Page 74 of Ruin
She hesitates for a moment, which is strange. In the time I’ve known her, she’s never been one to hold back.
Finally, she sighs. “I think he’s worried about what you’ll think of him. And with Cam… He’s still working things out. Sebastian wouldn’t want to put pressure on either of you.”
I scan her face, my brain caught on the first part of her sentence. “But… We’ve spoken about how he lives his life, and I’ve not judged him at all for it. I’ve told him I don’t expect anything from him. Why would he be worried about what I’ll think of him?”
Annika’s gaze flicks past me and she plasters a smile on her face as Daniella and Kresta come over to join us. But the smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
Connell appears a moment later, nodding at me before his eyes shift to my right and he holds Annika’s gaze for a few beats with an unreadable expression, before joining David behind the bar.
“Seriously. What happened between you two?” I ask.
She shakes her head, her shoulders dropping a little. “I guess nothing important.”
It’s strange how vague she is about the whole thing, given how open she is about literally everything else in her life. I guess she’s respecting Connell’s wishes to keep his personal life private. She might like stirring him up, but it’s clear that there are complicated feelings involved on both sides, and I hope they work it out one day. Because they would be perfect together. He seems like he would balance out her crazy side, and she’d force him out of his comfort zone.
Imogen appears a few minutes later, followed closely by Cam.
They join our little group, and I run my eyes over them both, wondering if it’s going to feel weird standing here with them, after the events of Tuesday night. But neither of them appear the slightest bit affected as Imogen smiles at me and Cam nods in my direction after saying hello to Connell.
The two of them make such a good looking couple, and I feel a small stab of envy as she tucks herself into his side. I know they aren’t monogamous, and their dynamic intriguesme. They seem so at ease with each other, and I realise I want that.
Not with Cam, obviously, although he seems like a pretty laidback guy. Funny too, especially when he and Annika begin exchanging sarcastic digs at one another.
No… There’s only one person I want that with.
And he’s just walked into the room.
Sebastian comes to stand beside me, his hand lightly touching my lower back for a fraction of a second before he lets it drop to his side.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he says, his voice low.
I turn slightly to look up at him. “You’ve formed a little family of misfits here, Sebastian. And I love that they have included me.”
He studies me for a moment with a thoughtful expression, before nodding.
He guides me towards the popcorn machine and we each scoop some into cardboard containers. Sabrina carries the platter of cut up fruit over to the table with the chocolate fountain, and everyone sets about getting as much sugary goodness as they can fit onto their small plates.
Annika pats the spot on the couch beside her, and I take a seat. Sebastian hesitates for a moment before sitting down on my other side, and I push aside the disappointment in the pit of my stomach when he keeps his body from touching mine.
Someone starts the movie, and I snort when I see they’ve chosenPretty Woman.
“Is this the theme to movie night, or just a massive coincidence?” I ask, and Imogen laughs.
“We let Dante pick tonight, and he pretty much always finds one that has some sort of sex worker theme. I’m surprised this one hasn’t come up before, actually.”
“I tried to go with the obscure ones before working up to the best one,” Dante says, propping his head up with one arm.
We watch as Julia Roberts walks the streets of Los Angeles, and Annika purrs loudly when Richard Gere appears on screen for the first time, causing us all to laugh.
Everyone is relaxed, like they don’t have to worry about putting on a show for anyone. But I find myself glancing around, a twinge of guilt scratching at the back of my mind.
They all so rarely get to hang out like this, without having to worry about the clients. But because Cam and myself are here, they still have to worry about making sure we’re comfortable. And that’s not fair.
I shift in my seat, noticing the way Dante is absently running a hand up and down Annika’s calf while he lies on the ground at her feet, his eyes fixed on the screen.
In the armchair on the other side of Annika, David is sitting with Sabrina in his lap, his fingers trailing back and forth along her thigh.
“You okay?” Annika asks, noticing the way I’m looking around the room.
