Page 22 of Roman Blake
I watched her bring the bottle to her mouth again, trying too hard to act unaffected. That little move alone let me know I wasn’t the only one feeling it.
“You hungry?” I asked.
Her eyes came back to mine. “What?”
“You heard me. You look like you ain’t ate for real.”
She let out a small breath. “I am a little hungry.”
“Aight.” I pushed off the counter and grabbed my phone. “I’m ordering something.”
“You do not have to do that.”
“I know I don’t.” I looked at her. “I want to.”
That shut her up.
I ordered us food from one of the resort restaurants, then motioned for her to sit down while we waited. She took a seat on the couch, and I sat across from her in the chair near the balcony.
For a few minutes, neither one of us said much.
The silence was not awkward exactly.
It was heavy and full.
Like too much had happened in too short a time for either of us to pretend it did not matter.
Finally, Melissa looked over at me. “Why did you stay?”
That question caught me off guard, even though I probably should have expected it.
I leaned back in the chair. “Because you wasn’t in no state to be left alone.”
“You could have called hotel security.”
“I did.”
She frowned. “Then why stay after that?”
Because the thought of leaving you there by yourself after what almost happened made my skin crawl.
Because I knew if I walked out that room, I would not have slept anyway.
Because something in me has been locked on you since the first time I dragged you into my office and listened to you cuss Jordan and half the world out.
Because I already move like you matter.
But I did not say none of that.
Instead, I looked at her and said, “Because I wanted to make sure you was safe.”
Melissa held my gaze for a second longer than she should have.
Then she looked down at the bottle in her hands. “Nobody really does that for me.”
That landed deep.
I kept my voice even when I answered. “They should.”
