A sleek black sedan pulled up to the curb and
somehow, I just knew. I took slow, nervous steps toward the car. When the back
door opened and I saw the top of Brooke’s blonde head, my stomach dropped to
the sidewalk. Roman had warned me ahead of time that they’d once again be
sharing a car, but it made me ugly jealous when I remembered how much time she
would’ve spent with him the last nine months since their fathers were close.
Thankfully she didn’t see me when she headed to the trunk to meet the driver.
Then I saw Roman slipping from the car. My heart
stopped before I kicked it into a full-on sprint. I landed awkwardly in his
arms, pressed up against something hard.
“Belle!” he cried, gently pushing me back. “You’re
going to crush my guitar!”
My face was on fire when I took a step back to look
at the giant case I had crashed into. “You never told me you play guitar!”
“That’s because I just started taking lessons this
spring.” He pulled me with one hand and hauled the guitar in his other over to
the sidewalk. After setting the guitar in the grass, he lifted me off the
ground, squeezing me tight. “That’s better!”
I think his chest was a bit broader, and he had
grown at least an inch. He was wearing a strong men’s deodorant that tickled my
nose. My Roman had changed, but I still felt the same when safely wrapped in
his spindly arms.
In that moment I realized he would always be my
Roman. I didn’t get to see him nine months out of the year, but even in those unbearably
long months, he was still mine.
“Let me get a look at you, Belle,” he said, setting
me back down on the sidewalk.
While he was checking me out, I did the same to
him. His hair was a bit longer, his jaw was slightly more squared, and his
Adam’s apple was more pronounced. Otherwise his face hadn’t changed. Well,
except for the way his starry eyes seemed to take my slightly larger curves in
with appreciation. An electric current ran through me from his gaze, making it
clear things were different.
“I like the haircut,” he said, taking a chunk
between his fingers and pulling lightly. “But you kind of look…girly.”
I made a face and set my hands on my hips. “What’s
wrong with girly?”
One of his shoulders lifted. “Nothing, I guess.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were taking guitar
lessons?”
“I wanted it to be a surprise. I get bored in the
spring without any sports, so I thought I’d try something new. I’m not the
best, but…” The smile he first gave me over the campfire the year before
stretched across his lips, and joy spread through every inch of me. It felt
like coming home. “Com’ere, you!”
He grabbed my shoulders and drew me closer. My
heart jumped against my ribs when I thought he was going to kiss me.
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