Page 5 of Spark

KENDRICK

I peck Ruby’s cheek in greeting, as always, and slide onto the vacant stool next to her.

“Hey, bestie,” she says. “Happy birthday. Twenty-eight is a biggie.”

“No, it’s not.”

“It is to me.”

Like me, Ruby looks like she rolled out of bed to come down here. She’s dressed in soft, comfy clothes—sweats and an oversized sweater that hides her rocking little body and the Greek mythology–inspired tattoo on her shoulder.

I look around. “Did Titus already go upstairs?”

Ruby nods. Her long, pink hair is tied into two messy space buns. “The second he found out you were coming down here, and I wouldn’t be alone in a bar in New York City—gasp!—he went back upstairs.”

“I’m insulted he didn’t stick around long enough to wish me happy birthday, at least.”

“I’m pretty sure he got a text from Stephanie. He loves you, babe. But he loves FaceTime sex with Stephanie more. ”

“Can’t say I blame him. I’d pick FaceTime sex over birthday drinks with me, too.”

Ruby scoffs. “If that’s what you wanted, you could have all the FaceTime sex in the world.” She frowns. “I texted you just in case, but I was hoping you’d be fast asleep. You seemed really tired after the show.”

“I fell asleep pretty quickly this time—right after we got back. But . . . some noisy people in the hallway woke me up.” After everything that went down between Kai and Ruby years ago, I’m not going to tell her the truth.

True, what happened between those two is ancient history by now.

But, still, why rub salt in whatever Kai-inflicted wounds Ruby might still have, even if they’re mostly scarred over by now?

“People in hotels can be so damned rude,” Ruby mutters.

“It’s okay. One more week, and I’ll be sleeping like a baby in my own bed.”

“Another full week is a long time to be sleep deprived. Especially after so many months.”

“It’s only been a couple months. Before that, I was okay.”

Ruby thinks about that. “When did college football season start? About two months ago, right?”

“Something like that.”

Wanting to change the subject, I signal to the bartender, and he comes over with a smile on his rugged face.

“Hey there. What can I—” His face lights up. “Wait, aren’t you the drummer from Fugitive Summer? You’re awesome, man! One of the best out there.”

“I agree,” Ruby says, pinching my arm. “Although I’d say he’s the best.”

The guy blushes. “Oh, yeah. Definitely.”

“She’s messing with you. She’s our keyboardist.”

The bartender looks sheepish. “I’m sorry. I only knew his face because my sister is obsessed with Sing Your Heart Out , and I watch it with her. ”

“No worries,” Ruby says. “I thought Kendrick was incredible on that show, too.”

“Your other bandmate, too. Savage?” He looks around excitedly. “Is he here?”

“No, not in the bar,” Ruby says. “Sorry.”

The guy grabs his phone and excitedly asks for a selfie with us, which we happily give him.

“Drinks are on me tonight,” he says. “What can I get you?”

“Another one of these for me,” Ruby says, raising her empty glass. “And for the birthday boy . . . A double pour of your most expensive scotch. Neat.” She looks at me to confirm.

“You know me well.”

“But don’t comp us,” Ruby says. “Our label pays for everything when we’re on tour. In fact, go ahead and charge everything to my room—1653—and give yourself a two-hundred-percent tip, courtesy of Reed Rivers.”

“Wow, thanks so much.”

The bartender saunters away, but not before flashing an extremely flirtatious smile at Ruby.

The second he’s out of earshot, I whisper in a sultry, teasing tone, “I’m in room 1653, big boy . Come up and see me.”

Ruby snorts and rolls her eyes. “You’re delusional.”

“I’m repeating it exactly how you said it.”

“Not even close.”

“Are you fighting the urge to step out on Cooper with a hot hotel bartender? Because if so, that’s probably not the best sign for your relationship.”

“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’d make 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 on you. 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 .

“Are you signing onto this life philosophy as well?” Ruby asks. “Or did you only drink to that for me ?”

“I drank to it for both of us. I’m the only one of the two of us who’s been single this whole tour, remember? I’ve been living the ‘amazing or nothing’ life for a while now.”

“Yeah, and it’s killing you slowly.”

I scoff. “Not at all.”

“This is the first time you haven’t fallen into something hot and heavy with a tour girlfriend, and it’s also the first tour you’ve experienced persistent, chronic insomnia. Do the math, babe.”

I roll my eyes. “One has nothing to do with the other. And I’ve never had a tour girlfriend . I’m clear up front, it’s always a tour fling .”

“How gallant of you.”

“And this isn’t the first time I haven’t gotten together with anyone on the road. I was a rockstar cliché during our first tour as openers, remember?”

“Sweetheart, it’s burned into my brain like witnessing roadkill too close.”

I laugh. “You’re one to talk. You’ve had some meaningless fun here and there over the years, too. We all have.”

“Yeah, but I’ve always been more discreet about it than any of you. Is it more nature or nurture for men to enter dick-swinging contests, do you think?”

“Little bit of both, I’m sure.”

She sips her drink and pauses like she’s gearing up to say something.

“What?” I ask.

She purses her lips. “Do you think that quarterback doing so well is the main reason for your insomnia? It started right around the time he started making national news.”

She’s talking about the star quarterback from the college I dropped out of after my knee injury—a guy who’s been tearing it up so much this season, everyone’s saying he’s a front-runner to win the Heisman.

What she hasn’t clocked, however, is that Cooper joined the tour about two months ago, too—and he immediately started annoying the fuck out of me to the point where I can’t stop thinking about him and how much I can’t stand him whenever I try to fall asleep.

But since I don’t feel like I should admit that to Ruby, I reply, “Yeah, that’s probably it. ”

“It’s either that or no tour girlfriend. Sorry, fling. Those are the only two things that are different this tour. I don’t believe in coincidences, sweetheart.”

“Maybe.”

“When you were banging Tracy during the last one, did you sleep like a baby every night?”

I cringe. “Why bring Tracy up?”

“Why not?”

“It’s my birthday. You know it didn’t end well, and I feel bad about that.”

“Sorry.”

During our last tour, I fell into a tour relationship, as one does, with our tour manager at the time, Tracy.

And I swear, I made my intentions with her clear out of the gate.

I’m not ready to settle down. Not looking for anything serious.

I’m going to be really busy when we get home to LA.

Blah, blah, blah. She said that was perfect because she wasn’t looking for a relationship, either.