AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Twenty-One
Bad. Worse. Awful.
On Tuesday night, I was trying to drown her out.
I’d barely got started when I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. I answered it and held my other hand to my ear to try to block out Jimbo’s fucking awful taste in music.
“Yeah?”
“Roman…”
At the sound of her voice, those few drinks felt like they’d drained straight out of me.
“Piper?”
“I… Uh, hi…” she said awkwardly.
“Babe, you okay?”
“I… No? I don’t know. Sorry, you’re busy. I’ll talk to you later.”
“No apolo–”
“Fuckin’ let’s go, Lombardi!” Jimbo yelled.
“Give me a minute,” I yelled back.
“Dude! Come on!” Steve called.
“Fucking wait!” I snapped, then made my way outside so I could hear her better. “What’s up?”
“I don’t know. Mum was just… And, then I…” I heard her take a deep breath and could hear the anxious panic in her.
I needed to get to her, and I needed to do it now. “Where are you?”
“It’s fine. I’ll talk to you later. I didn’t mean to get in the way.”
“Piper, you could never get in the way. Where are you? I’m coming to you.”
“You’re busy.”
“I’m never busy for you, you know that.”
“Roman, I don’t want you driving if you’ve been drinking.”
“Fuck that. I’m fine. You need me? I’ll be there.”
“You’re not driving now. Your safety is priority, Roman.” She tried that authoritarian voice on me. I loved it in the bedroom, but I wasn’t standing for it now.
“No. You are my priority, Piper,” I told her as I unlocked my car. “Now, you tell me where you are or you’re going to regret it.”
“How will I regret it if you can’t find me?” Her tone was at least a little playful.
“Piper…”
“I’m at the lake.”
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
