Page 34 of Ski You Later
I couldn’t resist myself as I placed my hand on his forearm, giving it a small squeeze before I walked over to Aurora. The second the chaos was over; Rhys didn’t say a word to anyone as he left the room.
Now, we all have a plate of spaghetti in front of us and are ready to hear the story behind the box.
“Why did you have a box full of spiders if you are afraid of them?” Roman sounds exhausted as he questions his brothers.
“I didn’t know I was afraid of them,” Xander says simply. “But let me tell you, when that box fell open, I was petrified.” He laughs as if he said something funny, but Roman only stares at them both with venom. Landon quickly takes over, attempting to placate his older brother.
“Well, you see, we were on a walk and spotted them both on the side of a tree. Which was weird because it’s winter and they aren’t usually around,” Landon explains. He motions with his hands as he talks, as if it helps us understand his logic. “They were breathtaking as they started to make a web on the side of that tree. Xander and I were both mesmerized by the pair of them and we took them so they didn’t die in the cold.”
Roman’s face has never looked so annoyed, the vein in his temple popping out slightly. “But why were they in a box,” he grits out.
“To keep as pets,” Xander answers immediately as if it were obvious.
I giggle at their interaction, both younger brothers showing no fear as Roman looks as if he’s about to strangle them. “Why would you do it today?” He asks, running his hands through his already messy hair.
“Well, what were we supposed to do? Leave the box in our room?” Xander asks this as if it’s an insane idea.
“Yes!” Roman’s hand flies in front of him as he yells at his brothers.
“No, Roman. They could’ve escaped,” Xander states seriously. Turning his head to both of us and shooting a wink our way.
“Xander. I’m sitting right in front of you,” Roman deadpans.
“Ah shit, I used my wrong eye,” Xander whines. Turning to face Landon, who’s doing his best to hold back his laughter.
Roman seems to dismiss both his brothers, turning fully to face Aurora and I. “I’m so sorry. There’s no way I would’ve invited you over if I knew this would happen.” While he speaks to us both, his gaze stays trained on me.
I’m about to dismiss his apology, but Aurora gets there first. “Roman, you need to chill. This was the funniest thing that’s happened in so long. It was awesome,” she states. Reclining back in her chair, as she crosses her arms.
He looks at her in surprise, as if she’s grown a second head. “Aren’t you upset?” The sheer surprise in his voice almost makes me cackle.
“No,” Aurora says with just as much confusion in her tone. “It’s not a big deal,” she states as she turns her attention back to her food.
I face Roman with a knowing smile, showing him that I’m not remotely upset. His mood seems to lighten after that, with everyone eating their food and making casual small talk.
It takes twenty minutes for the plates to empty and the flow of conversation to reach its natural end. We all stare at one another, waiting for the main purpose of this dinner to commence.
Thankfully Xander has the shortest attention span and cuts through the growing silence. “So, like, what’s even going on with you two?” He uses his spoon to gesture between Roman and I, and Landon nods along in the back.
I give Roman a quizzical look but go back to facing his brothers. “Has Roman not told you anything?” My lips purse a little as I think about the fact that Roman hasn’t uttered a word of this, not even to the people closest to him.
Xander lifts his brows as he looks confused. “No? Told us what?”
“They don’t need to know anything. Don’t feel pressured to tell them, Langley.” Roman glares at his brothers as he talks, but his words still make my heart melt. If Roman’s going to help me, there’s no need for him to hide the whole thing from his family.
With a glance at Aurora, we have a quick mental conversation as she nods in agreement. While I could’ve never imagined sharing my life with Landon and Xander of all people, it just seems like the right thing to do.
I tell them the key points of everything. Family drama, ex-boyfriend drama and then the two combined. Their facial expressions make the whole story worth it, shock and outrage only growing as I keep talking.
When I finish with everything, I tell them how Roman agreed to fake date me in exchange for help warming up to the rest of the team.
Landon side eyes his brother at the last part, but Xander’s eyes are wide as he covers his mouth with both hands.
“NO,” Xander yells in my face as soon as I’m done.
This causes a full laugh to break from Aurora’s chest as Landon punches him. “Sorry, I’m just shocked,” Xander amends as he rubs his arm.
“How does no one know about this? Surely, if we tell the board, we can get her kicked off the team?” Landon looks confused and then faces Roman for confirmation, the latter sending a small nod to his brother.
