Page 35 of Sparks Will Fly

“Other night?” My brain was foggy as hell. The last thing I remembered was going out and having a lot of liquor. Everything was blurry after that. “What the hell happened?”

Drey scratched her eyebrow. “You want the good news or the bad news first?”

I could already tell I wouldn’t like where this was going.

“Just spit it out, Drey.”

My throat was dry as hell making my voice sound terribly deep and hoarse.

“Okay. Well, when we went out the other night, you got roofied, and Romani came to the rescue. He’s been nursing you back to health along with his sister since it happened. Mercy is here too.”

A large wave of emotion welled in my gut. So, Romani knew I lied to him about being sick but still came to my aid when I needed him. It made me feel like shit knowing the level of commitment he had for me. I didn’t deserve it or him. I was a fucking mess and always would be.

“Who the fuck drugged me?”

Drey shrugged. “I have no clue. I’ve been trying to figure it out, but it’s up in the air. I knew something was wrong when you wouldn’t stay awake, and then when you were throwing up, it looked weird as hell. Robyn said that’s what Rohypnol looks like when it comes back out.”

Silence fell because I was speechless. How’d I allow myself to get in that predicament in the first place? Trying to shut off my feelings almost cost me my life, and for what? The man who I was running from was the first to come running when I needed help.

“Where’s Romani? Is he mad at me?” I wondered aloud.

I couldn’t get him off my mind knowing what I’d done. It literally made me sick to my stomach.

“He was out back smoking the last time I saw him. I don’t know if he’s mad at you, but he should be. You are dead wrong for what you did. Men like him are hard to find these days.”

I knew she was right. The truth is what sent me running in the first place, but I knew I should’ve handled it better. Finding out I lied to him this way couldn’t have felt good.

The twins came walking through the open bedroom door, putting my mind at ease. Romani stood by the door. He couldn’t even look at me. His posture was very closed off and stiff. Nothing like I was used to. Even the way his jaw was set told me exactly how he felt about me right about now.

“Romani,” I called out for him.

He ran a hand down his face. “I’m happy you’re awake, but we don’t have anything to talk about.”

With those words, he turned and left the room. My heart literally broke into a million pieces knowing I’d fucked up what could possibly be the best thing to ever happen to me.

I tried to hold it together, but tears began to slide down my face. I couldn’t believe this was happening right now. In all honesty, I never expected him to find out about my lie. I just needed a little time to get on board. Now, that ship had sailed away completely.

“Being in this is triggering for him,” Robyn offered after taking note of my reaction to his cold demeanor. “Has he told you about our mother?”

I nodded, feeling even worse than before. I hadn’t considered how this could affect him. I only thought of myself, and it showed.

“She chose many things over loving us, and we’ve had to nurse her back to health countless times. I remember when we were twelve. It was so bad we were doing it at least once a week for six months straight.” She sighed with a shake of her head. “Romani can be cold, but it’s because he truly craves connection he feels he can never have.”

I wiped away my tears with a sniffle. “It’s okay. It’s all my fault. He has every right to be mad.”

She nodded. “He does, but I’m sure you have a reason why you lied to him. He cares deeply for you, so there’s still hope.”

“How can you root for me knowing how badly I treated him?”

“Because you’re the first woman to make him feel something. The way he talks about you with so much emotion and passion brought tears to my eyes. I’ve never seen his heart on his sleeve like that. You make him want to be better. You challenge him, and from what I’ve heard about you, I don’t think you’re a bad woman. I think you just had a bad day and made a bad choice. I have faith that you’ll be better to him going forward.”

Her words comforted me when I didn’t even deserve it. I laughed sadly.

“Well, it sucks that this is our first time meeting, but thank you for not hating me.”

She nodded. “Definitely not what I had in mind, but I’m happy to help.” She paused then told me, “Give him a little time.”

She rubbed my arm soothingly for comfort. I gave her a closed mouth smile. I wanted to believe that time was the answer, but the look in his eyes was so distant I wasn’t even sure he could see me anymore.

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