Page 55 of Roman & Olivia
His heart sank. It plummeted to depths he didn’t know were possible. At the same time, a dangerous and painful burning sensation tore into his chest. He had to look away as he heard her gush about the man who had stolen her heart.
“It’s so great. We talk every day. He texts me in the morning to tell me he’ll see me at work. Then we usually get lunch together. He’s busy most afternoons, so we plan on spending our weekends together. But he calls at bedtime to tell me goodnight every single day.”
That niggling feeling that something was off continued to press at the back of his eyes, and he lifted them slowly to look at her. But the second he saw that smile on her face, he knew he couldn’t voice his concerns.
What was he supposed to say? That he had a bad feeling about Mason after all the work they’d done to win him over?Olivia wouldn’t believe him. She’d probably accuse him of being jealous or something.
The worst part was that she wouldn’t even know how close she was to hitting the nail on the head.
Roman shoved aside those treacherous feelings and forced a smile. “How about we get this movie started? I haven’t seen it yet.”
She gasped. “Have you been living under a rock? It’s about a robot who rescues a duckling.”
He gave her a flat look. “You’re the only one who can ever get me to watch kid movies, and that’s not going to change anytime soon.”
Olivia only laughed, then moved across the couch to settle beside him. He lifted his arms so he didn’t touch her, but the way she nestled against his side had his resolve crumbling. Carefully, he draped his arm around her and rested his cheek against the top of her head.
Yep, just like old times.
“Hey,isn’t that Olivia’s boyfriend?”
Roman lifted his head at Camilla’s sharp tone. His eyes found Mason immediately. He stood with a woman who was definitely not Olivia. They were huddled in the shadow of a tall building, and the girl’s arms were around Mason’s neck.
One look at Camilla confirmed that she was burning mad. It was hard to see a blush most of the time, but the red in her cheeks was like fire. She stared daggers at the couple. “He is, right? He’s dating her?”
Roman frowned, turning his attention to Mason. This woman was different from the one he’d seen before his movienight with Olivia. And based on what Olivia had been saying about Mason lately, they were supposed to be exclusive.
“You have to tell her, Roman. She deserves to know.”
That churning in his gut returned every single time he thought about Mason and trying to explain why he didn’t like him for Olivia. He turned back to tightening the tie-downs in his truck. Camilla had only come to town to pick up a new book at the bookstore, but now she was having to deal with him picking up a last-minute order of dog food for Mateo.
“You’re going to tell her, right?” Camilla pressed.
He sighed.
“Roman. You can’tnottell her.”
Dragging a hand down his face, he finally met his sister’s eyes. “What if she doesn’t want to know?”
“Roman!” she snapped. “Every girl wants to know if the guy they’re dating isn’t right for them. Call her. Tell her now.”
He groaned, wanting to argue even as he pulled his phone from his pocket. He dialed her number and listened to it ring and ring. Then her voicemail picked up. “Do I leave a message?”
“No!” Camilla yanked the phone from him and shut it off. “You have to tell her in person.”
“But you told me to call her.”
She gave him a flat look. “So she’d meet up with you. Seriously, I don’t understand how you can be so dense. Let’s take this stuff home, and then you can drop by her apartment and tell her what’s going on. She deserves to know.”
After he did as his sister suggested and they got the dog food unloaded, he made his way toward Olivia’s place. His palms were clammy, and his body practically vibrated with nervous energy. Right about now, he wished he’d asked Camilla what he should tell her.
When he got to her front door, he’d resigned himself to just spit it out and wait for her reaction. They were friends.
Best friends.
She wouldn’t get angry at him for being the bearer of bad news, would she?
No. That wasn’t like her.
