At the question, Rome’s easygoing nature seems to dissipate. I watch through furrowed brows, as the sinews in his strong body tighten. The muscles in his shoulders tense, and if I weren’t watching so closely, I would’ve missed the tic in his jaw.
Maybe I should’ve let them continue asking about girlfriends and his personal life. He seemed a lot more inclined to answer those questions, instead of this one.
After quite some time, he clears his throat and wipes the edges of his mouth with his napkin, like he’s mulling over how to respond.
“It’s just me right now. I don’t have any family that lives near here. But I do have a little brother over in Oakland.”
My mom smiles enthusiastically, all the while my mouth is hanging open in shock. I had no idea Roman had a brother. I don’t know why I’d expect to know anything about his life at all. It’s not like we’ve had a single informing conversation since we’ve met. Though, for some reason, just hearing he has a little brother makes him seem more…real. More human. He has a family just like everyone else. Why is that so hard to believe when it comes to Roman whatever-his-last-name-is?
“That’s wonderful! How old is he?”
“He’ll be fourteen in a few weeks.”
“Oh! Our Brandon just turned sixteen. Is he into sports, too?”
Rome opens his mouth, looks at me, then drops his gaze to his lap. He digs his phone out of his pocket and glances down at the screen until a frown takes over his face. “I’m sorry. I really need to take this. I’ll be back.”
My brows tug down, as I watch him push back from the table and take his “call.” An odd sensation travels from my stomach to my chest, making me shift uncomfortably on the chair.
I heave a deep sigh. “Mom, you can’t just ask questions about people’s lives like that. Not everyone is into opening up to strangers.”
She jerks back, affronted. “What? I hardly asked anything bad. I’m doing you a favor here, sweetie. How is it you’ve been living next to this man for however long, and you know next to nothing about him?”
I roll my eyes. “We’re neighbors, Mom. Not best friends.”
“Regardless, I’ve taught you better than this. He’s a nice guy. Would it kill you to show some interest? I’d like to have some grandchildren, while I’m still able to play with them.”
I shake my head, not even bothering with a remark for that one.
It’s obvious my mom thinks Roman is something special. Hell, anytime she has the chance, she stares at him with hearts in her eyes, more than likely planning out our future wedding, even though that will never happen. I’ll admit, he’s easy to look at, so I definitely see the appeal, but what she doesn’t realize? He’s rotten. He’s a complete jerk, and I am in no way, shape, or form interested in him.
When Rome comes back, the mood has shifted a bit, but with my mother, being the intrusive, audacious creature, she is, it doesn’t take long for things to return to a semi-normal pace. What with her deciding to retell my embarrassing childhood stories.
“You’ll never believe it, it was the absolute funniest thing. I walked by her door one night and caught her practicing kissing on her arm.” My mom bursts out laughing, and I have the urge to toss my buttered roll at her head.
Why is this my life?
“She was so focused, so into it, I didn’t have the heart to go in there and tell her she was doing it all wrong. The amount of tongue and saliva I saw swapping with her arm was, most certainly, not the right way to kiss.”
Rome shoots me a smirk, as if he’s having the time of his life. His brow rises the tiniest bit, and my cheeks redden at the teasing glint in his eyes.
I bet he’s really enjoying himself.
I shoot him a scathing glare, but honestly, seeing how much he’s enjoying himself, even though it’s at my expense, doesn’t bother me, as much as I thought it would.
After dinner, we sit around and chat some more. Overall, the dinner is relaxed, and once we get through most of the awkward stories, it really isn’t so bad. Rome excuses himself to use the bathroom, and unable to help myself, I follow. I walk through my own house, taking in whatever he may be seeing,