fuck her on her twentieth birthday, which Kai had declined to do.
Ruby.
She’s boarded the plane now, and she’s heading down the aisle behind Titus, her pink hair piled on top of her head and her sexy tattoo on full display, thanks to the shoulder-baring tank top she’s sporting underneath a pair of oversized denim overalls.
Ruby usually sits next to me or Titus on longer flights like this one. So, it’s anyone’s guess if she’ll pick me or her brother this time. I’m hoping me, since she often says she prefers sleeping on my shoulder the most because Titus always falls asleep, too, and then he gets all wonky in his seat.
When Ruby’s dark gaze lands on me, she smiles cautiously, as if to say, Do you forgive me? When I don’t return her smile, her shoulders droop. She says something to Titus, which I think is something like “Let’s take that row there,” so, fuck it, I motion to her to come over to me, instead.
At my beckoning, Ruby’s beautiful face lights up. She says something else to Titus, and with her backpack slung over her shoulder, bounces down the aisle to me.
“Hey, bestie. Does that mean you’re okay with me sitting here with you?”
I shrug. “Suit yourself.” It’s as nonchalant a tone as I’ve ever used with Ruby. But since I’m hoping to get my first-ever grovel from her, I feel like I’ve got no other choice.
Ruby seems unfazed by my cold tone as she plops herself down next to me and begins pulling all her usual shit out of her big backpack. An iPad and charger. A packet of almonds. Some lip gloss and moisturizer. And so on.
“Are you still mad at me?” she asks, keeping her eyes on her task.
“Yes.”
She gasps and stops what she’s doing. “Still?”
“It’s been an hour, Ruby.”
“I know. I can’t believe you’ve managed to stay mad at me for that long. Wow. That’s a long time to stay mad at someone as sweet and lovable as me, who’s also regretful and repentant about what she did.”