The American Roommate Experiment (Spanish Love Deception #2)(124)

Because I missed Lucas.

I missed being in love with the idea of love, too.

Because now, I was an engineer turned romance writer who barely survived the most magical and romantic time of the year.

The irony wasn’t lost on me.

And yet, I somehow managed to go through Christmas without a breakdown, only leaving the apartment twice—on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day—just to pretend that I was doing fine, that I was kind of okay. And eventually, my inner Grinch and I watched everyone take their trees down and sighed in relief thinking, Well, fucking finally.

And without really knowing how, I miscalculated and ended up faced with everything I had tried so hard to avoid.

New Year’s Eve.

New Year’s freaking Eve.

So here I was, in the middle of the fanciest party my best friend had managed to find, clad in a cocktail dress and a pair of high heels she had picked out for me. Holding a flute glass that she had placed in my hand. And trying and failing to smile at all these people drunk with hope and new resolutions.

“More champagne, Rosie?”

“Sure,” I absentmindedly answered, nodding my head. “I might as well drown it.”

Lina snickered. “Drown what?”

Sad Grinch Rosie. “Nothing.” She refilled my glass, and I noticed the bottle in her hand. “Where did you get that bottle from?”

“Contacts.” She smiled, pouring golden liquid until it reached the brim. “Now drink up.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What about your glass?”

“Oh.” She waved a hand, and I noticed that she didn’t have a glass in front of her. Had she been even drinking tonight? Heck if I knew. “The champagne is just for you, bestie. So you loosen up a little.”

My eyes turned to thin slits.

Lina rolled hers. “Don’t look at me like that, I’m not trying to get you drunk.” A pause, then she muttered under her breath, “Trust me.”

Before I could even attempt to parse that last part, Aaron reappeared. He placed himself behind his wife, just like he always did, snaking an arm around her in that organic and natural way that would have made two-months-ago-Rosie swoon. Sad Grinch Rosie sighed and averted her eyes.

Without any kind of warning a memory flashed: Lucas, standing behind me, just like Aaron did with Lina. But we hadn’t been at a fancy party; we’d been in my kitchen, cooking breakfast, and Lucas had been laughing, the sound rumbling out of his chest and making me smile.

Ugh.

Would I ever stop missing him?

What was I even doing here?

Pulling out my phone, I checked the time. Fifteen minutes until midnight. And I was giving myself sixteen before I left. I’d give the woo-hoo to the new year and then scatter. That was all I promised Lina and myself.

I glanced at my best friend, finding her looking at me with a big, scary smile.

“Hmm…” I said, frowning. “What are you grinning about?”

She didn’t answer, and slid my glass closer to my hand.

The people around us started shifting, the atmosphere growing restless as they looked for that person they’d be kissing at the end of the countdown.

I grabbed the glass and tipped it back, emptying it in one gulp.

“It’s okay, bestie,” Lina said patting my free hand. “It’ll all be over soon.”

Yes, because I’d be going home to hide under my comforter. “Right.”

For some reason, I glanced at Aaron, and I found him smiling, too. I did a double take, taking them in for a moment. “Are you two… okay?”

Their twin smiles widened, making me wonder if they were high. Because Aaron had never ever grinned like this, like a… maniac, except for the day they got married, and because Lina kept saying weird stuff, looking at me funny. And it was all freaking me out.

Unless… unless they were just high on life and love and whatever this stupid night represented.

“I’m happy you’re… happy.” I checked my phone again. Ten minutes to go. “Can I get more champagne?”

“How’s Olly doing, by the way?” Lina asked through her psycho grin as she refilled my glass. Again.

I knew what she was doing—entertaining me, distracting me, because she had been going at it the whole evening—but I humored her. At least Olly was a topic that brought me some solace. “He’s good. Happy to be home.”

“Joe finally wrapped his head around what happened?”

“Took some time, but yes. Mostly, because no matter what happened, it doesn’t change the fact that Olly’s back.”

Lina nodded her head, her gaze warming. “He’s one big piece of bread, your dad.”

Aaron snickered. “That doesn’t translate literally, baby. You mean Joe is a teddy bear.”

My best friend rolled her eyes. “Yes, and Rosie got it anyway. You guys understand what I mean just fine.”

That made the corners of my mouth tip up because contrary to what she believed, I actually had no idea what she had meant. All I knew was that it had been something good because Lina adored my dad.

“And look”—Lina pointed a finger at my face—“I even got a teeny-tiny smile out of her. It’s the first one in weeks!”

That teeny-tiny smile fell off my face. “Anyway.” I shrugged. “I got Olly an interview with the contractor that took care of my apartment.”