35. Epilogue
Epilogue
Lance
Roman spins around and peers over the back of the couch. You know… the exact same fancy ass couch I loved at that hotel. It magically appeared here after we got back, replacing his old sofa. Swoon.
“It’s one in the morning, Lance. Everything is closed.”
I groan as I plop back against the cushions in despair. “You don’t have any junk food.“ I whine petulantly. “I need chocolate.”
We may, or may not, be realllllly drunk. We decided to celebrate our final night in Roman’s apartment, and us officially moving in together with a very large bottle of tequila.
“We can go to the shop tomorrow and get whatever you want.”
I let out an exaggerated gasp as I jolt upright. “Oh! I have an idea.”
I rip the cover off of us, hopping up to start searching for my shoes. I stumble around as I check under the coffee table, the barstool, and by the entry table, but I can’t find them anywhere.
“What’s your idea, pretty boy?” Roman asks. I turn around to explain, and he reaches out with my shoes in hand. I grab them, barely managing to hobble on one leg as I start to slip them on, but I notice that his feet are still bare.
“Where are your shoes?” I ask as I glance up at him, almost falling over in the process.
“I’m going?” He asks with a perplexed expression.
“Obviously,” I reply as I shoo him away with my hands. “Where I go, you go! Shoes. Quick! Chocolate awaits us!”
He chuckles as he rounds the couch and plops down in his desk chair to slip on his shoes. “So… where are we going?”
“Our apartment, of course!” I announce excitedly as I step over to the front door to wait on him.
He spins around in his chair, glaring at me with a furrowed brow.
“Oh, come on.” I wave with my hands, trying to hurry him the fuck up. I need my damn candy.
“We aren’t supposed to be there right now. You told Dev and Cain that we’d stay out of their way while they were moving their stuff.”
I ignore him and yank the door open, peering left and right down the hallways like I’m on some super-secret government mission.
When I turn back around, Roman is there, so I grab him by the hand and pull him over the threshold.
The door clicks closed behind us as I drag him down the hallway toward the elevators.
I can hear people chattering in the distance, so I slide to a stop where the halls intersect and try to see what’s around the corner.
There are at least a dozen people hanging around the elevators chatting. Maybe more. What the fuck is going on?
“Chess club is running tournaments right now, and it’s the weekend, so the gamers will be back and forth between floors all night.” Roman whispers from behind me.
I let out a sigh of frustration as I pull back and lean against the stone wall.
I use my free hand to push the hair out of my face while I try to figure out how to get around this mess without anyone seeing us.
Not only did we promise Dev and Cain not to be there right now, but we also decided to keep our relationship on the down low for just a little bit longer. We’ve kind of enjoyed the privacy.
Roman shifts on his feet, his hand almost slipping from mine and without even thinking about it, I lace my fingers between his to keep us connected. I know that I’m playing with fire. I know that at any second, someone could see us together. Holding hands. It’s a gamble. I know that.
I just don’t fucking care.
I love Roman, and if our relationship gets out, then I’m fine with. It’s going to happen sooner rather than later anyway with the way were always clinging onto one another.
“Wait!” I gasp before turning back to look the direction we came from. I push myself off the wall, trying to check all the doors we just passed. Roman watches me curiously, trying to figure out what my racing brain is piecing together.
Then I see it. A bright orange sticker in the center of a door. I yank on Roman’s hand as I take off back toward Roman’s apartment. He stumbles over his own feet as he tries to keep up with me.
“What exactly are we doing?” He asks apprehensively.
“We’re taking the stairs,” I reply excitedly. This is a fucking genius idea, if I do say so myself.
He tugs on my hand, pulling us both to a stop. “Lance… this is the wrong direction. The stairs are on the other side of the elevators.”
I can’t help but smirk back at him mischievously before turning to point at the maintenance hallway. “Not these stairs.”
His arms go slack as he shoulders slump in defeat. He gives me a sad smile as he pulls me closer to him. “Those doors stay locked, babe.”
Babe.
My heart flutters wildly in my chest. I love this fuckhead. I give him a look of pity, because it’s so easy to forget that someone so charming couldn’t make a friend to save his own damn life.
“It’s locked for you, maybe.”
