“Crap!” Ruby exclaimed. She grabbed a cloth from the side and started to pat him with it. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know the top was loose.”
He took the cloth from her and continued wiping at the dressing, although his shirt was too drenched to save. Drops had splattered his face, and he could taste some that had made it into his mouth. He grimaced; it didn’t taste so good when it wasn’t on salad. “Don’t sweat it. I better take a shower, though. I don’t smell too good at the moment.”
“I don’t know. I’ve smelled worse perfumes,” she quipped, wrinkling her nose. “On old ladies.” She ran to the side and stood behind the table.
“Very funny. Wise move getting out of the way, because any closer and you’ll end up covered in eau d’balsamic, too.”
Drew tried to fix Ruby with a glare, but he was laughing too much for it to be effective.
“You’ve gotta catch me first.” She hopped from side to side, her expression daring him to make a try.
He ran around the table and lunged at her, but she jumped backward and all he grabbed was air.
“Missed me,” she taunted.
“I won’t next time,” he promised. He pivoted on one foot and made a grab for her, catching hold of her arm. He pulled her close, and she put both hands on his chest and pushed at him, then grimaced and wiped her sticky hands on his shoulders, the cleanest part of his shirt.
“Urgh. You do stink. Let me go and I promise to wipe up the floor while you get a shower,” she pleaded.
“And lunch?” he asked hopefully.
“I’ll make lunch, too. Even I can manage a couple of rolls.”
“Done.” He laughed again and then headed for his bathroom. He paused and looked over his shoulder at Ruby. She smiled. He fought the urge to invite her to join him.
Chapter Nine
Ruby leaned against the counter for a few moments, reliving the scene with Drew, her mouth dry. For that brief moment, it had been like the old Drew was with her. The Drew she had always had a secret thing for. The Drew who had been full of fun. Who would help her play silly tricks on Blake. She’d never imagined he would make another appearance, at least not so soon.
And as for the kiss… She’d dreamed about kissing him for years. It was everything she’d thought it would be, and more. She wondered if it would happen again, or if it was a one-off. The way Drew had reacted had hurt initially, but she should have expected the guilt to get to him. And if she was honest, she felt guilty, too. Which is why she tried to push thoughts of Blake and Reese to the back of her mind. It did her no good dwelling on the pair of them, since Drew did enough of that for both of them.
She glanced up at the clock on the wall and was shocked to see that Drew had been gone quite a while, and she hadn’t done anything she’d said she would. She took the cloth and wiped the mess on the floor, then started to make their lunch. They’d bought tuna to have with the cheese, so she took out a bowl from the dishwasher and started to look for a can opener.
She’d only been to Drew’s house a few times in the past and each time had been totally overwhelmed by how grand it was. His mom had every top-of-the-line appliance imaginable. Yet, she didn’t cook. They had takeout most days, Blake had told her. It was a crime that all these things were wasted at Drew’s house. If her mom owned them, they’d be used every single day.
Finally, she gave up looking and headed instead for the bottom of the stairs. “Drew,” she called, holding her hand to her mouth.
When he didn’t answer, she took the stairs two at a time and headed down the long hallway to his bedroom. The door was opened slightly, so she stuck her head around it just as Drew walked out of his bathroom. With only a towel wrapped around his middle.
She gasped as she caught sight of the horrendous red burns and welts that covered his shoulders and arms. God, that must’ve been so painful. The thick, puckered scar tissue, still an angry red even after a year, covered more than half of his upper body. She could barely stand it when she touched the wrong end of her curling iron. She couldn’t imagine burns that severe covering that much of her body.
“What are you doing?” Drew shouted, his eyes flashing with anger.
He made a grab for the dark green sweater on his bed and pulled it over his head, pushing his arms through the sleeves. He tugged it down and scowled.
“Nothing. I… I… I couldn’t find the can opener so…” Her hands started to shake, and she wanted to reach for him, to tell him that he didn’t have to hide from her.
“So you thought you’d creep up on me and then stare at my repulsive scars. The bathroom’s that way, if you want to vomit.” He stabbed his finger in the direction he’d come from.
Ruby wanted to curl up and die for making him think that she was grossed out by him. She hadn’t meant to stare; she couldn’t help it. But it wasn’t revulsion going through her head. If anything, it was empathy. Drew’s burns were no worse than her dad’s, and she’d lived with them for years. She knew the suffering her dad had gone through. “No. You’ve got it all wrong. I’m sorry if you thought I was staring at you. I wasn’t.”
It seemed like everything they’d shared earlier was forgotten. He glared at her like she was a total stranger, and it wrenched at her gut.
“I could see exactly where you were looking.” His upper lip curled in derision.
Okay, she did stare at him, just not in the way he’d imagined. It was human nature for her to be drawn to something she hadn’t seen before. And even with all those scars, he was still…beautiful. “Well, I did look. How could I not? But you have to understand it didn’t turn me off at all.”
The expression on Drew’s face changed from anger to one of uncertainty. She willed him to trust her, believe her.
“So you say.” He rolled his eyes.
“So I mean,” Ruby replied firmly.
He broke eye contact and shook his head. She had no doubt that if he had a sweatshirt on, he’d be pulling the hood to cover the side of his neck and jaw. “I know how grotesque I am. Every morning while I’m getting dressed I see myself in the mirror. It’s karma.” He bowed his head.
She felt so helpless. “That’s crazy talk,” she said. “You didn’t hurt Reese. Accidents happen sometimes. That doesn’t mean you deserved to be hurt so badly.”
She resisted the urge to stride across the room and give him a shake, as much as she really wanted to. Because he needed one.
“That’s your opinion.” His voice seemed flat and devoid of emotion. It was like he’d switched off.
“It is. And I’m right. So deal with it.”
She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. The silence hung in the air, but she didn’t relax her glare. Finally, Drew’s face softened, and he sat down on the bed, all the fight leaving his body. “Maybe I overreacted,” he said.
“You think?” she said, determined not to let him get away with it too easily.
“I’m sorry. You’re the first non-medical person to see my scars.”
She swallowed hard. She hadn’t even thought of it like that. It had been a huge step for him to even talk to her about it. Of course he hadn’t been ready to reveal his scars. But maybe now that she’d seen them, he’d feel even more relaxed around her.
“Do they hurt?” She moved closer, fighting the urge to take him in her arms in case he reacted badly.
“They itch like hell a lot of the time,” Drew said through clenched teeth. “I have cream to soften the skin, and meds for the itching and pain, but they don’t help much.”
“What about skin grafts? Are you going to have them?” She’d read up on it once for her dad, but it was too late for him. It would be different for Drew because his injuries were relatively new.