“Is there something wrong with your food?”
Adriana looked up from her perfectly cooked steak to where Parker’s jade-green eyes were assessing her quietly.
“No, my food’s fine,” she answered, taking a sip of her wine. “I’m sorry, I’m a bit distracted tonight.”
The candlelight flickered over Parker’s sculpted features as he nodded in understanding. “Let me guess. Roman and Maya?”
“Bingo.” She sighed. “Those two are way too stubborn. I’ve never had so much trouble playing Cupid.”
“If it makes you feel better, you’re the hottest Cupid I’ve ever seen.” Parker smirked.
She rolled her eyes at his cheesiness but smiled. “I bet you’ve seen a lot, huh?”
“Well, I don’t mean to brag…” he bragged.
Adriana snorted. “Ok, player. We all know you’ve had your fun. If you cheat on me though…” She waved her fork threateningly in the air.
“I would never. I waited too long for this,” Parker said seriously.
She almost melted in her seat. Who knew there would be a day when she’d succumb to Parker Remington’s charms? As she’d learned over the past few weeks though, those charms were just too irresistible.
“I just wish they’d admit their feelings to one another. Being in a relationship isn’t as horrible as some make it out to be,” Parker half-joked, cutting into his own steak.
Adriana nodded in agreement. “How’s Rome? Still moping like a baby?”
Parker shook his head. “He’s even more bipolar now than before. One day, he’s cleaning out his bar and muttering about how much his life sucks. The next, he’s flirting with every girl in a skirt.”
“And Maya refuses to even go near him. She practically runs away whenever someone brings him up.” Adriana threw her napkin on the table. “This is ridiculous. There are our friends. We have to help them.”
Parker cleared his throat. “Trust me, we’ve all tried talking to them. I would do it again, but I’m not suicidal. I’m far too young and good-looking to die.”
“You’re not too young and good-looking to go without sex for a month because your girlfriend is mad at you,” Adriana said sweetly.
Parker froze, then straightened up. “Ok, what’s your plan? I’m all ears.”
One hour later
“Talk to him? That’s your plan?” Parker exclaimed as Adriana rang the Fioris’ doorbell. “That’s the worst plan I’ve ever heard. We tried that already, remember?”
“Yes. You, Carlo, and Zack tried. I haven’t yet.”
“What difference does it make?”
“I’m a girl,” Adriana said simply.
The doors swung open, and the couple blinked in shock at the beautiful, elegant woman before them. Her black hair tumbled past her slim shoulders, framing a heart-shaped face with gold-flecked hazel eyes, high cheekbones, and red lips. She wore a pair of sleek satin Christian Louboutin pumps and a black silk Prada cocktail dress that stood out in stark contrast to her creamy alabaster skin. A pair of diamond studs glittered brightly under her earlobes, battling with the foyer’s chandelier for eye-catching brilliance, and for once, she looked sober.
Adriana was the first to recover. “Giselle, you look absolutely lovely, as usual,” she said smoothly, stepping forward to give Roman’s mother a double air-kiss.
“Adriana, my dear, you are too kind,” Giselle lilted with a small smile made a bit stiff from Botox. “Boarding school in Switzerland suits you.”
“Actually, Adriana goes to Valesca now,” Parker spoke up. “She just transferred this year.” He also gave Giselle a double air kiss. “Look at you. You look better than some of the twenty-year-olds I’ve met.”
Giselle smiled, obviously pleased. “Parker. Always the charmer.” She smoothed down the front of her dress. “Are you two here to see Roman?”
“Yes, is he home?”
A shadow crossed her face. “He’s in his room. I went to check on him and he seems to be quite—intoxicated. Gloria tells me it’s been a near daily occurrence. I am wondering if I should send him to the rehabilitation center in Arizona. I heard it does wonders.”
Adriana couldn’t help but think Giselle had gone to that center herself. She’d never seen Roman’s mother so coherent and sober. And she was actually answering the door herself? That had to be a first.