“What?” He asks as I pull my hand free from his. “What does that even mean?”
“It means…” I start as I pull my keycard from my pocket and swipe it against the sensor. Roman watches in awe as the little red light flickers to green and I yank open the door.
“It means that the door might be locked for you, but it’s not locked for me.”
I shove the door back, holding it open for him.
He stands there in shock, mouth agape, as he tries to piece together how this is even possible.
I nod toward the musty stairwell, urging him forward.
He steps inside but instead of heading down the stairs, he glances around as if something magical is about to appear.
“How do you have access to the maintenance halls?”
“That’s for me to know… and you not to find out.
” I joke as I take his hand in mine again before leading him down the stairs.
“It’s not like it’s some grand story, or anything.
They converted the elevator by my apartment over to keyed access.
They’re for medical staff only, because Devlin and Cain need quick access to all the floor for medical care—”
“Yeah, I was here when they did it.” He interrupts as his footsteps echo behind mine.
“Oh. Right… Well, I complained to Ollivander because the closest elevator I could use was like a million miles away. He refused to have another one installed since I already live on the ground floor. I rarely needed to use the elevators until we started seeing each other, so he just put access to these on my keycard and told me to use them responsibly.”
“And this is a responsible reason to use it? Chocolate?”
“Obviously,” I snort out. “There’s no reason that’s more responsible than that.”
“Right. Obviously.“ Roman shakes his head and chuckles as I reach the door on the ground floor, peeking outside the little glass window. I rear back, bumping into his chest as I pull away from the window. I look up at him over my shoulder, putting a finger to my lips to shush him. His brows furrow as he pulls me back against his chest and leads us both back against the stone wall. His warmth seeps into every inch of my body, but the frigid cold wall sends chills across his flesh. I wish that I could warm him the way he always does for me, but right now isn’t the time to contemplate that.
“Of course,” a faint voice that I recognize filters into the stairwell from outside the door. “I’m trying. I swear.”
Roman’s brows pinch together again as he turns to look at the door. Neither of us can see anything from this angle, but if we move any closer, then we’d be visible.
“I’m aware. Right… Right.” The guy chants. “The security is too tight.”
Roman and I immediately look to one another in confusion. Is he talking about the prison? He has to be, right?
“Disappeared?” The guy hisses into the phone.
I can hear his footsteps wearing circles in the stone floor right outside the door.
My heart starts thundering in my chest as my mind races through all the possibilities for what we’re overhearing.
I can’t even fathom what would happen to this place if there was someone on the inside feeding information to people outside of the prison.
Why would they even want it? Are they planning something?
I swear I know that voice, but the alcohol swimming in my veins is muddling my brain, and I just can’t place it right now. I try to inch away from the door, forcing myself closer to Roman. He spins me around in his arms and pulls his hand up, putting his palm over my heart.
“Breath,” he mouths to me as he leans his forehead against mine. I slowly suck in a stuttering breath as quietly as I can. His dark eyes lock onto mine as he guides us both through deep breaths.
“Are you fucking kidding me? He’s the only reason I’m still here.” The guy barks out before pausing. “Right. I apologize. Um… You’ve been looking for him though, right?”
Without moving my head, my eyes dart toward the door and back toward Roman.
The breathing exercises aren’t working, and I can feel my chest growing tighter and tighter every second.
My eyes grow bleary as tears start to line them, but I keep them locked on his.
I subtly shake my head, warning Roman that this is all about to fall apart.
I’m seconds away from hyperventilating, and the more the guy talks, the worse it gets.
“They promised to free him if I did this, and now they don’t even have him.
He doesn’t even talk, what the fuck is he going to do?
Where is he gonna go?“ He pauses, his footsteps still pounding on the floor as he paces back and forth.
“Okay… Alright. I understand. Just let me know when I need to be there, or… or if someone finds him.”
“Fuck!” The guy yells as he kicks the metal door. It clangs loudly, echoing through the stairwell. I recoil back, my eyes pinching closed as tightly as I can force them.
This can’t be happening. This is a dream.
Roman’s warm hands grab each side of my face. “No. Open your eyes, pretty boy. Stay with me.“ He demands.
“I can’t,” I whisper before sucking in a stuttering breath. “I know that voice— He… Oh God.”