Page 14 of Ski You Later (Alpine Glow #1)

I like everything in this deal, except the word fake.

“What?” Is the only word that properly forms in my head as I look at him. How did he know about the wedding? Did Jasmine come talk to him while I was dancing? Did my mom call him?

No, not the last one.

“Was that a serious question? Should I repeat myself?” His tone is bored, as if he’s not asking me to admit one of my greatest problems to him.

As any rational adult, I handle the situation calmly and with dignity.

“Who told you!” I point an accusing finger at him as I yell in his face.

He easily bats my hand away, leaning in close to me as he smiles. “You did.” He puts both hands behind his head as he relaxes against his bedroom wall. “You sort of told me everything. That’s why we were up so late. You wanted to vent, so I just stayed awake and listened.

“So, if I’m correct. Your cousin’s taking Daniel, who’s your ex-boyfriend, to Jasmine’s brother’s wedding. This huge family celebration, and you need to bring a date.”

It’s irritating that he’s acting like this whole situation is some sort of game he can just try and solve. The usual anger I direct towards him isn’t there when I look inside myself. All I can find is a genuine hurt that he’s treating my problem so lightly.

Roman senses my change in atmosphere, taking one look at my face before jumping over to my side. The pride he was just displaying is gone as he peers down at me. Worry clearly splayed across his face.

“I’m sorry, that was rude of me. You just seemed so sad last night, and I want to make you feel better, and –.” He grumbles at a loss for the right words.

As I start to dismiss him, he looks me dead in the eyes as he decides something.

“Rhodes, I want to help you! I just want to understand what about this wedding was upsetting you. And most of all, I want to do everything in my power to make sure you never cry like that again!” The look of hurt is clear on his face as his brain takes him back to last night .

Clearing his throat, he returns to scratching the back of his head as he stands up.

Roman has always been very reserved, ever since we were kids. He was clean, grumpy, angry, and quiet. These traits seem to have only grown with him as he got older, and everyone from our old team is well aware of his tendencies.

But I’ve never seen him lose his temper, not in all those years. Whether it was a garbage race day, the team was fighting him, or he was just unhappy. Not once did he ever outwardly express his anger.

He must realize what I’m thinking, since the shock at his outburst is clearly written on my face. In response, his face turns beet red, and he just begins to pace in front of me.

“Sorry for yelling. I don’t even know what came over me,” he admits, seemingly stunned by his own actions.

I smile up at him, brushing off his worries as I stand to my feet as well.

I could never keep a level head like his does.

Roman has a superpower when it comes to keeping his emotions in check and analyzing a situation.

Always choosing to remain calm and composed, even at the worst of times.

It’s healthy for him to express his feelings instead of bottling them up .

As I’m about to tell him all this, an idea starts to form in my head.

It’s crazy, and I immediately ignore it as soon as it fully forms.

Although.

As I think about it more. He would be the only one that could pull it off.

I change directions with my earlier smile, replacing it with the sweetest one I can muster.

“What just happened in your brain?” He asks as fear and confusion lace his tone.

My smile mirrors his smug one from earlier, and a brilliant idea blossoms in my mind. “Nothing,” I say casually. If this has any chance of working, he needs to feel like he pried the answer from me.

“Tell me, Langley,” he demands in his clipped tone.

“No, seriously. It’s nothing,” I brush him off and walk towards my purse on his desk.

He stays silent, watching me and I make sure my wallet and keys are accounted for. As I continue to ignore him, I watch from the corner of my eye as he rubs his hands over his face.

I know I’ve won when this is followed by an audible groan .

“Just tell me,” he says annoyed and motions with his hands.

“I don’t think you’ll like it, so I’ll just keep it to myself,” I say casually. Silently cheering in my head as his face shows open curiosity.

“Langley. You have to tell me now. I don’t care what it is.”

Bingo.

Taking a big breath, as if to convey my reluctance, I let him in on my brilliant idea. “I was just thinking over my recent issue and how you could help me.”

His curious expression vanishes. Quickly being replaced by the bored and closed-off face he usually wears.

Ensuring my voice doesn’t waver because of his change in mood, I keep explaining my idea. “Here it is, you be my boyfriend! I told my mom last week that I had a boyfriend, and everyone knows we have been interacting more as of late. It’s perfect!”

Throwing up my hands in joy, Roman’s face doesn’t move a fraction. His brow is furrowed and his mouth stays glued downward.

Realizing my wording might have scared him a little, I quickly backpedal. “Well, fake boyfriend, of course. It would just be until the wedding, and nothing would change at all.”

He looks at me with an upset expression on his face, and I realize I might have overstepped big time. I guess I don’t really know too much about Roman at all; maybe he’s already dating someone. The thought that I just asked a taken man to be my boyfriend terrifies me and I talk before he can.

“Oh my gosh. You’re dating someone, aren’t you,” I speak quickly. Putting my hands over my mouth to show him my genuine shock.

As he’s about to respond, I can’t help but cut him off yet again.

“I’m so sorry. Truly, I had no idea. I should probably just get out of here.” I beeline for his door, but he promptly steps in front of me, and grabs both my biceps as I almost walk into him.

“Stop. Just stop,” his words sound as exasperated as he looks. Taking another big breath, he looks down at me with a serious expression.

“I’m stopping,” I say quickly. Earning a glare from the man in front of me.

“Hush,” he grabs my lips with his fingers, lightly pinching them closed. I can’t help but frown, but he continues as if nothing’s happening .

“I don’t have a girlfriend. I haven’t dated anyone in years because I’ve decided to wait for the right person.” His words are sweet but have a bitter aftertaste when I think about him with this right person .

