Page 59 of Roman and the Hopeless Romantic
Cassie
As Cassie slid behind the wheel, flashes of that night in the rain came back to her. She’d waited for what seemed like hours in a deserted beach parking lot for Jesse to find a way to get to her—she’d had his car at the time.
Her pulse pounded in her skull as she turned the key in the ignition, her hand freezing without releasing it.
Roman rested his head back against the seat and turned it to look at her. “You’ve got this.”
He was right. She did. “You better not be faking, Roman Sullivan,” she grumbled as her fingers wrapped around the wheel and her foot eased off the break to back out.
All the fear she’d had of freezing up while driving, of causing an accident, no longer mattered as she pulled them out onto the road. The driving part was easy. She smiled to herself as she relaxed into the seat.
Normal, everyday tasks became impossible missions when anxiety coated their every action. But the few times she managed to push through it, it was like breaching the water after being held under for too long.
For just a short time, she was free.
By the time they reached home, Roman barely held his head up. She turned the car off and shifted in her seat.
His eyes opened. “I need your help, Cass.”
Those simple words caused something to bloom within her. She was the girl always needing the people in her life to be there for her. She’d forgotten what it was like to be needed in return.
She got out of the car and went to open Roman’s door. Helping him out, she pulled his arm over her shoulders, and together, they stumbled toward the front door. Her dad still hadn’t returned, so he must have the twins with him.
Cassie unlocked the front door. “We need to get you in bed. Do you need a doctor?”
He mumbled something unintelligible and shook his head.
It took some doing, but she managed to get him up the stairs into his room. He fell onto his bed face down.
Cassie went to the kitchen and filled a glass with water. When she returned to Roman, he’d rolled onto his side.
She set the water on the table beside the bed.
“The room is spinning.” Roman’s weak voice was so unlike the booming sound she’d grown used to.
Sitting on the edge of his bed, she touched his forehead. “You’re burning up.”
He shook his head. “Just need sleep.”
“At least take some ibuprofen.”
He shook his head again.
With a sigh, she pulled off his shoes and started adjusting the blanket around him. “You need to get some rest.”
He reached out and grabbed her wrist. “Don’t leave me.”
One corner of her mouth curved up as she stared down at him. “Typical man. Get a little bug and it’s like you’re dying.”
“I feel like I am.”
“You’re not.” She sat again. “When did you start feeling sick?”
“I’ve been tired all day, but I figured it was just the Valentine’s Day annoyance.”
“You should love this holiday. I’ll bet you get lots of gifts.”
He shook his head and buried his face in his pillow. It muffled his words. “You like chocolate?”
