We left the strip mall with a few bags in tow and my credit card with a higher balance than I’d ever placed on it before. I had money, my mother made sure of it. After her death when my father found out she’d had a policy with me as the beneficiary, he’d gone through a period where he’d barely look at me. All I could do was smile because even after her death she was protecting me.
Vera and I stopped at Starbucks and I paid for hers and my own. We talked as we exited, fully focused on one another and not our surroundings. I was surprised when I came face to face with Jay and the blonde I’d seen him with only a few days ago.
He stood tall, wearing faded frayed jeans and a tight blue shirt. His hair was a bit rugged, almost like his hands had run through it a few times, or someone else’s had. I felt a pain in my chest that I wanted to apply pressure to, only I refrained from bringing attention to it. He was gorgeous, with confidence that rolled off of him in waves. I swallowed hard at the thought of a girl at his side, touching him, being near him.
“Ruby.” He said my name and I was pulled out of my fantasy. Blinking to clear the haze, I forced the ache in my chest to calm. He wasn’t mine, he’d never been mine.
The girl looked from him to me and back to him, almost like she was waiting to be introduced. There was an awkward silence that had settled over us, and when our companions figured out that neither of us were planning introductions, they took it upon themselves to do so. “I’m Vera, an old family friend of Ruby and her late mother’s.”
When Vera mentioned the late mother part, Jay’s eyes softened just a small fraction but I ignored it.
“I’m Jade.” The blonde girl, very attractive I might add, thrust her hand out toward Vera. “I’m Jay’s older sister.”
I whipped my head toward her and I knew without a doubt I had to have looked ridiculous as her words sunk in. “You’re his sister?”
Jay chuckled and the girl glared at him before looking back at me. “Yes, I am.” She smiled. “And from the look on your face I’d have to guess that you’re the one he told me about who thought I was something more.”
Embarrassment took over and I felt the heat rise in my cheeks.
“You’re the movie guy?” Vera’s acknowledgement only furthered the humiliation I’d felt by adding in her own thoughts.
“So she talked about me?” The three of them were looking between one another and all I wanted to do was slink back into Starbucks and find the back exit.
“Not much,” Vera had never been the one to sugarcoat anything, “just that you’d gone to a movie.”
Jade remained silent at her brother’s side, looking at him and then at me. I felt like she was sizing me up, developing an opinion of me, or maybe trying her best to imagine what was going on in each of our minds. I imagined her thoughts of me were nothing spectacular considering I thought she was her brother’s hook up. Oh my God, how mortifying.
“Can I talk to you for a second?” Jay held out his hand and again I contemplated running away. Instead I placed my hand in his and let him lead me away from Vera and his sister. I didn’t chance a glance back, already knowing that the two of them were most likely watching us with prying eyes.
I’d allowed my imagination to get the best of me.
After we were at a safe distance he stopped and released my hand. I missed his touch immediately and felt stupid that I’d let such a small gesture affect me. Truth was I barely knew Jay, and I allowed others to form my opinion of him.
“Your sister?”
Looking up, I found him grinning and nodding his head.
“Were you just going to let me continue to believe that she was something more?” He only shrugged. “Why?”
“Why should I stop you? You’ve already developed an opinion based on someone else’s thoughts.” I felt foolish. “I thought we’d had a nice time, not just at the movies but even before that at the party.”
“You mean when I got punched.”
“Well, before that part.” His smile was gone, as if the reminder of that particular part of the night angered him all over again. “I never once gave you any reason to believe that I was a bad guy. Never pressured you or acted as if you owed me anything.”
True.
“But you were pretty quick to jump to conclusions.” He held his cool, trying to play off that cocky demeanor as if he didn’t care, but I sensed he did. “I think you need to step back and decide if you’re gonna be your own person to lead your own life, or if you’re gonna continue to let others do that for you.”
He looked back and I followed his gaze, finding both Jade and Vera talking to one another and no longer watching us.
“I’m not a bad guy, Ruby.” I didn’t look at him right away but I could feel him staring at me. “I come from a broken home. One where I watched my father treat my mother as if she were disposable. I’ve watched my sister go through one bad relationship after another because she never has seen what a stable relationship is like. I’m not that guy, and I never will be. I don’t find joy is stringing girls along. You were wrong to allow Darcy to convince you otherwise before giving me a chance to prove to you who I really am.”
I felt like
