Roman and I arrived at Jay's house a few hours later. Jay opened the door, holding Ella in his arms. She was wearing a baby blue princess costume with a blonde wig.
"Hi Ella-baby," I cooed, taking her. She wrapped her arms around my neck, kissing my cheek softly.
"Aunty!" she squealed, grinning.
Jay and Roman exchanged some words, none of which I caught.
"Oh!" I said, remembering that they don't know each other. "Jay this is Ro–"
"I know Abbs," Jay interrupted.
"What? How?" He chuckled as did Roman.
"How else do you think he found you?" And suddenly everything clicked into place. Jay was texting someone when Annalise and I were talking right before we left. "I may have borrowed your phone, without asking, to get his number, but I'm sure you don't mind." He grinned, inching behind Roman. I rolled my eyes. For a parent, he was quite the scaredy-cat.
"Where're your parents?" I asked, stepping inside. They followed, Jay lingering near Roman. I rolled my eyes at his childish antics.
"They're both out, there's some church function or something," Jay replied.
"And Lise?" I asked. He rubbed the back of his neck, mumbling something under his breath. "What was that?"
"Upstairs," he mumbled louder. I snickered softly.
"Aunty play!" Ella said, bouncing in my hands. I chuckled softly, putting Ella down.
Ella grabbed my hand and led me to the living room where all her toys were put out. The TV was playing Frozen, hence the outfit she was in. I sat down on the ground as Ella grabbed a few building blocks. She'd put them next to me and I'd begin to make the foundation. Once we finished the building, Jay pretended to be the big, bad wolf (or woof as Ella says) and tried to knock it down. Ella would use her "frozen powers" and stop him.
When I looked up at Roman, he was watching me with a certain glint in his eyes. When he realized I caught him staring, he gave me his beautiful smile. I motioned him forward and he sat next to me on the floor. Ella warmed up to Roman really quickly which wasn't all that surprising. Ella was a people-person; she especially loved being the center of attention.
"Abby!" Annalise exclaimed, jumping on top of me. I groaned as she nearly headbutted me.
"Nice of you to grace our presence sleeping beauty," I said as she positioned herself on my lap.
"At your service, m'lady," she said with a fake-British accent. I rolled my eyes. She turned to Roman, eyeing him down. "I approve." Roman chuckled, glancing at me.
"Roman," he said.
"Annalise, also known as the maid of honor," she replied. I held back another eye roll.
For a while, the four of us played with Ella. She was more than ecstatic to have more than one playmate. Jay's parents came home a while later with lunch ─ pizza to be exact. Once it was time for Ella's nap, Roman and I decided it was time to go home.
"When are you coming back?"Annalise asked.
"I'll be back next week. It's their anniversary on Thursday," I murmured. She nodded, hugging me tight.
"Stay strong, okay?" I nodded, a small smile on my face.
"I'll see you soon," Jay said, hugging me.
After saying my goodbyes, Roman and I began heading back home. I decided to leave my car here considering I'd be back. The ride was filled with a comfortable silence. There was nothing to say. Our hands were intertwined, resting on my thigh. Somewhere along the way, I fell asleep. When I woke up, we were stuck in the middle of traffic. I could tell by the familiar area that we were close.
I looked at Roman instinctively. He wasn't aware of the fact that I was awake. He had a slight frown, probably because he gets very irritated when he gets stuck in traffic. His left hand tightened and loosed on the steering wheel, flexing his fingers. His other hand rested on his lap. His tongue peeked out of his mouth, swiping across his bottom lip and disappearing just as quick as it came. He glanced over at me briefly, doing a double take.
"Good morning beautiful," he murmured. I smiled at him in response. I sat up, stretching to loosen up my muscles.
"How much longer?" I asked, tucking my feet under me.
"Probably another half hour," he replied. "Traffic sucks."
"You're part of it, you know?" He shot me an irresistible smile.
