Plenty of Treasures

Heart Did Stop

"Nice room. How was the journey? Not too strenuous, I hope."

For a split second, Virgil's tongue twists itself into a knot and he can only stammer out half a response. He's spoken to crowds of strangers before, albeit reluctantly and anxiously, so how come this one man is making it so difficult to speak?

He clears his throat and stutters a bit more. "Oh, it was, uh, fine. Y'know, I got a little travel sick, but other than that..."

He shrugs and beats himself Internally. Why mention the travel sickness? Why would he want to know about that?!

Instead of looking uncomfortable however, Roman seemed to only laugh and nod in agreement. "I get that. That happens to me sometimes, too. But nobody has bothered you since you got here, have they? I tried to get here sooner, but-"

"It's fine, man. Really. Nobody's bothered me," he says, gesturing to his room lazily. "I've just been, y'know, hanging out in here and snacking on the minibar."

He'd eaten one bag of skittles exactly. Anxiety is a rather effective appetite suppressor for him.

Roman nods and grins. "Nice. Is there anything else you need from me?"

"Oh, um," he eloquently says, running through his current needs and realising that none of them are appropriate to ask for. "Well, no, I guess. Are you hungry?"

"Hungry?" asks Roman, eyebrows raising. "I suppose I'm a little bit peckish, but I'll be fine."

Virgil, in quite an unprofessional move, opens his minibar and leans against it. "Take something."

For the first time since he got there, Roman seems caught off guard, glancing at the closed door nervously before coughing into his fist. "Are you sure? I don't want to impose or act, uh, in a... unseemly manner. I guess."

With a snort, Virgil rolls his eyes. "Take something, dork."

The moment the insult leaves his lips, Virgil feels himself tense up. He shouldn't have said that. Not only is it incredibly unprofessional, but it could also be taken as insulting because the word itself is a freaking insult and-

"Well, that would be great. Thank you, Virgil."

Virgil watches him make his way over and ponder his options, dark eyes glittery with enthusiasm. A love of food, he laughs, his brother Patton would probably adore him. "I'm glad we chose you."

Roman looks to him in surprise. "T-Thank you. I'm very happy to be here."

They share a smile and Virgil has to physically refrain his heart from bursting through his chest. Roman opens his mouth, shuts it and stands up with a candy bar in his hand. "Goodnight, Virgil. If anything is wrong, please don't hesitate to call on me."

And so, he heads to his adjourning room, leaving him with a swelling heart and a fluttery stomach.
___

It's almost a year later when someone attempts to kill Virgil.

He's at another hotel for a book signing, a new collector's edition of his first published novel has just been released, and thousands of his fans had been begging him to go on a tour of the US. Hopefully, he'll be heading to UK as soon as a few venues are completely secured, but for now, he's just happy to have received such a wonderful response.

It's late and Roman had headed to bed only two hours before. Virgil couldn't help keeping his bodyguard up, talking to him and forcing away the flush on his cheeks every time their eyes met. It's like a silly teenage crush. But he doesn't particularly mind it, though he does hate how dating would cause mass panic with his employees and employers.