Eternal Flame (Mature 18+)

Chapter 19

           

In that moment, she knew what she wanted. She had to call Diego and tell him the truth.

Roman looked up at her and Kristen swallowed the cry forming in her throat. The look in his eyes had changed. His eyes were no longer vacant and tormented. They held life. Renewal. Appreciation. Hunger. It was the same hunger she had almost witnessed the night before but it was more intense. More primal. And it could only mean one thing...

They both involuntarily jumped as the phone began ringing again.

"Gotdamnit," he viciously swore as he yanked the phone up. He hit ignore and slammed it down again.

"Is that your ex?" Kristen quietly asked him.

He hesitantly looked at her for a second then nodded in the affirmative. "Yes."

"Does she want you back?"

A pregnant pause. "Yes."

Kristen swallowed hard and pushed a stray curl out of her eye. She avoided looking at him as she asked the next question. "Do you want her back?"

Just then, the waitress brought their food over and the subject was dropped. They blessed their food in joined silence then began eating. The phone rang again and Roman groaned angrily. He picked it up and shut it off. He placed it in his holster and resumed eating. Kristen lost her appetite and moved her food around on her plate. Roman noticed the tension blanketing her face and reached over to softly touch her hand.

"It's been over for a year," he softly insisted. "Really."

The fact that he felt he should explain himself to her was bewildering but reassuring.

"She broke your heart." It was a statement.

Roman took his hand away and sipped his juice. "She did."

"What happened?"

He started eating again and didn't answer.

This time she touched his hand. He stopped and looked up at her, his eyes leery. "Tell me," she gently urged him. "Please."

Roman sat his fork down on his plate and finished the rest of his juice in a slow gulp. He placed the empty glass to his forehead and closed his eyes, clenching his jaw. "I was gonna marry her," he momentarily began. "We were engaged after about a year of dating. Not long after I proposed, she told me she was pregnant. A few months into the pregnancy, she went into premature labor on my birthday last year. The baby didn't survive."

Roman placed his glass on the table then wearily leaned against the table on his elbows and put his mouth on his hands. He sighed heavily into them and squeezed his eyes shut. Kristen could tell the pain was still eating him alive and her heart went out to him. She put her hand on top of his and tenderly ran her fingers over his face. He stiffened but he didn't move.

He sighed heavily again and continued. "Not long after that, she admitted to me she was in love with someone else and didn't want me anymore. The baby was his. She had a funeral for the baby and even though I'd been her man for almost two years, even though I'd believed all that time the baby was mine, she wouldn't let me come to the funeral. She wouldn't let me come to the funeral. She wouldn't let me come to the funeral. She wouldn't let me..."

He stopped and sat up suddenly, hitting the table hard. Kristen jumped but kept her hand on his. She looked around at the other patrons and they were staring curiously, some of them whispering and pointing. She ignored them and continuing rubbing Roman's hand, coaxing him on.

"I can't even begin to tell you what that did to me," he said in a haunted tone, his eyes dimmed with hurt as he stared into space. "That almost took me out of here for real. It nearly killed me. Not just because of the baby's death. Not just because she'd cheated. But it was the way she behaved afterwards. She was so cavalier about everything. She stopped talking to me. She wouldn't return my calls. She blocked my number." He stopped and shook his head, rubbing his eyes hard with his fingers. "A couple of months ago, I felt like I was finally getting my life back. Getting to some new kind of normal, finding my way again. I still couldn't write anything but the guys and I started working on new music and it rejuvenated me. Excited me. We came up with this contest idea and I thought it was fantastic. Then, a few weeks ago, she started calling again.