I shrug my shoulders. “Nothing really. Just one of those days. I’m probably just tired.”
He raises an eyebrow at me like he isn’t buying it, but I look away and pretend not to notice.
What am I supposed to say? I can barely admit to myself that I’m all fucked up over my buddy’s younger sister.
I’ve never been this messed up over a chick before, and it’s starting to piss me off.
“I should probably take off,” I continue as I stand up. “Probably best to get a good night’s sleep tonight.”
Instead of sticking around to hear him call me on my bullshit, I walk into the kitchen and give Ma a kiss on the cheek.
“I think I’m gonna head out early tonight. I’m tired.”
She looks at me suspiciously, then takes my cheeks into her hands. “Are you sick? Is something wrong? What’s going on?”
“Ma”—I pull away— “I’m fine. I’m just tired.”
“You work too hard, Roman.”
That may be true, but it’s all I know. I learned it from my father.
My eyes make their way to all the containers of food on Ma’s counter, and I remember my conversation with Eva last week.
“Any chance I can take some leftovers home with me?” I ask casually.
It’s not exactly something I ask often. Ma’s weekly meals are my cheat days, but I generally try to keep a low-carb, high-protein diet throughout the rest of the week, unless I’m particularly feeling tempted.
“Of course you can.” Ma grabs a small container to put some of the braciole in the dish, likely knowing if I do take home leftovers, I ask for the protein.
I eye all the spaghetti carbonara, knowing full well that is what Eva would want. “How about some of the carbonara?”
“Is this for you?” she asks as she grabs another container.
“No, this is for Eva, Walker’s sister,” I answer, thinking honesty might get me out of here faster. “She lives in my building, and I promised her I’d bring her some leftovers. She’s a big foodie.”
The twinkle in her eyes doesn’t go unnoticed. I swear I see her planning a wedding already, but I’m not going to take the bait. I just watch as Ma grabs a massive container and excitedly loads it with all of her cooking.
Instead of telling her Eva is just one little person, I let her stuff it to the brim with food.
On the way back to my place, I start to think about Eva and our meeting today. I had talked myself into keeping my distance from her after our interaction at the club, but things changed when I noticed the way Drew was looking at her.
I’ve known Drew for a long time. He’s a great guy, and women fawn over him. If he wants Eva, there’s no reason he wouldn’t have a shot with her.
That pissed me off.
I could barely focus for the rest of the day as I kept picturing Drew and Eva together.
Now, I find myself standing in front of her door, waiting for her to answer, as I wonder how much longer I’ll be able to keep my physical distance.
The door swings open, and the answer should be clear when my body instantly tightens and heats up when I see her. Instead, Ilift the bag of food and ignore every warning sign my gut is trying to tell me. If we power past the awkwardness of taking things too far at the club, maybe we can get back on track.
Her eyebrows rise as she stares at the bag. “What’s in there?”
“I come with your requested leftovers.”
“No way. I didn’t think you would actually listen,” she says as she holds the door open for me to come in.
I walk straight into her kitchen and place the bag on the countertop, then begin to pull out the food. “When are you going to learn that if you ask for something, I’m going to give it to you?”