Page 73 of Easy Steal

She smiled slightly, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

Her mum left them both when they were only kids, and her dad had been in prison for the better part of ten years.

Really, Ren was the only family she had left.

“You really think Toni is gonna fix it?”

I shrugged, “actually I’m kind of in charge of this one.”

“Really?” she rose an eyebrow. “Rome doesn’t let him out of the house anymore, huh?”

I frowned, “of course she does. It’s just we’re trying something different. We know they’re watching him 24/7. Me, not so much.”

She shook her head, returning to her meal.

“You know, you’d probably like Rome if you gave her a chance,” I said.

“Doubt it,” she rolled her eyes.

“She’s been good for Toni. He acts like a human these days.”

“I liked him the way he was.”

“Yep,” I sighed, leaning back and stretching my arms, “well, we all knew that.”

It was no secret that Larissa always had a thing for Antoni, but I thought that she would be over it by now.

But I realised that this wouldn’t work.

I put down my cutlery and stood.

“Wait, where are you going?” she grabbed onto the sleeve of my shirt.

“To pay,” I said, shrugging out of her hold and heading towards the host.

I paid for the meal, tipped him and the waitress, and headed outside. I stood on the sidewalk, waiting for the valet to bring Jolene around, when Larissa joined me by the road. She didn’t say anything and we just stood there in silence.

The valet left the car running, and I opened the door for Larissa.

I paid the guy, and got into the driver’s seat, heading back to Larissa’s apartment.

“What’s wrong?” Larissa asked, sounding bored.

I only shook my head.

I didn’t see it, but I knew that she rolled her eyes.

“Look, Larissa. I’ve spent my whole life in Antoni’s shadow, alright? My whole life being compared to him, being told to be more like him - and for the first time in a while, I felt fine withnotbeing like him. Until back there in the restaurant. I know you like Toni, okay? We all do. I don’t know why you agreed to this if you still have feelings for him.”

I pulled up in front of her building, but didn’t get out to open her door.

I could feel her looking at me, but I stared straight ahead.

“I’m glad you’re not like Toni, Sam. And I’m sorry if I made you feel that way. I don’t have feelings for him any more, and that’s not what I meant. You know I want to be with you, right?”

I shook my head.

It didn’t matter any more.

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