“Why does it have to be boyfriend? Can’t I just go with you as a date when the time comes?” His question is more like a plea, and I cringe as I answer him.

“It’s just really complicated, that’s all. I can’t just take a date to the wedding. Since we have so many family members, it was agreed upon that only serious partners would attend.” If I could’ve just brought anyone, I wouldn’t be in this situation.

He lets go of my arms, turning so he can pace around his room. I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss his touch, as the place he was holding goes cold in an instant. His hands then spear through his already dishevelled hair, and he lets out a sigh as he turns back to me.

All my hopes plummet as I make eye contact with him, and his face of guilt mirrors mine from earlier. Regret rips through me, the thought that this would even work makes me feel so foolish. I can’t stop the flush that creeps up my neck as embarrassment takes over.

“Listen, Rhodes I –. ”

“Nope. No need. You don’t have to do any of that.” I chuckle awkwardly, inching my way towards the door.

Roman starts to protest, some unreadable emotion taking over his features. “Wait. Don’t leave. I want to explain.”

I can’t help but cut him off once again, shame and embarrassment making my vision blur. “It’s fine, man . Don’t even worry about it, dude . No explanation is needed, homie . I’m just going to leave now,” I mumble the last words as I fly out his door.

“Rhodes! Please just wait!” His words chase after me as I sprint down his hallway and run out the house.

Sitting on my couch with a pint of rice milk ice cream, I stew in my sorrows. “Stupid athlete diet, stupid rice milk, stupid Roman,” I mumble into the tub.

The rest of my complaints turn into grumbles as I shovel this garbage into my mouth and scroll on my phone.

I had made the prudent decision to skip class today, favouring the idea of burrowing into the couch cushions.

The only thing that had calmed my stormy brain at first was sketching.

The feeling of the pencil in my hand allowed me to breathe peacefully for a minute.

But, when different angles of Roman were the only drawings that appeared on my page, I tossed my paper aside.

Since then, my only companion has been social media. My feed is always filled with these fitness influencers as they show me a new way to burn that stubborn fat .

As a high-performance athlete who works out almost every day, I find these more comedic than anything else. Some gym influencers are legit and can really help people, but most are just looking for views. Those creators are the subjects of my ridicule.

Watching a lady push the Smith machine bar up with her feet causes me to form the first smile I’ve had since the incident. The issue is, every time I remember this morning, my chest starts to throb with how embarrassing the entire interaction was.

As I really think about it, there’s some good that came out of it. I put enough trust in a guy to ask for help. Which hasn’t happened since Daniel hurt me.

On the other hand, he did reject me, and I was too much of a coward to even hear him out.

So, pros and cons to the situation for sure .

Just the fact that I felt so comfortable asking Roman for such a big favour makes me cringe.

Why on earth would he ever want to be my fake boyfriend?

What would he even get out of that? The fact that I’m going to see him at training tomorrow makes me groan out loud and I fall sideways onto the couch.

The sound of the front door slamming shut causes me to brace myself as I hear my name ring through the house. “RHODES LANGLEY!”

During my intense mental spiral, I had totally forgotten about one person who always feels the need to know about my business. Aurora.

She storms into the living room, planting her feet in front of the couch as she crosses her arms over her chest. “Explain. Everything. Right now!”

Her yell causes me to pull away as I slowly sit up.

I'm debating on what I can even say about last night, but I never get the chance. “Where did you even go? Someone told me that you went home with ROMAN! Roman, Rhodes? Are you serious? I mean, he’s the worst guy you could have possibly gone home with! He’s such an ass! ”

Aurora continues her tirade, but I can’t listen to this for one more second. Even after everything, I said I would start defending him more, and there is no time like the present.

“Aurora,” I stand as I say this. My interruption and movement shocking her into silence. I never cut off my best friend, instead choosing to always let her rant and yell.

But I’m not in the mood for this today. I could not be less in the mood even if I tried, and I’m going to defend him.

“You have to stop. I know you don’t like him at all, but you need to give Roman a chance. If not for him, then for me.”

This time I’m not going to back down. Aurora’s personality causes lots of people to cower from her. Which is usually just easier, and I tend to just agree with whatever she’s saying. But, if this is going to work, I have to look her dead in the eyes and show her I’m serious.

Her eyes narrow in my direction; a hesitancy overcomes her as she looks at me. “Is something going on between you two?” She asks with curiosity filling her voice.

I suppress the laugh that bubbles up in my throat, his rejection still so fresh in my mind. More than anything, I want to unload my thoughts and let Aurora in on my humiliating morning. Unfortunately, that’s just not the best idea right now.

Not telling Aurora about my ridiculous proposition is the right move in my mind. She would only pity me and try to murder Roman. Neither of those being constructive things that could help my issue.

“No. I promise I would’ve told you immediately if that were the case.” Grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze, I make sure she knows I’m telling the truth.

The fight leaves her body as she visibly relaxes before me, and she smiles as she squeezes my hand back. Expressing a breath, she flops onto the couch and looks up at me with curiosity.

“Alright, I’ll take it easy on Roman, but you have to tell me this.” I return her quizzical gaze and take a seat opposite of her. “Where did you sleep last night,” she asks with a knowing smile on her face.

My face flushes red as I lean back into the cushions, Aurora’s smile only growing the longer I stay silent. While I’m not going to tell her about my stupid proposition, I see no reason to hide the rest.

“Roman’s bed,” I say quickly, covering my face with my hands.

Aurora’s resulting scream fills the house.