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But regardless of all that, life was good.
Without Roman.
I missed him like crazy – I’d be constantly thinking of things to text him or look forward to a hug I’d never get – and I wished I could work out how to fix us. But, for the first time in however many weeks it had been, life was good without Roman.
It felt weird all of itself, but I was quite happy to just let it be that way.
I breathed easier. I didn’t feel more than necessary panic when I felt down for no reason. Now people knew and knew how I wanted to play it, it was…easy being me. Well, not as difficult. I finally felt like maybe my life could be that vision of perfect that people seemed to have of it.
Roman and I might have been broken – we might have treated each other like little more than that friend from kindy you feel obligated to still be polite to – but he’d given me a true gift; he’d given me the confidence to be myself. He’d taught me how to be myself and to accept myself. He’d taught me that people could still love me even when I felt damaged. He’d taught me that all I had to do wasshowthem I trusted them.
And, whether I wasin lovewith him or not, I would always love him for that.
Mason insisted I keep playing football with them and I might have been getting slightly better. That, or the boys took pity on me. But really, it wasn’t my fault the ball was a stupid shape and didn’t bounce the way it was supposed to.
By the end of the week, I still never expected it to go the way it went.
I squealed as the damned ball in question bounced left instead of into my hands and tried to launch myself after it. The boys laughed as I overbalanced and I huffed a piece of hair out of my face. Mason came running over and looked down at me with his blue eyes dancing like they always did.
“You okay?” he chuckled.
I nodded.
He held his hands out to me and I let him help me up. He flicked his hair out of his eyes and I couldn’t help but smile at him.
And, there were no flutters. There was no insatiable urge to divulge unnecessary secrets. I didn’t feel hysterical laughter threatening to embarrass the crap out of me. I didn’t flush awkwardly. I didn’t wonder if what I was doing was right or wrong.
I was exactly where I needed to be, how I needed to be.
And, I was pretty sure Mason felt the same.
“I’m fine, thanks. All but my dignity is still intact.”
Mason snorted. “Your dignity has never been in question, Piper.”
I grinned. “Oh, I think it has.”
Suddenly, his eyes slid behind me and went wide.
“Shayla sighting?” I asked, trying not to laugh at his panicked look.
He nodded. “Yeah. She’s just not getting the message.”
“Maybe she heard we...weren’t seeing each other anymore?” I finished slowly; I was never sure how to phrase it.
But, Mason smiled at me. “Something like that.”
“Okay. Well, we could do something cute?” I offered.
He shook his head. “You’ve already helped me once this week. I can’t keep relying on you.”
I shrugged. “We’re friends, Mason. What else are friends for?”
He looked at me dubiously. “For not being used to perpetuate the idea that we’re dating?”
I shrugged. “Mase, come on. You’re not using me if I offer.” A thought suddenly hit me. “Unless it would be…uncomfortable?”
He smiled at me. “No. We’re definitely better as friends, Piper.” And, I believed him; he was open and easy-going, his smile reaching those beautiful blue eyes.
