My Roman: Boys on the Hill, #1 An Enemies to Lovers College Romance

by Rose Croft

  The piercing of my skin nearly set me off, but I gripped the marble counter biting my inner cheek to keep from screaming in agony. Minutes seemed like hours, and I’m certain I’d lanced my lower lip as my teeth dug in ruthlessly.

  Finally, fucking finally, jack-of-all trades, enforcer/surgeon-on-the-fly tied off the stitch and secured some gauze over it. “There.” He meticulously cleaned his tools and said, “Make sure you change the bandage and keep it clean. However, don’t let the wound get wet. Cover it up when you shower. Keep it dry.”

  I nodded and chugged another drink keeping a brave front, trying to numb the throbbing pain in my chest that still hurt like a bitch. I fought the urge to sag against the counter, but I told myself to stay strong. Then my thoughts jumped to Roman and it was as if I got my second wind and had never been injured. “I have to go to him.” I pushed past security guy and Taylor, fearing the worst. Needing to know he was still alive. He had murder in his eyes when he rushed Antoni. He tried to save me. Regardless of his shady motives that led up to this day, he’d warned me about being a pawn in this game, and he’d been true to his word trying to protect me.

  My adrenaline pumped through me as I passed through his father’s office door. I pulled up when I saw the large form of Taylor’s dad flanked by two more men in black in an awkward stare down with Mr. Martinez who looked less than composed. His face was reddened under his tanned skin, and his usually perfect, movie star hair with never a strand out of place was disheveled. He was rattled, although he pulled himself together and straightened his cufflinks and said, “It’s only a minor disagreement among family, Richard, nothing to be concerned about. You know, boys will be boys, and my sons were trying to settle a dispute.”

  A minor disagreement? My shock had subsided long ago at what Roman’s dad would say. He’ll get his, I thought. I glanced past the two older, stately men and saw Roman sitting on the sofa next to Antoni who had blood seeping down his mouth and his nose swollen and crooked. One eye was puffy and almost closed. Roman glared in revulsion at his father. When he shifted, he spotted me. His face softened as he shot up and strode my way. “Theodora.” He said my name in his husky baritone voice. One word. The way he said it, it meant a thousand different things, and I just wanted to fall into his arms. His words were a language I wanted to inhale and speak. I should’ve been cautious, should’ve doubted his motives, but he went after his brother to help me. His own blood.

  However, I would not let his family off the hook. I held up a hand causing him to slow his steps. He stopped in front of me with a caution I’d never seen before. When Roman wanted something, he took. But now, he was a little apprehensive. He should’ve been. I should’ve been.

  I turned away narrowing my gaze at Antoni. “You won’t get away with this. And Daddy can’t buy or bribe his way out of this either. I will seek justice for my mother and I. That’s the least we deserve.”

  Roman’s brother glanced up at his father with blood crusted on his mouth and face void of any emotion. “She was trying to blackmail you. Ruin our family. I was only doing what you couldn’t. Didn’t have the wherewithal to do. I only wanted to right this situation. It seems I’m the only one with a clear head around here. At least I didn’t lose my mind over cheap pussy.”

  “Antoni,” Mr. Martinez warned. “Don’t say another word.”

  “Why? I saw what happened. I saw how her mother tried to manipulate you. I heard the conversations you had. I. Knew. Everything. She was going to tear our family apart.” He leveled his eyes on me. Cold and empty. “It’s a shame the neighbor stopped by your mother’s apartment that morning before her life ended.” He stood up and clicked his tongue. “Addiction is such a bitch, isn’t it?”

  “It was you? You were there?”

  He clapped slowly as he spoke with derision dripping from his voice. “How astute you are. Give this girl a prize.” He tilted his head. “That car accident did a number on her didn’t it? Back problems, losing another job, dabbling with pain medication.”

  My hands closed over my mouth still stunned over what he did, the depths of his depravity although at this point I didn’t know why. “It’s over, Antoni,” Roman growled out. Tenseness radiated off his body.

