Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
L ydia pointed her delicate finger at Roman. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”
She showed zero remnants of the meltdown she’d had a few hours ago. In fact, she’d up the ante. Miss Italy had gone all out with her disguise. The quality of her costume was better than mine. It accentuated her curves better than mine. It was a no-brainer that her hair and makeup was better than mine.
“Lydia.” Roman shot to his feet. “I’m so glad you came.”
“Of course.” She wiggled her shoulders, making her bulging bosom wobble. “Why wouldn’t I?” When she fluttered her lashes, I noticed they were fake.
Roman kissed her on each cheek, and she giggled.
I’d forgotten about her obsessive giggling.
Using his hip, Roman nudged me over so Lydia could sit on his other side. A beer arrived for her, and she raised it up. “ Saluti .”
He clinked his beer to hers. “ Saluti .” Then he turned to me, smile beaming. “Saluti. ”
I tapped my glass to Roman’s and drank the beer.
Next second, nearly every single person in the beer hall stood up at once and started doing the chicken dance and singing the ridiculous lyrics.
I’d forgotten all about this part of Oktoberfest. But if Lydia and Roman were going to do it, so was I. I broke out all my best chicken moves, flapping my arms like the best of them.
The song finished. We drained our glasses and plonked back down, laughing our heads off.
As the hours dragged on, the crowd grew bigger. The noise got louder. The beer kept coming. And the crazy songs continued.
“Sweet Caroline” burst from the speakers and again everyone was up. With the lyrics— touching hands— Roman squeezed my palm to his and raised my hand so high, my knickers would be showing. Who cares?
Every single person knew the song. We swayed together, smiled together, and it was absolutely amazing to be in my first flash mob.
Again, the song finished, and we drank our beer and banged the glasses back onto the tables, laughing like the drunken tourists most of us were.
Another beer was placed in front of me. The damn waiters must have some kind of secret alarm that went off when a glass became empty.
Roman, being Mr. Perfect that he was, somehow managed to share his conversation between me and Lydia. His chat with me was about our incredible day, swinging through the trees. I doubted he was having the same discussion with Lydia.
He bumped his shoulder to mine. “I’m so proud of you, Dais.”
“Oh.” I frowned. “You are? ”
He gave me that sisterly-love look and leaned into my ear. “I have to be honest, I thought you’d be the one to chicken out.” He rolled his eyes Lydia’s way. “Not Lydia.”
Yay. Notch one up for Daisy. “Well, I was surprised how much I liked it.”
“It was fun. Especially with you.”
I tugged my lip between my teeth. I didn’t think this day could get any better. He placed his hand on my thigh, just above the bow on my stocking.
Okay, it just got better.
“I’m going to say it’s official.” His voice was a bit wobbly.
“What?” I grinned up at him, no doubt looking like a lovestruck schoolgirl.
He leaned into me. “You are no longer dying on the inside.”
My heart swelled like a helium balloon. “Thanks to you.”
We were in a room with a thousand people, yet it was just Roman and me. Everything vanished into obscurity as I glanced into his honey-colored eyes. They looked right into my soul.
“Hey, Roman,” Lydia blurted.
Fucketty-fuck.
“I’m going to the restroom. Don’t lose my seat.” Her long slender fingers curled on his shoulder as she leaned over and kissed him on the lips. He didn’t pull back. No. No. No. In fact, he closed his eyes and molded more into the kiss.
I snapped my eyes away before I was tempted to yank on her hair plait so hard, she’d go ass over tit.
She walked away, swinging those hips like she was on a stage show. Roman watched her go, then turned to me with a grin that confirmed he’d been mesmerized.
My helium-filled heart sunk like a brick. And maybe I looked like I was about to stab someone because a frown drilled across his forehead .
“What?” he said.
I tried to smile but it was impossible. I forced my mouth to speak. “It’s nice to see you happy.”
“I’m always happy.”
That was true. “Okay, I’ll be more specific. It’s nice seeing you so happy with Lydia.”
His expression morphed into a look of confusion, and I blinked right back at him. I had a strange feeling he’d only just realized what he’d done, and he didn’t look all that happy now.
I’d always thought I was good at reading people—Roman, though, was testing that ability. He seemed to be on the verge of saying something and as his eyes grew darker, I had a feeling it was about Caterina and how hard it was to get over her. I waited, hoping he’d open up to me and hoping I’d know exactly what to say when he did.
But he shifted on his seat, cleared his throat, and raised his beer. “Anyway.” The precious moment evaporated into thin air. “Here’s to living.”
I cursed myself for not taking the lead. My heart wept over his kiss with Lydia, which had been so, so wrong. But it wept even more over him not being able to confide in me. Forcing my arm to work, I raised my stein. “To living.”
Another song belted over the airwaves. Everyone jumped up with drinks in hand and began singing, “ Que sera, sera.”
Roman turned to me and we sang a duet. “Whatever will be, will be.”
