His face hardened. “No. Absolutely not.”
His response shocked her. She couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t want them if they could lessen the scars he seemed so self-conscious of. “Why?” She frowned.
“Because whatever you think, it’s good to have a constant reminder of what I did.”
A heavy feeling washed over Ruby. For Drew to think like that was crazy. It defied all logic, and she was utterly at a loss over how to help him. She moved forward and sat down on the mattress beside him. He turned his face away from her. “What happened to you wasn’t karma, like you said earlier. You didn’t do anything to hurt Reese. You never would have. Surely you get that.” She hoped that her words might help him see sense.
“Enough,” he snapped, shoving a hand through his damp hair. “First of all, I shouldn’t have even been there. She was Blake’s girl, even if they were broken up. Everyone knew they were always off and on. Second of all, I was the one who didn’t blow out the candles that Reese had lit.” He folded his arms tightly across his chest, the expression on his face set hard.
Ruby couldn’t leave it. She had to make one last-ditch attempt to get through to him. “Reese could’ve blown them out herself, you know. Why does it have to be your mistake?” She put a hand on his shoulder, feeling the tension thrumming from his body.
“Because it was,” he ground out. “Because I’m here alive, and she’s… she’s….” His voice cracked, and tears filled his eyes.
“It’s all right, Drew. I’m here.” She reached out and pulled him toward her, holding him tightly in her arms while he sobbed into her shoulder. “I’m here.”
Drew pulled himself out of Ruby’s grasp. He couldn’t believe that he’d broken down in front of her. He felt like such a jerk. He’d spent the previous twelve months maintaining a hard exterior that no one could penetrate, and in the space of only a few minutes, Ruby Davis had got to the very heart of him and made him sob like a baby.
“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to lose it like that.”
He looked directly into her deep brown eyes and immediately regretted it. He felt himself being drawn toward her, like he had no say in the matter. He couldn’t believe she could do this to him. She didn’t used to. In the past, he’d just liked her as Blake’s younger sister. And now…
Now she should be off-limits. Even when they’d been friends, Blake might have not liked the idea of Drew with Ruby. He’d certainly warned other guys who’d shown any interest in her what would happen if they did anything to upset her. He’d even enlisted Drew’s help on several occasions. Ruby didn’t know. She’d have been really angry if she’d ever found out.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to apologize. I get it.” Ruby reached out and touched him on the arm, and just that one small touch was enough to drive him crazy. It took him all his resolve to not pull her close and kiss her hard on the lips. He wanted to. A lot. But he couldn’t. He shouldn’t.
Screw it.
He grabbed Ruby, and they both fell onto the bed, legs and arms all over the place.
Chapter Ten
Butterflies whizzed around Ruby’s stomach as she caught sight of Drew in the mirror watching her intently while she fixed her hair. It had surprised her that he even had a mirror in his bedroom. Her father had always refused to have one in the house, so there weren’t any, apart from the ones both she and Blake had inside the doors of their closets. And if, on the rare occasion that he went out, her dad caught sight of his reflection, he’d sink into a dark mood and demand they went home right away. It made family outings very difficult because you could see reflections in so many things, not just mirrors.
Drew had his hands behind his head and was leaning against the headboard. He hadn’t got up from the bed since they’d finished their make-out session. If it wasn’t for the fact that they had to get back to school, they’d still be there. Though, it was for the best they weren’t, because she didn’t know how far it would have gone. And as much as she liked Drew, she wasn’t ready to go all the way. She wanted her first time to be special, and not somewhere they could be disturbed any minute by his mom arriving home.
She shuddered at the thought of what his mother might say if she caught them together, especially if she had been drinking. Which was likely seeing as, according to Blake, there were very few days, if any, that she wasn’t wasted.
“Are you okay?” Drew asked.
Ruby loved that he sounded so concerned. “Yeah, why?” she asked as she turned to face him.
Her heart did a triple flip, seeing the way he stared at her so sweetly. She wondered if she would ever get used to it, or whether he would always make her feel that way.
“You had a strange expression on your face.”
“It’s nothing.” She waved her hand. “I just had a thought about what would happen if your mom found us here, and what she’d say.”
“She won’t.” He laughed. “I can’t remember the last time she set foot in my bedroom. We’re safe. Promise.”
He swung his legs around until his feet reached the floor. Then he got up and walked over to where Ruby stood. He wrapped his arms around her middle and gave a gentle squeeze. In the reflection, Ruby could see the affection in his eyes. And she knew at that moment she was falling for him. She leaned her head back until it rested against his shoulder for the briefest moment.
“That’s okay then. Come on, or we’ll be late.” She took hold of his hand and led him out of the bedroom and downstairs.
Drew drove them back to school. They didn’t speak much during the journey, but the silence wasn’t awkward. It was perfect. Ruby wished they could be in their own little world for a while longer, but all too soon they had reached the school parking lot.
A sense of foreboding washed over her at the thought of Blake seeing them driving up to school. But then she got annoyed with herself for being such a drama queen. She’d worry about Blake when the time came.
Except, to be honest, she couldn’t just wait for him to see them together and figure out that their relationship had gone far beyond just being partners on a science project. Hard as it might be, she would have to speak to him before he found out from someone else about her and Drew. She owed him that much.
She scanned the parking lot, but when she didn’t see any sign of her brother, she decided to just enjoy everything as it was.
Drew parked his car, and they both got out. Ruby took his hand and could feel his arm stiffen. But then he relaxed and didn’t pull away. She’d only meant to touch him for a second and then let go, but she couldn’t help it. She wanted to stay like that.
Suddenly, he jerked his head to the side, and Ruby followed his gaze. Her heart pounded against her rib cage. It was Blake coming out from behind the tree.
Crap.
Blake hadn’t noticed them, or if he had, he certainly hadn’t given that impression. And, knowing Blake, it was unlikely he would totally ignore the two of them together holding hands. She tightened her grip on Drew, just to let him know that she was through feeling guilty. What had happened to Reese wasn’t his fault, and it was time Blake saw that, too.
Before she could speak, Drew pulled his hand from hers and shifted to the side, so they weren’t standing so close. He clearly wasn’t prepared to take the risk of Blake seeing them together. But Ruby couldn’t shake the thought that maybe they should just face her brother together and get it over with.
“It’s for the best,” Drew muttered.
“What?” She bit down on her bottom lip, dreading his response.
“Us.”
Okay, so she hadn’t expected that comment. His face was set firm and his body rigid, with his fists clenched by his sides. He had no need to spell it out. He was backing out of them having a relationship, choosing his guilt over following her into the light. One look at Blake had sent him running in the opposite direction. She tried to blink away the tears that threatened to fall.