Finding Home || bxb

19

When we finished our food and went back to the car after Roman paid, he put the necklace on me. I felt his fingers skim my scar, though I'm sure it wasn't on purpose. I shivered at the touch, and he asked me if I was cold. I just told him I was not wanting to explain the real reason, and when we got inside the car, we didn't even drive off as he put on the heating and waited for me to warm up. When was he going to kiss me? Because I really wanted to kiss him.

Roman took the car back to his house and then we walked hand in hand to Keaton's place. We had to walk along the same road I'd been attacked on and once Roman realised why I was getting so anxious, he held my hand even tighter and let me carry the conversation while he seemed on high alert. I think he was keeping an eye out for anyone else that might be on the road. I had a feeling if Henry popped out of the bushes now, things wouldn't quite go as it did last time. I had Roman to protect me now. Usually I would prefer my independence, but I liked Roman being my protector.

"You okay?" Roman asked gently when we finally came off the road I'd been hurt on. I nodded and we continued walking to Keaton's which was only a five more minutes away. "Maybe I should have walked us another way. I didn't realise it was that road. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I kind of wanted to see you put your martial arts skills to use," I replied.

He chuckled and told me he hoped that wouldn't have to happen out of fear of what he'd do to the other guy. Obviously, I found that hot as fuck.

"Hey mate, Ellie's got us drinking cocktails, please tell me you have something stronger," Keaton said immediately after opening his front door of his house for us. His house was pretty impressive. Not as big as Arwyn's but it was clear Keaton and his family lived pretty comfortably. "Don't give any to my brother," he said when Roman showed him the bottles of spirits in his backpack. "I said he can drink if people he knows gives him alcohol but I'm not gonna make that easy for him."

Keaton led us into kitchen where there were cards laid out in preparation for a drinking game. The girls were drinking cocktails out of fancy glasses and Nate was just as quick to pinch the spirits off Roman as Keaton was. It was still early, only almost 8pm, but that meant it was time for pre-drinking where we'd all try our best to stay tipsy, maybe even on the edge of being drunk, until the party started, and we could actually start drinking heavily.

Roman poured us a glass each of Vodka lemonade but it was fairly weak just to get us started. Then for the next hour we played drinking games, me sat beside Roman at the table, his hand occasionally finding its way to my thigh. Right now, he was dangerously high up on my thigh so I couldn't concentrate properly when I was pulling out the Jenga piece and it toppled over.

"Fuck sake," I moaned in annoyance as I took a shot. "You did that on purpose," I said quietly to Roman while Naya reset the blocks.

"Maybe, maybe not," was Roman's response. I made sure he knew how it felt when it was his turn again a little later on. I ventured up even higher than he had, somewhat certain I may have grazed his member with one of my knuckles, making him shaky as he pulled the Jenga piece out this time toppling all the blocks himself.

"You definitely did that on purpose," he said as the doorbell rang signifying that others had started arriving.

"Yeah. What about it?" I teased. His eyes looked hungry as he stared at me. Hungry for me.

Don't get attached. Don't get attached. Don't get attached.

We haven't even kissed yet. I can't let this be like every other guy I've liked where I grow attached and then it hurts when they leave when we never even really had a relationship to begin with. I'm weird with guys I liked. I don't push them away by actually pushing them away. I push them away by trying to keep them too close that they want to leave me all on their own. I can't let that happen with Roman.