When Love Becomes Past Tense Chapter 6

"Tell me!"

Roman ignored him completely, pushing through the door and leaving Caleb trapped in the room. Caleb hit a wall of silence and raged impotently in the doorway.

Frustrated, Caleb suddenly pulled out his phone, appearing to dial a number.

"I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is currently busy, please try again later..."

He dialed several times in a row, getting the same cold mechanical response.

Suddenly, he smashed his phone on the ground.

"Fuck!"

"Why isn't she answering!"

"No. That's impossible!"

"I won't allow it!"

During this tantrum, Sienna timidly approached him, but Caleb completely ignored her. She ran off crying.

When she grabbed her phone, she realized the video call was still on. When the camera cut to her face, I cheerfully said, "Hi."

She must have been mortified; her face went pale, then red.

She wanted to mock me, but instead, she had given me a front-row seat to a great show.

Sienna bit her lip. "What are you laughing at? You're the biggest joke here!"

"I don't think so. Nothing is as funny as you were today..."

Before I could finish, I heard Caleb’s voice.

"Sienna, who are you video calling?"

"That voice sounds so familiar..."

He snatched the phone from Sienna and suddenly saw my face.

He looked pleasantly surprised.

"Hazel! You've been on video with Sienna this whole time? So you weren't on the phone with anyone else, right? I knew it. There's no way you could fall for someone like..."

Before he could finish consoling himself, I heard the sound of Roman opening the front door.

That was fast.

Just as I was about to hang up, a long finger reached out from behind me and tapped the end call button.

Roman was more than a head taller than me. From this angle, the camera only caught his Adam's apple.

A second before the video cut, I saw Caleb’s eyes widen, his mouth opening to scream but no sound coming out in time.

I turned around and crashed right into Roman’s chest.

Roman froze for a second, unsure what to do, before slowly raising his arms to hug me.

He didn't ask why.

It was often like this. If I didn't say anything, no matter how strange the situation, he wouldn't pry. He just silently went along with me.

I wasn't wearing shoes. He noticed quickly, picked me up, and placed me on the bed.

As he prepared to sit by the edge to tell me a story, I lifted the blanket and looked at him shyly.

"Do you want to sleep up here?"

"I know the sofa is uncomfortable. These past few months... you've worked hard..."

Roman’s throat moved. He didn't refuse.

He lay down gently, wrapping his arms around me from behind.

"Today, I'll tell you about the time I was most nervous doing a roadshow on Wall Street..."

His embrace was warm and incredibly reassuring. Almost as soon as his arms were around me, I felt sleepy.

I nodded drowsily.

His soothing voice flowed in my ear. In my haze, I felt a phone vibrate.

Roman didn't stop talking. He extended his long arm and declined the call.

The phone seemed to ring several times.

Roman hung up quickly each time, so it didn't disturb me much.

Until the last time. Through the fog of sleep, I heard Roman answer.

"Shh, she's tired. She's asleep. Don't wake her."

His voice was low and husky, carrying a subtle intimacy.

I couldn't really think.

Was it my phone?

Who was on the other side?

Who cares. It didn't matter at all.

I turned over, buried my face in his chest, and went back to sleep.