“I’m sure he’ll be fine. He’s just going through a phase,” Adriana assured her.
“I sure hope so.” Giselle patted down her hair. “You two go on up now. I am positively exhausted after that horrid flight back from Monte Carlo, and I’m supposed to meet up with Maria Tevasco for drinks later.”
Ok, maybe she wasn’t totally sober. At least, she was still drinking. It was a surprise that Carlo’s mom was also in town though. She usually spent this time of year at her family’s estate in Cartagena.
Adriana and Parker bid Giselle good night. When they arrived at Roman’s room, they were immediately bombarded with the smell of alcohol.
“What the hell?” Adriana crinkled her nose in disgust as she gazed around the room. It was littered with empty beer, vodka, and rum bottles, and Roman was sitting amidst the debris, slumped down in his custom-upholstered leather armchair. His hair was tousled and his eyes were bloodshot as he stared at seemingly nothing at all.
“Parker, honey, why don’t you wait outside?” Adriana said quietly.
Parker didn’t need to be asked twice.
Once the door shut behind him, Adriana made her way gingerly through the suite to where Roman was sitting. He didn’t look up.
She stared at him for a moment, then walked over to the fridge and pulled out an ice-cold bottle of water, unscrewing the cap before she returned to Roman. Calmly, she emptied the entire bottle over his head.
He immediately jerked out of the seat, though he didn’t stand up. “Adri! What the hell are you doing?” He glared at her, the most emotion she’d seen from him in the past few days.
“What does it look like? I’m trying to wake you up.” She set the emptied bottle on a nearby table and sat down next to him, smoothing her skirt primly over her legs.
Roman snorted. “Obviously I’m awake.”
“I don’t think you are. Look at yourself.” Adriana indicated the trashed room. “When was the last time you let the maids in here to clean?”
“None of your business.”
“It is my business!” She was this close to losing her patience. “When will you see that your stubbornness is affecting everyone? Not just you, ok? So stop being so selfish for once and get your act together.”
“Look, it’s my life, and I’ll do whatever I want. No one, not even you, can tell me what to do,” Roman ground out.
“Your mom’s home.”
His expression turned stony. “I know.”
“She’s sober.”
He snorted again. “She won’t stay that way for long. She’s probably drinking right now.”
“Like mother, like son, right? Drowning your sorrows in alcohol and running from your problems?”
Roman’s eyes crackled with anger. “Do not compare me to her, or anyone else in my family!”
Adriana shrugged, unfazed. “I will once you stop giving me something to compare you with.”
He sighed, slumping back down in his seat and running a hand through his messy dark hair. “What do you suggest I do, Adri? Act like everything’s normal?”
“No, I’m suggesting you act normal.” She pointed at him. “What happened to the Roman Fiori I know? The one who always gets what he wants because he refuses to give up until he does? The one who’s confident and sure of himself? I don’t see him right now. The only thing I see is a pathetic broken mess moaning about how he can’t get a girl.”
Roman gripped the armrests of his seat. “It’s a little more complicated than that,” he said through gritted teeth.
She was definitely at the end of her patience now. Adriana stood up and placed her hands on her hips. When she spoke, she made sure to enunciate each word clearly, so he knew exactly what she was saying. “There’s nothing complicated about it. You want Maya, right? So go get her! You’ve wasted enough time, and if you don’t do anything soon, I can’t guarantee she’ll be waiting when you do come to your senses.”
Roman’s jaw tensed. “She doesn’t like me that way. She told me herself.”
“Girls often say things they don’t mean. Trust me, I know.” Adriana slung her bag over her shoulder. “I’m done playing Dr. Phil for the evening. Take my advice or don’t take it, it’s up to you, but make sure you know what you’re losing if you don’t.”
With that, she walked out, leaving Roman to sit in silence once again.
* * *
“Thank you so much for driving me home. I feel so bad, always making you drive all the way out here,” I apologized, unbuckling my seatbelt as I smiled at James.
“It’s not a big deal. It’s worth it if I get to see you,” James said, winking at me.
