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In fact, she wasn’t the only one who thought that. I, myself, had wondered a time or two why he picked me out of all the females at Southern. Actually, I’m pretty sure there were a handful of guys standing in line too, even though he wasn’t gay.
After Ellen checks in, it’s my turn. The process is quick, and I’m handed a room key. Thankfully, I had used my new card to reserve my hotel room, so there wasn’t the same mix-up as at the car rental counter. That would have been embarrassing.
I hang around, off to the side, as Rueben checks in. He gives the clerk a friendly smile that makes her stutter over her own tongue. I totally get what she sees. He’s gorgeous, for sure. As he heads over to where I’m standing, the elevators just off to the left, he seems a little distracted. “Everything okay?” I ask, wheeling my own suitcase to the bank of elevators.
“Uh, yeah,” he says, shoving something in his pocket.
“What’s that? A phone number?” I tease, grinning from ear to ear as I watch the elevator numbers drop in descent.
“Yeah.”
That causes me to pause. When I turn around, he seems embarrassed again. “Seriously? That clerk gave you her number?” I’m not surprised, actually. He’s totally sexy and hot, and he did just check in to a hotel room alone.
He rubs the back of his neck, nervously, as the elevator chimes its arrival. “No, not her.”
I’m stumped as I look at him in confusion. “Then who?” I find myself asking as the last person exits the car.
“Ellen.” That one word brings all sorts of feelings bubbling to the surface. The first one is anger. Even though it was a lie, we told her we were together. Yet, here she is, giving him her phone number, as if that didn’t matter.
“Wow,” I reply, slipping inside the elevator and turning to face the doorway.
Just as he goes to follow me into the awaiting car, a loud voice makes him stop in his tracks. “Rueben Rigsby! Dude, it’s been years!”
I know that voice. I’ve had dreams of it, usually totally false dreams of him begging me to take him back. I don’t, of course, because, well, it’s my dream. But I’ll never forget that voice.
Danny Ohara.
My eyes clash with Rueben’s, and I picture my shocked and fearful ones mirror his. No, I’m not afraid of Danny, per se, but more of the actually running into him part. First off, there’s the fact that I have day-old hairspray hair that’s probably sticking up in a billion directions. Then, the fact that I’m not wearing something sexy that would remind him of what he lost that day, but instead wearing comfy leggings. I’m in no way prepared to run into my ex-boyfriend for the first time in a decade right now, so I do the only thing I can think of to get myself out of this situation.
I push the close button on the elevator wall and watch Rueben disappear behind the door.
Yes, I totally just left him to deal with Danny alone, but they’re friends, he’ll survive. And I realize the only way I’m going to survive this weekend is to tuck in my big girl panties and face him head-on. Of course, if I were wearing the short gold sequins dress in my luggage and the totally hot black stilettos, then so be it.
Oh, and booze.
It’s definitely going to take a lot of that to get me through this too.
Chapter Four
Rueben
I watch the elevator door close, wishing I was on it with her. Not that I’m not excited to see my old friend, Danny, but that I’d rather be with Cricket, even if only for a few more seconds. Weird, right?
“Hey, Danny, how are you?” I ask, pasting on a smile, as he approaches.
“Fan-fucking-tabulous, dude. Can you believe it’s been ten years since we’ve been out of school?” he asks, throwing his arm around me and patting me on the back. Danny is a little shorter than my six-foot two frame, but has more bulk. Though, is that a little belly in his midsection? Hard to tell, but he’s looking a little soft in the gut, which surprises me completely because Danny has always been the most vain male I’ve ever met.
“Hard to believe it’s been ten years,” I confirm, though it hasn’t been nearly that long since we’d last spoken. Although, it has been a while, Danny and I have always kept in touch, due mostly on my part. I’ve always been the one to initiate the text exchanges or the phone calls.
“So big plans tonight? I think a few of us are gonna hit the bars, like ol’ times. Oh, did you hear I’m giving one of the two addresses Sunday morning at brunch?” he asks as another elevator arrives on the lobby floor. I slip on, Danny hot on my heels. He doesn’t have any luggage, which tells me he’s been here a while already.
“I did hear that,” I say as I hit the button for the fourth floor. I didn’t even get a chance to ask Cricket where her room was before she darted away without having to face Danny. “And I’m not sure about tonight. I’ll have to let you know,” I add casually.
Truth be told, I’d be fine with just hanging out in my room and catching up on a little work. I’ll be behind after today’s travels, but nothing that I can’t wrap up quickly with a little computer time tonight. Of course, if I were to run into Cricket, I wouldn’t mind hanging out with her a bit either. Maybe grab a late night snack or hang out and catch up a little more. There’s still so much I’d like to know about the last decade, especially what led her to sitting in front of the camera instead of behind it.
“You listening?” he asks, pulling me back to the now.
“Oh, yeah. Sorry.” The elevator arrives on the fourth floor and I’m surprised when Danny follows me off. “You’re on this floor?” I ask.
