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His hand wraps around mine, and on instinct, I pull away, looking around to make sure no one saw. But Chase and Kon’s backs are to us as they move toward a booth, and Oli is way ahead of them, in line to get cotton candy.
“What?” Roman asks, pulling me to a stop beside him. His brows are pressed tightly together, the colorful lights reflecting off his hazel eyes as he stares at me, waiting.
I swallow thickly, gently pulling my hand from his. “Nothing.”
“Why’d you pull away?” he demands, and I take a deep breath.
“I—I don’t know,” I breathe. But I do know.
Isaac.
He couldn’t touch me in public, and a stupid part of my brain thought Roman wouldn’t either. That he’d want to hide this. Hide us.
“I just didn’t think you’d want them to know yet,” I mutter, using my head to point at Chase and Kon. Maybe not ever. Roman glances at them before looking back at me, his brows furrowed.
“Know what?”
“About…” I trail off. Was I looking more into this than he was? What if what we’d done at the lake, what he’d said, was just reconciliation? What if it didn’t mean anything to him? Not the way it meant something to me. “Nevermind.”
“Us?” His brows raise expectantly. “You think I don’t want them to know about us?” I shrug, wrapping my arm around myself. “Jesus, Eve.” He runs his hand through his hair, giving me a look I can’t quite decipher. “You’re not my dirty little secret, baby. I’m not hiding you. I’ll never fucking hide you. I want everyone to know you’re my girl.”
“Really?” I whisper, my throat tight.
“If that’s what you want.” I nod as he speaks, and he huffs out a laugh. He holds his hand between us, and I stare at it. “Then hold my hand, and don’t let go until I tell you to.”
Never. I’ll never let go.
Heat rushes through my body at the sweet command, and I slide my palm against his, lacing our fingers together. I can’t ignore the feeling of rightness that washes over me.
This feels right.
He feels right.
We push our way through the crowd, aiming for Kon and Chase. Kon is tossing rings on bottles while Chase cackles every time he misses. Which is often. I grin as we step up beside Chase.
“Hey, slutbag. Cotton candy?”
“Oh my God!” I press my hand to my chest, jolting as Oli pops up beside me out of freaking nowhere. Her blue eyes twinkle in the glow from the booth. She rips off a piece of pink cotton candy and hands it to Robert. I watch as he nibbles on it, letting it dissolve on his snout and mouth. “Don’t sneak up on me, Oli.”
“Why not?” She tilts her head to the side as she tears off a piece and pops it into her mouth. “A bit of fear is good for the heart.”
“It’s not,” I breathe. “It’s really, really not.” Roman laughs beside me, and I glare at him.
“Cotton candy, Pyro?” Oli asks slyly. I narrow my eyes at her, then him.
“Why are you calling him Pyro? You’ve never called him that.”
“It’s his name, isn’t it?” She grins, pulling off another piece for Robert.
“His name’s Roman.”
“But they call him Pyro.”
I open my mouth, then close it and look at him again. “Why do they call you Pyro?” I ask, and he huffs out a laugh. Sliding his hand into his pocket, he grabs his lighter and pulls it out. With practiced ease, he flicks it open, the flame coming to life.
“Kon started it,” he mutters with a shrug. “I like fire.”
I can’t remember him liking fire when he was a kid. But as I take him in now, I’m reminded he’s a long way off from being the kid he once was. And a part of me is grateful for it. That he’s different. That he’s found himself.
