by Melody Eve
Without looking at me, he pours both of us a glass of wine while he stalls.
“Roman, answer my question.”
He holds his glass to his lips, and I watch the Pinot Noir slide down his throat. “I was simply agreeing with you.”
“No, you weren’t. You know something.”
He rests his knife and fork neatly on the edges of his plate and looks directly at me. “Aria, the reason I can tell you with such assurance and confidence that I love you is because I have been in love with you for six years. I helped you with your loan for the bookstore, and instantly I knew you were mine. Except, you were seeing that oaf, David, so technically you weren’t mine, you were his. I didn’t interfere as it was obvious to me that he was not good enough for you. It was only a matter of time before he fucked up, and you left him. But he was better at keeping his infidelities a secret than I gave him credit for. There was always the nagging feeling that you did know and just didn’t care because you wanted to be married to a professional athlete at any cost, but I couldn’t allow myself to believe it. You were too smart, too easy-going. You were never the sort of girlfriend or fiancé who demanded to be right alongside him in the spotlight.
“I watched you, made sure you were safe and unharmed. The building you live in is deplorable. I had many things fixed that wouldn’t have been otherwise. I considered buying it at one point when the owner wouldn’t perform much-needed maintenance on the elevator but ended up paying for it to be done myself.
“David wasn’t right for you. Lynn wasn’t his first discretion, but when he asked you to marry him, I knew she had to be his last. I hired a private investigator to follow him.”
I gasp as realization hits me hard. “You sent me the photographs?”
“I did. I couldn’t watch you walk down the aisle and marry that man knowing what he was doing to you behind your back.”
“So, our meeting in Cancun wasn’t a coincidence.”
“The moment we met was absolutely a coincidence. I had hoped you would take your honeymoon trip alone. I was there for business, but I was also there hoping to bump into you. The way it happened only proved further that we are fated.”
Anger boils up inside me searching for an escape. I feel betrayed all over again, this time by someone who matters to me. He lied, he presented himself as a stranger when he’s been manipulating my life for years.
I throw off the sheets spilling some of the food on my tray and storm to my bag. I dig out a pair of leggings and a t-shirt, grab a bra and underwear, and return to the bathroom. I lock the door and dress.
“Aria, come out of there. Talk to me. Everything I did was to keep you safe. I never crossed a line until you were going to marry that douchebag.”
He knocks on the door, and I look at it with blurry eyes. I’m angry and confused. I need space and time to think.
“Roman, if you love me like you say you do, you need to give me some space to think about this. Let me walk out of here and clear my head.”
He is quiet while I dress. The leggings hurt when I pull them over my tender skin. My head aches when I pull a brush through my hair, and I can’t see if my face is presentable through the blur of tears in my eyes.
When I’m ready, I place my cheek on the door with my palms flat on either side of my head. “Roman?”
“Yes,” he says sounding like he is directly on the other side of the door.
“Please, let me leave.”
“Only if you promise to come back when you’ve cooled off.”
“I promise.”
“Okay, I won’t try to stop you.”
I hear him move away from the door, and then the bedroom door clicks shut. I open the door and step out. I can’t believe only half an hour ago I exited this same room so differently. I hadn’t been happier in my life. Now I have never been more confused, not even when I got the photographs of David and Lynn. At least then I knew where to focus my anger and what to do about it. This situation is different.
I slip on a pair of flip-flops and gather up my phone and purse. I take my passport from a pile of things on the dresser and put it in my purse just in case I decide to go home. I don’t care about my bag. It’s clear that Roman would know where to deliver it if I left London. He’s been watching me for six years!
I touch the doorknob with apprehension. Will he try to convince me to stay when we are face to face? Will he stronghold me and force me to listen to him? I wouldn’t put either past him at this point.
I open the door and glance around the room for him. He’s not here. I look again to be sure, and the room is still empty. A part of me is disappointed that he isn’t here, but anger propels me to the door.
When I’m in the lobby, I realize I have no idea where to go. I’m in a foreign country with no friends or family to run to. Or am I? I have Leeza’s phone number in my contacts, and although she may side with her brother, I felt a strong kinship with her that leads me to think she can be objective.
I step outside into the night and my stomach growls. I think of the perfect meal Roman ordered going to waste back in the hotel room and regret not eating before I left. Now I can add hunger to my list of discomforts.
I press Leeza’s name on my phone and wait for her to answer. She grabs it on the second ring. “Aria, are you okay?” She sounds anxious. Has he already called her?
“Yes, I’m fine. Just wondered if you had time to meet me for a drink tonight. I take it Roman has already called you.”
“Yes, he’s sick with worry. I don’t know what’s going on, but yes, I’d love to meet. I know the hotel you’re at. Meet me down the street at Billie’s. It’s a pub, but it’s nice, not a hole in the wall. I’ll be there in fifteen, does that work?”
“Thank you, really. You don’t know how much this means to me.”
“Mmm, I might. I mean, I don’t know what’s going on specifically, but I do know my brother, and he can be a little… off.”
Off. That’s one way to put it. “Still, I’m grateful to have someone to talk to.”
