Page 14 of The Lie
“He’s a real gentleman, that one, Mila.” Kate winks at me.
I smirk. He can be a gentleman…some of the time.
Iset my laptop up just in time for the start of the Rebels game. As I lie down on my left side, Madison comes bearing every type of snack she could find downstairs and some sodas for us each.
“What number is he?” she asks as we both stare at the little red blobs on the screen. I wish I had a huge TV in my room so I could see them all on the big screen.
“Hunter is thirty-three and Roman is eighty-seven.”
“Is he okay?” she asks, and the concern in her voice has me turning to her.
“Hunter?”
She shakes her head. “No, Roman. After the car accident? Like, you’re here and have a broken wrist and ribs. He’s playing football. Did he not get hit as hard?”
Fuck, I hate having to lie about the accident. But I will take the truth to my grave. This time, I really will. I’d told myself I would take the first kisses to my grave, and I told Roman the truth—that he was my first kiss. But, at the time I thought I was dying, and I needed him to know that I wanted him to be my first and my last. I never lied about that, and I knew he wouldn’t tell the others. He would take that secret to the grave with him. Just as I will take this one we share as well.
“I was thrown into the air. He tried to save me.”
That’s exactly what I told the cops, and I won’t stray at all from the story. It’s close enough to the truth, and it won’t change. Everyone will get the same version. That I don’t remember anything else, only the sound of the car’s brakes, flying in the air, and Roman holding me.
“Oh my god, he tried to save you?” Madison’s voice gets higher, and I hear the emotion in her voice. Her mouth opens wide, and there are tears in her eyes.
My throat grows thick. “He did. He held me…he kissed me right before everything went dark, and I woke up in the hospital days later.”
Her hand flew to her mouth. “He kissed you? Oh my god, Mila. That’s so much better than any romantic movie or book. He’s your knight, and now your boyfriend is his best friend? Roman is just as cute, if not a little scary…a lotscary. But he kissed you? Why didn’t you ask him to be your boyfriend?”
I look down at the screen and see Hunter. He’s standing beside Roman on the field. There’s a smile on Hunter’s face as he pats Roman’s back. I can’t see Roman’s face, his hair is hanging in the way and I itch to get my hands on it and braid it.
My big Viking. I wish that he’d come to see me. I would have helped him with it. Even if he didn’t want to talk, I would’ve sat here without saying a word and done his hair for him. Just to be in the same space as him…to touch him.
“I’m going to,” I reply as my heart aches to reach through the laptop, grab Roman, and hug him. Tell him that I’m here, waiting for him.
“But you’re with Hunter now.” She gives me a confused look. “Are you going to break up with him already?”
Shaking my head, I smile over at her. I wiggle my brows, and her mouth pops open, a piece of popcorn falling out onto her lap. I laugh.
“Like, both of them at the same time? Can you do that?” Her brows raise high, and the look on her face almost has me laughing, but I hold it in to save my ribs the pain.
“Yes, as long as everyone is consenting and agrees. Hell, I have no idea how this could work, but Hunter is open to the idea. Roman…I need to talk to him first.”
The game starts and she doesn’t ask any more questions. I hold my breath as I watch, my heart in my throat as I hope that Roman doesn’t get injured. Hunter too, but he wasn’t just almost beat to death two weeks ago.
“Next time, we need to watch at my house so we can see all their tight butts on the big TV in the living room.”
I laugh at Madison as she stares very closely at my laptop, trying to catch a glimpse of the players’ asses.
“Next time, we will see them in person,” I promise.
We watch the whole game. The Rebels are so close. We just need a touchdown, and we will win the game. It’s been close, which I think surprises most people. The West Oakley Warriors are nowhere as skilled as the Rebels. But I have a feeling that Roman is more injured than he let the coach know. He fumbled the ball earlier in the game, and the Warriors picked it up and scored a touchdown. But then he got us a touchdown.
“Come on, Roman,” I whisper under my breath as he runs down the field. He has this.
I notice Asshole—oops, I mean Jace—watching Roman. Damn him for being a good quarterback. Hunter is running down the field too, and I hold my breath to see which one Jace picks. He has favored Roman most plays tonight. Not that I’m surprised. Jace still hasn’t spoken to Hunter, but I bet after he finds out we are together, he will have something to say about that.
Roman’s wide open and has a clear run to the end zone, same as Hunter. Holy shit, this is intense. They both have players gaining on them as Jace throws the ball.
I scream as Roman reaches out to catch the ball. He’s only a yard from a touchdown, and I know it’s in the bag. I scream out in celebration, my ribs protesting. Roman’s got it…until he doesn’t. He catches the ball, then it just slips from his fingers and bounces off the green grass.
