I laughed it all off.
Laughing had always been my defense, against pressure, against questions I wasn't ready to answer, against futures that felt too heavy when spoken out loud. Rome let me have it. He always did. Or at least, he let me think he did.
He didn't push after that. He just smiled. That familiar, self-assured smile that made it seem like everything had already fallen into place, whether I realized it or not.
"Come on," he said, nudging me gently with his shoulder. "You've had a long day. Let's eat. I ordered something earlier."
"You planned that too?" I teased.
"Of course," he replied smoothly. "I don't like being unprepared."
That should've been my first clue.
Rome prepared everything at the dining area.
I slid into one of the chairs while he set the food on the table, removing lids and arranging plates without thinking. Watching him like that, I felt that familiar tug in my chest, the pull that had always drawn me to him in the first place.
