I could stay in here and pretend that whole moment in his villa didn’t mean anything.
Or I could stop acting like a punk about a man I clearly wanted.
Did I want the headache that came with that? No. Did my body and my heart care about logic? Also no.
I got up and checked myself in the mirror. My hair was still decent, my face was bare but not terrible, and I smelled like my vanilla body butter and ocean air.
That would have to be enough.
I slipped on a soft romper and some slides, then stood at the door for a good thirty seconds, arguing with myself.
You do not need to go over there.You already said thank you.You already apologized.You don’t owe him nothing else.
Then I heard another voice in my head.
You also want to see him again and you know it.
I sucked my teeth at my own subconscious and stepped out anyway.
The air between our villas felt heavier than it should have for such a short walk. When I got to his door, I took a quick breath and knocked.
This time, I did not have a speech ready.
I just knew I was not done with whatever had started in that room.
When the door opened and Roman looked down at me, that same pull hit me straight in the chest.
His eyes slid over my face, then down my body, then back up again.
“Hey,” I said, suddenly feeling way more aware of how close we were standing.
“Hey,” he answered, voice low.
For a second, we just looked at each other.
“I was wondering if you ate yet,” I said, hating how shy I sounded.
One side of his mouth kicked up. “You checking on me now?”
I rolled my eyes a little to cover how flustered I felt. “Don’t do too much. I said.”
He stepped back from the door. “Come in, Melissa.” And I did as I was told.
And even though I tried to play it cool, every part of me knew I was walking deeper into something I was not going to be able to easily walk out of.
And that scared me almost as much as last night did.
When Melissa stepped into my villa this time, it felt different.
Earlier, she came over stiff, nervous, carrying guilt and fear on her shoulders. Now she was softer, still guarded, but there was something else there too. Something like a decision she had already made before she knocked on my door.
I closed it behind her and watched her move farther into the room. She had on a simple little romper, nothing loud, but it sat on her body right. Too right. My eyes dragged down and then back up before I caught myself.
“You ate?” she asked, turning just enough to look at me over her shoulder.
I shrugged. “Not really.”
She nodded like that was the answer she expected. “Me neither.”
