I woke, stretching my hands above my head, flexing the kinks out of my tight back. I reached out beside me for Romeo. Nothing. He was gone. Out of habit, I made a grab for my glasses off my bedside table, forgetting they were no longer needed.
I sat up and frowned at Romeo’s absence—he never left me without a good-bye. The bed sheets were cold and messy from where he’d slept, but resting on the pillow was a note. I snatched it in my hands and began to read:
Had early morning practice.
Didn’t want to wake you—you looked so beautiful.
Your Romeo x
I buried my head in the pillow, smiling, when a knock sounded at my door. I opened it to Ally, who had her arms crossed, a “don’t mess with me” expression on her face, and an impressively raised eyebrow.
She barged past me, shutting the door, and sat down on the edge of my unmade bed. “So… wanna tell me why I saw Rome creepin’ off your balcony this mornin’?” Her voice was deceptively calm.
I walked towards her, fiddling with my hands, and when I reached the bed, I dropped down beside her, staring unseeing at my white walls. “He stayed the night with me.”
“I assumed so. So how long has this been goin’ on?”
“What? Staying the night or seeing each other?”
She shook her head in surprise. “Well, things have definitely progressed further than what I’d assumed. I guessed somethin’ was happening by the way he’s always starin’ at you and you’re always blushing back, and of course, the kisses. Is it serious?”
I nodded, chewing on my thumbnail in nerves.
“So are you officially together?”
“Yes.”
She smiled widely, brown eyes bright, and nudged my shoulder. “My cousin in an honest-to-God relationship! Never thought I’d ever see the day, but I’m so glad.” Ally tapped my knee, then tilted her head, regarding me. “Where’s your glasses, darlin’?”I tucked my hair behind my ear. “I have contact lenses now.”
Her face lit up. “Rome’s doing? So Shelly can’t rip on you again?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I never. Rome showin’ affection and compassion to a girl!” She laughed in disbelief.
I lowered my head in embarrassment. “He’s been very sweet to me.”
At my words, her eyes bugged out of their sockets. “My cousin and the word sweet don’t belong in the same sentence, but then, he’s been totally different with you since day one. It freaked me out at first, but now I love it! You’re good for him, girl.”
Ally stood and headed to the door, but just before she left, she turned to fix me with a serious expression. “Molls, you have to understand that Rome can be quite a complex guy. He’s had to put up with a lot from his folks over the years and it has hit him real hard. You need to give him time and forgive him if he gets too pushy. I see how he is around you, and I can tell that, to him, you’re different. I think if you both keep going with this relationship, you’re exactly the person who could break him altogether if things go wrong. Be patient with him, care for him, treasure him… He deserves it.”
She left without another word.
* * *
The day turned out to be a hot one, so for lunch, Cass, Lexi, Ally, Jimmy-Don, and I decided to sit on the grass in the expansive grounds of the quad. It seemed like everyone else had that idea too; the place was packed.
“So Jimmy-Don, tell me about yourself,” I urged, as we lazed in a makeshift circle on the recently cut lawn. I loved the smell of cut grass. It reminded me of early summer mornings when I was young and I would wake to my father mowing our tiny patch of a garden. I smiled to myself. It was one of the few happy memories I had from my youth.
“Well, I’m a Texan from Houston and play offensive tackle for the Tide. I’m twenty-one, and when I graduate, with a degree in environmental sciences, I’ll go back to Houston and work on my daddy’s cattle ranch.”
“You don’t want to play football professionally too?”
“Would love to, but I won’t be drafted by the NFL, and that’s okay. I’ll get to go back home, get me some livestock, and hopefully this little filly will be around too,” he said as he cuddled into Cass, kissing her cheek.
Ally tapped my arm and when I looked up, Rome was heading our way dressed in jeans, brown boots, a red sleeveless T-shirt, and Ray-Ban mirrored aviator glasses. To his left was a tall, dark, heavily tattooed guy, dressed in black baggy clothes with chains hanging in large hoops from his studded belt—handsome if not a bit scary in his appearance. To his right, the polar opposite, an all-American boy with platinum blond hair, blue eyes, tanned skin—completely preppy. I scoured around and watched as girls openly checked out Rome as he walked by. He could certainly catch a girl’s eye.