You have made me smile again
In fact, I might be sore from it
It's been a while.
“..6...5...4..3..2...1 - Happy New Year!” Everyone shouted in the living room as they
watched the ball drop in Times Square on TV.
“Happy New Year,” Zac said in Ruby’s ear as he stood behind her, his arms
around her waist.
She turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck to hug him. “Happy
New Year,” she told him as he hugged her back. “I love you.”
He positioned his forehead on hers as the commotion of the room surrounded
them. “I love you too. Thank you for being here with me.”
“Hey, it’s my pleasure,” she smiled.
He smiled back before pressing his lips against hers. She kissed him a few more
times before Taylor broke them up.
“Happy New Year, brother,” Taylor said wrapping Zac up in a hug.
“Happy New Year, man,” Zac laughed at his brother’s drunken display of affection
and patted him on the back a few times. Taylor gave Ruby a hug as Zac shared a round of
hugs from his friends.
***************************************
“We should go back downstairs,” Ruby said from her position underneath Zac on
his bed.
“What?” He lifted his head from her neck. “I just got you up here. And we still
have all our clothes on.”
“Yeah well,” she breathed. “I don’t really feel like getting naked.”
“Why not? Oh my gosh, is this about Belinda?” He asked.
“Maybe.”
“Come on, now. I didn’t get pissed when you told me about Brian,” he said
shifting to his side and propping himself up on his elbow.
“I’m not pissed,” she said. “It’s just hard to get turned on when I’m picturing that
girl downstairs sucking your dick.”
“Well it wasn’t any good if that makes you feel better,” he told her trailing his
thumb across her chin. “Seriously. Nowhere near as good as you.”
She looked up at him. “You’re telling me it wasn’t good.”
“It wasn’t. I practically don’t even remember it. And it was..” he trailed off while
her drew circles on her chest with his index finger.
“It was what?”
“It was boring,” he told her.
She laughed. “Well see, I really wanted you like, an hour ago,” she said running
her hand down the back of his head. “But now I don’t know if I’m in the mood.”
“Oh yeah?” He grinned. “I guess I’ll just have to convince you.” He leaned his
head back down and gently touched his lips to her cheek.
“Go ahead,” she smiled.
His kisses travelled down her jawbone to her chin and up to her lips where they
lingered for a few moments. He moved his hand down her body trying to find the hem of
her skirt. She bent her leg for him and he slid his fingers up her thigh while he continued
kissing her neck.
“Nuh uh,” she smiled pulling his hand away when it started to creep between her
legs. “You haven’t earned it yet.”
“I see how this works,” he said leaning back in to kiss the side of her neck. His
hand went to untie the knot at her waist.
“No,” she playfully told him moving his hand away.
“What?” He asked innocently sitting up on his knees over her.
She suggestively raised her eyebrows at his body. “How am I supposed to be
turned on when you’re taking off my clothes? Strip baby.”
Zac smiled and looked down as he began unbuttoning his shirt. Ruby positioned
her hands behind her head and watched him as he slid it off his shoulders and tossed it on
the ground. He lifted the white t-shirt off his body and threw it at her face.
She raised her eyebrows at his tan body accented by his khaki pants and faintly
outlined muscles. “Nice. Now keep going,” she instructed.
Zac stood up off the bed and unbuckled his belt. He undid his pants and let them
fall to his ankles. He kicked them to the side and crawled back on top of her. “Is that
better?”
“Getting there,” she said running her hand down his shoulder.
Zac carefully unzipped the side of her skirt while maintaining eye contact with her
in case she stopped him. When she simply looked down at his hand, he kept going. He
pulled the skirt down around her hips and dropped it on the floor. He ran his hands up her
legs to the knot in her top. He slowly untied it and unwrapped her sweater from her body.
He took a deep breath as his eyes wandered the length of her body dressed in black
underwear and the sleeves of her sweater. He licked his lips while he drew a heart shape
on her stomach.
“You’re gorgeous, you know that?” He told her.
She laughed. “You’re drunk.”
“No I’m serious,” he said. He leaned down and placed his lips on her stomach.
He kissed down her body until he reached her inner thigh. His kisses slowly crept up the
inside of her leg.
“Where you going there, cowboy?” She smiled.
“I know what you like. Don’t even try to stop me.”
***********************************************
“Do you have to work today?” Ruby asked while she smoothed lotion onto her
legs.
“Um, yeah. But not until tonight,” Zac said holding the phone between his ear and
his shoulder while he tuned his guitar with Will’s. “What are you up to?”
“Not much. I need to go shopping,” she told him.
“You want me to take you?” He offered.
“No. You’ll get all bored and I can’t handle that,” she said. “I have to shop
alone.”
“Well do you want to borrow my car? I’m just hanging out at the house with
Will.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. No problem,” he assured. “I trust you.”
************************************
A few hours later, Ruby came out of the mall carrying a few shopping bags. When
she approached Zac’s car in the parking lot she noticed one of the front tires was
completely flat.
“No-” she said to herself walking closer to the car. “No, no, no.” She bent down
beside it and there was a huge nail lodged in the tire. “Damn.” She looked around not
knowing what to do. She unlocked the door and put her bags in, then closed it and jogged
to a pay phone in front of the mall.
She bit her bottom lip not wanting to call Zac but she didn’t know who else to call.
Ben sure as hell didn’t know how to change a tire. She found change and called her
boyfriend.
“Hello?” He answered.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey you,” he said changing the channel on the TV. “Where are you?”
“Um.. you have to promise you won’t get mad.”
“I won’t. What happened?”
“I’m at the mall. There’s a slight... problem with the car,” she told him.
“Did you get in an accident? Are you okay?” He stood up.
“I’m fine. But I kinda got a flat tire.”
“Oh. That’s no problem, there’s a spare in the back,” he said.
“Yeah..about that. I don’t know how to change a tire,” she said weakly. “But I
love you.”
He let out a small laugh. “We’ll be over there in a few minutes. Where are you
parked?”
“Outside the movie theater.”
“Alright. Stay there,” he instructed before hanging up.
*********************************
“I’m so sorry,” Ruby said when Zac got out of the passenger side of Will’s car.
She pulled the ends of the sleeves of her gray sweater around her hands and crossed her
arms over her chest.
“It’s okay,” he laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they walked
to his car.
“I’ll pay for a new tire. Hey Will.”
“Hey,” he waved before sticking his hands in the pockets of his black fleece.
“No you won’t,” he said opening the back of the 4-Runner. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“Yes it was. Plus you had to come all the way out here,” she said.
“Don’t worry about it,” Zac said taking the jack, the wratchet, and the spare tire
out of the back. He bent down and positioned the jack underneath the car. She bent
down and watched him concentrate.
“And then you tighten all of these,” he instructed twisting the lug nuts. “Here,” he
handed her the wratchet.
She turned the last one as far as she could. “That’s easy.”
“Yep,” he said tightening it more for her while Will put the rest of the stuff in the
back.
“You’re so cute,” she said rubbing his back.
“Does it turn you on when I change a tire?” He smiled standing up.
“Definitely. Can you like, wear a tool belt next time you do it?”
“Sure,” he laughed.
chapter 12.
