Page 83 of Unruly Obsession
I ignore the strange compliment, refusing to acknowledge anything that ties Lorenzo and me together.
I knock on the door twice, and Sienna opens it, looking worse for wear. She pulls me in for a hug, and I’m stunned. “I’m sorry, I know with your dad’s funeral and?—”
“Where is she?” I ask, stepping into the apartment and going to close the door. But it's abruptly stopped. When I look back, Sky has his foot in the door.
“Who is this?” Sienna asks, looking between us.
“It’s a long story.” I pin him with an intense glare that promises imminent death.
“Door stays open this much,” he states as he steps away and sits across the hallway. I throw my hands up in the air.Whatever.
When I turn, I brace myself. The place is a mess. Beautiful paintings that once hung on walls have been shredded and broken over furniture. It looks like it’s been ransacked. Her roommate's door is closed. The small circular staircase that leads to the attic seems as if a barrel of black paint has been thrown down it.
Fuck. If this is what the living room looks like, I don’t even want to go upstairs and see the state of Romi’s studio. I follow Sienna into Romi’s bedroom, and my heart breaks the moment I see her, sitting in the middle of the bed, holding Borris, the little terrier. Romi’s staring at the ground, her room a chaotic mess, matching the rest of the apartment.
“Romi, I’m here,” I say in my most soothing tone. Romi, who’s usually so full of life, has black paint splattered through her red hair and is still wearing the funeral clothes from yesterday.
A pang of guilt floods me; instead of her usual routine, she was supporting me. I push away that unreasonable blame. Right now, I just need to be here for my friend.
“Romi,” I repeat as I come to crouch in front of her and grab her hand. She doesn’t see me or hear me. Fuck. This is bad.
“I tried,” Sienna says from behind me. “I didn’t know what to do.” Her expression looks hopeless and bleak.
“We need to get her in the shower first,” I say, already in action. The black paint matts her vibrant red hair. Fuck, she might have to cut it. “Romi, I need you to work with us.”
It’s hard seeing her like this, and I can’t help but reflect on myself as I stare at her. This shell-shocked version was me only months ago when everything happened in Italy. Romi is one of the strongest, most animated people I know, and yet, seeing that even she can be rattled like this, that her natural instinct is to go within herself, somehow tragically makes me feel more human.
“Hey, little guy,” I say to Borris as I try to peel him from her grip, but it only tightens. “Romi,” I say again, and bring my hand to cup her cheek. This time she blinks, and her face ever so slowly tilts toward me. “Romi, let’s put you in the shower for a little bit, okay? We’re not going anywhere. Borris needs to eat.”
She blinks twice and then nods, as if understanding, but still doesn’t hand over the dog. Instead, she uncurls her legs andwalks to the kitchen. She’s robotic in movement as she opens the cabinet and pulls out wet food, then slaps it on an open pizza box on the floor and empties its contents.
Slowly, she puts him down and watches as he eats.
Sienna and I share a worried look. It’s ironic that here, despite the circumstances, I feel alive and needed. Whereas in my own time of mourning with my family, I just feel empty. I don’t feel any sadness for my father’s passing. Yet for my best friend, my heart breaks as her world crumbles around her. Because I understand what that feels like, and I know we both still have a long way to go. After all, we’re only human, and there’s only so much someone can take until they either snap or shut down. I just never thought I’d see the upbeat Romi go through it.
Around dusk,I receive a phone call from my brother. For the most part, Sienna and I have cleaned up the apartment around Romi, who’s now in track suit pants and a black hoodie. We couldn’t scrub all of the paint out, but that’s the least of our worries as we tuck her into bed and she finally falls asleep, Borris still tightly clutched to her chest.
“Hey, where are you?” my brother asks.
I step into the hallway. “I’m at Romi’s. Her roommate passed away yesterday, and she’s not doing so well.”
“Oh, shit, that’s bad. I’m so sorry, Lils,” he says, and I take the time to have another peek outside the front door, where Sky is still sitting, looking bored out of his mind. Jesus, do they not even go to the bathroom? I feel bad as I go to the kitchen and rummage through the cupboards, where I find a few snack packs. I fling them out the door, and he seems startled butcatches all three of them with abnormal reflexes. His eyebrows furrow as he stares at the treats.
“I need you to come back home and watch over Mom while I go out for a bit,” Vince says.
I lean against the counter, peering into Romi’s room. “I don’t know if I’m comfortable leaving her like this.”
“Lils, I need you here. I’m trying to figure out this loan stuff, and we really need you. I’m worried about Mom. One moment she’s acting normal, and the next she’s walking around like a wraith. I don’t want to leave her.”
“Well, maybe you should stop leaving every night if you’re so worried,” I bite back, surprised by my own harshness. I close my eyes and remind myself I’m being unreasonable.
“Lily, it’s fine. I can take it from here,” Sienna says from Romi’s doorway. “She’s asleep now. I won’t go anywhere. Your family needs you.”
All the fight in me slowly recedes. I feel like I’m just going from one fire to another.
I’d transferred my savings to my brother, and he promised he’d make quick work of having it sorted. More than likely, that’s what he’s doing tonight.
I sigh, exhausted. “I’ll be home shortly.”
