ROMEO | 18+

11.

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I S L A

    "DO YOU AND your boyfriend want to stay for dinner?"

Isla blinks to make the uneasiness clouding her mind go away. She glances at Romeo, and he answers with a small shrug before going back to chatting quietly with Nora—who is the one to have caught them in the pottery room.

"He's not my boyfriend, Sloane," Isla says coldly, putting her jacket on. "And no, we don't want to stay for dinner."

From the other side of the room, Nora presses her sister with a harsh look, making Isla sigh in defeat. She turns her gaze back to Sloane who is occupied washing dishes, her blonde hair appearing golden in the beam of the sunlight.

"But thank you for offering," she adds quietly, albeit against her will.

It makes Sloane stop in her occupation. She rapidly rinces her soapy hands, wipes them on the kitchen towel before leaning her hip against the counter.

It's after a few seconds of silence that she utters the words that have been coating the tip of her tongue. "You know you're always welcome here, right?"

"I know," Isla answers. "It was my home before it was yours."

Sloane sighs. "Isla—"

She avoids her stare filled with sorrow. She should feel guilty. Should feel at least an ounce of sympathy after having talked so coldly to her step-mother, but she doesn't feel anything.

"I have to go." She passes by Nora and Romeo, grabbing the latter's sleeve to pull him towards the front door. "See you soon."

"Wait—" Romeo turns to Sloane, waving a hand in the air. "It was nice meeting you, Sloane. Thanks for the muffins," he adds, lifting the Tupperware in his hands full of chocolate pastries.

"You're welcome," she replies sweetly. "I hope to see you soon."

Romeo doesn't answer, and since Isla is looking straight ahead of her, she only guesses he responds with a soft grin.

The walk towards the car is hasty and silent and the tension is palpable. But when Romeo runs a light-feather hand on her back—carefully at first—she immediately relaxes. Like he has a power to comfort her with a mere touch. Like he knows she is feeling all sorts of raw and negative emotions but doesn't want to press her.

"Do you want to drive back?" he asks quietly.

"You go ahead," she replies, her words strangled in her throat.

Settling in the passenger's seat, she buckles her seatbelt, sighing and closing her eyes.

Her phone chimes, and she scoffs as she reads Nora's text.

Nora
stop being such a bitch with sloane.
she's just trying to be nice to you

"Do you want to talk about it?" Romeo asks, facing her with his shoulder pressed to his seat. He has put the food container on the backseat along with his jacket. "You don't have to if you don't want to. I just want you to know that I'm here if you need someone."