Page 79 of Roman and the Hopeless Romantic
“After I managed to walk through Target, do you know who I wanted to talk to?”
He shook his head.
“You. Not Annie, not Jesse. Roman Sullivan, the bane of my existence.”
“Why me, Cass?” It never made sense to him why she trusted him the way she did. No one ever put their faith in him before. They went to him for a good time, not a shoulder to lean on.
“Because you believe in me.”
He stepped closer to her. “A lot of people believe in you.”
“You push me. With you, I don’t want to stand still any longer. You once asked me why I didn’t talk to you for two years, why my trauma pulled me away. I gave you an answer, but I don’t think it was the truth.”
“What’s the truth, Cass?” He took another step.
She lifted her chin, gazing up at him as she dropped her voice. “You terrify me.”
They stared at each other, neither moving, neither speaking.
When the locker room door burst open, they broke apart as the team poured out.
“Sullivan,” Coach called. “Get your skates. Your feet better be on that ice in thirty seconds.”
Roman looked to his team heading to play the game they loved and then back to the girl admitting her fear of him. He wanted to ask her why, to beg for an explanation, but she stepped around him.
“Go, Roman. Have a good game.”
He whirled to watch her go. “Are you staying?”
She didn’t respond.
Roman cursed and slapped his palm against the wall before doing what he was supposed to. He laced up his skates and headed for the ice, hoping the game could clear his mind and tell him what he needed to do.
* * *
“Because you believe in me.”He did.
“You terrify me.”Which was it?
Roman passed to Jesse as they skated in on their own goalie during warm-ups prior to puck drop. Gulf City residents already crowded into the arena, packing every seat like they always did.
But Roman barely saw any of their faces as he searched for the one he needed to be there.
She hadn’t been to a game in over two years, but tonight she’d shown up at the rink. That said something.
Stopping at center ice, Roman started his stretches.
Jesse dropped down beside him. “You were supposed to tell Cassie before you left.”
“I know.” He’d planned on it but hadn’t found the words. “I’m a coward.”
“She’s here for you, you know. She walked into the rink on her own and then into a locker room full of guys.” He looked out of the corner of his eye. “Rome… thank you. Whatever you’ve done for her… thanks.”
“It was all her, man.”
“But somehow, you made her believe she could do it.”
“Is she still here?”
