All I've Never Wanted(84)

“Fascinating.”

Any other day, Roman would’ve questioned Zack’s unusual snarkiness, but right now, he was too focused on the rose Maya had left on the table.

“So, Carlo, did you give that to her?” he asked casually, leaning back in his chair as if he didn’t care about the answer.

His friend didn’t even blink. “Yes.”

“That’s a bit tacky, isn’t it?” Roman sneered. “I mean, I thought people usually tried to get laid after prom, not homecoming.”

“Roman!” Parker’s voice was sharp, but Carlo shook his head, gazing steadily at Roman.

“I’m not trying to get in her pants, Roman.”

“Oh, really?” His grip tightened on his glass. “Judging by the way you two were dancing out there, I find that a bit hard to believe.”

“Not every guy has sex on their mind, Roman,” Carlo said calmly, infuriating Roman even more. “Besides, you might want to pay attention to your date instead of mine. Solange didn’t look like she was having too much fun."

“Yeah, well, she’s my date, so I can do whatever the hell I please,” Roman snarled.

“And Maya’s mine, so I can do whatever I please. Although, I have to say, you need to stop making her uncomfortable.”

Roman narrowed his eyes. “And if I don’t? What are you going to do about it?”

This time, a challenging look flashed across Carlo’s face. His voice was quiet but threatening. “You don’t want to know.”

* * *

“Are you guys ready?”Venice asked, grabbing a paper towel from the dispenser and wiping her hands.

“I am.” Cynthia, Zack’s date, smiled brightly. I’d been surprised by how friendly she was, though I supposed I shouldn’t stereotype all models as stuck-up snobs.

As much as I hated to admit it, even Solange was pretty nice. She wasn’t exactly the brightest bulb in the chandelier, though, if you know what I mean.

“Maya? You ready?” Adriana tilted her head.

I swallowed, turning the faucet on and off. “Um, in just a moment. You guys go ahead first, I’ll meet you out there.”

She gave me a curious look but thankfully didn’t say anything. “Ok. I’ll see you in a bit.”

One by one, the other girls left the bathroom, and the moment the door closed, I slumped against the counter, breathing a sigh of relief.

The truth was, I just didn’t want to go out there and face Roman again. More specifically, I didn’t want to face him and Solange together again.

I swallowed hard, my heart panging as I thought about them. They looked good together. Better than I would ever look with him…

No. Stop it. Don’t think about it, don’t think about it, I silently chanted, but I couldn’t stop. I’d vowed not to let him ruin my night but it turns out I was just fooling myself.


It didn’t help that all the progress we’d made lately seemed to have disappeared. Roman had barely talked to me all night. He hadn’t even looked at me.

I bit my lip. To my horror, I felt tears spring up in my eyes. Out of all the guys in this world, why do I have to like him? I thought bitterly. He was the worst person to have a crush on. It had been so much easier when I hated him.

I still remembered how I felt when I first saw him standing there, waiting for us, earlier this evening. He’d looked…perfect, and for the briefest moment I’d imagined that was waiting for me. Then I saw Solange, and it all came crashing down.

Of course he wasn’t waiting for me. He had his own perfect, beautiful supermodel date, and I was just some charity case living in his house.

I sniffled, trying my best not to cry and ruin all the hard work Adriana had put into my makeup. Most of all, I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. I’ve never cried over a guy, and I certainly wasn’t about to start now.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, counting to ten and trying to push all thoughts of Roman out of my mind. Once I felt I was calm enough, I pushed open the bathroom door and started to walk back to our table.

On the way there, I caught sight of a couple making out against the wall. I frowned. Whoa, PDA much? They looked like they were about to rip each other’s clothes off.

When I got closer though, I realized the guy looked exceedingly familiar from the back, even though I couldn’t see his face due to the fact it was attached to his girlfriend’s. There was something about his hair, and the build...

And then I saw the girl’s dress. A slinky red silk number I’ve definitely seen before—because Solange had been wearing it.

I sucked in an unsteady breath, my legs suddenly feeling wobbly. No. It couldn’t be…

At that moment, the guy lifted his head, his stormy gold-flecked violet eyes locking onto mine.

I let out a small, involuntary gasp as I gripped my clutch so tight my fingers became numb. My face flushed, my heart threatening to burst out of my chest as pinpricks of pain danced across my skin.

A cruel smirk slashed across Roman’s face as he cupped Solange’s face in his hands. Without ever taking his eyes off from mine, he drew the Brazilian into another rough, passionate kiss.

It was as though all the breath had been knocked out of me. My stomach churned, making me feel as though I were about to throw up.