I rolled my eyes but laughed. “What a charmer,” I teased.
We just had a dinner and coffee “date” that I enjoyed immensely, mainly because James had absolutely nothing to do with the Scions. We’ve been talking more and more lately, mostly on the phone, though sometimes I went to La Terra or he came to Valesca to hang out. Thankfully, he no longer tried to make a move on me, though he still flirted like crazy of course. I actually considered him a good friend now.
“I’ll talk to you later, then. Have a good night,” James said.
“Good night!” I waved to him before shutting the door of his car and treading the now familiar path to my guesthouse.
My parents were due back Sunday, which was just two days away, and I haven’t seen them or been home in so long it weirded me out a bit to think about it. Honestly, I am not too thrilled about having to see my dad again, because something still didn’t sit right with me about our little “keep quiet” arrangement.
I was so busy thinking about what was going to happen when my parents come back that I didn’t even notice Rico standing directly between me and the guesthouse. When I did notice, I let out a startled shriek and instinctively backed away.
“You sure spook easily,” Rico drawled, stuffing his hands inside his pockets as he eyed me.
I gulped, trying to appear calm and unruffled. I don’t think I succeeded. “Well, you know, I’m a girl alone at night. I’m just being cautious,” I laughed nervously, trying to edge around him.
Rico stepped to the side, blocking my way. “It is pretty dangerous for a girl to be out by herself so late at night,” he agreed, his eyes flicking over my dress. “Hot date?”
“I just went out with a friend. Actually, I’m really tired. I think I’m going to go to sleep.” Once again, I tried to sidestep him, and once again he blocked me.
“Why don’t I walk you back? Our security’s pretty good, but you never know.” He smirked.
Fear washed through me. “It-it’s ok. I’m sure I’ll be fine,” I stuttered.
“Scared to walk with me? What, do you think I’m going to rape you?” Rico’s voice was light, but his expression had darkened. He took another few steps until he was standing right in front of me, while I stood frozen by fear. “You know, you’re really hot,” he whispered. Now that he was so close, I could smell a trace of alcohol on his breath. “No wonder my brother’s with you so much. What do you two do all alone in the guesthouse, hmm?”
He ran a finger down my arm, but I was unable to answer. I couldn’t even speak. It was like my brain at shut down at the worst possible moment. Holy crap, he wasn’t going to sexually assault me or anything, was he?
Thankfully, I never found out, because Rico looked over my shoulder at that moment and stepped back, a small smirk on his face. “See you around, Maya,” he said rather suggestively, before turning to walk back to the main house.
When he left, I let out a sigh of relief as my muscles jump-started again. You guys are so useful, I told them sarcastically in my mind.
Someone placed their hand on my shoulder and I let out a shriek, whipping around with my handbag ready to whack whoever it was in the head.
“Whoa! Calm down, it’s just me!” James held his hands up, a familiar silver bracelet dangling from his fingers. “I think this fell out in the car.”
“Oh.” God, I was going crazy. When I placed a hand on my chest, I could feel the heavy pounding of my heart. “Sorry, I’m just a bit jumpy. Thank you.”
“No problem.” James handed me the bracelet, raising an eyebrow curiously in the direction of the main house. There was a strange expression on his face. “Who was that?”
“Carlo’s older brother.” I fastened the bracelet to my wrist again.
“That’s Rico Tevasco?”
I nodded. “Why? Do you know him?”
“He’s pretty infamous.” James hesitated, then added, “He was part of this gang a few years ago. They did some pretty horrible stuff. You know, drug trafficking, extortion, grand theft auto, probably even murder, though that was never proved.”
A chill went down my spine. “Are you serious?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Don’t worry though, all the members were put in jail after a huge bust two years ago. Well, all of them except Rico.” James’ face darkened. “Apparently he was the worst. I heard he raped a bunch of girls, and he beat the last one up so bad he almost killed her. But of course, he’s a Tevasco, so his father covered the whole thing up and sent him out of the country. And now he’s back.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe you’re living here with him. It’s not safe.”
