Page 82 of Roman and the Hopeless Romantic
Cassie
Cassie sat in the stands after the game ended, unable to move as the crowd swarmed around her, walking up the aisles in excitement after a heck of a game. For a moment, she’d forgotten them as Roman said everything she’d wanted to hear, but all the anxiety came roaring back as soon as he was gone.
She couldn’t believe she was there. A month ago, she’d never imagined she would once again sit and watch her brother take control of a game. Jesse, along with his line-mates Charlotte and Damien, won the night.
Roman, on the other hand, hadn’t seen a second of ice time.
She’d watched him on the bench, looking for any sign of regret. Instead, excitement lit his eyes as he cheered on his teammates.
There was no more time to second guess, no more time to question.
Hadley propped her feet up on the chair in front of her. “That boy has it bad.”
Cassie covered her grin with a cough. “I wish he could’ve played.”
“Something tells me he’d do it all over again—just like it happened. That boy likes the d-r-a-m-a.”
“Did he really—”
“Climb what almost amounts to a balcony and profess his undying love? Yes, Juliet. He did.”
Cassie gripped the metal to her left. “This isn’t a balcony.”
“Same difference. Just face it, Cass, you basically lived one of your romance novels tonight.” She winked. “Well, maybe not one of your novels. He’d have needed fewer clothes for that.”
Cassie’s cheeks heated. She hadn’t thought of Cade or disappearing into her e-reader for a couple days now. It was like Roman pulled her out of the fake world and made her want to live in the real one.
“I don’t think I can leave with the crowd.” She may be recovering and overcoming her struggles, but she still had a long road ahead of her.
“That’s cool.” Hadley nudged her. “We can take as long as you need.”
Cassie sent her friend a grateful smile as she pulled out her buzzing phone. A text from her dad lit the screen.
Dad: Are you up for ice cream?
Was she? She knew what he meant. He wanted to take the family toEmma’s. A part of her wanted to return home and curl up in bed after such a big day of peopling.
But she couldn’t remember the last time her family did something as simple as get ice cream together.
Cassie: Yeah. Meet you there.
She’d ridden with Jesse and didn’t want to wait for him to shower. The arena suddenly felt way too small and crowded. Her skin heated as she swallowed thickly.
“Cass.” Hadley lowered her feet and turned to look at her. “You don’t have to be better all at once.”
“I know.” She did know, but she hadn’t always. “What do you say to ice cream?”
A smile spread across Hadley’s face. “I never say no to ice cream. Come on, I can get us out of here through the back.” She climbed over the metal bars and then down them like it was a playground.
By the time she jumped to the ground, Cassie only stared at her.
“Come on, Cass. It’s either this or leave through the front with everyone else.”
Sucking in a breath, Cassie climbed the bars, saying a small prayer as she released them and jumped down. The impact reverberated up her leg.
Hadley grabbed her hand and took off running down the hall near the locker rooms. They exited the building through a side door and sprinted across the parking lot.
By the time they found Hadley’s car and arrived atEmma’s, Cassie couldn’t believe this was how the wildest day of her life ended.
