Page 20 of Stroked Long
I don’t smile. What is she talking about?
She snaps her finger in disappointment. “Darn, I was hoping I would get a peek at it. You’re a tough shell to crack.” She holds up my wallet and wiggles her eyebrows. “Want me to slip it in your pocket for you?”
My eyebrows shoot up from her suggestion, causing her to throw her head back and laugh.
“Oh Bodi, you’re awesome.”Fuck does she have me pegged wrong.
She continues to laugh and, even though it’s at my expense, the joyful sound echoes through my ears and registers as an almost angelic noise.
I fucking like it.
Placing the wallet in my hand, she steps back and points at one of the rods in my arms. “The tension rod will never work for the kind of curtains you seem to be looking at, and watch out with those white plastic things. They seem inexpensive and like a good bargain, but the minute you hang them up on the wall, they are going to look very cheap in that nice and pristine condo of yours.” With a sweet smile, she adds, “Good luck,” and then goes back to her cart.
Shit. I don’t want the curtains to look cheap.
“Hey, Ruby,” I call out before I can stop myself.
She spins on her heel, hand on her hip, with a knowing smile. “Let me guess, you want my help?”
I gulp and nod just as she clasps her hands, her dress swaying like a bell with her movements. Is it weird to think she looks adorable in those dresses? I’ve seen at least seven of them already, all colorful with sleeves and prints. I don’t know anything about fashion, but what I do know is the dresses she wears frame her body perfectly.
“Let’s start from the beginning. We need to put this all back; it’s not what you want.” She brings her cart in front of me and makes me drop everything in it. “We will put it back as we walk along. Now tell me, Bodi, are we just going to start you out easy? Maybe do one window and see how you like it? Or do you want to go all out?”
“One window,” I say quickly, still unsure if I want to go through with this.
They’re just fucking curtains, don’t freak out.
“Smart choice.” Looping her hand through my arm, she guides me to the curtain panels where she starts looking through the plethora of options displayed. Still holding on to me, she sifts through the ones on display, touching every one of them and talking about their texture and opacity.
Not one thing she is saying registers in my mind because I’m only focused on the way her hand is holding on to my forearm.
Human contact.
I know it sounds stupid and very elementary, but I don’t get much of it, and there is something to say about another human connecting with you, especially when they are as beautiful as Ruby.
Shit.
I’m finally fucking admitting it. She’s beautiful. That wall has crumbled. I try not to show my emotions, let alone acknowledge them, but there is no denying Ruby’s beauty. She has a heart-shaped face with pouty lips and big chocolate eyes, eyes that have not vanished from my mind’s eye since they were circled and encrusted with glitter.
“What do you think?” she asks, turning those coffee irises on me.
In front of me, she’s holding out a muted blue-green plain curtain. The fabric looks like it belongs on a couch and the color is way too vibrant for me. So not my fucking style.
“No.”
“Really?” She raises her eyebrow at me. “It’s the color of water in a pool, I assumed that would be comforting to you.”
“Too bright.”
Studying me, she scans my face and I feel the heat of her gaze of her perusal. “You know, you don’t have to speak like a caveman. It’s not required around me. Full sentences work.”
I don’t acknowledge her teasing. Instead, I fixate on the curtains, wondering if this is a good idea.
I sound like a giant pussy, but fuck, I don’t change anything. I don’t like change. I have a routine, and I stick with it, anything outside of that routine, that norm, is not easy to adjust to. I’m out of my element, and my heart is about to explode in my chest with how rapidly it’s beating.
“Maybe this wasn’t a good idea.” Her grip slips on my arm as I step away, pushing my hands in my pockets. The space between us grows as I back up, unsure of how to respond to her confused look.
“Bodi, watch—”
