All I've Never Imagined

22 ~ AN ADVENTUROUS AFTERNOON

"Oh! Your mom dropped her ID at ours last night." He replies and takes out the ID and hands it over to me.

"My mom's not home right now, but I'll give it to her when she's back."

"You guys having a girl's day?" He raises an eyebrow and looks at all four of us.

"More likely a pity party," Lily growls.

Roman looks confused but wisely doesn't speak. But before I can politely ask him to go away, Amelia beats me to it.

"Now that you're here Roman why don't you join us? We could certainly use some advice from a guy right now."

I look exasperatedly at Amelia but she just grins and winks at me, again.

Damn that wink!

"You know what? She's right. I don't particularly like you, but we do need a man's advice right now." Claudia speaks and I mentally groan.

No no no! I was supposed to stay away from him! This is not good for my plan.

I glare at Roman, openly showing that I don't want him here, but that cheeky bastard grins and takes a seat beside me.

Fucker!

"Lay it on me, ladies." He puffs his chest out.

Looks like he is staying for a good amount of time here. I just wish he wouldn't say anything about last night. I don't think I can handle any more embarrassment right now.

"Let's start from the start, again. What do you want Ben to understand about Claudia?"

"No, I want Lily to go first," Claudia mutters and I look at Lily.

She's being so quiet and sad and I've never seen her sad. She isn't as cheery as Amelia, but she isn't bleak either.

Lily sighs hard while staring at her beautiful long butterfly pendant, twisting it absently while remaining lost in thought. "Kyle has gotten a little more aggressive lately than usual. He punched a guy last night because the guy's hand might have groped my ass when we were out for movies. Don't get me wrong, groping someone's ass is wrong but I'm upset at his aggressiveness. He can't lose his temper on every guy with a wandering hand."

"He grabbed your ass in front of Kyle?" Amelia asks in shock. "I'm surprised Kyle let him walk away."

"Sounds like Kyle had a justifiable reaction to me," Roman whispers, leaning down to my ear.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"If someone would've groped your ass while you were with me, I would've broken their hands." He shrugs and goes back to listening to whatever the girls are saying, leaving me shocked.

I try not to blush furiously, but I know I am.

Does he not know the kind of effect he has on me? He can't say things like that and then act like it's nothing.

I clear my throat and take deep breaths, trying to calm down my racing heart.

"I think it was justifiable," Roman says and he's met with a glare I didn't know Lily was capable of.

"Punching anyone or getting in a fight with anyone is justifiable? What if they're stronger than Kyle and he ends up in some serious trouble?" She growls, taking her anger out on the only man in sight.

Horrified at Lily's outburst, he scoots his chair to sit as close to me as he can get and as far away from Lily as he can manage. I'd laugh but now is not the time.

I pick my juice to take a sip but Roman snatches it away and takes a sip himself muttering something about Jesus saving him.

Claudia decides to take her turn after a long, deep breath. "I love Ben. I do but his swearing is getting on my nerves. He swears all the time. His sentences start and end with profanity and I don't think I can handle it anymore."