Page 79 of All That Remains
"Alright."
Rome: "Lay low, ok?"
"Ok."
There was no word, no movement, no emergence for over half an hour, then suddenly the gate opened and echoed throughout the street. A sleek Rosello Red Range Rover slipped from within the driveway and zoomed down the road out of sight. It washer. She hadn't spotted me, thank God. Her taillights zoomed ahead, vanishing down a decline in the road—
I nearly pissed myself when his knuckles rattled the window beside me. I rolled the window down and he leaned over the door frame, brow furrowed.
"Mornin'," he said, wryly, looking me square in the eye.
“Mornin’…” I drawled, unsure of what to make of his mood.
He glanced around the car, likely trying to determine what my intentions were. I was certain he was pissed at me for showing up unannounced, but a part of him found me so pathetic he couldn't bring himself to express it. I was his new stray cat.
"Lovely weather," I muttered, unable to suppress a grin.
"What're you laughin’ at, huh?" he said, with thinly veiled annoyance. I shrugged and kept on grinning. "You're way early.”
"Yeah, about that…"
"What's up? You wasted or somethin’?"
"No, I wanted to talk."
"About what?"
"Everything," I spat, incredulous he would even ask. "We need to talk abouteverything,mate. You don't get to kiss me like that, then tell me to keep away. It’s not fair, Rome, and you know it. I’m dying here."
He hung his head, gazing away down the street to avoid meeting my eyes.
"Yeah, well..."
"Yeah, well..." I mocked him.
I was beginning to feel like a pest. I reached up and rubbed the back of his neck, and he unconsciously leaned into my touch, bending over the door panel. The simple gesture felt electric. I nearly pressed my lips to his ear.
"Can I kiss you?" I begged. He shook his head, hair falling towards me.
"Not here.” He rose to his full height. "Come on in, then."
I was out of the car in seconds, ready to stumble after him. He spotted the bottle on the floor of the passenger seat and scolded me.
"So you are wasted? What the fuck, Rafe? You’ve been drinkin’?"
"A little. Only last night."
"And drivin'?!” he shoved me. “That's just fuckin' stupid. It's not that deep."
"I didn't drive," I muttered. "I didn't have any ‘til after I got here. I swear."
He motioned for me to grab him the bottle. When I held it out, he snatched it and started away.
"Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to snatch?"
"Shouldn't have an open bottle in the car anyway. It’ll still get you arrested, idiot."
"You’re right." I followed him up the driveway where he tossed it into a bin. "You pissed at me now?"
