Page 63 of Roar & Lizzy: A Forever Kind of Love

"Lizzy, what's going on?" Coco grabbed her arms, holding her still. "Talk to me."

"I'm losing my mind," she whispered. "Roar isn't...I'm not...I think I'm falling in love with him."

Coco hugged her. "Is that so bad?"

"No." She pulled back and paced in front of Coco. "Yes. I don't know. God, I sound insane. I don't even know what it feels like to fall in love to compare it to how I'm emotionally invested...God, I'm ecstatic with him. He's everything—and I mean everything I'm attracted to in a man."

"Well, it has been a while since you've dated." Coco laughed. "Take a deep breath, relax, and for God's sake, enjoy yourself for once."

Shocked at the suggestion, she said, "So many things could go wrong. If something happens and I lose my job, you're out of a roommate, and I'll be living on the street. Plus, I'd lose Roar and right now it feels a lot like he's the only thing that's keeping me breathing."

"Okay, snap out of it. I would never kick you out, and Roar isn't going to fire you. And, you're sure not going to die."

"You never know." Lizzy pursed her lips. "And, yes, you would kick me out if I couldn't pay half the rent. I would make you because it's that bad. You need an independent woman to help with the house."

"Eh." Coco wrinkled her nose. "I could float you for a month. Maybe six weeks."

Lizzy groaned at the joke. She needed to think and get her feelings under control.

"If it helps you get your mind off your problems, do you know who I think is slam-bam gorgeous?"

"Who?"

Coco leaned closer. "Elling. Every time he comes into the bar, I find myself staring at him. He's got this scar right under his eye, and when he smiles, it makes a deeper wrinkle that is so hot. I was excited to come to the party after Roar invited me, but Elling isn't here. I asked Peer where he's at, and he just shrugged."

"Maybe he'll come later."

"It's already after one o'clock in the morning." Coco rubbed her arms. "Are you cold yet?"

She'd cooled down, but she credited that to Roar not being close to her. "We can go back inside."

They walked to the door, waiting until a few people moved out of the way, and then stepped inside. She slowly moved along the wall, searching for Roar.

"Do you see him?" she asked Coco.

"Not yet." Coco stepped away to look around the crowd of people in front of her. "Let's walk over to the other side. Everyone's smushed over here waiting to get another drink."

Grabbing Coco's hand, they weaved their way through the room, finally breaking away from everyone as they reached the back of the building.

"We can wait here for him." She yawned, covering her mouth. "He's probably down the hall in the meeting room."

Now that she'd had time to calm down, the late night was catching up with her. Her body was used to staying up five days in a row, but by the sixth and seventh day, she usually went to bed earlier and used the extra hours to gain back her energy.

"There he..." Coco stepped in front of her, grabbing her arms. "Let's go home."

"Not until I find Roar." She stepped around Coco.

Her friend grabbed her hand. "Lizzy, just wait."

Coco's urgency warned her something was wrong. The pity in her gaze confused her.

Lizzy looked away from Coco and raised her gaze. A gasp hurt her chest. She'd found Roar.

She stared at a woman wrapped around Roar in the entrance to the hallway. He stood there, letting the woman slide her arms around him and palm his ass, making no move to leave or tell her no.

"You don't need this," muttered Coco. "Let's go, honey."

As if the air had been sucked out of the room, she gawked at someone else touching Roar. Feeling like she was caught in a bad dream, she took in Roar's mouth moving, though she couldn't hear what he was saying. He definitely knew the woman.

Coco pulled on her arm. "Lizzy—"

"No." Her vision blurred and she blinked, unable to believe Roar would go from her to some other woman in the same night.

Feminine laughter reached her as the woman leaned forward and whispered something in Roar's ear to make his expression go soft.

The pain in her chest worsened. She looked away. "Let's go home."

Coco held on to her as they darted past everyone and hurried out of the building. Going straight to the gate closest to their house, she couldn't remember if she asked the prospect to let them out or Coco talked to the man, she only knew she kept walking.

It would've been the perfect night. It had been the perfect night. Until it wasn't.

---