Page 10 of After the Storm

I nod, sinking back into my seat and staring out the window. I spend the remainder of the drive reflecting on everything. Walking out of Tyler’s apartment, showing up at Ares’ house, falling asleep on the couch with Roman, getting caught on said couch, and everything that’s changed over the last two years. I think about how the party would have felt three years ago. I think about what Ares might think when whoever Katrina is tells him I’ve left. I think about the implications of Roman calling me Audi.

“Are we friends?” I break the blissful quiet of a hushed radio and soft humming of the car. His eyes flick to me, then back to the road.

“I’d say so. Why are you asking?” he inquires, keeping his eyes locked on the dark road in front of him.

“You called me Audi. Usually only friends or family call me that. It’s stupid, I know, but I was just thinking about it,” I ramble. He laughs at my nervous babble. That laugh feels like it takes thirty pounds off my chest every time I hear it.

“If I say yes, does that mean I can start getting some of those check-in texts?” he asks, wearing a shit eating grin. I roll my eyes.

“Yeah, it might earn you one or two,” I say with a laugh.

The rest of the drive is quiet, but peaceful. Roman is in control in a way that feels so secure. I can turn a part of my brain off with him that I swear has been on as long as I’ve been conscious. The anxiety that normally gnaws at me every second is muffled background noise in my head when I’m with him. We pull into the driveway of my house and my mom’s car is gone. Of-fucking-course it is. I briefly consider the reality of going into my house alone, staying there alone, and probably spending the next three to five days, you guessed it—alone.

“Will you come in with me? My mom’s car is gone, which means it’ll be just me tonight. And I’d feel better if you did a sweep of the house before I go to sleep,” I ask. I’m more than ready to pull the friendship card if he says no, but he doesn’t. He just reaches to unfasten his seat belt.

“Of course. Come on,” he says, getting out of the car. He comes around to my side of his Jeep and opens the door for me to get out. I lead him up the driveway and to the front door. “Key?” he says, holding his hand out. I place the key in his hand, and he unlocks the door. Stepping inside, Roman looks left, then right. He nods, signaling to me that it’s okay to follow him in.

I follow him through the entire house and, sure enough, no one is here. I expect it to settle the uneasy feeling in my stomach, but it doesn’t. I still feel scared to be here alone, which is insane because this is my home. I’ve been here alone a million times. My mom is a flight attendant, I can remember her being gone as much as I remember her being here.

“It’s all clear, Audi,” he says, peering down at me with a smile. He helped me confirm there’s no one here except us, but I can’t shake the feeling in my stomach.

“Do you think you could stay with me?” I ask. “There’s a pull out couch in my room where Ares and Ravyn normally sleep.”

In that moment, I know without a doubt that if he says no, I’m going to pack a bag and leave with him because I cannot sleep alone in this house.

“Like spend the night?” he replies with shock in his voice. The level of surprise in his response fills me with a weird feeling I can’t identify. Embarrassment? Shame? I don’t know.

“I just haven’t been here alone since— well, you know. You know what, never mind… It’s stupid. I can just pack a bag and spend the night with Ares.” I stumble over my words as the feeling worsens.

“Hey,” Roman stops me. “I was just surprised that you’d ask me,” he says. He put a lot of emphasis on ‘me’, as if he thought I’d ask anyone in the worldbuthim. “I’m happy to take the couch. Is this part of the job requirement of being your friend?” he teases.

“Very funny,” I mutter sarcastically. “You have no idea how demanding of a job you were hired into.”

“Oh, I think I might have an idea,” he tosses back, following me into my room. I grab a blanket and a couple of pillows, setting them on the pull out bed. He unzips his jeans and lets them fall to the floor before pulling his T-shirt over his head. I will myself to look away until I hear him crawl into the creaky bed. I go to the bathroom to change into my pajamas and take off my makeup. When I come back, Roman is lying in bed, staring at the ceiling.

“Thanks for staying,” I offer up, crawling into my bed and turning off the lamp next to my bed.

“Always. Anything you need,” he responds quietly. We both drift off to sleep.

Chapter4

Roman

The last placein the world I thought I’d end up tonight is Audra’s bedroom. I spent the better part of my teenage years being a lovesick fool, dreaming about what the inside of this room would look like.

As I look around, I feel like all of my senses are being drowned in Audra in the best way. The room is just so…her.From the wine red color of her comforter to the vinyl records she’s got hung up on the wall.

She’s laying several feet away, fast asleep, and I’m wide awake because I’m in fuckingAudra Hart’sbedroom. As long as I can remember, I’ve been trying to find a way to be around her and I finally have it.

Sure, I’d rather it be under much different circumstances considering everything she went through with Tyler. But if friendship is all I can have from her, I’ll be happy to be the one to make her laugh on bad days and sleep on her pull out couch when she’s scared.

Eventually, I drift off, wondering what the hell I did to deserve ending up with Audra in my life.

* * *

I wakeup to the sound of Audra starting her day. The loud humming of a hair dryer and slow indie pop music coming from the bathroom.Holy shit I’m waking up in Audra’s bedroom.I sit up, get my bearings about me and take in the room in the daylight. I won’t lie, if you had asked me to guess what music she listens to I would have assumed some variation of rock or metal.

I stand and fold the blanket she gave me, sitting both it and the pillows at the end of her bed. I quickly fold the pull out bed back in the couch and replace the cushions.

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