Page 14 of Glorious Ruin
Five minutes passed before she was standing in Silas’s bedroom in North Carolina. A plastic ring sizer in one hand and a gold ring she had unearthed from his nightstand junk drawer in the other.
“Okay, it fits the ten-and-a-half perfectly.”
“Ten-and-a-half,” I repeated, returning my gaze to the clerk as he headed off to wrap up my purchase.
Now sitting on the edge of the bed, a knowing grin spread across her face. “Cal…is this what I think it is?”
“Yeah,” I breathed, relief that I’d managed to actually find a ringwashing over me. “It is.”
“Oh my God, finally. Wait. Silas texted everyone yesterday saying he was planning to do it. He told us not to spoil it when we’re there for tomorrow’s match.”
I smirked. “I know. That’s why I’m doing it on Tuesday. I’m beating him to it.”
“Why is everything always a competition with you two?”
“Finally, someone else sees it!” Lena shouted into the phone. “It’s exhausting! They are literally racing to the altar!”
“It’s not a competition,” I said smoothly as I took the velvet case from the jeweler. “Not when I’m winning. Besides, maybe it’s our foreplay.”
“AGH!” Evan shouted, covering his ears in the middle of the store like a child. “Please stop freely sharing about your sex life! I’m begging you!”
“Alright, alright,” I said to my traumatized best friend as I hung up. “Let’s go win a championship.”
My phone buzzed in my hand as I went to pocket the ring.
Where the fuck are you?
We have to be at the arena in thirty minutes to train.
Evan and Lena aren’t answering either.
???
“Shit,” I hissed as I saw at the time. “We’ve been gone an hour.”
Panicked, Evan checked his phone. “He’s awake and texting me in all caps. He thinks we’ve been kidnapped.”
“Let’s move it. And try to look natural. We were getting coffee.”
We practically sprinted through the streets of Old San Juan, sweat dripping from us thanks to the morning humidity, only slowing down when we burst through the hotel doors. Then we justspeed-walked.
The doors of the elevator opened before we even pressed the button. Silas was inside already wearing his gym gear and holding a large iced coffee. His arms werecrossed over his chest. His brow lowered as his sharp and suspicious eyes swept over the three of us.
No one dared move. Evan looked guilty while Lena looked as if she was trying not to laugh. I tried to look casual, despite the fact I was hiding an engagement ring in my pocket and sweating through my shirt like a hormonal teenager.
“Hey,” I said, breathless.
“Where were you?” Silas asked in a low voice.
“Coffee. We went to that local place down the street. The line was insane.”
Silas’s eyes narrowed. He looked at Evan, who was practically vibrating, and then at Lena, who refused to meet his gaze, before coming back to me. “You didn’t want to wake me up?” Suspicion dripped from his tone.
“You looked peaceful. I didn’t want to disturb you.” I stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for our floor. It forced him to step back and make room for us, but it didn’t stop him from burning a hole into my head with his gaze. He knew I was lying, knew something was up. I just hoped he didn’t know what.
“Right. Peaceful.”
I smirked, leaning back against the elevator wall, my hand brushing the velvet box in my pocket. “Don’t worry, Si,” I said softly, leaning in for a kiss the second the doors shut. “We’ve got plenty of time.”
