Page 62 of Be With Me
Fabi slung an arm around me, nodding dramatically. “Ye-yep. No problem.”
Romolo tsked. “She’s wasted. Nina, I hope you made sure she behaved appropriately since she's my brother’s future wife.”
Fabi perked up, looking offended. “Excuse me?”
Nina scoffed. “Please. Who are you to lecture anyone on behavior?” She crossed her arms. “I’m still trying to figure out how you ended up at the same party as us. Big coincidence, isn’t it?”
I bit the inside of my cheek. Good question. Howdidhe end up there?
Romolo shrugged, all lazy amusement. “What exactly are you accusing me of, cousin?”
“I don’t know, Rom,” Nina said. “Seems to me like you’re stalking Mia.”
Fabi gasped again, but late, like she’d just processed the conversation. “Ohhh. That IS suspicious.”
Romolo let out a slow, smug laugh. “I don’t remember you being this paranoid, Nina.” He checked the time on his phone. “It’s two a.m. What do you want to do? Kick me out into the storm?”
“No,” I cut in. “Nina, it’s fine. Just leave him be.”
Displeasure radiated off her as she whipped around to glare at me.
Zo wobbled forward. “Mia, we need to talk. Privately.”
Oh boy.
We ducked into a small reading room down the hall. The second we were out of Romolo’s earshot, Nina and Zo crowded around me while Fabi collapsed onto a sofa with a deep, groggy groan.
“I don’t trust him,” Nina hissed. “I’m pretty sure he was the one who got us invited to that party.”
“I don’t trust him either,” I admitted. “But I didn’t want him to get into an accident on the road.”
“That’s what airbags are for,” Zo said unhelpfully. She looped an arm around my shoulder. “I have to ask… What’s with the robe?”
“We were all muddy when we got here,” I explained.
“And you took a shower together?” Zo asked.
“NO.” I nearly choked.
“What happened?” Nina asked.
“He—“ Shit. I couldn’t tell them the truth, and I hadn’t come up with a convincing explanation. My conversation with Romolo in the car came back to me. There was one thing I could say…
“I kind of freaked out about my stepmom. I felt like I was having a panic attack, so I got Romolo to pull over so I could get out of the car. It was muddy on the side of the road, and I got drenched.”
Nina’s face softened. “Your anxiety. Shit, Mia. I’m sorry.”
They believed me so easily. I hated lying to them, but I'd made a promise to Romolo. And I was still planning on trading my silence for that picture. Zo sighed and squeezed my shoulder. “We should’ve gone with you.”
“It’s all good now. I’m just really tired. Is it okay if I go to bed?” I glanced at Fabi. She was already out, snoring softly, one arm dangling off the couch.
Zo nodded. “We should all go to bed.”
Nina crossed her arms, still on edge. “And Romolo?”
“There’s a guest room downstairs,” I said.
“Can we trust him to keep himself out of trouble in there?” Nina asked.
