It’s on the tip of my tongue to lie. To tell him- no, of course not.
But… I guess I am.
It’s just so weird.
The way people fall all over themselves to be around him. I’ve never looked at Roan, or anyone else for that matter, like that. So it’s hard for me to wrap my brain around that kind of fawning behavior.
When I don’t immediately answer, he stops before gently placing both hands on my shoulders and turning me towards him. His eyes impale mine for a long moment before he finally says, “Let’s just take this one date at a time, okay? There’s no pressure here.”
I quirk a brow because that sounds suspiciously like he’s already thinking about multiple dates instead of just one. He grins as if he can read my mind.
His brows rise across his forehead. “Okay?”
When his eyes are on me like that, it’s hard for me not to agree with anything he says. Finally I nod my head.
Leaning forward, he softly presses his lips against mine before pulling away. “Good. Now let’s get to class before you make us late.”
I start laughing as he tows me the rest of the way.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Say it ain’t so, Roan King… please tell us that whatever is going on with the brunette isn’t serious… Give us all just a tiny little glimmer of hope to hold on to… KingOfCampus.com
Later that evening, after I get back from teaching dance, I hear the low murmuring voices of the TV in the living room and breathe a little sigh of relief that Lexie isn’t still holed up in her room. Unfortunately my phone died after French class so I wasn’t able to reach out to her. I just hope she’s okay.
Instead of finding Lexie in the darkened living room, it’s Dylan I stumble upon. He’s sitting in the overstuffed armchair with his head cradled in his hands. Just from the way he’s hunched over I can tell something is very wrong.
Lexie isn’t anywhere to be seen.
Glancing at her bedroom door, I find it closed.
This doesn’t bode well at all.
Setting my bag down, I close the distance separating us before sitting gingerly on the couch next to the chair. When he doesn’t acknowledge my presence, I have to wonder if Dylan is even aware that he’s no longer alone. Both his hands are tunneled through his golden blond hair as he cradles his head in his big hands.
Reaching out to him, I gently lay my hand on his shoulder before giving it a gentle squeeze. “Dylan? Are you okay?”
When he finally looks up, I’m shocked to see that his eyes are red rimmed as if he’s been crying. He doesn’t say a word, just slowly shakes his head in answer. My heart sinks because I can only imagine that the test results ended up being positive if he’s this upset and Lexie has shuttered herself away in her room.
“What happened?”
His gaze holds mine for a long heartbeat before dropping to his fingers which are now tightly clasped in front of him. His elbows rest on his spread knees. He looks utterly miserable.
“The test was negative.”
The breath I hadn’t even been aware I’d been holding comes rushing out in relief. Thank god! Thank god she isn’t pregnant.
But… why does he look like this?
And why is Lexie alone in her room?
None of this makes sense.
Before I can ask, he says, “She broke up with me.”
“She did what?” I can’t keep the shock from entering my voice. Why would she do that? Lexie is crazy about Dylan and from all indications, he’s just as crazy about her. They’re perfect for each other. So perfect that it’s usually a little nauseating to be around them. Like you’ve eaten-too-much-sugar sickening. But I love them together.
Again he spears me with miserable deep brown eyes. “She said she needed some time alone to figure things out. That this has really scared her.” He shrugs his massive shoulders as if he doesn’t quite know what to make of her words.
He gazes at me as if he expects I might be able to better explain her rationale for breaking his heart. But I don’t have any answers. I’m just as mystified as Dylan appears to be by the situation. The silence between us stretches and grows until I feel the need to say something. Offer some small bit of comfort.
Finally I murmur, “I’m sorry. I think if you give her a little bit of time, she’ll realize she’s overreacting. I know how upsetting all this was for her.”
He nods before going back to staring down at his clenched hands. His knuckles have turned a stark shade of white. “It was hard on both of us but the difference is that I don’t want to throw away what we have together because something life changing almost happened to us.”