  “What is this Robert? What the hell are you involved in?” Taylor’s dad stared at him.

  “I can explain,” he stammered.

  “It’s nothing more than what you do on a daily basis, Mr. Future Lieutenant Governor. We just do it on a smaller scale,” Antoni intervened leaning one hand on his father’s desk.

  “I don’t know who you think you are talking to me that way, but I would advise you to shut the hell up because you seem to be in deep shit as is. I am an honorable man, well respected in the community, in the state, I’ll—”

  “Well, I beg to differ,” Antoni interjected calmly and raised a pistol twisting the handle in his hand as he examined it in fascination. “I have more to say, and you will listen.”

  “Antoni, no!” Robert cried out.

  “This ends tonight, so turn a blind eye, Papá. It could get messy.” With gun in hand he extended his arm, taking aim…straight at me. His finger curled around the trigger. I had no time to ponder my death because I was thrown to the floor and heard the loud explosion of two shots fired.

  I shivered, as I stood squinting my eyes at the lights flickering around me outside wrapped in a blanket one of the EMTs gave me after having been examined for any more injuries. I watched two other men wheel a stretcher by us with the outline of a body well hidden under white sheets. Antoni. As soon as the shot went off one of Richard’s bodyguards aimed and fired back. One fatal shot changed a family dynamic forever.

  Roman and his father were standing off to the side talking to police officers. Mr. Martinez looked like he might faint at any minute. When he finally stepped away from the two men, he was distraught coming toward me with face sagging in what. Grief? Disbelief? Fear of this ordeal leaking out?

  “I’m so sorry. So sorry,” he murmured reaching tentatively out to me. “I loved your mother. When she told me she was pregnant, I was shocked. Neither one of us wanted to have another child, since we were older, and I was angry.” He shook his head. “I said some things I shouldn’t have, but I would never try to harm her. Antoni didn’t understand. He wasn’t thinking straight.” He swiped his palm over his face, and his shoulders sagged. “Oh God, Virginia tried to warn me.”

  I didn’t have words for him, didn’t think I ever would. Out of my peripheral, I noticed an officer approaching, ready to hear my statement, and I walked around Mr. Martinez saying nothing. He didn’t deserve my forgiveness. This night had taken a toll on me, and I just wanted to go home and curl up in my bed. Luckily, the party was long since over when everything went down. I felt like I’d relived this in my head a thousand times already this evening.

  Roman kept glancing at me as he spoke to a cop. When their conversation ended, he strode straight to me. His face paled as he stared down at the bandage peeking out midway from the bustline of my blood-stained dress. “I was so worried.” He brought out his hand; his fingers lightly traced the gauze covering my skin. “If anything would’ve happened to you.”

  “I’m fine,” I murmured. “You saved my life.”

  “It never should’ve come to this. I didn’t know.” He peered at me helplessly. “I told you I would protect you always.”

  “You lied to me.”

  “You think I wanted to?” he asked with no filter and was in my space like a grand meteor about to cause destruction. That was he. That was Roman in a nutshell. “I will never lie to you. Ever. Again.”

  “He loves you, Theo. Always has,” Taylor said quietly beside me. “I’m sorry for what I did. I was jealous of your relationship. I wanted to experience love too on my terms. I swear on my life I didn’t know Antoni’s plans.”

  I wanted to believe Taylor. I wanted to believe Roman. I wanted to hear the words from him.

  “What the hell is going on?” R
ichard finally interjected looking around like he’d just woken up from a bad dream and didn’t know whether it was true or not. He took a few steps closer with his arms spread wide waiting for an explanation.

  “Dad. Roman and I. It’s over.” Taylor ducked her head wringing her hands together. “The engagement. We don’t love each other. Never have.”

  “Taylor, princess, you’re just overwrought. You don’t mean it. Our families have been so intertwined—”

  “Stop with the bullshit, Richard,” Roman interjected. “Why don’t you listen to what she’s trying to say? You never listen. You have time to talk to thousands of people in a day. You stand patiently hearing their problems and sympathize, but you just can’t shut up and hear what your daughter, your only child, is telling you.”

