AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Twenty-One
Roman isNOTJealous of Mason.
Roman still waited for me at his ute in his driveway every morning and in the carpark every afternoon. But, we barely spoke. The air around us had that sizzle of tension, but it wasn’t the good kind. Roman scowled and smoked, but any time he touched me it was soft.
Things with Mason were likewise going swimmingly.
I had no idea what I was doing. I tried – as Roman had suggested – putting the same logic I used to understand Roman and me into understanding Mason and me. But, I couldn’t work it out.
Around Mason, I was just a mess. I giggled too much. I blushed too much. I got awkward – and not in a cute way. I actually snorted quite disastrously on multiple occasions while trying to laugh in a way that showed him I was interested.
All it got me was a weird look from Hadley and an awkward smile from Mason like maybe he was rethinking dating me.
So, by Friday – as Hadley and I wandered to the oval – I was already extremely uncomfortable when she brought up the whole uni thing again. Somehow though, I managed to keepsomecomposure.
“All I’m saying is that distance could be good. You know, FREEDOM!” Hadley shouted in her best Mel-Gibson-Scottish accent as she flung her arms in the air and I was worried she was about to bare her arse. So yeah, maybe we’d watchedBraveheartone too many times…
I nodded. “Okay. But, Sydney and Melbourne are so expensive to live in, Hads.”
“But, the shopping, babes!”
“But, the lack of money, babes!”
She shrugged. “Mum and Dad said they’d pay for me to go wherever I want.”
I rolled my eyes. It wasn’t like my parents weren’t keen to help me out either. But, that was hardly the point. And, if I wasn’t going to tell her the real reason I didn’t want to go to Melbourne or Sydney, then I was going to have to come up with some damned good arguments.
“Adelaide is still hours away from the parents. Is that not enough?”
“Hours by car, babes. By. Car. The parents could still drop in unannounced. What if I’m riding some handsome man on our couch and my Mum walks in?”
I snorted despite the rate at which my heart was beating. “Okay, that is one visual I did not need. Besides, two things wrong with that. Firstly, I’m going to need serious prior warning if you’re going to be doing guys on our couch. And, maybe a large store of plastic wrap. And secondly, our parents are more than capable of not telling us that they’re getting on a plane if they really wanted.”
She sighed. “But, plastic gets so hot and sticky. Plus, the way it squeaks? Babes, it’s just not sexy. Unless he’s into the donkey thing.”
I broke into a huge laugh completely unintentionally. “That? That is what you take away from that?”
Hadley and I pulled up short as something went whizzing past our faces. But, it was just a football a bunch of the other guys in our year were throwing around. As I looked around at who was playing, my eyes fell on Roman across the oval.
He was with Steve, Rio and Jake as usual. The four of them looking like some poster for juvenile delinquency. Which wasn’t fair, and I knew it. Roman wasn’t really a delinquent. Well, I mean… Yes, he was. In so many respects, he was. But, that was so notallhe was. And, I’d bet that wasn’t all Rio, Steve and Jake were either when you actually got to know them.
“Seriously, it should be a crime to be that good looking,” Hadley muttered.
“What?” I asked.
She laughed. “Like you hadn’t noticed in all the hours you two must have spent together lately.”
I jumped. “What?”
I took my eyes off Roman to find her watching me carefully. “Are you okay? You’re being really weird at the moment.”
I shrugged. “I’m fine. Why would I not be fine?”
Hadley’s eyes slid behind me to Roman and back again. “Did he try to kiss you and you had to shut him down?”
“Did he what?” I scoffed, totally convincingly (not). “No.”
Hadley frowned. “Then, what is up with you two lately? Seriously, the amount of time you spend staring at each other when the other one isn’t looking is depressing.” She rolled her eyes and waved an arm at him. “Case in point.”
