What Happens in Boston

Ruby is pissed.

“¡Esto es loco! Nosotros pedimos dos habitaciones, no una!” Ruby paces back and forth in the studio apartment I rented for us. Her arms are waving dramatically, and even though I can’t understand her, her tone and body language say everything.

“I can’t understand you when you’re not speaking English,” I remind her as I scroll through my e-mail, trying to find the contact info for the apartment owner.

Ruby freezes mid-pace, giving me a look that could send a grown man running for the hills— and by grown man I mean me. Seriously, if looks could kill, I’d be dead on the floor right now. Her eyes narrow on me.

“What are you trying to say, Gabe?” she says, each word pointed and more venom-filled than the one before it.

“It means I’m trying to fix this,” I say, tapping my phone screen with purpose. “I know we got one bed for two people, but may I remind you, it was your idea to go halves on a place.”

She crosses her arms, and if possible, her eyes narrow further. “Yeah, well you were supposed to book a place that sleeps two!” she shoots back, pointing at the queen in the far corner of the, if I must say so myself, cozy little studio apartment.

I shake my head, knowing there’s nothing more to say. It’s a nice place but not meant for two friends, even those as close as Ruby and me. I dial the owner’s number. I do my best to ignore Ruby still glaring at me even though it’s making my palms sweat. It’s not that bad. I tell myself. We’re adults. We can figure this out. I was as the phone rings.

“Hello?” a deep voice picks up the other end. He sounds a little groggy, and given that it’s almost ten at night, he certainly should be. All I want is to go to bed and pretend this isn’t happening.

“Hey, yeah, I’m calling about the apartment I rented for tonight. I” I rattle off the information for my booking to catch the man up. “This is supposed to be a two bedroom place, but there is only one bed here.”

There’s a long pause, and I swear I can hear the guy roll his eyes on the other side of the line. “I think you misread the ad.”

I blink. “What do you mean? I’m reading the ad right now. It says it sleeps two—”

“Yeah!” the guy interrupts. “Because it does. You know, two people in one bed?” I can tell he’s stifling a laugh. “You booked a studio, my friend. That’s on you.”

I glance at Ruby. Her arms are still crossed, and her lips are pursed. I have to fix this for her. I know she’s uncomfortable with the idea of us sharing a bed.

“Okay, but sleeps two could easily mean two beds. I think this on you a little. I’m not exactly wanting to… you know, share a bed with my friend here.” I gesture to Ruby even though the man can’t see me. She immediately raises a brow.

The guy on the other end sighs heavily. “Look, it’s like 10:00pm, and this is the only unit I have. If you want to search Boston for another bed, knock yourself out, but you’re well past the cancellation time. It’s your choice, my man.”

I groan. I know he’s right. If I wanted to cancel, I had to do it forty-eight hours in advance. “You really don’t rent anything else?”

“Nope!” the guy says, popping the P so loud I pull the phone from my ear. “Next time, read the listing. Better yet, maybe have your friend do it.” Finally, the laugh the man has been suppressing bursts free. “Honestly, it’s a couple of nights. Just act like an adult and share the bed. There are extra pillows in the closet if you want to build some kind of barricade.”

I want to scream into the phone, but what good will it do? Really, he’s right. I didn’t do my research and I will just have to figure it out. “Fine. Whatever. Thanks.” I hang up and turn to Ruby, who’s now in full-on death glare mode.

“I didn’t hear the full conversation, but I think I got the gist of it,” she says, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “You rented a one-bedroom apartment for two people. You had one job, Gabe!”

“Hey, don’t put this on me,” I say, raising my hands defensively. “It was an honest mistake. The listing said—”

“I don’t care what the listing said!” Ruby explodes, her hands flying up in the air. “You should’ve known better or at least asked me! I’m not sleeping in the same bed as you. This is… this is weird.”

I look around, then gesture to the couch. “Okay, why don’t you take the bed, and I’ll take the couch?”

Ruby looks at the tiny loveseat and sighs. She softens, hopefully taking pity on my six-foot frame. “We’re adults. We can do this as long as you don’t make it weird.”

“Me?” I exclaim, offended. “How am I the one who will make it weird? You’re having more of a reaction to this than me.”

She stares at me deadpan. “You have a pile of dirty clothes, clothes that have been worn but pass the ‘sniff test,’ and a pile of washed clothes on your bedroom floor. I don’t know which pile you picked from for this trip.”

