The American Roommate Experiment (Spanish Love Deception #2)(15)

“There’s no such thing as silly when it comes to dreams. No matter how new or old they are.”

Those emerald-green eyes shifted to me with a new weight.

“Lay it on me, Rosalyn Graham,” I continued. “You don’t know this about me, but I don’t judge. Ever.”

Her chest rose with a deep breath. “I wrote and published a book,” she finally said. “A romance book. Over a year ago. Around the time I got the promotion.”

As if she was saying something completely ridiculous.

I frowned. “That’s amazing, Rosie. That’s more than amazing. It’s incredible, and not at all silly.”

“There’s… more to it.”

Nodding my head, I encouraged her to keep going.

“I self-published it, under a pen name, not my real name. And I didn’t tell anyone at first, except for Lina, because I… Well, I was scared my colleagues wouldn’t take me seriously if they knew I was writing what they’d consider steamy novels for bored housewives.” She sighed. “How stupid is that, huh? Instead of being proud of myself.” A shake of her head. “But I was scared someone would think less of my work as an engineer, or belittle my book just because it’s in a genre that’s so unfairly judged, or belittle me, because of something I love. Okay, not someone, but them, the guys at the office. Mostly men. Maybe even my dad, too. Society in general? I don’t know.”

Rosie seemed lost in thought for a second, then continued, her expression brightening a little. “Anyway. The book started getting some attention. Nothing huge, but more than I ever anticipated. It slowly but steadily escalated from there, until I was offered a book deal. And it was then that something in me snapped. I signed the contract with the publisher and quit my job, which is something very out of character for me. Taking leaps is not my thing. Making decisions without minimizing risks, without having the assurance that it will all work out is not something I’ve ever done. But dammit, it felt good. Terrifying but liberating. As if I had been waiting my whole life to be… free.” Her smile fell. “And then, it all went to sh—”

She stopped herself.

“It all went where?” I asked, realizing only now that I had inched forward in her direction. Over the table.

Rosie squared back her shoulders. “You’ve already met your question quota.”

“What?” I grunted.

“You’ve asked your five questions,” she explained. “So, no more for you.”

I had forgotten we were still playing this game.

“Me, on the other hand,” she pointed out with what I was pretty sure was satisfaction, “I’ve got two more questions.”

I leaned back on my seat. “I feel like I’ve been cheated here.”

Rosie’s lips tipped up the slightest bit. “I always play by the rules.” Her chin lifted. “So… what are your plans, Lucas?”

While that was a simple enough question, it somehow felt like a punch to the gut. Because it only reminded me of the truth: I didn’t have a plan. I was no longer a man who thought in terms of plans. I was No Plan Lucas. “Nothing special. Just… tourist stuff.”

Silence settled between us as she weighed my curt answer.

I cleared my throat. “You’re down to one question.”

It only took her a few more seconds of scrutiny, and then she said, “Why weren’t you at Lina and Aaron’s wedding?”

My eyes widened. Her question had caught me completely off guard. Memories of the weeks preceding the wedding poured in, stealing the breath right out of me.

Rosie, who must have seen everything playing in my face, hesitated.

“Lucas—”

“It’s fine,” I cut her off. I could play by my own rules. One question, one answer. No matter how long or difficult it was. “I couldn’t attend,” I forced out, feeling like it was hard to breathe. “I was not able to make it in time. I…” I blew out a shaky breath. “I was—”

I shook my head.

Long, short, easy, or hard, I didn’t seem to have an answer for her. Because how did one finish a statement that represented everything they were running away from? Hell if I knew.

Something warm brushed the back of my hand, pulling me out of my head.

Looking down, my gaze stumbled upon five long and delicate fingers loosely wrapped around my hand.

“Hey,” I heard her say, my eyes glued to our hands. “You couldn’t go. That’s a valid answer, Lucas. You played by the rules.”

Torn between shaking her off and turning my hand to lace my fingers through hers for no other reason except because I needed the physical contact, I needed the closeness of another human being, I settled on neither.

I went for what I did best.

I pulled myself together and gave her a grin I hoped did the trick.

“Our five questions are up,” I told her. “What time are you leaving for Philly?”

Her lips parted, but before she could give me an answer, her phone rang. She fished it out of her bag and looked at the screen with a frown. “Sorry, I better get this.” Picking up the call, she brought it to her ear. “Hey, Dad, is Olly—”

She was silenced by whatever was being said on the line.

Her eyes widened, panic etching in her otherwise soft features. “You what?” She breathed out. “An ambulance?”