Page 81 of Sugar & Ink
His eyebrows lowered. “Deal with what?”
“My mess.”
Rome stepped in front of me and forced me to look at him. “This isn’t your mess.”
“It kind of is.”
“No.” He shook his head. Hard. “This is somebody being a fucking asshole.” His voice stayed calm which somehow made the words sharper. “You existing isn’t a crime.”
I looked away.
The windows blurred.
The paint blurred.
Everything blurred.
Rome gently grabbed my chin. “You have to apologize because somebody else is a piece of shit.”
A tear slipped down my cheek.
Rome wiped it away immediately.
I laughed shakily. “You must be getting tired of this.”
His expression changed like I’d physically hurt him. “Never say that to me again.”
I blinked.
“I mean it.” His eyes locked on mine. “I will never get tired of you.”
My chest hurt because I believed him.
Mostly.
I wanted to believe him all the way.
Rome looked back at the windows and his face hardened. The quiet anger returning. He was thinking and planning. I could practically hear the gears turning.
I sighed. “I can handle it.”
“No.”
“I can.”
“No.”
I frowned.
He looked at me and I saw something dangerous. Not aimed at me. It was aimed at whoever did this. Whoever kept trying to hurt me.
Rome was done.
“I’m handling this.”
I crossed my arms. “Rome.”
He shook his head. “It’s not happening again.”
