Page 83 of You Make Me Feel
I immediately freeze. “She cried?When?” I have no idea what’s going on.
“Today. I don’t know what you said to her, but she was trying not to cry when I last saw her. And she’s spent most of the afternoon in her apartment, thanks to you.”
“Wait,” I say, my stomach tightening. “Is she still up there?”
“Since you worked your magic, yeah.”
“I haven’t seen her today,” I tell her.
Romy blinks. “Didn’t you call her?”
“No. So, is she still up there?” I ask, inclining my head toward the stairs.
Romy glares at me. “Oh no. You’re not going up there.”
“Try stopping me.” I lift my brow, already moving toward the stairs. Romy runs after me like she’s going to be able to stop me with her five-foot-one frame. In the end she runs in front of me, putting her arms out like she’s making a cross.
I give her an annoyed look. “Romy.”
“I’m serious. You can’t make her cry again.”
There’s a murmur from behind us. I’m so very aware that my brothers and friends are watching us right now. “Can we discuss this later?” I question through gritted teeth. Like much later, after I’ve checked that the woman I’m fucking obsessed with is okay.
“No.”
I go to step forward, onto the stairs, and she jumps toward me, like she’s planning on knocking me down. Jesus Christ, I’m getting a headache.
“What the hell’s going on?” Hudson asks. I turn to see every single one of them staring at us.
Romy looks at me. I look back at her.
“Ah…Zach and Sadie had an argument,” Romy says quickly. “About a…”
“A painting,” I say smoothly. “A difference of opinion. I’m just heading upstairs to apologize.”
“No he’s not,” Romy says quickly. “Because sometimes apologies make it worse.” She pushes at my chest with her palm, like she thinks I’ll tumble over. “Jesus,” she mutters. “What are you made of, steel?”
“We’re supposed to be discussing your book,” West points out, sounding amused at the spectacle we’re making. “You can’t run out on us. Not when it’s your book.”
Yeah, well I didn’t ask to have a book. “If I’ve upset somebody, I like to apologize right away,” I say.
“You’re not going anywhere, buddy,” Romy hisses.
I pinch the bridge of my nose. I could call Sadie on her phone, but there’s no guarantee she’ll pick up. And the truth is, I need to know that she’s okay. The thought of her being upset and all alone makes my chest feel so tight it’s hard to breathe.
“How about you ask her?” I say to Romy. “Just go up, knock on the door, and ask her if she’ll see me.”
Romy’s eyes narrow like I’m offering some kind of dodgy deal.
“And then you’ll come back and we’ll talk aboutJane Eyreand rip you to shreds?” Asher says hopefully.
I shoot a dirty look at him. He grins back.
With a loud sigh, Romy walks up the stairs and around the corner to the door that leads to Sadie’s apartment. I hear a knock, some whispering, then her footsteps against the wooden floorboards as she walks back down the stairs.
“Okay. You can go to her. But if you upset her any more…” She fixes me with a deadly stare. “You’ll regret it.”
“I have no doubt.”