"You know what I really wanna do right now?" His voice sent shivers down my spine; it was husky, low. I swallowed inaudibly as his electric blue eyes stared at me. I cleared my throat, holding down a blush.
"W-what?" I mentally cursed myself for stuttering.
We both knew he had an effect on me and he was using it to his advantage. "Well, there's this rest stop near by..." He paused for a moment, his hand resting on my thigh. I watched his fingertips slowly press against my skin, creating a small crease.
"And?" I asked. My voice was low, just barely above a whisper. I knew if I spoke any louder, I'd embarrass myself. Meanwhile, my insides were bursting with a sensation only he could make me feel. Despite the fact that I knew this wasn't the time or place, I couldn't help but want more.
"And," he repeated. "There's a bathroom there that..." I bit down on my lower lip, squirming in my seat as his fingers slowly crept up my thigh. "...we could use..." I nearly gasped as his fingertips slipped underneath my top. I had to stop myself from throwing myself at him. We were inside a car in the middle of the highway. We can't possibly do anything. "...to pee." I froze, the sexual sensations disappearing immediately.
Roman bit down on his lower lip, trying to stop himself from laughing. "You ass," I muttered, crossing my arms as he burst out laughing. I glared at him, fighting off an amused smile.
"You love me," he said once he calmed down.
"Unfortunately."
We arrived about twenty minutes later. Roman drove me to my house. We sat in his car for a few moments.
"Do you want me to come in?" he asked, stroking my thigh. I shook my head.
"I want to talk to them alone for a bit," I murmured. He nodded his head. "I'll call you." He leaned over, pressing his lips to mine for a soft kiss.
"I love you," he murmured. I smiled, caressing his stubbled cheek.
"I love you," I whispered. He pecked my lips once more before I got out. I waved as he drove off.
I opened the front door and walked into the kitchen. Aunt Leah was humming softly, her back facing me. Her hair was in a messy braid, just like always.
"Aunty?"
She turned around and gasped. "Oh Abigail."
I hugged her instantly. "I'm so sorry," I mumbled into her shoulder. "I shouldn't have left like that. It was irresponsible and I know I should have told you or at least someone instead of leaving a measly note. I just...their date was coming and I just needed to be near them. I─I'm so sorry."
"It's okay Abby, I understand," she murmured, hugging me tightly. She kissed the top of my head. "I'm not mad at you, neither is Ben."
"I know but I shouldn't have done that. It was all impulsive and I just needed to be there and ─"
"Abby, love, it's okay," she cooed, hugging me tightly. "You're home, that's all that matters."
"I love you Aunty," I whispered.
"I love you too Abby, always."
A while later, Uncle Ben arrived. The three of us decided to spend the rest of the day together. We decided to watch a bunch of homemade movies that I brought back with me. As I sat down on the loveseat, the doorbell rang.
"I got it!" Aunty said, running to the door. I could faintly hear her greeting someone. I wrapped myself up with a fuzzy blanket, getting comfortable.
"Hey beautiful." I looked up, a smile spreading instantly. Roman bent over, kissing my puckered lips softly before sitting down next to me.
"What are you doing here?" I asked as we adjusted ourselves into a comfortable position.
"Your aunt invited me," he murmured, wrapping the blanket around our bodies. "She wanted me to join you guys." I grinned, looking up at my aunt who smiled at Uncle Ben. He had a look of discomfort but he kept quiet. She looked at me and I quickly mouthed a "thank you" to her. She winked at me before sitting down on the other couch.
"So which one first?" Uncle Ben asked, crouching down to look at the pile of cassettes ─ old fashioned, I know. "Your sixth birthday or your parents tenth anniversary party?"
"Definitely her birthday," Roman answered for me. I groaned, making them chuckle.
For the rest of the night, we watched the endless amounts of home movies we have. Somewhere along the lines, I ended up falling asleep with a smile on my face.
A/N: Bernie Sanders for prez #FeelTheBern
stay strong xo