Page 38 of Roman and the Hopeless Romantic
Roman
How was Roman supposed to sleep after finding Cassie in his room asking for a kiss?
For the first time in too long, she’d looked so sure of herself, almost like the girl he’d feared was gone forever.
And what had he done?
Said no.
Man, he was a chump—or a dude as Cassie called idiot boys. He groaned as he rolled onto his side and slipped an arm under his pillow. Two years ago, when they were just friends running amok and driving Jesse crazy, he’d have given anything to kiss her, to be her first. They were everything to each other. Friends, pseudo-siblings, confidants. They fought and watched out for each other and laughed until it hurt.
But they never crossed that line. Fourteen-year-olds experiment, but Roman found other girls to be his firsts. He assumed Cassie would have kissed at least one of the boys who’d been in love with her back then.
She was never an easy girl to stay away from. Even in the two years of silence, there was a magnetism about her.
“I want to kiss you.”
The brazen way she spoke made him smile even as his chest tightened.
“Sometimes a kiss is just a kiss.” It wouldn’t be. Not with her. Not in her family’s house, a house they’d been nice enough to share with him.
His phone lit up, and he pulled it from the charger to read the text from Hadley.
Hadley: Good game tonight.
Those words didn’t send warmth through him as they had when Cassie said them. Just knowing she’d watched made him smile.
He typed out a response.
Roman: Why thank ye, miss.
Hadley: LOL. You’re odd. Good thing I like odd.
If he didn’t know her, he’d think she had a crush on him. But he knew better than that now. She just wanted a friend—like him.
Hadley: Missed you at my party.
He shook his head. She probably had a line of people wanting to spend time with her.
Roman: I needed to stay home.
Hadley: You’re a good guy, Rome.
Roman: ???
Roman: How do you know?
It was something he’d questioned each time his parents left for weeks, and again when they moved away. He wondered how he was so leavable. Not only his parents but Cassie too.
There was the truth, buried deep. In her silence, she’d abandoned him. It may not have been her choice, but that didn’t make it feel any better.
He glanced to the door, willing her to come through it again. Because he’d seen it in her eyes. His Cassie was coming back, and he would make sure she stayed this time.
Pushing the blanket off him, he slipped from the bed and crept out of his room, hoping he wouldn’t wake Jesse or the twins.
His heart thundered in his chest as he opened Cassie’s door. She slept, her face serene. He passed the dresser, noting the broken frame and picture of Mrs. Carrigan.
He didn’t stop until he was beside her bed. Crouching down, he took in the dark hair splayed across her white pillow and yellow blanket that had been kicked to the end of the bed.
