he’s still chatting with his friends. One of them looks over Rome’s shoulder, locking eyes with me. He eyes me oddly, looking me up and down, before nudging Rome, indicating behind him.
I watch it happen. His body stiffens the moment he takes notice of my presence. Slowly, he cranes his neck, not even bothering to turn his body toward me. He wears an impatient look on his face, a bored expression, as if he’s waiting for me to say what I need to say and then leave, so he can get back to whatever it was he was doing.
My stomach clenches uncomfortably. “Hey, Rome. Funny seeing you here, huh?”
Silence.
He blinks slowly.
That bored expression still tainting his handsome face.
I look at his friend, who is purposely looking anywhere but at us, and when I glance back at Roman, he’s glaring at something behind me. Turning to look, I frown, when I realize the only person looking our way is Travis. And he’s wearing the same unhappy expression on his face.
My brows dip, as I make another attempt to address Rome. “Look, Rome, if there’s something I did to make you angry with me—”
“It’s Roman.” His voice is like ice. Like a lash to my skin. I feel the wound split open between us. I take a slow, wary step back. My heart is beating unsteadily. There’s an iciness that settles in my chest at his coldness.
“Right. Okay.” I clear my throat, feeling like an idiot.
“Is that all?”
I look down, trying to hide the dejected expression, that’s surely plastered across my face. “Yeah.” I force a smile that looks more pained than anything. “That’s all.”
I look back at his friend, one last time, and he looks apologetic on Roman’s behalf. The entire way back to our table, I feel their gazes on me. I feel stupid. Idiotic. Like a schoolgirl who has a crush on the hot jock, who is obviously not interested.
I think what bothers me the most is the fact he couldn’t even look at me for long. His words hurt more than I’d like to admit. He was purposely being cruel, knowing how dumb I’d look standing there. He wants me to feel this way. A sharp pain ripples across my chest, and I refrain from clutching a hand to the center to rub it away.
When I take my seat next to Kassandra and Lucy, I bypass my beer and reach for a shot, that’s resting in the center of the table, instead. I down the thing in one gulp, grimacing, as it burns on the way down. I feel a warm, heavy hand clasp onto my shoulder.
“Wow, look at you,” Travis praises. “Luce, would you mind scooting down a chair? I need to talk with Olivia.”
I groan internally. Jesus, not tonight.
Lucy pauses, her face slackening. I can tell she wants to say no, she can’t move, but, in the end, she gives in to him, just like she always does. Travis takes the chair next to mine that was once Lucy’s, and I suddenly feel claustrophobic. I’m hot. I’m upset. I should’ve just gone straight home, instead of coming here.
I should’ve ignored Rome. I should’ve never gone up there and made a fool of myself in front of his friends.
“Still think he isn’t an asshole?”
I grit my teeth, at the knowing tone in Travis’s voice, because I don’t want him to be right. Brushing it off, I reach for the last shot on the table and down that one, too. He raises his hands in surrender, shifting his body toward mine subtly. He sets his hand on the back of my chair, so he can lean into me, speaking in hushed tones.
“Look, Olivia, it’s okay to admit when you’re wrong. He’s a jerk. So what? Let’s be over and done with it.”
I mull that over for a second. He’s not wrong, and he actually makes a solid point. Maybe I was wrong about my neighbor. Maybe Rome is the asshole I pegged him to be, and I just wanted to believe he was better than he actually was.
“C’mon, let’s get some more drinks.”
I shake my head, glancing toward Roman and his friends. The last thing I need is to look like I’m trying to strike up another conversation with him.
“Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”
Heaving a sigh, I follow Travis to the bar. We stand a few empty barstools away from Rome and his friends, and I use his broad back as a shield. I can feel Rome’s gaze