I click my tongue. “Jokes on you. My suit was in my closet and I put the pile of clean clothes in my drawer where I selected this weekend’s attire from.”

She rolls her eyes. “Whatever. You brought PJs, right?”

“Of course.” It’s a lie, but I figure I can sort something out. The last thing I want is for Ruby to see me in any state of undress. I haven’t exactly hit the gym in… thirty-two years.

She points at the door next to the kitchen, the oddest placement for a bathroom, but given the size of the place, also not surprising. “I’m going to get dressed in the bathroom, and you get changed out here.”

I nod in agreement. Ruby gives me her first smile since arriving here, and something inside me loosens.

It’s a small thing, but it makes everything feel a little less… awkward.

The moment lingers in my chest longer than it should because as much as I’ve been living comfortably in the land of just friends, it doesn’t mean another part of my brain doesn’t notice how beautiful Ruby is.

I’ve never been blind to it— how could I be? Ruby is all curves and confidence with the most infectious smile. I remember the first time I saw her at work. I nearly walked into a wall, and so did countless other guys. We both work at Nexora Technologies, her in HR and me in IT. She called for support once— just a quick fix. Her power bar needed a restart after she kicked the plug for one of her monitors, and it refused to turn on again after she plugged it back in. When I was done, she offered to buy me a coffee as a thank you. We talked well past the fifteen minutes allotted for breaks. Our friendship grew from there.

While I notice her beauty, I’m also not blind to the fact that I’m, well… not exactly the same type of guy she dated. When we met, she was with someone, and I saw him a few times. He was built and clean-shaven with a chiseled jaw and perfect bone structure. I’m big. I’m broad. I’m not exactly the kind of guy you see on an Instagram post next to a woman like Ruby. I’m definitely more the friend-you-go-to-a-wedding-with-so-you-don’t-have-to-go-alone type. I’m comfortable with that, though.

I’m used to being out of many women’s leagues. Used to being the friend. I’ve had relationships, but they’re often far and few between.

I pull on a pair of grey sweats and a T-shirt before walking over to the kitchen sink to brush my teeth and splash water on my face. I find a dish towel to dry myself, ensuring my beard isn’t too wet.

I knock on the bathroom door. “I’m ready whenever you are,” I say loudly.

“Okay.”

I go over to my suitcase and pull out my suit bag. I hang it on a hook on a column in the middle of the small apartment. The door to the bathroom opens. I turn to make a joke about the one bed situation in hopes it’ll lighten the mood before we get into the bed, but my brain empties when I see Ruby.

Well, fuck.

For the fact that she has been so adamant that I wear something, she’s practically naked. All she’s wearing is an oversized t-shirt, and… that’s it! She’s only wearing an oversized t-shirt! I can even see her ass peeking out at the bottom as she reaches to turn out the overhead light, leaving the lamp by the bed the only illumination in the room.

“Is there a side you prefer?” she asks politely.

I need to say something… anything. Words have never been more important than in this moment.

“I like a bed,” I say, then try not to cringe at the absolute ridiculousness of my statement.

“Good?” she says with a chuckle. “Okay, I’ll decide. I’m going to sleep closest to the window.”

“Okay.” I’m glad she’s chosen for me.

As she climbs into the bed, she shoots me a look. “If you try to spoon me, I will end you.”

I pull back the sheets on my side. “I don’t know why you’re anything less than honored to share a bed with me.”

She rolls her eyes, and I chuckle.

We’re both careful of and keenly aware of where our bodies are. I take off my glasses and put them on the nightstand next to me.

“Okay, well, good night,” Ruby says, an edge of nervousness in her voice.

“Good night, Rubes,” I say, using the nickname she insists I’m the only one allowed to call her. She once told me she hated it—until I started calling her that. Now, every time I say it, it gives me a little trill.

There is a click, and the room goes dark. I pull the blankets up a bit more and hope that all these layers don’t make me sweat too much in the night. Silence fills the space in the most uncomfortable way… like a reminder of this whole ridiculous situation I put us in. I chalk it up to it being the first time we’ve ever spent the night together… compounded by sharing a bed. I tell myself to ignore all of it and close my eyes.

“Gabe?” Ruby’s voice is quiet and low.

I hum in response, my eyes opening.

“Are you still awake?”

“I answered you, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, but are you awake?” she asks, her voice even quieter if possible.

“Yes, I’m awake.”

“Good.”

“Why good?” I furrow my brows, squinting into the dark.