“I’m your girl. See you in a few.”
I hang up and breathe a deep sigh of relief. My head is pounding. I need to get to that pub and take a pain pill to quiet the drums making all this noise in my brain.
As I walk, I try to sort through what I’ve just learned. I think back to when I got my loan at Clover Bank six years ago. Was it Roman who helped me? I seem to remember it was a woman, and she was having trouble getting me approved because of my lack of credit. That’s it, that’s when she called for assistance. She talked to someone for a long time right in front of me. I remember thinking it was a straight-forward question, I either had enough good credit or not but the person on the other end of the line kept asking her questions.
Then, when I was approved, a man came into her office with all of the paperwork and explained what each thing meant in detail. I was so nervous and excited about starting my business, I didn’t pay a lot of attention to the banker, but one thing does stick in my mind. The woman helping me was jumpy and nervous when the man arrived. She acted like he was a big shot she needed to impress. I guess if it were the CEO of the bank, she would have felt that way.
But why? Why did he take an interest in me in the first place? How did he get involved, and is he the only reason I got my loan? I have always been so proud of starting my own business all by myself with no co-signers or outside help. Now I’m thinking it was Roman, not me, who started Savage Books, and that hurts.
I walk through the open doors of the pub named Billie’s and wait for my eyes to adjust to the very dim lighting. It’s dark outside, but the pub is darker. The only light in the entire place is an ocean-blue glow behind the bar and candles that are lit on each table.
I find an empty table and sit so I can see the door. I prop my elbows on the table and bow my head into my hands trying to recall all the things that could potentially be Roman related. He already admitted to fixing the elevator in my building, I can hardly fault him f
or that. First of all, the thing was a death trap, and second, after what happened to his father, I’m sure he couldn’t leave that problem alone.
A couple of years ago, we had a fire on the roof, and the sprinkler system never went off. I thought the city got after the owner of the building when that happened, but maybe it was Roman. We had all new sprinklers throughout the building within a week.
And there was the time I got all new hardwood flooring and paint on the walls. I mentioned it to someone who lived in another apartment, and she hadn’t heard anything about the upgrades. I figured it was a miscommunication, but now, maybe not.
What else has he been doing? He knows about David’s affairs. Do I even want to ask about that? He knows my favorite everything. How far did he go with the stalking? That’s what this is, stalking. Please, God, don’t let there be hidden cameras in my apartment. If there are, I can never see him again. That’s pushing it too far.
I’m starting to panic, and the pain in my head is a six out of ten. I need a drink so I can take a pill. I look up and catch Leeza walking into the pub.
Even in the dark, every man in the place turns to stare at her. She’s stunning in a simple pair of dark denim jeans and a white, sleeveless wrap-around blouse. Her dark chocolate hair cascades around her shoulders, and her smoky gray eyes search the crowd for me.
When she sees me, she lights up from inside and smiles making her way through the pub. “You didn’t have to wait for me, don’t you want a drink?” she asks setting her purse on the same chair as mine.
“Uh, yes, I haven’t been here long… thinking, you know?”
“Of course, I’m sorry. Let me get you something, a glass of wine? Beer? Cocktail?”
“Wine and a glass of water, please.”
“I’ll be right back.” And she is back in a flash but with no drinks. “The bartender will bring them when they’re ready.” She sits and reaches across the table for my hands. “Let me start by apologizing for my brother. I am sure whatever he has done, it’s out of love. That’s how he works, you know?”
“No, I didn’t know, at least not to this extent.”
She frowns, and the bartender delivers our drinks. “Here you are, a Cosmo, a glass of wine, and a water. Can I get you anything else?” he asks Leeza.
“Are you hungry, Aria?”
“Actually, yes, I am. Are you?”
“No, we ate already. She’ll have a number four on the menu,” she says to the man, and he hustles away. She’s much like her brother in the take-charge order-for-me kind of way, but right now, I don’t care. She could have ordered me a plate of slime, and I’d eat it I’m so hungry.
“Tell me, what’s he done?”
“First of all, can I ask, has he spoken about me before today?”
“Not specifically. He’s been talking about a woman he’s been interested in for years, but Mom and I just thought he was doing it to keep us off his back.”
“So, it’s true, he hasn’t dated anyone in a long time?”
“No, I think he’s taken women out for dinner or to business functions but no one serious. It was a family joke that he had an imaginary girlfriend. We never dreamed he would bring you to meet us.”
“Did he tell you that we only met two weeks ago?”
“What?”
“Yes, up until recently I was engaged to a baseball player for the Chicago Cubs.”
“Engaged? You mean, you didn’t even know my brother?”
“Well, yes and no. Apparently, we met when I applied for a loan at his bank. I was trying to buy my bookstore, and now I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have gotten it without his help.”
“I’m confused.” She takes a long drink of her Cosmo watching me over the rim of her glass for more of an explanation. The thing is, I don’t have much more.
“I don’t know much more either. He says he fell in love with me that day, and he’s been watching me ever since, waiting for my ex to screw up so he could step in.”
“And he did? Screw up, I mean.”
