Page 79 of Kiss-Fist
Rome rolls his eyes once more and folds his arms across his chest, turning his head to look away from me. As he does, the lights dim slightly, and I can feel the boom of the music rumble the floor and chairs.
Oh, it’s going to get so loud in here.
‘He’s jealous,’ Fayid signs, his hand low while Rome is still not looking. ‘Ignore him.’
‘That’s ridiculous. We weren’t even a couple.’
‘I know, but he is. Trust.’
I sigh, not wanting any drama. I just want tonight to go well.
Rome turns his head and stares at me. I don’t have anything to say to him at the moment. I’m disappointed in the passive-aggressive attitude he has. It wasn’t like he was ever interested in more than a fling, so I don’t know why he’s behaving like this.
I spend the rest of the few minutes before the show chatting with Fayid and Mellie until Thom and Rhett come back, earplugs in their ears, drinks in their hands. Thom is smiling now, and I promise never to be mad at Rhett again. He can do no wrong from this point forward.
The drinks are set down, Thom handing me mine and Rome his. Rome doesn’t even say thank you, just turns and chats with someone else at another table.
Rhett rolls his eyes and signs, ‘Immature,’ his pinkie finger landing on the tip of his nose before he takes a seat near Thom.
I agree, Romeisbeing immature, but he’s always come around in the end. He will with this as well. He has to. Losing the benefits part of our relationship wasn’t supposed to mean losing him as a friend.
Thom takes a sip of his drink, and his hand lands on my thigh, squeezing it gently.
I peer over at him and grin softly. ‘Thank you for the drink.’
He nods, his cheeks flushing until Rome waves a hand at him. He pales slightly and jerks his chin up to let Rome know he’s paying attention.
Fucking hell.
‘So how did you two meet?’ Rome asks, his signs a little slower than normal but not enough for Thom to catch. Thankfully, Rhett is next to him and interprets, speaking loudly into Thom’s ear for him.
I could kiss him, seriously.
Thom wets his lips and signs, ‘Workout.’
I clarify, ‘I’ve been going to the gym. He’s been training me.’
Rome’s eyebrows rise. ‘Really? You hate working out. I mean, I’ve never seen you run, and the most you ever move is when you’re being fucked.’
I stare at Rome, hating that Rhett is interpreting this. But he wouldn’t omit it. It wouldn’t be fair to Thom.
‘Shit, sorry. I forgot he’s your boyfriend.’ Rome shrugs, then leans over the table slightly. ‘Robbie and I fuck sometimes…or used to,’ he explains, directing his signs at Thom. ‘Usually, it was when we were bored or horny. Everyone knows about it. Deaf world is small. You’ll learn this.’
Thom’s hand falls from my thigh, and he takes a sip of his drink, his eyes not meeting mine. He nods but otherwise doesn’t answer.
Damn it, Rome. He’s being such a shit tonight. ‘Stop it,’ I tell him, and he halfheartedly hides a smirk.
‘He should know. Everyone else does. I’m surprised you forgot to mention me.’
Yeah, well. So am I.
Thom doesn’t say anything, just continues to sip at his drink, looking slightly flushed and nervous. I did that, god damn it. I really should have said something, and I would have if I’d known Rome was going to be such an ass. I stare daggers at him. He really needs an attitude adjustment.
I peer over at Thom and notice him asking Mellie something in sign. It’s about his workout routine, so I don’t pay close attention to what he’s asking, only that he’s engaging with my friends, and they’re all smiling. Well. Most of them are smiling.
Mellie is being patient with him, responding in slow, careful signs so Thom can follow along. He’s probably trying to make up for Rome being a dick, but I also like to think that the two gym bros will get along. Especially once Thom becomes more fluent. And hell, maybe that’s what Rome’sso pissed about. Maybe he feels threatened that once everyone gets to know Thom, they’re going to actually like him.
My gaze flicks to Fayid, and he changes the subject. ‘Can we talk about Johnson for a minute,’ he says. The new dean of academic affairs who’s kind of making all of our lives hell. ‘I swear to god that guy is out to get me. You should have seen him in the meeting he called on Thursday…’