By now, I felt sick. Was what James said true? Rico’s voice echoed in my mind. What, do you think I’m going to rape you?
The hairs on the back of my neck immediately stood up. “Carlo never told me,” I whispered. If he knew his brother had done all that, why didn’t he say anything? Why didn’t he even warn me, considering I was living here? My head spun with questions.
James snorted. “Of course he didn’t. The Scions don’t care about anyone except themselves.” His tone was bitter.
“That’s not true. Carlo isn’t like that,” I automatically said.
“You never know,” James mumbled. He glanced up at the night sky. It was darker than usual, since the moon was half-hidden behind a rather ominous-looking cloud. “How about I walk you back to the guesthouse?"
I nodded. “That would be great,” I said gratefully, unable to keep images of Rico killing someone from flashing through my mind. Suddenly, I was incredibly glad my parents were coming back on Sunday.
I made sure to stay close to James until we reached the guesthouse. Fishing my key out of my purse, I opened the door and flicked on the lights.
What I saw made me gasp.
Every available inch—and by that, I literally mean every available inch—of space was completely covered with flowers. Giant, lush bouquets of flowers. It seemed as though every floral species on earth was in here. Roses of all colors, tulips, carnations, orchids, forget-me-nots, sunflowers, violets, lilies, they were all there, their mingled scent coating the house in a sickly sweet smell that invaded my nostrils the moment I took a breath.
“Holy crap,” James breathed behind me. “Did you forget to tell me you’re opening a flower shop in here?”
I shook my head, unable to speak for the second time that night. How the heck did all these flowers get in here? Did Carlo do this?
“There’s a card.”
I whipped my head around, to see a heavy white envelope on the little table by the door. My name was engraved on the front in gold.
With shaking hands, I pulled the card from the envelope while James watched curiously.
Dear Maya,
I’m sorry for acting like such a jerk before. Give me a chance to make it up to you?
~Roman
I nearly fainted from shock. Was this someone’s idea of a joke? There was no way in hell Roman actually did this. It was probably Adriana or Zack who sent it in his name.
“Roman Fiori? I thought you weren’t talking to him,” James said with a deep frown when I told him who it was from. The strange expression crossed his face again.
“I’m not,” I answered flatly, glaring at the flowers.
I didn’t know for sure who sent them, but I knew I sure wasn’t keeping them.
* * *
As it turns out, Roman really did send those flowers. And how do I know this, you ask? Because he called me the next morning to ask if I’d received them.
Of course, being the smart person I am, I promptly freaked out and hung up on him without saying a word.
For some reason, that only seemed to make him more determined, and I got so many calls I contemplated blocking his number. I couldn’t bring myself to do it though. I just let my mailbox fill up so he couldn’t leave any more voicemails, none of which I checked. I also put my phone on silent so I didn’t have to listen to the incessant ringing.
I was so not ready to face him yet, because honestly, I don’t think I can trust myself around him. Try as I might, I’m still not over him, and it pissed me off.
On Sunday, Carlo helped me move back into my parents’ house, and I didn’t mention running into his brother. I was just so happy to be away from Rico that I didn’t feel like bringing the mood down by talking about him.
My parents were both tanned and happy when I saw them, and they’d brought back countless bottles of wine as well as some super-cheesy souvenirs like key chains and shot glasses. My dad tried to get on my good side by offering to pay for a plane ticket to California so I could experience it myself over winter break, but I declined. First, I didn’t want anything from him anymore. Second, California kind of pales in comparison to partying with supermodels in Hawaii, although I kept that opinion to myself.
When I went to school on Monday, it started off as a normal day. That is until I opened my locker, and found it filled with chocolate, my favorite. There was a whole mountain of it: bags of Lindt truffles, boxes of Godiva, and some other fancy European chocolates whose names I couldn’t even pronounce.
No need to ask who sent them.
This gifts continued throughout the day. When I went to English, I found my desk covered with original, autographed versions of my favorite books. In math, we had a substitute, and we ended up doing one of those worksheets where you solved problems and the answers corresponded with a letter to spell out a phrase. Guess what mine said?
