I can’t relate to it.” “Based on the words you were just singing it seems like you would.” “It’s about forever love. I don’t know what that shit is. I’ve never had it.” Dying to shorten the distance between them, Kristen walked over to Roman and stood beside him. “Me neither. But I’d like to someday.” She vulnerably looked at him and he looked back at her, not speaking. “Did you love her?” His eyes searched hers. “Yes,” he quietly admitted. “I loved her very much.” Kristen swallowed hard. Jealousy boiled in her veins like lava. “She’s lucky.” “She didn’t think so.” “Then she’s a fool.” “I think I was the fool.” He paused. He turned his back against the island and leaned against it, bracing his hands on either of his body. He looked at her. “Did you love him? That guy you broke up with?” “I thought I did. Now I know I didn’t.” “What changed your mind?” She silently looked at him, afraid to answer. “Was it Diego?” Her eyebrows wrinkled. “Diego?” Why did he keep going back to Diego? “Did Diego make you change your mind? Or Nick?” Kristen didn’t answer right away. Calling his bluff, she looked him square in the eye. “No,” she sensuously replied. “You did.” The air seemed to immediately suck out of the room. Roman’s dark eyes held hers for longer than was polite. Then everything changed. He backed away from her and walked back into the living area to the window, staring down into the city. Kristen’s heart was in her throat as she walked into the room. “Did I say something wrong?” He took so long answering she thought he hadn’t heard her. “No,” was his weary reply. “No.” Tears threatened her eyes. She worried her top lip with her teeth, feeling stupid. “I’m sorry.” He looked over at her. “Why are you apologizing?” She shook her head and defensively crossed her arms under her breasts. “I don’t know where that came from. I don’t know why I said it. I don’t want you to think… Never mind.” He quietly looked at her then glanced down at his watch. “Oh shit. It’s getting late. I guess we better get to the… party…” He said it like it put a bad taste in his mouth. Just like that, the scowl was back. “You don’t feel like going, do you?” He paced back and forth in front of the window. The sun was setting and the glow it cast on his face was flawlessly perfect. “No I don’t,” he sullenly replied. Kristen walked further into the room and anxiously looked at him, exhaling shakily. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to. We can stay here. I wouldn’t mind.” Please say we can say here. Please. I’m not ready for this moment to end. Roman shook his head and sucked his teeth. He put his hands in his back pockets and looked over at her, all the sincere emotion he’d given her earlier completely erased. “No. We’d better get out of here. No since in hanging around here. We’ve been here long enough. We’ve wasted enough time. It’s not helping anything anyway.” Kristen felt like she’d been slapped in the face. The intimate moments. The almost smile. The heartfelt words. It had all gone to hell and been for naught. That quickly, the wall had gone back up. She felt like a fool. “Well if it’s not and all of this was a waste of your fucking time and mine, I guess we should go then,” she hurtfully said. “Thanks for the tour.” The look in his eyes changed and she knew he immediately regretted the way he’d come off to her. But she didn’t give a fuck. He was right. It was time to go. She couldn’t wait to get the hell away from him. Kristen walked to the couch, yanked up her purse, walked to the front door and went out without saying another word or looking back.
Chapter 9
How could someone you barely knew hurt you so much in one day? That was the question Kristen wished