She Will Be Loved (Kevin Richardson)

Chapter 5

The next morning, Ruth was in a parallel reality. She couldn't stop thinking about the kiss. She had mixed emotions; on the one hand, Kevin was a great guy and she liked him a lot, but on the other hand she was afraid to open up and get hurt, as it usually happened. Why did everything have to be so complicated?

"Ruth!" Carol's voice brought her back to reality. They were sitting at the bar, doing nothing in particular "Are you okay?"

"Yes, fine."

Carol took Ruth's hand "No, you're not fine. What's going on ? Is it because of Kevin?" Ruth looked her in the eye "It's because of Kevin. Don't tell me he's an asshole after all..."

Ruth smiled slightly "Oh, no, not at all. He's awesome. He actually kissed me..."

Carol's eyes went wide "No shit... but that's great!" Ruth sighed heavily "Isn't that great?"

"Well... yeah. Of course it's great. He likes me, and I like him. He's charming, as well as ravishingly handsome. But I don't know if I'm ready to be in a relationship, especially after Eddie..." Ruth was silent for a few seconds "I should talk to him. But I don't have his number." Ruth started to think, until she looked at Carol suddenly "Carol, do you have AJ's number?"

"Yeah, sure." Carol understood what her friend wanted to ask "I'll call him and tell him to tell Kevin to come here, right?" Ruth nodded and Carol got up from the stool "I'll be right over." Ruth sighed as she watched her walk away.

Time seemed to pass in slow motion in that bar. Ruth thought she was about to fall asleep just as she heard the bar door open. The look on Carol's face made her turn immediately. As soon as she made eye contact with Kevin, Ruth thought her heart was going to pound out of her chest. Kevin smiled as he saw her approaching.

"Hi." He greeted her softly.

Ruth smiled as well, somewhat nervously "Hi. This...can we talk for a moment?" Kevin nodded slowly.

Ruth gently took Kevin's arm and led him towards a corner of the bar. Once there, Ruth took a sharp intake of breath "Well, Kevin...Look, I really like you. I really do. I spent a good bit of sleepless time yesterday thinking about that kiss..." Kevin smiled softly. He had been thinking about it too "But you see, I...I'm a little complicated. I've had a lot of disappointments in my life, and I'm afraid of something like that happening again. Like I told you, I like you, but right now I don't feel comfortable to be in a relationship."

"Oh, I understand." Kevin whispered.

Ruth looked into his eyes and thought she saw the reflection of something. Sadness? Disappointment? Ruth took his hand and squeezed it "Even if I don't want a boyfriend, I'd still like to hang out with you, spend time with you. Until I feel ready to... take it to the next level." Ruth swallowed saliva "But only if it's okay with you." 

There was a few seconds of silence. Ruth felt her heart thudding against her chest with such force that she feared it would burst her rib cage. But it all stopped when Kevin smiled and intertwined his fingers with hers "That's okay with me. I like you too, but I understand if you don't feel ready. I don't want to pressure you. I'd love to hang out with you."

Two hours later, Kevin walked through the front door "I'm back!" he shouted as he crossed the foyer. Just then, his four bandmates appeared in front of him so quickly that he was startled.

"Fuck..." Kevin muttered.

"Did everything go all right? What happened? Tell us!" exclaimed Nick.

Kevin rolled his eyes. Nick could become very gossipy if he put his mind to it. He swept his gaze over the four of them "I didn't ask her to be my girlfriend."

Brian arched his eyebrows "No? Why?"

"Because she told me she didn't want to."

There was a rather long-lasting silence until Howie spoke " Oh..."

"She's told me she likes me, but she's not ready to be in a relationship. So we're going to hang out together until she feels ready to take the step. Any questions?" Again, silence "Cool. Now, if you will excuse me..."

He walked through the middle of them and sprinted up the stairs. The other four looked at each other.

"Well, at least he looks happy." Nick shrugged and the others nodded. Then Nick turned to AJ "What about you, AJ? Are you going to declare yourself to that Carol girl?"

AJ gave him a sideways glance before lightly tapping him on the shoulder " Mind your own business, blondie."