Page 73 of The Arrangement
“Asshole!” Parker jumped to his feet, looking at himself.
I snickered at him this time. Sheets covered all the important places, and what had landed on Parker would wash off.
Deep down, I knew he was right. There was nothing I could do except allow Liam the time to think and figure some stuff out for himself. I didn’t think I would lose him like I had when wewere kids. I was more afraid he’d realize that I wasn’t worth all this trouble and choose to walk away for good.
25
LIAM ROSE
Quittingmy job had one major drawback—other than the obvious sharp drop in money flowing into my bank account. I now had way too much time on my hands.
The college where I lectured part-time was on holiday break until the start of the new year. I didn’t have the day job to occupy my brain. And I was trying not to call or text Rome while I was working my shit out.
I had plenty of time to think. But my brain had turned into a cesspool of dark thoughts, and I didn’t know how to break free.
So, I began taking a lot of long walks and revisiting the places where I’d gone on dates with Rome. The pinball arcade was a sad thing without him there. His stupid laugh and all his trash-talking had made me smile. The wild race of the silver ball across the field, bouncing off bumpers accompanied by the flash of lights—it lost its excitement and the sense of satisfaction without Rome.
There were no cooking classes at the moment. They were on a break through the holiday season.
The zoo was nice, though I limited myself to day trips so I could skip out on the evening crowds as they gawked at the lights. As I strolled through the zoo, acclimating to the hills, Icouldn’t help imagining trips here through all the seasons. We’d see the spring flower bloom and the return of all the green leaves. The summer heat and ice cream cones as we watched the gibbons on their bamboo towers, flying from pole to pole. I’d get to see the infamous Fiona and her hippo sibling, Fritz, in their outdoor habitat. Then the changing of the leaves and the rich scent of fall as we sipped cider. I wanted all of that with Rome.
But was I the right person for him?
I wanted to be, but that wasn’t enough. Everything about Rome’s life felt overwhelming, and I was this nobody.
The weather remained gray, but the temperature was more tolerable in the low fifties. I’d bundled up to wander around the park across from Music Hall. As soon as I saw the old gazebo, my brain cursed me. I should have kissed him that night.
“You’re Rome’s friend, aren’t you?”
I spun at the gentle voice to find myself faced with a smiling blond man who looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on why. It wasn’t until I glanced down and noticed the violin case hanging from his right hand that I realized that this was the Simon we’d seen perform at Music Hall.
“Holy crap! You’re Simon!” I gasped, the words slipping out of my mouth because I had zero chill.
The man tossed his head back and laughed lightly. “I don’t think anyone has had that reaction to me before.”
“No! I mean, sorry. I-I-I’m a big fan. I attended your performance with Rome a couple of weeks ago. Your playing was sublime.”
His large blue eyes widened, and his smile grew even wider. “Sublime? I think I like you better than Rome already.”
“Sorry. I’m an idiot.” I shoved a hand into my hair, likely making a mess of it. “Rome would be the first to tell you I’m horrible at talking to other people.”
“I think you’re doing just fine talking to me, but when I spotted you, it looked like you were having a bad day. Is Rome being an asshole?”
“No, definitely not. If anything, I’m the asshole. I—” I stopped myself from pouring out my life’s misery and shook my head. “Forgive me. I don’t mean to keep you.”
“You’re not.” He lifted the case into the air a bit. “I came over early this morning to use one of the hall’s practice rooms to get some work done on a side project. But I’m free for the rest of the afternoon if you’d like to grab some coffee and chat.”
I hesitated. While I admired his skill with the violin, Simon was a total stranger to me. Did I really need to pour out all my problems to a stranger? Especially one who was a friend of Rome’s? He didn’t need all my dirty laundry.
Of course, he was a bystander with almost no interest in any of this. Maybe he would have a fresh perspective.
“Nope. That was way too much thinking there.” Simon stepped up and looped his arm through mine before spinning me away from Music Hall. “I discovered a great coffee shop down the block from here. Excellent coffee and tea. Great pastries. Cozy and quiet enough for some pleasant conversation. You’re coming with me.”
Wisely, I didn’t argue.
Simon released me as soon as he was sure I wouldn’t run, and we walked to the coffee shop, which was moderately busy. We settled into a pair of comfortable chairs near the front window, giant mugs of coffee on the table. I might have also bought Simon a raspberry scone as thanks for the intervention while I grabbed a lemon square.
“So, I might have heard through the grapevine that you recently discovered that you’re bisexual and that you are possibly falling in love with Rome,” Simon began lightly. Thank God I hadn’t been taking a drink because I almost choked onthe breath I’d drawn in. He smirked at me. “Sorry, but if you’re going to date Rome, you’re gonna have to learn that these boys gossip worse than a Southern sewing circle. They don’t mean any harm, but ever since Sebastian started dating Byron, they’ve all been about trying to get the rest of them happily settled into relationships.”
