Page 18 of Roman and the Hopeless Romantic
Roman
Roman slid into his seat in chemistry class and started jotting down notes from the board. The seat beside him remained empty as it had the week before. Jesse hadn’t told him where he was taking Cassie, but they’d left soon after Mary took the twins to school.
Someone cleared their throat, and Roman lifted his eyes to Hadley. “Morning, beautiful.”
Her face flushed. “Hey, Rome. Boyfriendless today?”
Roman feigned affront. “Just because Jesse is the love of my life does not mean we have to be attached at the hip.”
She laughed. “You two are kind of ridiculous. I hear you’re even shacking up now.”
Charlotte walked into the room. No, not walked, the girl practically glided. “Rome, where’s your boyfriend?”
Hadley hid a laugh behind her hand.
“Would you two stop? He broke my heart when he chose you, Charlie. You don’t need to rub it in.”
Charlotte ruffled his hair before sliding into her seat.
The lights flipped off as their teacher walked in, already talking about their newest chemical equation. Roman scribbled furiously, not wanting to miss a thing. Despite his I-don’t-care personality, he cared. A lot. And he had to keep his grades up if he wanted to go to USF with Jesse next year.
They took notes for the whole period, but Roman didn’t mind. It let his mind clear of all things Cassie. When the bell rang, he walked into the hall.
Hadley bounced at his side and slipped her arm through his. “I’m having a party tonight. You’re coming right? My mom and grandfather went to visit my aunt, so it’s perfect.”
A party? That sounded like just the distraction he needed. At the very least, it would get him out of the house and away from Cassie’s gaze. “Sounds great, Hads. I wouldn’t miss it.”
“Do you mean that?”
He stopped to look at her, surprised by the earnestness in her voice. “Hadley…” He rubbed the back of his neck. He’d done this a million times, but it never got easier. “You know all this flirting is innocent, right? That we’re not going to end up dating?”
He sounded like such a tool. It wasn’t until Charlotte and Jesse started dating that Hadley latched onto Roman. She’s said they weren’t going to date at the diner, but her actions and her flirting said something else.
Tears pooled in her eyes and her lips quivered. “But… but… you mean you don’t like me?”
“Hadley, I—”
“You’re trying to say you don’t see wedding bells in our future? That our babies I’ve dreamed about will never exist? I’ve planned everything, Roman. Hadley Sullivan… it had such a nice ring to it.” She crossed her arms, a single tear rolling down her face. “What about the children, Roman?” She got louder. “What about the children?”
People looked at them as they passed. A few girls shot Roman scathing looks when they saw Hadley crying.
He took a step back, his eyes wide. He didn’t know what to do or say.
A wail left Hadley’s lips. “What about the children?”
“Hadley, come on. Be quiet. Let’s talk about this.” Suddenly, he missed Cassie’s silence. At least she never made a scene. “I’m sorry, I—”
“You listen here, Roman Sullivan.” She closed the distance between them and reached up to grip his chin. He stood frozen, unable to escape. “I… am totally messing with you.” She wiped the tear—the fake tear—from her face and patted his cheek. “Catch ya later, Romeo. My party. Don’t forget.”
She skipped away, her blond hair flying out behind her.
Roman still couldn’t move. What just happened? Shaking his head, he pulled his phone from his pocket to text Jesse.
Roman: Your girl’s friend is maniacal.
Jesse’s response came right away.
Jesse: Could have told you that bro.