  He laughed incredulously. “Son, know your place. Don’t you ever speak to me that way again. You’re dabbling with the hired help and have brainwashed my daughter to be supportive of whatever you do.” I let his condescending words go. Been there, heard that before. Nothing new.

  “Father, no, you’re wrong.”

  “Honey, you’re upset.” He patted her on the back before giving her the most awkward hug in the history of parental hugs. “Daddy will take care of this.”

  She shrugged out of his reach. “You don’t ever listen to me. You don’t even know me. Stop with this fake act. We’re not okay, we barely even speak!”

  Richard drew his brows together in annoyance. “Taylor, pull yourself together. You know better than to act like this in public. You think you’re an adult and are making a stand.” He reached out, and she shrugged away. “I don’t care how old you are. I am your father. You will listen to me and show respect.”

  “Respect?” she squealed eerily. “How can I respect someone who is never around? Who doesn’t even know his own daughter? I don’t want to marry Roman, Father, because I don’t love him. I’m in love with a woman. A woman, Dad. I’m gay.”

  His face twisted in disgust. “Stop. You want attention. You’re just saying this shit for shock value. Stop being an embarrassment to me.”

  His final words vibrated through the air, and Taylor’s eyes were wide in shock. Mine were too. Richard’s true colors finally showed. “Wow.” Roman laced his hand in mine. “Now, the real shit comes out. Too bad your constituents weren’t here to see what a homophobe you are. Not to mention, a shitty father. You and dear old Robert are running neck in neck in the race to be the biggest douche canoes on the planet.”

  “It’s over, father. I’m done hiding behind a lie.” Taylor turned stomping off.

  “Taylor,” Richard gritted out. “Get back here.”

  She kept walking and gazed over her shoulder leveling her father with a look of pure disgust. “Oh, and good luck with the election.”

  Soon, Sonya rushed up in panic. “Richard, do something,” she ordered.

  “I’m trying,” Richard retorted. “I told you we needed to be more firm with her, but you always allowed her to do whatever she wanted.”

  “Me?” Sonya’s eyes shot up in disbelief. “How dare…”

  Not caring to hear more of this sad melodrama, I released Roman’s hand and started off down the long driveway to my car. Soon, I heard heavy footsteps behind me. “Theodora. Wait.”

  I paused with hands wrapped around my stomach. “I just want to go home.”

  “Don’t withdraw from me.” His steps were slow and heavy as he approached closer. “I told you I’ll never lie to you again.”

  “I know,” I sighed heavily. I was almost convinced he meant it, but it still hurt what he’d done. “What am I supposed to do? Where do we go from here?”

  “Forgive me. Give me another chance.” He stood in front of me tipping my chin up gently to his eyes. He loves you…Taylor’s words played in my head. “I know I don’t’ deserve you. I may never deserve you, but I’m not giving you up,” he said softly. His tone wasn’t demanding or laced with the threat of breaking my will. In fact, if anything, he looked lost, vulnerable which was rare to see. My heart ached to hold him. To seek solace in his strength and give him comfort for all that we’d suffered.

  “So much has passed between us.”

  “I can make it up to you, if you’ll just give me a chance.” He cupped my cheeks. “I can’t lose you.”

  He gazed at me intently, and I was drowning in the dark depths knowing in my heart I could never lose him either. I found my voice fighting the hammering of my pulse. “I think I’d like to see you try.”

  Roman

  “You ready for the game?” Nick asked as he pulled his shoulder pads over his head.

  I closed my locker and dropped down on the bench. “Is this going to be a weekly occurrence before games now? You checking on my headspace before we take the field? This was week three of our daily touch-base sessions. I thought your major was business management, not sports psychology.”

  He smirked. “You’re such a dick. I wanted to make sure you were back on track.”

  “Like I said before. I’m golden, Pony Boy. You take care of you, and I’ll focus on me.” Why the hell I was engaging in this touchy feely convo was beyond me. Guess I was going soft.

