Roman

twenty-one

Hello beautiful readers! Hope you are all staying safe and healthy. Just a side note, I changed Matthew's appearance so if there is any confusion that is why i.e. he does not have blue eyes. I just forget to edit the last chapter, but I have fixed it. Anyways, comment, vote, all those things.

I jerk awake at the feeling of the plane touching down on the runway. I stop the music that was still playing through my headphones and stretch my arms up until they touch the ceiling of the plane. My muscles ache from sleeping in the cramped space, but sleeping is the only way I can stand traveling. The little girl sitting next to me in the window seat that was engrossed in her iPad the whole ride looks up with wide eyes. I feel bad that she is traveling alone. I shoot her a small smile which makes her look down with a blush, she is so cute.

Feeling like a stalker but also worried, I stay with the girl as we exit the plane and watch to make sure that she gets to whoever is picking her up. I watch her run into her father's arms as he picks her up and spins her around. An ache in my chest starts up. I want a kid of my own. I know that it isn't going to be in the near future, but I wish it could be. Even if I was on my own to take care of the baby.

I jump when a heavy arm comes around my shoulders. I look up at Roman, who drags his eyes away from the little girl and her father. When his eyes meet mine, they hold a look of longing that disappears quickly as his eyes sweep over my face. He shoots me a bright smile ad squeezes my shoulders against his side. His smile is contagious. Suddenly, I'm reminded of the butterflies that I have been missing this past month.

"Come on kid, Naomi will throw a fit if we aren't waiting outside her gate."

I feel as if a weight has been lifted off my chest. I am back where I belong. For now, I push away the negative thoughts about everyone else moving on and leaving me behind. I have to enjoy the next couple of weeks because it is all I will get until spring break.

He doesn't take his arm from around my shoulders as we walk towards Naomi's gate. The gesture feels like it could be romantic, but could also simply be friendly. I try not to read into it. It hurts that he didn't text me or anything over the past month. I have accepted that he never felt anything romantic for me and was just needing someone to be there for him after him and Cassey broke up. I honestly thought I was over it, but now that I'm here with him, I know that I'm wrong.

The weekend after the party, Matthew invited me to the big game, he even got me and Dani really good seats. I really enjoyed it despite not really knowing what was going on. I also went on an almost date with him during finals. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to call it a date, but it was just the two of us and we talked for about two hours. It was a nice stress relief; we got coffee and people watched as people slipped on the same path of ice outside the testing center.

I learned that his last name is Bell, he is the back-up back-up kicker, that he's not on scholarship, and that and never gets play time, but he still has to go to all the away games, which sounds like a bummer. He's a sophomore and is a history major, but is also getting a minor in Afroamerican and African studies, which sounds so cool, because has always been fascinated with his culture. He wants to be a teacher; he said he wants to teach high school in under privileged areas and he wants to do everything he can to raise the standard of public education up. He is amazing. He is so passionate that it makes me want to do something for all the kids that went through what I did.

Roman sits us down as we wait for Naomi to land, his warm arm falling away from my shoulders. Missing the warmth, I sneakily shove my bag on the other side of me so that the sides of our arms touch as we sit in the airport, which isn't hard considering his shoulders are so wide. God, when did I get so bold? Sitting here with him reminds me of a month ago when we sat in this same airport, waiting to leave each other.