AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m not done sulking,” I said.
“The hell you aren’t,” he replied. “Get up. I’m bigger than you. I will drag your ass outside.”
“You are not bigger than me,” I said, laughing.
“I can still drag you outside. Let’s go.”
He walked to the door and stood next to it. “I feel like kicking a ball around. Let’s go.”
“Soccer?”
Roman nodded, his eyes gleaming with enthusiasm. “I’ve been acting all royal for months. I need to get dirty.”
I laughed, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. Roman always knew how to bring me back to reality. “Alright, let’s do it,” I said, grabbing my shoes from the closet.
We walked out back and grabbed the ball from the bin. I felt a sense of nostalgia wash over me. We used to play soccer all the time when we were younger, but as we grew older, life got in the way. With him being in England most of the time, we rarely had the chance to play anymore.
“Okay, old man,” I said. “Let’s see if you still got it. I don’t want you to break a hip.”
Roman chuckled, his eyes glinting mischievously. “You’ll be the one breaking a hip when I score on you.” He kicked the ball toward me, his movements fluid and graceful.
I grinned, feeling the familiar rush of adrenaline as the ball came hurtling toward me. I deftly dodged it, my heart racing with excitement. It felt good to be outside, to be moving, to be free.
Roman and I played for hours, our laughter echoing across the empty field. We were both sweaty and breathless, but we didn’t care. All that mattered was the game, the thrill of competition and the joy of being together again.
As the sun began to set, we collapsed onto the grass, our breathing heavy.
“I miss this,” he said finally, his voice soft.
“Me too,” I replied. “It’s been too long since we’ve played like this.”
“Anabella and I are talking about coming home for a few weeks. She’s got a few engagements, but I’m hoping we can stay a while.”
“Really?” I sat up, a smile spreading across my face. “That would be amazing, Roman. It’s been too long since we’ve all been together.”
“Yeah,” he said, a wistful look in his eyes. “I miss you guys. And I miss this.” He gestured around him, at the field and the sunset and the peacefulness that surrounded us.
I knew exactly what he meant. There was something special about being out in the open, away from the stress and chaos of real life. Something that made it easier to connect with the people you cared about most.
We sat in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the serenity of the moment. Our silence was interrupted by the sound of my brothers shouting, followed by their footsteps.
“They’re going to jump on us,” I said and rolled to the side while laughing.
Archie grabbed the ball and kicked it. “Come on, you old farts. Let’s go.”
“We’ve been playing,” I said. “Go away.”
“Boys!” Mom shouted like she had done hundreds of times before. “Dinner!”
Archie and Edmund groaned. “We just got started.”
Roman chuckled. “We can always come back out after dinner.”
I nodded, standing up and dusting off my pants. “Yeah.”
Together, we made our way back across the field toward the house. As we approached, the smell of my mom’s cooking hit me, making my mouth water.
“Smells good,” Roman said, his stomach growling audibly. “I’ve probably missed that more than anything.”
