Falling for the Wrong Guy by Sara Hantz Page A

her.
    “So you thought you’d creep up on me and then stare at my repulsive scars. The bathroom’s that way, if you want to vomit.” He stabbed his finger in the direction he’d come from.
    Ruby wanted to curl up and die for making him think that she was grossed out by him. She hadn’t meant to stare; she couldn’t help it. But it wasn’t revulsion going through her head. If anything, it was empathy. Drew’s burns were no worse than her dad’s, and she’d lived with them for years. She knew the suffering her dad had gone through. “No. You’ve got it all wrong. I’m sorry if you thought I was staring at you. I wasn’t.”
    It seemed like everything they’d shared earlier was forgotten. He glared at her like she was a total stranger, and it wrenched at her gut.
    “I could see exactly where you were looking.” His upper lip curled in derision.
    Okay, she did stare at him, just not in the way he’d imagined. It was human nature for her to be drawn to something she hadn’t seen before. And even with all those scars, he was still…beautiful. “Well, I did look. How could I not? But you have to understand it didn’t turn me off at all.”
    The expression on Drew’s face changed from anger to one of uncertainty. She willed him to trust her, believe her.
    “So you say.” He rolled his eyes.
    “So I mean,” Ruby replied firmly.
    He broke eye contact and shook his head. She had no doubt that if he had a sweatshirt on, he’d be pulling the hood to cover the side of his neck and jaw. “I know how grotesque I am. Every morning while I’m getting dressed I see myself in the mirror. It’s karma.” He bowed his head.
    She felt so helpless. “That’s crazy talk,” she said. “You didn’t hurt Reese. Accidents happen sometimes. That doesn’t mean you deserved to be hurt so badly.”
    She resisted the urge to stride across the room and give him a shake, as much as she really wanted to. Because he needed one.
    “That’s your opinion.” His voice seemed flat and devoid of emotion. It was like he’d switched off.
    “It is. And I’m right. So deal with it.”
    She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. The silence hung in the air, but she didn’t relax her glare. Finally, Drew’s face softened, and he sat down on the bed, all the fight leaving his body. “Maybe I overreacted,” he said.
    “You think?” she said, determined not to let him get away with it too easily.
    “I’m sorry. You’re the first non-medical person to see my scars.”
    She swallowed hard. She hadn’t even thought of it like that. It had been a huge step for him to even talk to her about it. Of course he hadn’t been ready to reveal his scars. But maybe now that she’d seen them, he’d feel even more relaxed around her.
    “Do they hurt?” She moved closer, fighting the urge to take him in her arms in case he reacted badly.
    “They itch like hell a lot of the time,” Drew said through clenched teeth. “I have cream to soften the skin, and meds for the itching and pain, but they don’t help much.”
    “What about skin grafts? Are you going to have them?” She’d read up on it once for her dad, but it was too late for him. It would be different for Drew because his injuries were relatively new.
    His face hardened. “No. Absolutely not.”
    His response shocked her. She couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t want them if they could lessen the scars he seemed so self-conscious of. “Why?” She frowned.
    “Because whatever you think, it’s good to have a constant reminder of what I did.”
    A heavy feeling washed over Ruby. For Drew to think like that was crazy. It defied all logic, and she was utterly at a loss over how to help him. She moved forward and sat down on the mattress beside him. He turned his face away from her. “What happened to you wasn’t karma, like you said earlier. You didn’t do anything to hurt Reese. You never would have. Surely you get that.” She hoped that her words might help