“Yes, royally and more than once. Roman says he never stepped in until he found out we were engaged. Then he hired a private investigator to follow David. He caught him cheating on me with my best friend and took photographs which he had delivered to my apartment two weeks before my wedding.”
“Oh my God, Aria, I’m so sorry. I had no idea this was going on.”
“You and me both, the stalking part anyway.”
She sits back in her chair quiet for a while. I can tell she is thinking. My food arrives, a burger with the works, and I take a pain pill. “Are you okay?” she asks watching me pop the pill.
“I cut my head in Mexico. I have some stitches, and my head has been hurting today.”
“Should you mix that with alcohol? I don’t mean to be a mother hen, but…”
“It’s okay, I’m getting used to it with Roman. No, I’m sure it’s not recommended. I’ll take it easy on the wine.”
“Aria, I think there’s something you should know about Roman that might make some of this more… I don’t know, tolerable.”
“What could possibly make stalking me for six years seem more tolerable?” I take a bit of my burger.
“Did he ever tell you he was married once?”
I stop chewing my food. Suddenly, I’m not so hungry. I shake my head and take a drink of wine, more like a gulp, ignoring my promise to go light on the wine, but I need to force the food down so I can speak.
“He married his high school sweetheart right out of law school. They had known each other since grade school. Millie got pregnant right away, they had been wanting kids, but he insisted they wait until he was out of school so that he could be there for her.”
“I had no idea he had a family. He hasn’t talked about his past much other than losing your father.” She lowers her gaze. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up such a painful subject.”
“No, it’s been a long time. I’ll never fully get over my father’s death, but for Roman, it’s so much harder. Honestly, I’m surprised he told you about it at all, especially since you’ve only known each other for a short time. I still can’t believe that. You two seem so in love, so right for each other, so… meant to be.”
I thought so too before I found out he was a stalker with a family. “So, what happened with his wife and child? Did they divorce? Does he have split custody? He must not spend too much time with his kid because he never mentioned him or her to me. Which is it anyway, a boy or a girl?” I don’t recognize my own voice. It’s angry and full of venom for the man who stole my heart when I was most vulnerable. He lied to me, not only about knowing me, but now I find out he had a family. I chug the rest of my glass of wine and receive a wide-eyed look from Leeza. I don’t care, I need to dull this pain building in my heart.
She pulls her lower lip in between her teeth taking a deep breath. “They died. Millie, that was his wife’s name, she looked a lot like you, she was pregnant and she never gave birth. Roman had to go out of town overnight for business. Millie was eight months pregnant. I think she was nesting, you know how pregnant women start cleaning and getting things ready for the baby to arrive toward the end of their pregnancy?”
I nod in horror not wanting to hear the rest of the story but needing to just the same.
“Roman had been telling her he would put a new light bulb in the nursery for weeks. He didn’t want her up on a ladder when she was so off balance, but he had been swamped at work and forgot to do it. Millie got on a step ladder and lost her balance. She fell and hit her head on the corner of an oak dresser. She died, they both died, and Roman found Millie when he came home the next day.”
She died from a head injury and she looked like me. Her baby died in the womb. He hadn’t kept her safe. Those three thoughts start on repeat in my head, and I can’t stop them. Leeza is still talking, I can hear her voice, but I can’t make out what she is saying.
All I can think of is I had a head injury and how devastated Rom
an was. I reminded him of his dead wife. He left me alone, and I fell. He found me in the shower unconscious. He must have been out of his mind when he saw me lying there.
“Aria?”
I snap out of my daydream. “Yes, I’m sorry.”
“Do you see why he’s so protective? He blames himself for their death. We never thought we would see the day he got involved with another woman. He was so broken when Millie and the baby died. I can’t speak as to why he’s been following you around all these years, but I can say that if he had feelings for you, which he obviously does, he would have moved heaven and earth to make sure you were always safe.”
If it’s possible, I am even more confused now than I was when I walked into this pub. “I don’t know what to say. I can’t imagine how he got through that.”
“With the love and support of his family and a therapist. Aria, I believe him when he says he loves you. Roman doesn’t love easily, and he takes it more serious than anyone you’ll ever know. He has high morals, he never intruded on your relationship all those years because he wanted to meet you on an even playing field, no pun intended.”
I cock my head to the side. “What?”
“Your ex, he was a baseball player, right?”
“Oh, sorry, yes.”
“He waited a long time for you to be available, never intruding, never overstepping any boundaries until he had to do something or potentially lose you forever. I don’t know many men who would do that, do you?”
“But, he didn’t even know me, other than meeting me in the bank that day. We had never spoke. How do you fall in love with someone like that? It’s not normal.”
“Maybe not but losing your dad to terrorists on American soil and your wife to a freak accident might have made him different. Listen, do you love him? I know it’s only been a couple of weeks, but do you think what you two share is love?”
I’m overwhelmed with emotion, and my eyes fill with tears. “I didn’t know what real love was until I met him.” My voice breaks on a sob, and I cover my face with my hands. She reaches across and strokes my arm.
“Exactly, that’s why you can’t walk away now. Take some time to sort through your feelings but don’t walk away from real honest-to-God love.”