PLEASE TALK TO ME.
I’m not even kidding.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little flattered, but the whispers of my classmates and the extra attention was really annoying.
By the time I got home, I was ready to tear someone’s head off. I couldn’t even find Roman at school to give him a piece of my mind, considering he seemed to be avoiding me. What kind of game did Roman think he was playing? I don’t know why, but the stupid, naïve part of me thought I’d get a reprieve from the incessant gifts at home. I was so wrong.
“Maya, sweetie, why don’t you go get that?” my mom suggested after dinner, as the doorbell rang. “I’ll finish cleaning up.”
“Ok,” I agreed, wiping my hands before making my way to the front door.
I peered through the peephole and almost fainted when I saw Roman standing there, but he wasn’t looking up. Instead, he was looking at something on the floor.
My skin immediately flushed and my heart started racing. Crap. I wanted to find him at school earlier, but now that he was right here, I realized I had no idea what to say to him. I couldn’t not answer the door though, since my mom already heard the bell ring.
Taking a deep breath and silently praying for strength, I slowly opened the door. Roman’s head snapped up, and my mouth went dry when I locked eyes with him.
“Hi,” he said a bit nervously.
“Hi.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “What are you doing here?”
An image of the last time he was at my house, wearing that ridiculous yellow Mickey Mouse shirt, flashed through my mind, and my mouth tugged up in a small smile, which I quickly erased.
However, he’d already seen it, and it seemed to give him a confidence booster because he cleared his throat and stood up a bit straighter. “I wanted to talk to you. You haven’t been answering my calls.”
“That’s because I don’t want to talk to you,” I replied simply.
When I saw that hurt expression cross his face again, though, I immediately wanted to take it back. Maybe I’m not as strong as I thought.
“Oh,” he said sadly, sounding very unlike himself. “Did you like the flowers at least?”
“They gave me a headache so I gave them away.” Roman’s face fell, making feel like a total bitch. I relented a bit, adding, “They were beautiful though.”
He brightened up a bit. “I’m glad you liked them.”
I sighed, suddenly tired. “Ok, Roman. Seriously, what do you want?”
The nervous expression came back. It was such a departure from the cocky, violent Roman I knew that I was tempted to check his forehead for a high fever. Either that, or he’d been abducted by aliens. Or maybe this was the good Fiori twin.
“I want to court you,” Roman said rather formally.
I burst out laughing, but I couldn’t help it. “Court me? What is this, nineteenth-century England?”
He turned red. “I’m serious, Maya. I know I’ve acted like a huge jerk in the past. I know that, but I want to make it up to you.”
I stopped laughing. He actually sounded serious. “Why?”
Roman’s violet eyes flashed as they held mine in a near trance, and my heart did a series of small flips. I don’t know why, but now I felt nervous.
“I’m going to be honest with you,” he said softly. “In the beginning, when I first met you at Stan’s party, I pretty much despised you. I was so upset that this girl I’ve never even heard of dared to stand up to me like that. Even after all the other students’ harassment, though, you didn’t break down, and that pissed me off, or so I thought. Now, though, I realize I wasn’t actually pissed. I was just confused because you made me respect you, and honestly you’re the first person I’ve ever really respected besides my friends. Still, I didn’t like you all that much, but after you started dating—well, fake dating—Parker, I got to know you better, and I realized how smart, and funny, and sweet you are.”
My head was spinning, and I had to clutch the door so I didn’t collapse right there on the floor. What was he trying to say? That he didn’t hate me like I think he did?
“So what does all that mean?” My voice was hoarse.
Roman looked frustrated. “It means—“ He sighed. “You know all those things I did? The flowers, the chocolate, everything? Let’s just say I’ve never done that before. I’m not exactly an expert on that kind of stuff.” His face was bright red at this point. “I wouldn’t do that for just anyone.”
