Page 89 of The Promise

At first, she didn’t act like she’d heard him. She did, though. She heard him too well, and the concern lingering there.

Roman cleared his throat, saying only, “Is something on your mind you want to talk about?”

In a blink, she tipped her head up and smiled at him, forcing the happiness on her face. Nothing about the way she felt right now made her want to smile, but learned habits were hard to break.

“No, it’s not that. I’m fine, really.”

Roman didn’t look like he believed her. “I have to leave. I shouldn’t even really be here—we’re supposed to stay apart for a reason, Karine. It makes you harder to find.”

She nodded because she understood. Not because she agreed, though. Those were two very different things.

“Is that what’s bothering you?” The question came as he did up his belt, moving a step and then two towards her. “Or is it something else? You’ve got that ... sad, faraway look. Is it something else?”

Karine looked up at him sharply. “Like what?”

“I just ... shit, Karine. I’m not good at this. Talking, you know? Well, you don’t tell me a lot of things, I guess. About your past, but I wonder if you think about it more than you let on. Like the things that must have happened to make you—”

“Crazy?”

The sharpness in her tone didn’t even make him hesitate before interjecting, “You know I wouldn’t say that. You’re not crazy. Nobody thinks you’re crazy, babe. Come on, now.”

Yeah, she did know.

Still ...

It was the only way to keep him—and everyone else—away from that topic of conversation. It wasn’t one she was ready to have, by any means.

Karine sighed, willing the heat to take the edge off her voice as she told him, “As long as the past stays where it belongs, it’s better if we don’t talk about it.”

“I don’t want you to feel like you should be hiding something from me.” Finally close enough to touch her, he did just that, spreading his palms around her face, making her look up at him. While he searched her eyes, she tried her best to hide whatever truth he was trying to find in her eyes. “Anything, Karine.”

“I’m not hiding anything from you, I just don’t want to talk about it. What good is going back—there’s nothing I want there, Roman.”

Nothing good happened there.

“And that is exactly what I’m trying to do—for you and me both.”

Right.

It was just her insecurities that said different.

He kissed the top of her head, lips lingering for a second or two, and tenderly stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. For a second, she was able to close her eyes and pretend like the rest didn’t exist. And well, even if it did ... none of it mattered.

Not like this.

Not with him.

Of course, it couldn’t last long.

“I should go say goodbye to Ma before I leave. I’ll see you outside in a bit?”

She nodded, pulling his hand up to her mouth so she could kiss his fingertips. It was the way he watched her hold on to his hand for a pause too long, unwilling to let go at first, but his patience to wait helped her to do it in the end.

Then, Roman walked to the door, and stepped out into the hallway after snatching up his bag.

All the while, Karine ignored the clawing urge in her chest to spill every secret she had locked up tight—if only to make him stay.

She wished she could tell Roman everything, but it just wasn’t that easy. She couldn’t. Wouldn’t.