13. Roman
THIRTEEN
ROMAN
Blossom
Have I thanked you for the other night?
Roman
You have, and you didn’t have to. I’d pretend to be your boyfriend any time.
Blossom
Hopefully, I never have to see Josh’s face again, so you won’t have to pretend to be my boyfriend.
Roman
There are better ways to ask me to be your real boyfriend, but I accept.
Blossom
Hahah. I’m not going to be your girlfriend before we even go on a date. What if I don’t like you?
Roman
Is that why you were eye fucking me?
Blossom
I have no memory of doing that.
I grin down at my phone. Texting Vin wasn’t part of the plan when I got on the Titans jet.
Everyone around me is talking to someone and no one is talking to me.
I know I chose this, but I can’t help feeling a little left out.
I’m blaming Coach Cross and Kita with their mind games about fitting in and being a part of the team.
The guys have thawed towards me a little after our game against the Falcons.
It’s almost like I passed a loyalty test I didn’t realize I was taking.
What surprises me is that no one has brought up Lavinia and the way these guys gossip, I already know it’s because they’ve been told not to talk about her.
As if I would ever be loyal to a team led by an asshole like Josh Whitmore. How the fuck do you get a woman like Lavinia Callahan to agree to marry you and then you blow it because you think she always needs to win? I can spend my whole life letting her win and I’ll be the happiest man alive.
It took everything in me not to pummel Josh into the ground when he said that. I’d have lost whatever ground I gained with Lavinia if I’d done that, though.
On ice fighting she can forgive as part of the profession. Off the ice? She’d made it perfectly clear to me once before that she’d never stand for that.
Blossom
When did you learn to speak French? Aunt Constance was very impressed.
Roman
I travel a lot, and I hate going to a different country and expecting them to automatically know and speak English.
I plan my trips a year or so in advance and spend about that long learning the language.
Blossom
How many languages do you speak?
Roman
French, Italian, Spanish, Hindi. My Vietnamese isn’t good, but I can hold easy conversations to get by. I’m currently learning Polish.
Blossom
You’ve been to France, Italy, Spain, India, and Vietnam. You’re planning on going to Poland.
Roman
Yep, and I’m not planning on going to Poland yet. My neighbor is Polish, and she thinks since I have a grasp of languages, she can teach me her language.
Blossom
That’s really impressive. I only left the country for the Olympics.
Roman
I’ll take you wherever you want to go.
Blossom
To the moon?
Roman
And back.
Blossom
Shouldn’t you be talking to the guys right now? You’re going to be on a plane with them for six hours. This is the perfect time to bond.
Roman
What do you want us to do? Sit around in a circle and braid each other’s hair? Talk about boys?
Blossom
Don’t take tone with me. The goodwill from the Falcons game isn’t going to last long.
Roman
I don’t know what to do.
Blossom
TALK
TO
THEM
Somewhere behind me, another phone chimes, followed by a scoff and a groan. It’s unmistakably Drew and if I’m to guess, I’d say he’s received a message from his sister. Great, I’m the kid in school no one wants to be friends with, so the teachers are forcing everyone to play with me.
“Hey, man, you good? You look like you’re going to be sick.” Reese Miller is my fellow winger, and he says this as he drops down into the seat next to me.
“Yeah, I’m good.”
Reese’s grey eyes watch me carefully, as if trying to catch me in a lie. “You sure? Flying doesn’t make you sick, does it? Because there’s a reason no one wants to sit next to Kai.”
“Fuck you, Reese,” Kai calls from the back.
Kai Young is our goalie, and like me, keeps mostly to himself. The difference being he’s a quiet guy who’s friends with all the guys, and I’m not likable enough to be friends with them.
Holden walks down the aisle to his seat and Reese looks up.
“Did you get it?” He asks.
“Hell, yeah, I did.”
Reese taps my arm before getting up and following Holden down to the back of the plane.
Well, that’s a conversation and as far as I’m concerned, I’ve done what Vin asked of me.
I can’t force the guys to talk to me when all of them clearly have better things to do and more interesting people to talk with.
I’m putting on my headphones when someone else sits down next to me, straightening out their legs. I look over to see Ford, who, according to Coach Cross, is a pain in the ass. Ford’s had as many penalties as I’ve had.
He nods at me. “Maddox.”
“Everett.”
“Are we really staying at a hotel where they’re hosting a romance book convention?” Holden calls out.
“Yeah, we are. Too bad we’ll be too busy, and you won’t be able to get your favorites to sign their books for you,” Ford says.
It sounds like a dig, but I think Holden seems actually disappointed when he says, “Maybe Juliet or Lavinia can help. They’re going to be there, right?”
Hang on, this is the first I’m hearing of Lavinia coming to Las Vegas. She didn’t mention anything to me. Not that she has any reason to.
It’s too late to message her and confirm if she’s going to be at the game. We’re taxiing down the runway and the pilot’s requested all phones be put on airplane mode.
“They’ve got their own plans, and my sister isn’t doing any of you any favors,” Drew says.
“Aw, don’t be like that,” Ford teases. “You know Vinny loves us.”
“She tolerates you guys, at best.”
Ford laughs, reclining his seat and closing his eyes. “I wonder which one of us is her favorite.”
My stomach churns at their conversation. They have a history with Lavinia. I do, too, but we’re actually history. Our last real conversation before her wedding day was when we were sixteen.
Something drops onto Ford’s face, and I look over to see it’s a pillow.
“Stay the fuck away from my sister, Everett,” Drew threatens.
“And we all know who’s her favorite,” Holden says, sounding distracted.
“Kai,” they all say at the same time.
The goalie, huh?
“I don’t think I’m her favorite,” Kai says softly.
“No, you definitely are,” Drew agrees.
This conversation is taking an unhealthy turn. It’s like a car wreck. I want to continue listening, and at the same time, I’m going to lose all the camaraderie I feel towards these guys if they continue talking about the girl I haven’t been able to get out of my head since I was ten.
To protect my sanity, I put on my headphones and turn on the music loud enough to drown out my team’s voices.