I felt like there was a huge lump in my throat. “So what? Are you just playing a game with me? Trying to see if you can get me to go out with you or something?” I didn’t even know what I was saying, but my voice came out way higher than I expected or wanted.
Roman shook his head, looking even more frustrated. When he looked at me again, I saw sadness flickering in his eyes. It was all I could do not to throw myself in his arms and try to take that sad look away.
“I know the other night you said you never liked me.” The sadness deepened, making my own heart hurt. “Not even as a friend. And I know there are probably lots of other boys out there who want to be with you.” Roman swallowed. “But I guess I’m just here because, um, well, I would like it if you could at least consider me whenever, you know, you feel like you’re ready to date.”
I just stared at him, unable to comprehend what he was saying. No way. My pulse roared in my ears, and my face felt hot and prickly. I wouldn’t be surprised if I had a heart attack right then and there.
“I know I’m not exactly the ideal boyfriend,” Roman added quickly. “But I can try to change, you know? And you don’t have to answer me now. Just take some time to think about it, or you know, even date other people. If you want.” His voice cracked a bit at “other people.”
“So let me get this straight.” I had trouble getting the words out. “Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?”
Roman nodded, staring at my forehead like it was the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen.
Holy crap. Was he serious? I wanted him to be serious, more than anything else in the world, but how could I be sure he wasn’t just playing some sick, twisted game with me? I wouldn’t put it past him. He wasn’t even acting like himself right now.
“What about Solange?”
He frowned. “What about her?”
“Aren’t you together?” I asked bitterly, thinking about their kiss at homecoming.
“No, we were never together.”
“You certainly looked like you were at homecoming,” I said rather nastily, all the hurt I felt that night rushing back and making my heart ache painfully at the memory.
Roman looked embarrassed. “I only did that to make you jealous,” he said quietly.
“Right. That makes so much sense,” I said sarcastically.
He glared at me a bit, looking more like the Roman I knew. “What else did you want me to do? I wasn’t going to sit there by myself like an idiot while you were having so much fun with Carlo.”
I shook my head. “Roman. I don’t want to play any more mind games with you, ok? You have no reason to want me as your girlfriend or to make me jealous, so just—just stop with all this. The flowers, the chocolate, I don’t want any more gifts.”
I thought I heard him murmur something that sounded suspiciously like “Too late,” but it was in such a low voice I couldn’t be sure.
Roman ran a hand through his hair as he stared hard at me. “I'm not playing mind games. I wish—" He stopped, then sighed. "Can I ask you something? That night in Hawaii, in our suite. Was it all just ‘practice’ for you, or did you feel something?”
I felt myself turn white. No. There was no way. He couldn’t know. A strange buzzing sound filled my ears while my stomach clenched uncomfortably. It was all I could do to not slam the door in his face and run up the stairs to lock myself in the safety of my room.
Yeah, that wouldn’t be suspicious at all.
“N-no,” I stuttered, nearly choking on the words. I am such a bad liar.
Roman’s eyebrows drew together, and his eyes darkened so much they were almost black. “No?”
I shook my head frantically, but my hands were trembling, and I was sure he noticed.
“No.” This time sounded more confident than before.
“That’s a shame,” he murmured, as he took a step towards me.
I automatically stepped back, not liking the look on his face. There was fierce determination there, but also something else. Roman he grabbed my wrists and held me still as he closed the distance between us until—well, until there was no distance between us.
“What are you doing?” I squeaked, panicking. My wrists burned under his touch, and I could feel the impending heart attack looming ever closer on the horizon. “My—my parents are here, you know.”
“I don’t care.” Roman’s jaw was tense, and his whole body seemed to be emitting a strange sizzling heat that enveloped me like a blanket. He was so close...“You don’t seem to understand what I’m trying to tell you, so I’m just going to have to show you.”
Show me? What was that supposed to mean?
I didn’t have a chance to ask, because at that moment, Roman crashed his lips down on mine, causing my knees to buckle and strange colored lights to explode behind my eyes.
And that was when I knew my life would never be the same again.