Page 47 of Roman & Olivia
Olivia shrugged. “He said that Mason is definitely interested and we’re ready for the final stage of our plan. We’re going to stage the breakup and leave me open for Mason to swoop in.” Saying it out loud made it all the more real. She cleared her throat, but it did nothing to ease the thickness of her voice. “He never liked me—not like that.”
“No…” Cammi whispered. “No, he has to. I saw it. The way he was looking at you?—”
Olivia pulled her legs closer to her chest and hugged them tight. “You were wrong. He’s just a really good actor. And this was the plan all along. I can’t believe I almost told him that I had feelings for him. I can’t believe I almost ruined my oldest friendship.”
“It wouldn’t have ruined anything,” Cammi said quietly.
“You don’t know that.”
“Neither do you.” Cammi closed the distance between them and slumped down on the couch beside her. She heaved a sigh, then pulled Olivia closer in a hug. “So what now? Are you going to tell him?”
Olivia snorted. “No way. I’m not going to make him uncomfortable because I realized too late how great it would be to date him.” She offered Cammi a wry smile. “Besides, this is all part of the plan. We’re going to stage our breakup. Then Mason and I are going to start dating. And everything with Roman will get back to normal.”
Cammi didn’t look convinced. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”
Olivia nodded, but she couldn’t bring herself to say anything because she knew Cammi would see right through it.
A week came and went.Olivia waited for Mason to admit to his feelings, but he’d been busy in meetings and they hadn’t interacted much. She hadn’t gone over to Roman’s house, but they’d planned their breakup over text messaging. He’d come to her work, and they’d do it during her lunch break where Mason could see the fallout.
The closer that day got, the more anxious Olivia became. Even though it was the end of their fake relationship, it also felt like the end of something bigger. She couldn’t shake the feeling that after today, there would be something missing that she would never get back.
She squirmed in her chair as she watched the clock, knowing her lunch break was getting ever closer. Roman had remained quiet since yesterday, telling her that she’d see him at lunch today for their little show.
Then the clock struck noon and she got to her feet. Mason had left his office, flashing her a smile as he moved past her toward the break room. She glanced toward the door leading to their offices, waiting for Roman to appear. Each tick of the clockonly added to her growing anxiety. Her breathing was uneven, and she wrung her hands as she continued to wait for Roman.
A familiar whoosh of air flowed through the building—the exterior door opening. And a few minutes later, Roman stood in the doorway. He gave her a wry smile, but it didn’t do anything to soothe her racing heart. His eyes darted to Mason’s office door that was open, and with a flick of his brows, he seemed to ask a million questions.
Is he there?
Will he hear us?
Are you ready?
And one statement.
You can do this.
She gave a short nod and slowly lowered into her seat. He swept through the room and his voice rose enough to ensure that someone nearby would be able to hear.
“Olivia, we need to talk.”
“Roman? What are you doing here? I already told you everything I needed to say.” Her voice trembled. She was supposed to sound upset, and thankfully, she didn’t have to act. She was upset and couldn’t even pinpoint the exact reasons why.
“I know what you said,” he replied, poking the desk with his pointer finger. “And I don’t agree. We haven’t been drifting apart. You’ve been stressed lately. So have I. It doesn’t mean that we should break things off.”
She sighed and looked at her hands. They hadn’t gone over how she was supposed to react or the exact things she needed to say. All they’d agreed on was that she had to be the one to do the breaking up. Roman had to still want their relationship to work in order for Mason to believe the act. “We’ve been friends forever, Roman. And at first, we had fun. But that spark… it’s not there for me.”
“What do you mean, it’s not there? That kiss. You can’t tell me you didn’t feel it.”
Her head snapped up and she stared at him. She hadn’t expected him to bring that up. Or maybe it was because his statement hit too close to home, and she wanted nothing more than for him to admit that he’d felt something special when he’d kissed her just like she had.
Roman lowered his face closer to hers and his eyes darted to the side as if to alert her they now had an audience. Mason must be in the breakroom doorway. His voice went husky, and it sent shivers up her spine when he spoke. “You might think you want to go back to being just friends, but I can’t. No matter how you feel right now, eventually, you’re going to realize that what we had was special. It was…everything. And when you decide you want that again, I’ll be here waiting.” He stood tall, and she had to lift her chin to meet his eyes. He turned, paused when he looked over in Mason’s direction, then stalked out of the room.
She stared at him, unblinking. Her throat had closed up and gone dry. Her heart pulsed in her ears. That felt… soreal. What was she supposed to do with that? Chase after him? Tell him she felt the same?
But no. Of course not. He said he’d make it believable. And based on the way Mason moved toward her desk, Roman had been successful.
“Don’t listen to him. He’s trying to manipulate you,” Mason said.
