Roman

twenty-two

Hello my lovely readers. So I have been working on making my updates longer because we all know they need to be, so bear with me. I hope you guys like the update. Comment, vote, you know the drill; don't be a silent reader.

"So, Miller, what are you majoring in?" My first instinct is to ask how him and Naomi met, but I catch myself, knowing that it will only cause problems.

"Oh, I'm a mech-e," he says. I can't tell if he always sounds like he doesn't have a care in the world, or if he just thinks that it will somehow prove himself to Roman.

"Mech-e?" I ask, confused.

Roman lets out a little laugh. "Mechanical Engineering, kid."

"Oh." Suddenly I feel dumb. I'm reminded once again that I am the only one here that is not an engineer.

"We have a few classes together," Naomi chimes in. She is sitting in the back seat with Miller, while I sit in the passenger seat, stealing glances at Roman.

Silence swamps the car. Well, I tried. The car is filled with a tense energy, all thanks to Roman, who keeps the radio muted and drives with white knuckles. I feel awkward being caught up in the drama between the two siblings, like I don't belong. I can already feel Naomi and I drifting apart. How long before she stops coming home and I have nowhere to go? Can I stay with her parents when she isn't there?

My phone buzzes in my lap and I look down to find a notification from Naomi.

Please don't be upset about this okay.

And please talk to Roman once we get back to the house.

I will take Mills to meet my parents and you two will have some time together.

He will talk to you.

Blushing, I look back at Naomi, who gives me a promising smile and a thumbs up.

When we get back to the house, Roman helps to unload everyone's bags. Naomi leads Miller to the guest room to put his stuff down, while I take my things to Naomi's room. We still share her bed whenever I am here. How long before that changes?

Roman trudges up the stairs behind me carrying both his and Naomi's bags. I gingerly step out of his way as he tosses Naomi's bag on the bed with more aggression than I was expecting. I watch the bag bounce on the bed until it stills, but when I look up, Roman has already left the room. His retreating from disappears into his room, his shoulders tense and his feet heavy.

I follow him to the doorway of his room. "Are you okay?" I ask while leaning against his door frame.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Roman..."

"What? I said I was fine." He refuses to look up at me while he unpacks his bag, tossing his things into his closet.

Deciding not to push it, I come to sit on his bed while Naomi's words circulate in my head. I sit silently, watching Roman toss his things onto the floor of his closet, unpacking his entire bag withing a minute or so.

He drops the empty bag to the floor and comes to sit next to me on the bed. He sits close enough that his added weight dents the bed, and I fall slightly toward him. He lets out a sigh, and I hold back a laugh at his dramatic behavior. It's not often that Roman really gets upset, so I'm not sure how serious I need to take this.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to snap."

"It's okay."

A silence settles between us as we both stare out of his door and Naomi's room across the hall. In a way, we have both lost something since she walked off that plane with a boy. I think everyone thought that Roman and Cassey would be the first 'happily ever after' in the family for a long time, and this is the first break that Cassey won't be around. Now Naomi is the one that seems closest to her happily ever after. I know that I have never been in the race, but now I feel even more like I am dead last. I am convinced that even Theo will be married before me.