Page 10 of Spark

“You’re sex-starved and horny these days, so you’re seeing what you want to see.”

“You can’t deny he’s exactly your type, babe.” It’s the truth. Like Ruby’s current boyfriend, Cooper, and also Ruby’s favorite boyfriend in college, Ryder, that guy is a tall, tattooed, dark-haired, mysterious type with lean muscles and a resting “fuck you” face. In fact, everything about him screams,I’dmake a horrible boyfriend.Which means he’s right up Ruby’s alley.

“You’re so dumb,” Ruby says.

“You gave him your room number, dude.”

“For the drinks.”

“You never do that, though. You always give Titus’s.”

“Kendrick, your gaydar is terrible.”

“What?” I look over at the guy. “No.”

“Yes. Babe, he was hitting onyou.Not me.”

“You think?”

“One thousand percent. That’s why I felt comfortable giving him my room number. Because if he ever came up, it’d only be to beg me for yours.”

We both crack up, and a moment later, the bartender appears with our drinks. We chat briefly with the guy—and I’ll be damned, now that Ruby’s mentioned it, it seems probable he’s flirting with me.

Finally, the guy walks away and Ruby lifts her glass to me. “Happy twenty-eighth, my darling. I love you so damned much, Kendrick Cook.”

“I love you, too. Thank you.”

We clink and drink.

“So, what’s new?” I ask. “We’re so rarely alone these days. Someone’s always around. Everything good with Cooper? Are you missing him since he had to leave?”

Ruby twists her mouth. “No, I don’t miss him at all. Cooper left because I broke up with him.”

Well, hot fucking damn. Happy birthday to me.“Oh, wow. Are you okay?”

“I’m great. Cooper? Not so much. He keeps texting me, begging me to take him back.” She scowls. “But no thanks. I’m done.”

I’m so fucking relieved. Despite the outward armor Ruby wears—her dyed hair, piercings, and tattoos—she’s a tender-hearted person who bends over backwards for the people she cares about. And unfortunately, our buddy Cooper was taking a whole lot more from Ruby than he was giving. That was my impression, anyway. Did he pursue her solely because her band was more successful than his? I don’t think that. But it certainly didn’t hurt, from his perspective. Even beyond that, he didn’t treat her right as a boyfriend. He didn’t listen to her the way she deserved to be listened to. Didn’t get her sense of humor the way those closest to her do. Combine that with the fact that he can be a whiny little bitch with a short temper and a victim complex, and what you get is a guy whose mere existence on our tour has been driving me up the wall for the past two months.

“Why didn’t you tell me about the breakup?”

“I didn’t feel like talking about it.”

“Have you told Titus yet?”

Ruby nods. “A couple days ago.”

“And?”

“He told me not to settle for a guy who doesn’t deserve me, ever again.”

“Amen.” I nod decisively. “Words to live by.”

“From now on, if it’s not amazing, I don’t want it.”

“Atta girl.” I raise my glass. “To amazingness or nothing at all.”

We clink and drink.

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