Page 67 of Stroked Long
Bodi: I don’t eat all organic.
Ruby: pfft. Nice try, I saw your shopping list on your fridge.
Bodi: So you enjoy trolling around people’s places. Noted.
Ruby: It’s sad you’re just figuring this out.
***
Why am I so fucking nervous? I feel like turning back around, getting in my car, and fleeing to the safe confines of my condo. I’ve texted Ruby all week from trials. We talked about random crap no one cares about, and I let my sarcastic side show. She is moving up the scale of people who are closest to me. Hell, she’s up there with Lauren and Eva right about now. Kind of surpassing Coach Ed because, fuck, I would never talk to him about “benching my cock.” Shit, the man would slap me across the head and ask me what the hell was wrong with me.
But Ruby does that to me, she plucks me out of my shell every chance she can get.
Fuck if I don’t like it.
That’s why I’m standing in front of her apartment door, fresh off the plane from Omaha, and tired as fuck from a long week of trials. I should be home, resting, unpacking, getting my life figured out, but instead I’m standing in front of Ruby’s door, gaining the courage to knock so I can see her beautiful face.
A week.
I’ve only been gone a week, and even though we talked every day, I’ve fucking missed her. I missed her quirky way of asking questions, of celebrating with her fingers pointed as if you just made her day, and the genuine look of interest in her eyes when you talk to her. I missed her crazy color combinations, the way her bangs fall just above her eyes, framing those bright blue eyes perfectly, and I even missed the way she loops her hand through my arm.
Her touch.
Her smile.
Her fucking everything.
Shit. I just missed her.
Just the thought of not seeing that smile for another day has my hand rising to the wood of the door and knocking. Quickly I stuff my hands in my pockets and look at the floor, the bill of my hat shielding me from everything around me.
The telltale sound of locks echo against the wood of the door, easing my heart from knowing she’s being safe. Lifting my head slightly, I catch the look on Ruby’s face when she sees me standing at her door.
“Oh my God, Bodi!” Without a stutter in her step, she throws her arms around me, and I do the same to her, bringing her close to my chest for a hug. Her head rests against me and I catch a whiff of her shampoo. It’s sweet and clean, a scent I can easily get used to.
Lifting her head to look up at me, she smiles and says, “You’re back. I thought you wouldn’t be back until later tonight.”
I wink. “I can be deceiving if I want to.”
“This is the perfect surprise.” Once again, she rests her head on my chest and grips me around my waist.
She’s so fucking warm. Everything about her is warm: her smile, the look in her eyes when she saw me, the grip she has on my shirt, as if she doesn’t ever want to let go.
For the first time since I left for trials, I feel full.
“I’m so glad you came to visit. Come on in.” Pulling away, leaving a spot of emptiness, she replaces it by linking her hand through my arm and guiding me into her apartment.
“Well, I thought I owed you a celebration.”
“You do.” She perks up even more. “Good thing I went to the store yesterday.” Like a little pixie, she prances into the small kitchen area, opens a cupboard, and pulls down a package of Double Stuf Oreos with a bow secured around all the edges and tied at the top. I raise a questioning eyebrow at her and watch as her creamy white cheeks turn into an adorable blush. “I had to put the bow on there so I didn’t eat them myself. Believe me, it’s been a difficult twenty-four hours.”
“Didn’t you have some the other night?” I ask, remembering our conversation about her licking the filling off the cookie. And right now, I shouldn’t think about that. Not after what I did after readingthattext that night. I had been so hard, and it hadn’t taken long to beat off to that vision.Shit. Down, boy.
“Are you judging me?” Her hands on her hips, Oreos resting on them as well.
“No.” I raise my hands in defense.
“Good.” Her chin sticks in the air as she says, “Andrea and I might have eaten a whole package the other night, watching your trials.”
