Page 42 of Ski You Later
I can’t help but think critically on this one because we should be with the team right now. We should be sitting close to each other while we pretend itis casual. We should be using every opportunity we have to flaunt our relationship. For both of our benefits really.
Roman hasn’t moved a muscle this entire time. He didn’t reach for me when Aurora pulled me away, but he hasn’t left me either. I know he would follow if I chose to join my friends.
He would pretend to be my happy partner when his real wish would be to get as far away from everyone. As fast as possible.
Just thinking causes a smile on my face, and I’m confident about my next move. I turn my face so I can whisper to Aurora. “I actually think we’re just going to spend some time together for a bit.”
Aurora pulls away from me, unbridled joy shining on her face. “I’ll catch up with you guys later then!” She whispers back at me. Winking at me as she turns and walks back to the group.
I move so I can face Roman again and immediately see his bored expression back in place. He seems to be dissociating as he starts to follow Aurora’s fleeting form.
Before I can doubt myself, I take a big step in front of him and successfully block his path. He blinks in surprise, his hands immediately shooting to myshoulders, and he looks down at me in confusion. “What are you doing?”
Fidgeting in his grasp, I nervously look back up at him and do everything in my power to keep the uncertainty out of my voice. “I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out one-on-one for a little bit longer?”
His entire face changes, the bored expression morphing to shock and quickly settling into the most content face I’ve seen on him yet. Reaching down to interlace our gloved fingers, he starts to direct us in the other direction without breaking eye contact. “Langley, I would love nothing more.”
CHAPTER 15
The cousin’s somehow more annoying than the friend.
There’s a whole other side of this fair that I’ve never even seen. It turns out I missed a lot when I spent the whole night drinking mulled wine, which Aurora spiked even more. While that was one of my best memories of all my buddies together, today might just top it.
I’ve never seen Roman so alive, jumping from booth to booth and actively engaging with the sellers. The old lady selling wind chimes was so charmed by him she gave him a free hand-woven coaster. He then proceeded to buy a wind chime because he was so thankful for the coaster.
“Well, well, well. It looks like I have competition,” I chuckle as we walk away from her booth.
He moves his hand from being interlaced with mine and puts it over my shoulders. “You’ll just have to keep impressing me, I guess.” He shrugs and pulls meeven closer as his shoulders fall back down. “Also, I bought you a wind chime,” he adds matter-of-factly.
The serious tone of his voice as he says it makes an easy laugh falls from my lips. Without thinking about it too much, I grab the hand that falls over my shoulder as I look up at him.
“I don’t want a wind chime from my competitor,” I pretend to be upset over this, but the smile stays glued to my face.
He starts to wave the shabby woven coaster in my direction, and I can’t help but fully laugh at this. “You’re just jealous you didn’t get one,” he muses.
With a doubtful look, I raise my brow at him. “I’m so jealous, Roman. I wish I had a thread baren coaster, too.”
“I know.” With a smile from him, he puts the coaster in his little bag and keeps us walking.
“It’s honestly really impressive,” I say with awe. Hoping I can keep a straight face long enough.
“What is?” He asks, confused.
“How do you manage to juggle being the team captain and looking after your eighty-year-old girlfriend.”
A rough laugh bursts out of him, and I smile for making it happen. “It’s hard, to say the least, she goes tobed so early.” I can’t help but giggle at his ridiculousness as he laughs along with me. “But why would I ever make something easy for myself?” He says the words with a smile, but the truth of them hits home for me.
I look forward again and absorb his words. There was no need for him to agree to this whole ordeal, and it’s just making his entire life harder. I start to slow my pace as I think, and Roman follows suit until he looks at me with concern.
“Why did you do it? Get yourself involved; I mean. Jasmine’s going to make your life hell from this point on. You’ve been putting her in her place so far, don’t get me wrong, I’ve been loving. But it doesn’t seem like you even care about being closer to the team. So, why are you doing this?”
He looks at me plainly, not one emotion on his face could possibly reveal what he’s thinking. I mirror him by looking curious but not demanding. From what I’ve learned of the gentle giant, if you give him time, he’ll open up.
I mentally smile as he starts scratching the back of his head, his indecision starting to show through the cracks in his expression.
It takes a couple more seconds before guilt starts to trickle in. This question is obviously something heisn’t comfortable answering right now, and why should I be questioning his help in the first place? Grabbing his hand before I can think better of it, I start to drag him towards the giant sign that has just caught my eye.
Tire d’érable is lit up across the space, a giant block of snow taking up the whole middle of the area and people milling about around it.
