Page 26 of His Juliet

He kept up a stream of conversation as we turned right and walked down the block, teasing me about alien romance until we were back on the original street we started on. He stopped and pulled us to the side again, wrapping me in his arms. I collapsed into his chest. His hand came to the back of my head, pressing my face into the crook of his neck. I breathed him in, his scent grounding me.

“You did it,” he said, voice low.

I don’t know how long we stood there, but I finally pulled back a bit and was met by Romeo’s smile.

“Thank you,” I said, struggling once more to meet his gaze. He’d seen me at my most vulnerable, knew something about me that no one else did.

“You don’t have to thank me. Thanks for trusting me enough to tell me.” He squeezed my hand and led the way to the bookstore.

“We should have gotten some coffee,” he said. “I need my morning caffeine.”

“There’s an espresso machine in the shop. I can make you one.”

He beamed at me. “I’d love that.”

My hands were still shaking when I unlocked the bookstore. The gentle scent of books grounded me, as did Romeo’s hand on my low back.

“Bagel time?” he asked.

“I’m running late, but you go ahead and eat.” I was a good fifteen minutes behind schedule and had to do my store opening tasks.

“Here, just take a moment.” Romeo guided me to a set of armchairs, kneeling in front of me as I sat down. “You need to catch your breath. You just did a big thing.”

My eyes filled with tears and I couldn’t blink them away fast enough. They trailed down my cheeks and he wiped them away. All I’d done was walk down a different block than usual, but he recognized it for how significant it was, and that meant everything.

He pulled my bagel out of the bag and pressed it into my hand before taking the seat beside me. “Let’s see if these are any good. I’ve never had strawberry cream cheese before.”

I wasn’t sure how much I’d be able to eat with my stomach churning, but I took a bite.

“This is great,” Romeo said. I looked over and saw that he was almost done with his bagel. I watched as he took another massive bite, my eyebrows raised with amusement.

I finished half my bagel and offered him the other half.

“No, you should eat it.”

“I’m full. Promise,” I added when he looked at me incredulously.

He took my half bagel and ate it in a few bites, making me grin. I pushed up from the chair. “Do you want an espresso?” The store was supposed to open in five minutes, but I figured it was okay if I was a tiny bit late today.

“I’d love one.”

He drank his straight while I added a healthy dose of milk and sugar, and then he helped me open up the store. With all the lights on, including the Christmas string lights I’d added, the space looked warm and welcoming.

I was booting up my ancient computer when Romeo got a call. He kept his voice low, but the few words I did catch were Italian.

“I’ve got to get to work,” he said after hanging up.

My heart sank. Of course he wouldn’t be able to stay here all day, but I wished he could. I was getting too used to having a friend in my life again.

“Thanks for the breakfast and… everything.” I cleared the lump from my throat.

“What time are you heading home?” Romeo asked.

“Probably around eight-thirty.”

“I’ll come back to walk you home.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

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