We swung our hips side to side. “The future’s not ours to see.”
“ Que sera, sera .”
We burst out laughing. “What will be, will be.”
Ain’t that the truth.
Lydia returned halfway through the song and rather than joining in, she slumped into the seat like a Muppet. I shared my gaze between her and Roman.
She looked like she was off her rocker. When she swayed forward and just about face planted into her beer stein, Roman grabbed her.
“Hey.” He leaned over her shoulder and said something into her ear that I couldn’t hear.
She eased back, and when her eyes kept going, she fell backward. Roman wasn’t quick enough and she barrel-rolled right off the chair. She landed with her legs sticking up in the air, and everyone got an unobstructed look at her frilly panties that were also way better than mine.
“Oh shit.” Roman jumped to his feet.
Lydia burst into tears, clutching the back of her head.
Roman tried to pick her up from the floor, but she was as floppy as overcooked pasta. It took two guys to get her upright. She wrapped her arms around Roman as if staking her claim, and when her eyes met mine, I had a sneaky feeling that was exactly what she was doing.
Roman turned to me. “I’m going to take Lydia to the hotel. I’ll be back. So stay here.”
“Oh, okay.” Yay me. “Do you want me to come with you?”
“No. No. I won’t be long.” He leaned forward and kissed me on the lips.
It was so sudden, and so unexpected and so fucking perfect, I froze to the chair.
He pulled back, blinking at me like he couldn’t figure out why he did that. A frown drilled across his brows as he yanked Lydia upright. Shaking his head, he wrestled her limp body through the crowd and disappeared.
Grinning like I’d won Eurovision, I wrapped my fingers around the handle of my stein and sipped my warm beer. I couldn’t stop smiling.
Smiling at everyone around me, all having the best time .
Smiling as I recalled my fabulous day.
Smiling as I replayed that kiss, over and over.
Another song belted from the speakers, and it was two choruses before everyone stood, including me, and belted out, “Alice. Who the fuck is Alice!”
Laughing along with the group, I swayed in time and sang the lyrics.
As I skulled my beer and then flopped back onto my seat, I replayed the song in my head. The lyrics were about telling a girl how he was feeling but never getting the chance.
Oh. My God. Was this a sign?
Should I tell Roman how I feel about him? About what he means to me?
About how I can’t stop thinking about him . . . about us.
I smacked my lips together. All of a sudden, I was super thirsty. Which was ridiculous, given the amount of beer I’d had.
Glancing around, I hoped to see Roman. But nope. He wasn’t there.
I had to pee. Leaning into Samson, I tapped his shoulder. “Hey, can you save our seats?”
He looked at me like he’d forgotten I was there. “Okay.”
“Two seats. Me and Roman. Okay?”
He nodded.
“You save them.” I felt the need to say it for a third time.
“Okay, I got it.”
“Right. Good.” I trotted away; each step reminded me of just how badly I had to pee. Pushing through the crowd wasn’t easy, and just getting to the end of the row took forever. Spying the restroom sign in the corner, I made a dash for it.
As usual, there was a bloody line, and as I slotted in with all the beautiful beer wenches, I felt completely at ease. I made idle chitchat with a few of them. They were all so lovely. But it was me , making idle chitchat? I truly had changed.
It seemed an eternity before I returned to my seat, but I was really bummed that Roman wasn’t back yet. I was seated for barely a minute before another beer was plonked in front of me. I sipped away, feeling the positive energy of the crowd.
Glancing over my shoulder non-stop, eager to spy Roman’s arrival, I continued to sip my beer and wait.
And wait.
And wait.
When yet another beer was placed in front of me, it suddenly hit me.
Roman wasn’t coming.
Acid burned in my stomach so hard I winced.
Roman was cruel. A tease. A total bastard.
Without a word to the others, I grabbed my bag and stood. Every step toward the hotel was hell—each one slamming another painful thought through my brain.
How dare he say he’s coming back for me. Pretend that he cares. And never come.
My chest squeezed so tight I could barely breathe.
He must know how I feel.
Tears blurred my vision, making it impossible to see.
I am a bloody fool.
A stupid, desperate, fool.
Somehow, I made it to my room.
I tore off the wretched clothing, strode to my bed, flopped onto the mattress, shoved my face in the pillow, and bawled my eyes out.
It was an eternity before I could think again.
I rolled onto my back, and staring at the ceiling, I vowed that I would never let Roman do that to my heart again.
I am done .
He is nothing to me anymore. Just my co-worker.
He’s no longer even a friend. No, wait.
I sat up—an idea shooting through my brain like a laser beam.
I have an even better idea.
I stood, strode to the bathroom, and turned the shower on to full blast.
I am going to show Roman exactly what he’s missing.
Daisy. Daisy. Who the fuck is Daisy?
I know who I am.
I’m a woman who doesn’t need a man to live.
And I can definitely live without Roman.
I’ll show him. I’ll show them all.
Most importantly, I will show myself.
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