Page 23 of Ski You Later
“Rhodes. Of course, I’m trying to go back to sleep; we were up until three in the morning. Second, you are the farthest thing from some strange girl.”
I decide to brush off his second statement, not wanting to read too much into it and have to acknowledge the flutter in my stomach. The first part of his statement makes me pause. Three in the morning?
That can’t be right. We couldn’t have left later than midnight. But now that I think about it, I can’t remember leaving at all.
He must see my confusion, the last remnants of sleep leaving his face as he looks at me. “What do you remember from last night?” His question is soft, as if he knows I can’t remember.
I see no point in sugar coating my memory since he was there the whole time anyway. “I can remember everything until I started crying in the washroom. So,yeah.” I purse my lips and look away, refusing to let the embarrassment overtake me at this moment.
I take a couple of scootches back to the end of the makeshift floor-bed so there’s a decent gap between us, and he doesn’t feel uncomfortable.
It’s easy to tell that he’s fully awake now, as his classic scowl takes up residence on his face once again.
He tilts his head up, looking at the ceiling as he thinks. His expression suddenly turns more excited as an idea forms in his mind. I’m nervous as he turns to face me with a small smile.
Wariness quickly fills me as I return his gaze with a skeptical expression. “Alright, I’ll tell you something from last night in exchange for a question answered by you.” He states this as if it’s an acceptable trade and places his hands under his chin.
“Is this a form of blackmail?” I ask immediately.
“No,” he states. The side of his mouth quirks up, and I can’t help but frown.
Frankly, I don’t have many secrets, and I like being in his presence, so I don’t mind going further with this.“Fine, but I get to go first,” I say as I extend my hand.
He seems smug as his large hand wraps around mine, giving it one downward tug. “Deal.”
I decide to bite the bullet right away. “What happened last night?”
“Too vague,” he responds immediately.
“You never said it had to be a specific question!” I counter, triumph lighting up my face.
He narrows his eyes at me, the gears turning behind those pretty brown eyes of his. “Fine, Langley. Last night we went to the bar and came back here.” He stretches his hands in the air, an arrogant smile building on his face.
When he looks back at me, my frown mirrors his from earlier. It seems that if I want detailed answers, I will need to ask detailed questions.
“Why am I in your bed?” I ask quickly.
“Nope, it’s my turn now. You wasted your question. Who’s Daniel?”
My morning brain didn’t expect having to explain this so early, and he can see it in the way my eyes slowly widen.
There’s a piece of me that just wants to get up and leave, ignore this game, and go right home. But I know he didn’t ask it to be rude.
There’s an undertone of worry in his gaze, and I find myself being just as curious as he is.
“Daniel is my ex-boyfriend,” I say the words slowly. Trying them out and smiling when I feel nothing towards the sentence.
Seeing him last night was overwhelming for sure, but I’ve put a lot of work into moving on from anything we had. The lack of feeling regarding him calms me down, and I look at Roman with a little more confidence.
He watches my face through this all, and he’s obviously struggling to keep his own expression neutral. Even though his face is set in a frown, he doesn’t broach the topic again and signals that it’s my turn.
“Why am I in your bed?” That has been one of my biggest questions so far. Why didn’t I just go home with Aurora?
“Because that’s where you fell asleep,” he says with a straight face that crumbles instantly at my glare.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. That was a joke!” He puts his hands up and blocks the smack I send his way.
“I don’t know how much you remember, but you didn’t want to leave the bar at all. You left the bathroom, then ran onto the dance floor and hung out with the rest of the team. Everyone was completely hammered, and I only left when you stumbled over to me, asking me totake you home.” He states this all as if it’s just a fact and not horribly embarrassing for me.
