Page 3 of The Lie
I lean into him and close my eyes. I feel his fingers brush over my face. I hold still, confused at what he’s doing. He traces around my forehead and down my cheek, and I smile at the way he’s tracing my face. It’s not what I expected. I guess I didn’t know what to expect, but this isn’t it.
I’m just about to open my eyes when I feel his warm, callous palm cup my cheek, and I lean a little into it. His breath fans out over my lips. I wait for what feels like a lifetime for Roman’s lips to touch mine. The first touch is soft and tender. My hand reaches out and grabs his tee to stop myself from falling over. I need something to keep me grounded.
I’m kissing Roman Valentine.
He presses his mouth harder to mine, and we stay like that as fireworks go off in my head, my heart, and my tummy. It’s the best feeling, and I don’t want to pull away.
But the wind tumbles my hair and we pull back to look at each other. My heart is racing in my chest as I touch my lips, just as Roman does the same. The smile he gives me lets me know he feels the same thing inside him as I do right now.
“Mila?” my dad’s muffled voice calls out to me.
I turn to my bike, then back to Roman, but Dad isn’t there. I look at the ground and see daisies scattered on his mother’s grave. How am I at the cemetery? Where did the lake go? I blink and shake my head; I see Roman that first day of first grade. Standing there, looking at me with those big sad eyes, obviously scared and alone. My heart starts to race.
“Roman? What’s happening?”
“Mila? Sweetheart, can you hear me? Come back to me, baby girl.”
Dad? I look around and everything is dark. So dark…I can’t find Roman. My heart races even faster. Where is he? Where’s Roman? He would never leave me.
“Roman?” I call out. My head pounds and my stomach rolls. And not in a good way.
“Mila?” Dad calls out again, and I hear a rhythmic beep. What is that? It starts to speed up, and I grow more anxious at the sound. That’s not my alarm clock. The smell isn’t of daisies and fresh grass. It’s sterile, like a hospital. My hand reaches out, and someone takes it. I can feel their touch. Roman?
“Open your eyes, sweetheart. Come back to me.”
“Dad?” I hear my voice as a strangled whisper, my throat raw and dry.
Then, everything comes rushing back. Roman. My bike. The bad guys from the fight. Their car.
The kiss.
My eyes open, and the light is blinding. With a moan, I close them again and try to stop my stomach from revolting.
“Mila?”
Taking a deep breath, I blink a few times. I look around the cold, white room. There’s a lady standing beside me, my wrist in her hand as she looks down at me, smiling.
“Mila? How do you feel?” she asks. I don’t know who she is.
I turn to see Dad. He blinks back tears, and it makes my throat close. Kate is there beside him, and she smiles and reaches out to my hand that’s gripped tightly in Dad’s.
“Mila, hi, sweetheart. Do you need water?” She looks over to the nurse, but I shake my head and groan. It feels like my brain isn’t attached and is just bouncing off the inside of my skull.
“What do you need?” Dad asks.
“Roman.”
I need Roman.
TWO
HUNTER
Asher clasps his hand on my shoulder in the waiting room, and I jump a little, looking up from my phone. I’ve been playing Candy Crush and trying not to think about being here…in the hospital.
“She’s awake.” He smiles as he hands me a bottle of water.
Letting out a sigh of relief, I take the water from him. I’ve been sitting in this waiting room for hours. The same one I’ve been in and out of since they brought her here. I know every scuff mark, every crack in the paint, and I’m now on a first-name basis with one of the janitors. Joseph is a great guy, loves the Rebels.
