No answer came from her. And I hated that I had snapped like that and couldn’t see her face in the dark.
Only when I’d given up and thought she’d fallen asleep, she spoke, “I wish you’d attended Lina and Aaron’s wedding, Lucas. I…” She trailed off, what sounded like a shaky breath chasing her words. “I really wish I’d met you that day.”
My chest constricted.
And I thought about that for the first time. That alternative reality where we—Rosie, the maid of honor, and Lucas, the bride’s older cousin—would have met and perhaps had a glass of wine or two. Maybe a dance. Hopefully a little more than just that. God knows I would have tried.
But I wasn’t that man anymore. I couldn’t… hope for more with anybody when I didn’t even have my own shit together. And we were friends, roommates. And I loved that. Spark or not, I loved having Rosie in my life.
For now, I reminded myself. Because in three weeks I was going to leave.
And that was something I shouldn’t forget.
Whatever existed between us didn’t change the facts.
And I’d been dead serious when I told her she deserved more.
* * *
My leg acted up during the night.
And that meant a longer than necessary shower.
After weeks of traveling and staying on my feet almost all day, a long day like yesterday had this kind of effect.
It was the price to pay for ignoring physical therapy and skipping more than a third of the sessions advised. But what point was there? I’d been told since I’d woken up in that hospital bed in France that there was no going back to hundred for me. So, I just… didn’t bother trying. I let them do whatever they needed to and the moment I could walk without an obvious limp, I went home. Home.
Taco’s image flashed in my mind.
But besides my best friend, and my family, what did I have left in Spain to call it home? The feeling of belonging had dulled since the accident. It was as if something was missing. It no longer called me back. And I had no family of my own. No one I called mine and longed to go back to. With all the traveling and demands of my career that had never… happened.
With a shake of my head, I turned off the water and wrapped a towel around my waist before stepping out of the bathroom. Feeling strangely weary, I came to the decision that I’d ask Rosie if she minded having me around today. Even she was planning to write, I could be quiet and keep to myself.
I threw the bathroom door open, and my gaze immediately zeroed in on my roommate as she stood there in her sleeping shorts and tee. Dios, those shorts were going to be the end of me one of these days. “Morning, Ro—”
“Te voy a matar.” The threat to my life cut my words right off. It came from somewhere to my side and it was delivered by a familiar voice that shouldn’t be here. Unless—
“Lucas, ?qué está pasando aquí?”
The query was sputtered, and it was only then that I noticed Rosie’s face. The warning. The pained expression.
I turned very slowly. “Hola, prima,” I said, welcomed by Lina’s contorted face. My eyes jumped to the man standing beside her. His eyes were on me and while they looked a little less murderous, they still managed to be threatening. “Nice to meet you, Aaron,” I continued. “Congratulations on the marriage to this little treasure here.”
Aaron didn’t even give me a dude-nod; he just cocked a brow and greeted me with a curt, “Yes.”
Yes, to what exactly, I had no idea. But by the looks of it, it probably meant that a double ass whooping was in the cards for me today.
A strange sound came from my cousin, returning my attention to her. “Why are you roaming around half naked?” That last word was a high-pitched squeak. I looked down, taking in my bare chest, the towel wrapped around my hips. My mouth opened, but Lina let out another strangled sound, stopping me. “Why is my best friend here, in her pajamas, so early in the morning, with you”—she paused—“half naked?”
“Lina,” Rosie interjected, coming to my side quickly. “It’s not what you think.”
Lina’s forehead vein, the one I had memorized from when we were kids, pulsed. “It’s not what I think?” she asked before pointing a finger at me. “Is he wearing some kind of invisible sweater?”
I snorted, and I felt Rosie’s elbow on my side. On reflex, without even thinking about what I was doing because I hadn’t even had my goddamn breakfast and not thinking seemed to be my thing lately, I grabbed her arm and muttered, “Not nice, Rosie.”