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He looks my way. “What did she ask?” his voice a little wary and full of concern.
“Well, she asked if I was playing hide the salami with her grandson,” I tell him, somehow keeping a straight face.
He stops at the stop sign and turns to face me. His eyes are wide and his jaw practically unhinges in shock. “She asked that?”
“Well, technically, she asked if I was playing hide the salami with her Ruby, but I’m not supposed to call you that,” I reply with a shrug.
“And what did you say?”
“Well, I couldn’t lie to her!” I holler. “She could see my blush and told me it was all the confirmation she needed.”
“Jesus,” he mutters, closing his eyes and resting his head against the headrest.
“She told me she was happy,” I tell him, recalling how her approval of us spending time together made me feel. She seemed genuinely happy Rueben was dating someone who made him smile. She said he never took his eyes off me, even in the short amount of time we were all together before he and his grandpa left the apartment.
Rueben’s silent for several more seconds before a horn sounds behind us. He quickly pulls into the intersection, heading toward the house where I grew up. When we pull into the driveway and park, he unbuckles his belt and turns my way. “She really said salami?”
I can’t help but laugh. “Oh, she definitely did.”
“And what did you say?”
I blush again. “Ummm, well, I might have told her your salami was one of my favorite attributes,” I say with a shrug.
His mouth falls open again. “Seriously?”
“Well, she caught me off guard, Rueben. What was I supposed to say?”
“Maybe you don’t talk about my salami with my grandma, Cricket. How about that?”
I can’t help but giggle a little at the embarrassment written all over his face and dripping from his words. The dark pink blush is super cute. “If it makes you feel better, she seemed very happy about my comment. She mentioned it runs in the family, and then she winked at me.”
Rueben groans and brings his hand to his forehead. “I didn’t need to know that. I don’t need to know anything about my grandpa’s…attributes.”
“Well, you asked.”
“No, no I did not.”
The front door opens and my dad appears. Unclicking my own seat belt, I tap him on the forearm and reach for my door handle. “Time to go, Ruby. That’s my dad,” I say as I open my door and slip out, not giving Rueben time to respond to my use of his nickname.
“There’s my girl,” my dad says as he approaches, arms extended for a hug.
“Hi, Dad,” I reply, the familiar scent of his aftershave and detergent wrapping around me in a warm hug.
“So glad you’re here, even if it’s just for one night,” he says, kissing me on the forehead. It’s then he glances over my shoulder and sees my friend standing there.
“Rueben, right?” Dad asks, looking down at me before returning his eyes behind me.
“Yes, sir. It’s nice to see you again,” Rueben replies, stepping forward and extending his hand.
“Good to see you too,” he says, even though I can see the curiosity written on his face. “Let’s get your bags inside, shall we?”
Rueben and my dad carry our two suitcases inside, casually chatting about the warm mid-September weather.
“Is that my Cricket?” my mom asks as she comes around the corner and joins us in the living room.
“Hi, Mom,” I reply, my arms wrapping around her slim waist and holding on tight.
“You look amazing,” she whispers. I can tell the moment she sees Rueben standing off to the side. “Oh, hello.”
