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It gives me hope I will one day, too.
“So edgy.” Oli grins, and I elbow her in the ribs, giving her a look to stop talking.
“So it is,” he chuckles, squeezing my hand tighter.
“Loser!” the booth attendant cries, drawing our attention. Kon throws his hands in the air, a pissed off expression on his face as Chase cackles beside him. He throws his arm around Kon’s shoulders, still laughing as he steers him toward us.
“That game is fucking rigged,” Kon grumbles, looking less pissed and more like he’s pouting.
“Yeah, it totally is,” Chase agrees, shaking his head and rolling his eyes when Kon isn’t looking at him anymore.
I feel Roman staring at me, and it takes me a moment to realize what he’s staring at. Me, yes. But my smile. They’re coming a bit more frequently lately, mostly around him and his friends. My friends, maybe?
“Come on,” he mutters, pulling me from the group, ignoring their hollers behind us. He drags me through the crowd, bumping into people and not caring.
“Ro,” I laugh, tugging on his hand. “What are you doing?” He shakes his head as he leads me to the ferris wheel, pulling me to his side. I stare up at it, at the pretty lights, then at him.
We wait in line for a few minutes, silently sneaking glances at each other. I don’t know why, but butterflies erupt in my belly the first time he looks at me. There’s something different about this moment. Something I can’t place.
Not tension—we’ve had loads of that, and this isn't it. It feels like we’re standing on the edge of something massive, and with one step, everything’s about to change. Nerves swirl in my stomach at the thought.
Am I ready for that?
I don’t have a choice but to be as I’m pulled onto the landing. Roman holds the little car for me as I slide into the seat, then watch as his too-large body squeezes through the tiny door. He hunches in on himself, trying to fit, but he looks happy. Like he’s content being squished on this ride with me.
Reaching out, he grabs my hand and runs his thumb along the back of it. His eyes search mine, but I don’t know what he’s looking for. As I open my mouth, the car lurches forward.
“Look,” he whispers, squeezing my hand gently. I turn my attention to the town around us, taking in the sweeping trees and the giant clock tower that looks so tiny from here, but massive up close. The way Mammoth comes to life at night. The way it looks like the twinkling lights of a city, but still feels like a small town.
I understand why Roman loves it here. Why he chose to run here instead of anywhere else.
It feels good here. Comfortable.
It feels like home.
“I haven’t done this in a long, long time,” he mutters, drawing my attention. I look back at him, my brows pushed together.
“What?”
“Been on a date.” He looks out at the trees as we come to a stop at the top. I stare at him, the blue, purple, and pink lights reflecting off his face.
I almost forgot this was a date. I just feel so comfortable around him I hadn’t even thought about it.
But that’s what this is.
“It’s my first one,” I blurt, and his head whips to me.
“No, it’s not.”
“Yeah,” I laugh. “It is. I didn’t date in high school. Unless you call us hanging out dates then…” I trail off, shrugging.
“But you never went on any dates after—” He cuts himself off, but I don’t need to hear the rest of the words to know them.
“No.” I shake my head. I didn’t even look at a guy for a long time after he left. I hadn’t looked at one until I started looking at Isaac differently.
Guilt bubbles in my stomach at the thought of him. What’s he doing? Is he freaking out because he hasn’t heard from me? I can’t make myself ask Roman if he’s heard anything. Partly because I don’t want to ruin our night, but also because I don’t want to know the answer. Yes or no, it doesn’t matter.
“Goldie,” Roman mutters, reaching for my face. I jerk back, and his hand pauses midair. “It’s okay. It’s just me.” I swallow thickly, leaning forward, letting him rest his warm palm against my cheek. I lean into his touch, my eyes shutting. “I’ve got you.”
