Page 23 of After the Storm

Roman might actually have feelings for me.And I don’t have a fucking clue what to do with that.

Chapter8

Roman

“No Audra tonight?”Beck asks me, throwing me a water from the mini fridge at the back of the shop. We’ve fallen into a bit of a habit of her coming to work with me every time she’s off. I’ve been with Audra almost every day and with every passing day she smiles more and cries a little less.

The days we hang out are my favorite. Even the days she hangs out with Ares are good because when the house goes quiet and everyone falls asleep, she comes wandering out to the kitchen. It’s no longer some attempt to catch a couple minutes with her. It’s a routine she’s a part of now. A couple of times she has even texted me first, asking me to meet her downstairs. I do. Of course I do. We talk, we laugh and I ask her all of her favorite things because it’s what she likes and what I like is seeing her smile.

“She’s at that fair. She went with Ares.” I shrug. He raises a brow at me.

“Jealous?” he teases.Yeah, actually.Of everyone who gets a piece of her that I don’t get. But the thought that there are now pieces of her that only I get, soothes that burn.

“No. It’s good that she’s out having fun,” I assure him, honestly. I know it’s the best thing for her and because of that, there’s no other way I would want it. Seeing her stand a little taller every day and go back to things she thought she had lost forever, has been so fulfilling to watch.

“Are you going to the fair?” he asks. I shrug.

“Probably not, maybe when I get off.”

“We should probably start actually doing our jobs then.” He laughs and I join in with him. We have a bad habit of coming to the shop and just hanging out.

Beck has been my best friend as long as I can remember and every minute with him is fun. Life would be so boring without him in it. Maybe him being my only employee at the shop I own isn’t the wisest business decision, given how much we fuck around. But it’s so much fun, it’s totally worth the money lost. I wouldn’t trade working alongside my best friend for the world.

The next few hours are filled with mind numbing work. I think I might pluck my eyes from my head if I ever have to see another invoice or piece of paperwork.

Usually the smaller tasks fall more on Beck since I spend most of my time at the shop giving surf lessons. The time seems to drag when Audra isn’t around. Which seems silly since it never felt that way before she started coming around more. Just as I’m thinking about her, my phone dings in the corner. I quickly walk over to grab it.

Audra

Tyler’s here.

Roman

The fair?

Audra

Yes.

I don’t think he knows I’m here but I’m scared.

I don’t even take the time to text back. As soon as I read the words I’m shoving my phone in my pocket and grabbing my keys. All I can feel in my entire body is adrenaline burning through my veins.

“I have to go. Like right now,” I call out to Beck. I think I might hear him say something back to me as I’m walking out the door but I’m in too much of a rush to catch it.

I don’t even take the time to make a plan in my head before I’m in the Jeep driving to her. I can barely feel the wheel in my hand with the white hot rage settling in my chest and squeezing at my heart. I’m aware of the fact that I need to calm down before I get there. She’s scared and me coming in there loud and angry won’t help. I don’t have a single clue how to rein in this feeling. I think about how scared she must be and that thought alone sends another wave of rage through me. Ireallyneed to not think about that right now.

The drive to the fair is the longest fifteen minutes of my life but finally I’m here parking. I waste no time getting out and walking into the fairgrounds.

As I look around for her I’m mildly aware of the fact that I’m under dressed in my sweatpants and hoodie compared to everyone here. It’s not like I give a damn, especially when I have to find my girl and take her home.

I rake my eyes through the crowds as I walk through and I’m sure I look like some kind of demented caveman the way I stomp through people looking for her. I will flip this place upside down before I leave without her. Finally out of the corner of my eye I see Ares, talking to Katrina, who unlike me, is way over dressed for the occasion. I rush over to him.

“Where is she?” I bark out, it comes out more aggressive than I mean it but why the fuck isn’t he with her? Surely he wouldn’t leave her alone for some girl, right?

“Who? Audra?” he asks, brows pinched together like he really has no idea what I’m on about and I’m sure he doesn’t.

“Yes, who else?” I wave my hands in the air like the only girl I’d ever be looking for is her. Probably because she is.

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