Page 11 of Teaching Roman

Chapter Six

Two hourslater it hit me that I’d been robbed. Apparently, being the victim of a petty crime had a delayed emotional reaction that wasn't quite shock. Instead of going numb I dissolved into a puddle of tears on the floor of the villa that Trevor’s credit card was graciously paying for. Any other time I’d probably be lecturing Cassie on her financial revenge scheme, but right now I was in a foreign country without my own underwear.

Cassie dropped down next to me and rubbed my back. “You have your passport and computer, right?”

“Yeah,” I blubbered. “But my favorite jeans were in there and my make-up and my toothbrush.”

“We’ll buy you a new toothbrush and new favorite jeans. Fuck the make-up. You don’t need it.” She was both comforting and mildly alarming, which made me feel better.

I nodded even as more tears streaked down my cheeks. My fingers massaged the cornflower blue rug underneath me. I focused on the feeling of the soft fibers on my skin, willing myself to get a grip. “This is a really nice rug.”

“It is,” Cassie said, managing not to laugh at me. “You should nail Roman on it.”

“Oh my god, Cass! I’m not going to nail Roman.” By my count, she'd made at least four remarks an hour about me hooking up with Roman since he'd shown up on our flight. It was going to be a long week if she kept up at her current rate. “And when did you become a twelve year-old boy? You’ve said nail so much I want to invest in a hammer.”

“What would you prefer? Screw? Bang? Make love?” She fluttered her eyelashes. “Because to get technical, you want him to insert his C into your V.”

Despite myself, I laughed. The tears started to dry, tightening the skin on my cheeks. The combination made me feel tired. “None of the above.”

“But you broke-up with Brett, and I want a size report. What’s Professor Markson packing under those khakis? Inquiring minds want to know.”

“Things are complicated with Brett.” It was clear from his texts that he regretted calling things off, but the further I got geographically from him, the more certain I was that I could never marry him.

I wanted to remind her that neither of us should be jumping into a new relationship yet, even if it was just a fling. But Cassie was distracted by the thought of Roman and me. It was giving her something else to concentrate on besides how bad Trevor had screwed up. Her reaction to Trevor's infidelity had been fairly mild so far—by Cassie standards—and I wasn't sure that I wanted to see what would happen if I riled her up. She was scary when she was angry. Besides, we were in Mexico and I wanted her to enjoy herself. We could have eaten ice cream and stayed in our pajamas in Olympic Falls.

“I think you're missing out on a golden opportunity,” Cassie said.

“I will keep that in mind,” I said. Even if she was delusional, Cassie had managed to cheer me up without my realizing she was doing it. All because she had brought up Roman. I wasn't about to tell her that though. She'd never let go of the idea of us getting together if she knew that the mention of his name was enough to put a smile on my face. Of course if I was being honest, it did a lot more than that.

Cassie stood and grabbed my hands, pulling me up to my feet. “I don't know why you're so against it.”

“Because it's against the rules,” I said.

“What rules? You aren't his student,” she said.

“I'm pretty sure there are rules about this.”

“I'm pretty sure you're making up excuses to prevent me from finding out what Roman is like in bed.”

“You're single. Why don't you nail him?” I asked, but as soon as the glib remark slipped past my lips I wished I could take it back. It was exactly the kind of thing I was hoping to avoid.

Good job, Jess.

Cassie turned away like I had slapped her in the face. Her fingers clutched the tattoo on her opposite wrist. I'd managed to remind her that she was single, which had make her think of Trevor, just so I could avoid the topic of Roman. Suckiest best friend ever.

“I'm sorry,” I said, but as I reached out to hug her, she took off for her room.

“I need to unpack,” she said without another glance at me, but her voice cracked with tears. “I’ll leave some clothes on your bed.”

I considered going after her, but I knew she didn't want to talk. She wasn't usually the type to run off and avoid people. That was more Jillian’s or my style. Cassie liked to call you out when you were being an asshole—and I was being a first-class asshole by her standards. If she needed space, the least I could do was give it to her.

Instead of knocking on her door and trying to reason with her, I focused on acquainting myself with the villa. I couldn't imagine how much it cost to stay here. Cassie had five star taste, so it was no surprise this place dripped with modern luxury. It had two bedrooms linked by a small sitting room and kitchenette. Everything was minimal and modern. Stainless steel appliances set into white European-style cabinetry. Low, tapered couches faced each other in the living room with a carved driftwood coffee table nestled between them. The walls and furniture were white as well. Blue pillows and rugs accented the pale decor.

There was a bank of floor to ceiling windows merged seamlessly with a glass door that opened onto a patio overlooking a sandy beach. We had an ocean in Olympic Falls, but not like this. It might have been cooler if I wasn't terrified of the water, but I was willing to bet the sand outside my door was soft and hot. I'd grown used to the rocky shorelines of Washington, but I had no desire to have a thousand pebbles under my ass, so I mostly studied indoors at Olympic State. Tomorrow I might dare to venture out into the sun to read.

I hadn't even bothered to check out my own room since I had no bags to drop off. Wandering into it, I noted that I had a rather plush king-sized bed which was a huge upgrade from my double back home. Not that I needed much space since I was sleeping alone. The walls were painted in the same creamy white, and sheer curtains hung along my windows. Walking over to them, I pushed one open. The salt of the ocean greeted me and I breathed it in as the rhythm of waves echoed in the room. I loved the idea of the ocean even if I was too scared to go in it. But the sound of the crashing waves was calming, and considering my recent meltdown followed by my screw up with Cassie, I decided to leave the window open in an effort to relax. I picked up one of the pillows, thinking a nap was in order just as I caught sight of the bathroom.

It was irresponsibly fancy.Most of my hotel stays had been at the Holiday Inn, so I usually considered a curved shower rod an upgrade. This was in a whole other league. The floor was covered in tiny, glassy-blue tiles that shimmered in the light. But what was most impressive was the deep, two-person tub in the center of the room. It looked like a modern claw-foot tub without the claws. And I had it all to myself. I ignored the tiny pang at the thought. Maybe having a two-person tub to myself was kinda sad. Maybe I could get Cassie to join me in a bubble bath once she had forgiven me. On the other side of the bathroom there was a large walk-in rain-shower. Also obviously built for two. It was official. I was in the most romantic place on Earth, and I was single. There was only one thing to do. I'd traveled across the country, made it through customs, been robbed, ran into the teacher I was crushing on, and pissed off my best friend. A shower seemed like a pretty damn good idea.