“I don’t want you to fall asleep before me.”

“What?” I turn my head slightly toward her, even though all I can make out is her shadow in the dark.

“I’ll feel safer.”

I blink, confused. “Safer? From what?”

She shrugs, the volume of her voice a little louder but still soft and a little teasing. “I don’t know. Just safer. It’s… weird, okay? I don’t like falling asleep when someone else is already out. It feels dangerous.”

I roll over slightly, trying to get a better sense of where she is in the bed—even though I already know. “If we weren’t sharing this bed—if we had the two rooms we originally planned on—how would you know if I were still awake?”

She shrugs again, sounding like she’s already half drifting off. “I’d just imagine it.”

“You can’t do that now?”

She lets out a soft, barely-there laugh. “Now you’re right here.”

I groan. “Rubes…”

“Just stay awake a little longer,” she begs, her tone dropping. “I fall asleep fast.”

I sigh, more out of amusement than annoyance. “Okay, fine. But I’m not promising I won’t doze off in the next five minutes.”

I feel her settle beside me, the soft rustle of the sheets the only sound in the dark room. We lay there for a while, the silence stretching on. Keeping my eyes open is a battle as I wait to make sure Ruby falls asleep. Eventually, I hear her breathing shift, deep and steady. She must be out.

I settle on my back again and slide deeper into the sheets. Slowly, the weight of sleep settles over me. Just as I’m about to drift off, I hear it.

“Gabe? Are you still awake?”

I freeze, groaning into my pillow. “Ruby! Jesus!”

She doesn’t say anything right away, and I feel a little bad for my outburst. When a couple of seconds pass, I wonder if she’s fallen back asleep. Then I hear the sheets ruffle.

I let out a sigh. “I thought you said you fall asleep fast.”

“I normally do,” she replies. “This is just a new environment.”

“You’re killing me.” I rub my face. “I’m exhausted. It was a two-and-a-half-hour drive here because you were late getting off work, and then the whole bed debacle. I need sleep.”

“Sorry, I just…” Her voice softens. “I feel better when you’re still awake.”

I roll on my side again, looking at her outline in the dark. “You’re making me sound like your personal nightlight.”

She laughs softly. “Maybe. But you’re… you’re just steady, Gabe. I feel safer with you.”

I’m quiet for a moment, her words lingering in the air. Steady. The words tug at my chest as I think how much I like hearing that. I want to say something back, but I can’t think of anything, so I just let the words hang there for a minute and enjoy them.

“Okay, well, I’m still here,” I say, teasing. “Just don’t start snoring, alright?”

She scoffs. “I don’t snore.” I hear the smile in her voice.

“I bet you do.” I grin.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“I know,” I say, my voice light. “But you keep me around anyway.”

She hums softly, clearly content, and the room settles back into quiet again. We lie there for a while, and once again, her breathing steadies. I look over her and wait a minute longer than I did before. This time, I’m sure she’s asleep. Laying on my back again, I close my eyes and settle myself to the sounds of her steady, rhythmic breaths. As I relax, I realize this isn’t feeling so weird anymore. It’s just… nice.

And maybe, just maybe, sharing a bed isn’t such a crazy thought after all.

We forgot to close the curtains, not that it matters when you’re on the millionth floor of a building. My eyes flutter open, and the harsh morning light immediately assaults me. I slam them shut again, cursing the sun for being so… insistent.

After Ruby fell asleep, I sank into my deepest sleep in weeks. So deep I can’t even remember my dreams. All I know is that my body feels warm—well, the front of me does—and the sheets smell incredible, like peaches. Honestly, I’m starting to think the argument over sharing the bed was silly. We managed the night, and I can’t imagine how sore I’d be right now if I had slept on the couch.

As I start to drift back to sleep, something shifts against me.

What the—?

My eyes shoot open, panic flooding through me. Is it a rat? Or worse—an attacker? How would an attacker get into the bed? But then I realize it’s neither a rat nor an attacker. It’s Ruby. She’s pressed up against me.

I freeze, my nose brushing her hair as I realize I’m basically cradling her in my arms. Her soft breath warms my chest, and I swear I can feel her heartbeat.

Her brown eyes flutter open, blinking at me in confusion. The sleepiness dissipates a little, and as recognition washes over her features, one of her perfect smiles appears on her lips. As fast as the smile appears, though, it disappears as she realizes what’s going on.

“Are you—” Her eyes go wide. “Holding me?”