Maverick sat across from Alexandra and seemed surprised when he saw me.
“What’s wrong with her?” he asked Alexandra.
She laughed softly, “She and Rome got into a fight.”
“Okay…” he trailed off, “Why is that an issue? I thought you hated him.”
“Am I really that bad?” I asked, exasperated.
Alexandra nodded.Traitor.
Maverick huffed a laugh, “Bec, you have the worst poker face, and the majority of the time, you’re glaring at Rome. I put the pieces together.”
“I don’t hate him,” I protested.
“Then why are you always complaining about him?” Alexandra asked with a raised brow.
It was a valid question, but one I didn’t know the answer to anymore. I shrugged, “He’s just… so…” I trailed off, not sure what I was even trying to say, “He’s so Rome!”
Alexandra studied me for a minute before her eyes grew wide with shock, “Oh my god! You have feelings for him.”
I scoffed, "Absolutely not.”
“No! You totally do!” Alexandra exclaimed as she turned toward Maverick. “Have you ever seen Bec get so worked up aboutanythingthe way she does with Rome?”
Maverick contemplated the question for a moment before agreeing, “You make a good point. When the markets dipped and everyone was panicking, Bec was completely calm.” He then turned to me. “I’ve worked alongside you for years now. You don’t falter, ever. The world could be burning down and you would be unfazed, but right now, you’re faltering.”
“I’m not… at least not because of him,” I protested weakly. I could come up with countless excuses. I did have the weight of the world on my shoulders currently, with threats being mailed to me, my dad and the board breathing down my neck, and my job being dangled in front of me like a carrot. Yet none of it kept me up at night.
Rome did. He invaded my mind… that look on his face when I once again complained about having to be with him. The sound of his voice when he had refused to answer my questions in our last conversation. I couldn’t get either out of my head.
I had spent the last few days missing the version of Rome I was used to, and it wasn’t the facade he put on for the world. It was the Rome who gushed about his sisters. It was the Rome who smiled softly when I spoke. I wanted back my Rome who made me feel safe.
“Shit…” I mumbled, reality finally dawning on me.
I had despised Rome not because of who he was, but because, for the first time in my life, he made mefeel.I looked forward to our morning drives and the coffee he brought me each day. Not because the coffee was delicious—which it was—but because it was so him. He always went out of his way for the people he cared for, and I was once one of them.
I had pushed him away and pointed out these perceived flaws, not because he bothered me, but because admitting the truth of my feelings would be giving away control. I had no idea how he would react or respond. I couldn’t handle him rejecting me, so instead, I had all but bullied him.
I placed a hand over my mouth as I thought about all the times I had picked on him. It was always when he made me smile, laugh, or feel anything outside of my frigid control.
“Looks like you were right,” Maverick remarked to Alexandra, who looked proud of herself.
“What the fuck do I do?” I asked in a panic. “I’m his boss. I can’t have feelings for him. Nope. This is illegal. I can’t do this.”
Alexandra laughed, “I see we’re spiraling now. Take a breath, Bec.” She clasped her hand over mine, giving it a comforting squeeze. “How about you start with apologizing to him for your fight, and go from there?”
I sighed but nodded in acceptance, just as Rome walked through the door. With it being a Sunday evening, I hadn’t seen him since he had dropped me off at my penthouse on Friday night. One of his stipulations when agreeing to work with me was having most weekends off to spend time with his family.
I didn’t argue with the schedule when he had started, but over time, I had begun to miss him on the weekends.
Is that why I was so willing to enter this fake relationship with him? It was a way for me to be with him without losing my control over the situation.
Rome waltzed towards our table, his black hair messy but in an intentional way. It was longer than I was used to, a strand starting to curl over his forehead. I had rarely seen him out of his suits, but today he was dressed in a pair of jeans and a deep red henley. The sleeves were pushed up slightly, showing off his forearms. But it was his eyes that drew me in. They had that light that I had been missing all week.
“Good afternoon, ladies, gentleman.” He nodded towards Maverick and Alexandra. He rounded the table, coming to my side, and dropped a fast and unexpected kiss on my cheek, “Rebecca.” His voice was more subdued when he spoke to me.
“Hi, Rome.” My voice came out in a squeak that even surprised me. Alexandra held back a giggle. Well, she tried to, at least. Thank God Maverick came to my rescue.
