Page 69 of Catch Me (Becoming Us #4)

Travis

Roman was throwing me for a loop. Yeah, he wasn’t the only one circling back around after saying we wouldn’t, but he was forward about it yesterday.

When we knew each other before, he was completely different.

Even as he’d opened up more, he had this layer of anger that existed right under the surface, and the wrong move would make it come out.

He seemed confident now in a way he hadn’t been in December.

This was a surety that came from learning who he was and not hating what was inside of him.

He didn’t seem hesitant about being gay or touching me, which made things harder.

He was supposed to be timid and unsure when it came to the things he wanted, but he was far from it.

I was glad that he’d made it this far. I just didn’t know what would happen or what should happen. He was different, and maybe I was too, like Sen said.

When Roman stood there, demanding things from me and asking me to try again, it still felt like us—whatever there had been of us. It sort of felt like he’d taken parts of me while I took parts of him, and it leveled the playing field .

I should’ve been resting today after getting off the plane, but that had never been my strong suit. I was high-strung, always going, going, going. Karma wasn’t something I cared about or even believed in, but I thought that doing something good for others might help me clear my head.

“Hey, Summer,” I said when I walked into the kitchen. She let me pull her into a hug, and I squeezed her a little more tightly than usual. “How’s your mom?”

She sniffed, clearly trying to keep her tears at bay. “We’re both managing.”

“Your dad was a good man. The world will miss him.”

“There’s a memorial next week. We’d love to see you there. If you aren’t busy,” she added quickly.

I put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. “I’ll be there.”

She nodded and, without another word, started bringing food to the front.

The fundraiser had helped them a lot, and I was glad for it, especially now that her dad was gone.

It had been a week since he passed, so I was shocked that she was here, but even with the extra money, this wasn’t the type of thing Barbara would want to hand off to someone else.

I couldn’t imagine them shutting down to grieve, which I had to respect.

As I attempted to tie my apron, my fingers faltered. There, across the room, was a face I recognized, alongside a kid who was a little taller than when I’d first met him.

What the hell?

Roman passed Carl something wrapped in brown paper, and I was tempted to rush over there to demand answers. The kid’s bright smile as he unwrapped the flat object made me wait, though. All I could see was a frame, and when Steve looked at it, he said something to Roman.

Turning away, I busied myself with getting the place set up. There was only about twenty minutes before they’d let people in the doors, and I wanted it all to be ready. The less work Summer had to do, the better.

“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this,” I heard her say.

Peeking over my shoulder, I saw her talking to Roman. He offered her a tight smile.

“It’s nothing. Really. ”

She hugged him, and he returned the embrace. She looked around once before she nodded and headed for the door.

His gaze traveled across the space, then landed on me. He blinked a couple of times, and I watched as he pulled his lip between his teeth.

Fuck this.

I marched over, stopping directly in front of him. “What the hell are you doing here?”

His eyes widened. Was that amusement in them? “I’m helping out. Ralph just died, and I thought—”

“I know,” I interrupted. “That’s why I’m here.”

“Okay, so we had the same thought.”

“Are you following me around now?”

“How the hell would I know you’d be here?”

With a growl, I stalked away from him. This was ridiculous. I couldn’t just leave now, so I set up the plates and utensils, then stood behind the counter, watching the clock.

Because he was committed to being a thorn in my side, he came up to me. “Are you mad?”

I drew in a long breath through my nose. “You’re always just around .”

“I stopped by last week,” he said. “It wasn’t about you. Barbara told me her husband passed, so I offered to come back when I returned to Atlanta to give them some time off.”

“I’ve offered before, but she says no.”

He shrugged. “Don’t accept no. She’s too proud to admit she needs the help. Better yet, enlist Summer to wear her down.”

My lips pursed as he spoke. I couldn’t deny he was more clever than me.

Roman was smart, which I wasn’t ignorant of, but he still surprised me sometimes.

As I’d told him before, there was so much beneath the surface that he didn’t show people.

At the time, I’d liked that I was the only one who seemed to draw those things out of him.

Now, he offered them more freely, and surprisingly, I liked that even more.

“I’m sorry,” I sighed. “For being an ass. If I’d known you’d be here...”

“You wouldn’t have come. ”

I glanced at him, trying to read the expression on his face. It was difficult, and since I didn’t want to keep staring, I looked toward the window at the front of the building.

“Also for walking away,” I went on more quietly. “Yesterday.”

“You don’t owe me anything. I shouldn’t have done that.”

I opened my mouth, but I didn’t know if I should agree or disagree.

I hadn’t let myself think much about it since I’d put myself back together in that hotel room with my dad.

The entire time during the plane ride, I’d been trying to convince myself that was all it’d take.

Rebuild. Move on. I hated that it wasn’t simple like that.

Some things are worth being complicated , he’d once said.

He was fucking complicated. Roman wasn’t supposed to be here, volunteering his time to help Barbara and Summer. Not once, but twice. Did anybody know he’d been here?

“What’d you give Carl?” I asked.

“Someone’s nosey.”

I saw a smirk on his face before he turned around to go into the kitchen again.

With a frown, I scanned the room. Carl was talking excitedly to his dad, and it made me happy to see him like that.

I’d gotten them tickets to some of the home games, the ones that worked with Steve’s schedule.

With his new job, they were doing better, and as long as he kept at it, I knew things would work out for them.

Glancing behind me, I verified that Roman was still preoccupied. I pulled off my gloves, then walked casually over to Carl. When he saw me, his eyes lit up.

“You’re here,” he said.

“Sure am.” I smiled at him and squeezed his shoulder. “You a pro yet?”

He shrugged, becoming slightly flushed. “I’m okay.”

“He’s got a good arm,” Steve added. “There’s a community team I’m looking at putting him in so he can play with other kids. When he starts middle school in a couple years, he’ll join their team.”

“That’s awesome. I’ll have to come throw the ball with you sometime. You like dogs?”

Carl nodded enthusiastically. “Can I meet Tessa?”

“Of course. She’s feral, but in a loveable way.” Glancing at the picture tucked under his arm, I nodded toward it. “What’s that? ”

He pulled it out and passed it to me. I figured it would be the one of me and him or maybe just him, but it wasn’t. There was a woman staring back at me, and when I looked at Carl, I recognized the similar shape of their eyes. It was just a sketch, but it was beautiful, as always.

“She gets out in a few weeks,” Steve explained. “Your friend asked if he could make something to help the days pass more quickly, so I gave him a picture of her.”

I handed the frame back to Carl and cleared my throat. “I think you’ll all be really happy. Make sure you show her that throwing arm.”

“I will. Do you want to meet her?”

I smiled. “Sure. Just have your dad text me, alright?” I heard someone open the doors, then there were multiple voices that reached us. “I gotta get up there.”

“We’re actually here to volunteer,” Steve said. He walked beside me with Carl on my other side. “This place kept us afloat when we were in the dumps.”

I clapped him on the shoulder. “See, Steve? I told you things were going to change for you.

Carl planted himself between me and Roman. I looked over his head, meeting dark eyes. The way he smiled made my heart pick up speed, and I wondered about what he’d said to Tilian.

That smile spoke of hope, but did that exist anymore? At what point would he decide enough was enough? More importantly, could I handle figuring it out?