Page 75 of Be With Me
“I’ll go change.”
I watched him disappear back into the changing area and wrapped my arms around myself.
He hadn’t said anything about the design. Not a single compliment. Not one comment on the details, the fit, the time I'd put into it.
It shouldn’t bother me. Itshouldn’t. Why was I such a goddamn softie? It didn’t matter, damn it.
A few minutes later, he emerged dressed in his T-shirt and leather jacket again, the suit slung over his arm. “We never discussed payment,” he said. “You can email me the invoice.”
I shook my head. “I’m not taking your money.” The last thing I needed was a financial link between us.
His gaze narrowed. “Not good enough for you?”
“That recommendation will be more than enough compensation. If you’re still planning on making it.”
“Of course I’m still planning on it. That was our agreement.” His eyes swept over me one last time, from my hair to the tips of my shoes. Then he turned toward the door.
His steps were slow. Measured. Not entirely natural.
Like maybe he felt more than he was letting on.
Like maybe he was holding something back.
My teeth sank into my bottom lip. I knew that if I didn’t ask at least one question that weighed on me, I’d look back on this and regret it.
“Romolo.”
He paused with his hand on the doorknob.
“Why did you ask me to work with you? I’m not talking about the suit. The real reason.”
He stood frozen, his back toward me. A heavy silence hung between the walls.
I shifted my weight between my feet. “Did you get what you wanted from me?”
“No,” was his quiet response. “And I don’t want it anymore.”
Pain bloomed in my chest, spreading like wildfire. I couldn’t even pinpoint why.
He opened the door and paused for another brief second. “Take care of yourself, Mia.”
I swallowed hard. “You too.”
And that was that.
He was gone.
He’d walked out of my life as abruptly as he’d entered it.
I sniffed, sat down behind my desk, and opened my laptop. The calendar blurred for a second, before I blinked the wetness in my eyes away.
I’d be fine. It was back to business as usual. Just some emails to respond to before I was supposed to meet my dad and a reporter for lunch. Then my calendar was booked solid until late evening.
Great. No time to think about Romolo. Iwouldforget about him eventually if he wasn’t constantly waltzing in and out of my life.
My phone rang. Jenny.
“Hey, your dad got a last-minute invite to an event this week, but he can’t make it. I was hoping you’d go in his place.”
