Page 14 of Rome: The Ballerina

“They just fit. You know. Like the piece to your puzzle. You– you feel like a very important piece. One that will help everything else make sense and be easier to place. Does this not feel like that for you?”

I wasn’t in control of my body. My mouth. My eyes. My feet. Nothing. I was a robot, and he was in possession of the systemthat gave me orders. It told me what to do. What to say. How to move. How to think. When to blink.

“Yes,” I whispered, eyes batting with both trepidation and liberalism. “Yes, it does.”

I swallowed, hoping the thickness of my throat cleared. Knowing that I wasn’t alone was emancipating. For once, I wasn’t bound by my discernment. By what I knew before others. By what I felt before others.

“Then you won’t say no to coffee before breakfast, then. Will you?”

I shook my head. “No.”

I didn’t recognize my voice. I didn’t recognize me.

“Good, because I was keeping your AirPod if you did.”

His laugh was uprooting. It stirred everything inside of me. My stomach knotted. My chest tightened. My nipples pebbled underneath the jacket I wore. My treasured parts thumped against the seat of my buttery-soft, seamless thong.

“My whip?”

I nodded again, unable to verbalize my response. There were too many things happening to me at once.

Hurriedly, I made my way to the passenger side. The door was ajar as I approached. He’d conquered the distance with ease. His legs were longer. His stride was quicker, although he was in no hurry.

From my peripheral, I noticed Koen bent over, grabbing his knees. August stood straight, pointing his index finger in my direction. However, neither of them had the strength to move. Neither of them had the energy to halt my escape.

So long, fellas.

Their walk home would be eventful. Their legs were tired, and their lungs had been pushed to the brink of collapse. It would be a while before they gathered themselves and began their journey.

My body relaxedagainst the leather. Cool air pushed through the small holes in the seats, decreasing my temperature with each passing second. I removed my AirPod from my ear and placed it in the case where it belonged.

His long arm stretched across the SUV to return the property he’d been using as collateral. I rolled my eyes with a shake of my head while still facing forward.

This man was something else. Something special. Tittering, I slid it inside of the case as well.

A mile and a half down the road and we were still in complete silence. The law abiding citizen at the steering wheel brought the vehicle to a complete stop. His eyes were trained on me, beckoning for my attention. Apprehension swelled my nostrils and split my nerve endings.

“Rome–” he breathed out.

His voice was softer. His tone was lower.

“Yes?” I responded, running my trembling hands up and down my legs.

For the first time in my twenty-four years of living, I was alone with a suitor. One I’d met a hundred times before, in every lifetime, and in almost every dream I’d ever had involving a man other than my father or brother.

“Your phone… Connect it to the Bluetooth. Put on that playlist from the run or whatever you’d like.”

“The one you disapproved of?”

“Yeah. That one,” he sniggered.

“Are you going to admit you grew fond of the tracks now or later?”

He tilted his head to the left and then lifted it immediately. His left shoulder rose and fell simultaneously.

“It grew on me,” he admitted.

My mouth slacked. My eyelids grew heavy with admiration. I prolonged the silence, trying to wrap my head around his sublimity. His faultlessness. His energy. His maturity.

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