In Love with a Dying Man

Chapter 3

Roman had walked Venus home, and they'd talked the whole time. Roman found himself falling for her more and more with each passing minute. He didn't want to get to her apartment, because he didn't want it to end. But of course, they got there. "Thank you so much, Roman." She thanked him again, she couldn't thank him enough. He grinned at her. "It was nothin', really. But..." He trailed off a moment, because he didn't want to sound creepy. "Yeah?" She smiled at him, giving him the courage to ask. "Can I maybe get your number?" Instantly after he asked, he felt like an idiot. He was sure that she'd slam the door in his face. But she didn't. She debated for a moment, but he had saved her, and he was hot. "Sure." She told him, smiling. His face lit up. She found a pen and wrote it in a scrap of paper that she found. Handing it to him, she smiled. "Are you gonna be ok tonight?" He asked. "Yeah, I think so." Venus responded. She doubted her words however. Besides what had happened with her grandmother and dog, now that man had just attacked her and her life seemed to be falling. But she lied to him. "Of course I will be." She answered with a fake smile. But he bought it. "Alright.'' "Goodnight, Roman. And thank you, for everything." He didn't want to leave, but it wasn't like he could hang around. That would be beyond creepy. "Goodnight, Venus. I...I hope ill see you soon." She smiled at him, and with a wave, he left before he could make a bigger idiot out of himself than he felt he already had.

***

As soon as Venus was sure that Roman was gone, she closed her apartment door and broke down crying. She couldn't beleive that something like that had happened to her. She'd never been attacked like that before. She didn't want to let on to Roman how scared and upset she really was. He'd helped her, he'd saved her, and she didn't want to put the burden of making her 'feel better' onto him too. He'd been so kind to her, despite his gangster appearance. She hated going into her apartment at night, and being all alone. At least she'd had her dog, Dex. He'd been hers since she was little, and he always made her feel better when she was sad. Now she had nothing; no one. Of course she had friends and all, but her best friend, her sister Juno, had been killed along with her parents in a devastating car accident right after she'd graduated her junior year of high school. That brought back more memories, and it made her cry even harder. She just wanted someone to hold her hand and tell her everything was gonna be ok.