Page 49 of Catch Me
Roman
While the phone rang, I took measured breaths.
“Are you going to make this a habit?”
“I need to talk to Til,” I said, uninterested in dealing with Brooks’ shit.
“Well, about that. I’m currently balls deep in—”
“Oh my god!” Til shouted. “You are not. Stop stirring the pot.”
“Call me a witch, baby.”
“They use cauldrons.”
“Whatever.”
“Nevermind,” I muttered.
Til let out an exasperated groan. “Hold the fuck on.”
With every second that I waited, I considered backing out. It wasn’t like he’d give a shit. He never did.
“Okay, what’s up?”
“Are you alone?” I asked.
“Um, yeah. I’m outside and it’s cold. I’d also like to emphasize how insane it is that I’m now talking to you for the second time on the phone. I don’t enjoy ’90’s experiences, you know.”
“Sorry. You didn’t have to answer.”
“I wasn’t going to, but Brooks’ life mission is to push me to the brink of my sanity. One of these days, I may do a pirouette right off the balcony.”
“Don’t.”
“Uh...Yeah, okay. ’Twas a joke. Can we get to the point now?”
This was so fucking stupid. I could just hang up, but maybe that was weirder. He’d probably feel satisfied, like he won or something. I knew that was how he’d felt every time I came to his room at night. He’d rub it in my face. There was something I’d never really understood, though.
“Why did you sleep with me?” There was such a long silence that I checked the screen to make sure the call was still connected. “More importantly, why did you keep sleeping with me?”
“I, uh...” He blew out a slow breath. “Fuck. Roman, what is this?”
“Just a question.”
“Are you drunk?”
I laughed, then it cut off when my throat felt tight. Pulling the phone away from my ear, I put it on speaker and dropped it into my lap. I pinned my head between my forearms as if it would hold me together.
It wasn’t just my weird history with him or the things I may or may not have felt. Those didn’t matter at this point, so I didn’t want to address them. He was the first guy I’d slept with. The first person, actually. I was sixteen then, but I’d never felt much interest before that. This was where it all started, and I needed to unravel it or I feared I would always feel lost.
“Please,” I said weakly.
The phone buzzed and I saw a video request. I felt panicked, but I immediately connected it. Tilian’s face appeared on the screen like some fucking beacon that had been lost in a dense fog for a long time. The sun was just lowering, so there was enough light for me to see his dark blue eyes. His blond hair was messy and the sides touched his cheekbones, framing his face.
The room suddenly seemed too small, so I got up and quietly went outside. After confirming that Travis wasn’t around, I sat on the deck and pulled my knees up.
Til bit his lip and dropped onto a couch on the balcony. “This is awkward.”
