AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Mortification sweeps in, branding my cheeks a dark shade of red. “No, it’s okay!” I practically holler, wishing I had disappearing powers. Those would come in handy right about now. “I was getting a little worked up,” I concede, glancing down at the floor.
His big, warm hands gently grip the sides of my face as he tilts my head upward. My eyes meet his. “You are an amazing woman, Cricket Hill, and if your job isn’t making you happy, then I strongly feel you should consider other options. No, not the option you mentioned about switching stations and moving to LA, unless that’s what you want. You need to look at yourself, deep inside, and do what makes you happy.”
I can’t help but smile a little, and I definitely don’t miss the way his thumb gently strokes the apple of my cheek. “Like maybe become a professional poker player or competitive darts?”
Rueben snorts. “Anything but that,” he teases. “But if that makes you happy, I’ll be there, in the front row, and the first one to offer my condolences after you lose.”
I can’t stop the bubble of laughter. “Lose? I’m all winner, baby.”
He just smiles this heart-stopping smile and says, “Yes, yes you are.”
My arms move before I even consider the consequences. They wrap around his mid-section, the hard plains of his chest pressed firmly against my cheek. “Thank you for being my friend, Rueben.” I pause for a few seconds as he wraps his arms around my shoulders. “I don’t have too many friends in San Francisco.”
I know he’s looking down at me. I can practically feel his eyes on me and the sadness seeping from his pores. “You’ll always have a friend in me, Crick. Always.”
And I believe him. One thousand percent, without a doubt in my mind, I know I can count on Rueben Rigsby to have my back. The fact that we allowed our friendship to turn into a distant acquaintanceship is somewhat nauseating. Even in college, I knew he would be there if I ever needed him. I’ve missed that.
Tremendously.
“Thank you,” I reply through raw emotion choking the very air I try to breathe.
After a few long seconds, we finally make our way back to the food line. It’s a little longer than it was before my breakdown, but that’s okay. We silently stand at the end and wait for our turn.
“I do have a few friends,” I reassure him. “I’m good friends with Penny, my makeup artist, and I have a group of three girls that will hang out together at museums or dinner parties.”
He smiles down at me. “I’m glad.”
Clearing my throat, I continue. “I do consider them to be best friend material, even though I made it sound like I didn’t. We’ve all shared a lot in the last six or eight years. They’ve been there for me when no one else was, and I hope they’d say the same for me.”
He’s watching me again, those chocolate eyes staring deep into my soul. “I get it. I’m happy you have them, Crick, truly. But I think what you really need is an awesome best friend.”
“Really?” I ask, taking a step forward as the line advances.
“Yeah, I do. Someone who’s just a call away anytime you need him. Maybe he wears glasses and is about six-two. Oh, and he’s incredibly handsome.”
I snort another laugh. “Handsome, huh?”
“Incrediblyhandsome, Cricket.”
“My apologies.” Again, we step forward. “Well, if you ever find that person, send him my way. He sounds great.”
“You wound my pride, Hill.”
“Your pride is fully intact, Ruby.”
Rueben crosses his arms. “We can’t be friends anymore. Not unless you vow to never use that nickname again.”
I gasp. “What? I can’t believe you’d force me to make such a promise,” I respond, a performance worth of an Academy Award.
“Bullshit. Pinky swear, Cricket,” he argues, extending his right pinky.
Sighing dramatically, “Fine, I won’t call you Ruby ever again, Ruby.”
His eyes widen. “You’re already breaking the vow.”
“I haven’t even touched your pinky yet,” I defend, raising my own pinky. Just before I wrap my pinky around his, I add, “Ruby, Ruby, Ruby.” Then, and only then, do I entwine our fingers, sealing the deal.
“You’re horrible. That was dirty.”
