Page 46 of When a Soul Cries

“Sol.”

I ignored him.

“Sol.”

There was something about the second time he said my name that made me stop. I turned around slowly, already wearing my irritated face even though the amusement tugging at the corner of my mouth was probably giving me away. “What?”

Rome slid his hands into his pockets and looked at me for a second. The joking expression was still there, but something about his eyes softened. He rocked back slightly on his heels before nodding toward me. “You hungry?”

“No.”

My stomach growled loud enough for both of us to hear.

I closed my eyes. Of course it did.

When I opened them again, Rome was staring at me with his lips pressed together so tightly that I could tell he was fighting for his life not to laugh.

“Don’t.”

His shoulders started shaking.

“Rome.”

“I ain’t say shit.”

“You laughing.”

He glanced away from me, rubbing a hand across his mouth like that was somehow going to hide the smile. “I ain’t laughing.”

“You literally laughing right now.”

That did it. He dropped his head and laughed, the deep sound pulling a reluctant smile out of me before I could stop it. I wanted to be irritated, but instead I felt another smile trying to pull at my mouth.

I fought it. “I’m going home.”

His laughter settled, and the smile remained for another second before he studied my face and seemed to realize I was serious. “To your daughter?”

I looked at him. Earlier, somewhere between him flirting and me trying to get him out of my line, I’d mentioned having a baby. “Yeah.”

His expression changed when he saw mine. The teasing left his eyes. “She good?”

“She sick.” I looked down at my keys, rubbing my thumb across the metal edge. “My friend took her to the doctor today.”

The smile disappeared completely. Rome’s brows pulled together slightly. “Oh, damn. She okay?”

The concern sounded genuine, and that caught me off guard. For a second, I just looked at him. “Yeah. She’s okay. She home sleeping.”

Rome nodded slowly, his jaw shifting once before he glanced toward the ground. “Aight. I understand.”

There was no joke attached to it. No attempt to make me feel bad. I gave him a small nod and turned toward my car.

There. Easy.

Except I had barely made it three steps before I heard him behind me.

“But you still ain’t ate.”

I stopped and slowly looked over my shoulder. Rome was still standing in the same spot, hands in his pockets, watching me like he already knew I was about to argue.