  “Did Theo forgive your sorry ass, or do I need to intervene?”

  “No. Not unless you want me to rearrange your all-American face.”

  Nick chuckled. “I didn’t know you cared so much.”

  “I don’t.”

  “So you and Theo are good?”

  Another observation: Why was he so interested in my business? He really was turning into one huge vagina. I shrugged. “We’re working on it.” The past few weeks had been a whirlwind of trying to pick up the pieces of earlier sins brought on by my family. Despite everything, there was the messy fiasco of making Antoni’s funeral arrangements. Pops insisted on having a small ceremony closed to everyone but us. I didn’t want to attend considering I hated Antoni for what he did and didn’t feel much remorse for him being gone. Maybe I should’ve since he was my brother and blood, but I wasn’t there yet.

  Talking about what happened with Theodora was still a painful topic for both of us, and I didn’t want to tell her about Antoni’s ceremony, but I promised I would never lie to her again. My father still insisted he had nothing to do with what happened to Rhonda. No one would ever truly know except my brother. He claimed he loved Theodora’s mother, but it was hard to believe Robert Martinez could ever love anyone more than he loved himself.

  I thought about my mother, and she was the reason I showed up. She was fragile already, and I knew she was devastated over what happened. She blamed herself for being part of the problem, which I disagreed, but it was a moot point. She tried her best to create a loving environment for Antoni and me.

  I stood by her side as we listened to the priest conduct a graveside ceremony. Mom cried silently while Pops kept a firm hand on her shoulder. His thousand-dollar aviators kept his expression well-hidden. Seeing the cracks in his veneer the other night for the first time, I knew there was some sort of humanity in him, maybe. But he’d definitely closed the curtain tightly again with a stiff upper lip to boot ever since.

  His facade lasted up until the point we arrived home after the service and my mother said the words she should’ve said years ago, “I want a divorce.” My family was fucked up, and I was so glad to be moving on from this charade.

  Nick had no idea what had transpired. None of my friends did, and I wanted to keep it that way. I didn’t need anyone’s sympathy. Richard Shield’s was even better than my father at making stories go away. Which in this case worked in all our favors. We’d already relived it enough.

  My sole purpose was to get back into good graces with my girl. Although we were talking every day, I was trying to give her the space she needed and earn her trust. I also didn’t want to push or manipulate the situation. She was dealing with a lot of shit too, and I wanted her heart, not her submission. So, I was trying to be patient and give her time to come to me, which w
as a foreign concept since patience was never in my vocabulary.

  “That’s good, man. It’ll work out.” He slapped me on the back and stood up rolling his neck from side to side. “Now let’s go kick ass.”

  “Fuck yeah!” Axel passed by and flexed his arms in a wrestling pose. “You ready, boy?” he yelled in my face. “You ready?” he repeated slapping my shoulder pads. He always had limitless energy before game time and was the unofficial leader of pumping up our offense. This was his ritual.

  “Yeah!” I called out jumping up bouncing on my toes ready to follow the team out of the locker room down the tunnel.

  Dmitri strolled up adjusting his gloves. “Let’s destroy these motherfuckers,” he said in his droll voice.

  Nick, Axel, and I looked at each other about to crack up. “Bro, weren’t you the evil villain in the last Bond movie?” Axel teased.

  “Shut up.” Dmitri grinned as he walked away and we tagged along behind him. I couldn’t help but smile too. Despite everything that had transpired, it was good to get back to some normalcy and take the field with my friends again. It would be even better if I knew Theodora was in the stands watching me, but she had to work an evening shift at Duffey’s. How easily it could’ve been to step in and have her schedule changed, but again, I was trying to do things her way. It kind of sucked, but again…

  We broke the huddle and lined up in our spots. This was our last shot at the end zone with ten seconds left and we were behind by three. We were too far away to try a field goal. If we lost, our national playoff chances would be over. The margin for error for smaller colleges was basically nonexistent. We were at the fifty-yard line and everyone knew our only chance was to do a Hail Mary.