Keep My Blood Cool

Chapter Eighteen

When Romeo woke up the next day, the events from last night felt like a fever dream. Savannah asking him for some time apart was the most heartbreaking thing he has gone through in a while. On the other hand, his father taking him to the cemetery to visit his mother was very pleasantly surprising. He didn't quite know what to do with it, none of it really.

He wanted to give Savannah the time and space she needed, but he missed her already even if it had only been a couple of days. Not to mention he feared that giving her too much space would pull them apart. After all, she never told him how long it would take her to process everything that Penelope had told her. How long it would take her to be ready to hear his side of things. He tried to stay optimistic; after all, he had everything to believe in their relationship. They had gone through so much already and always managed to come on top. Romeo loved her dearly, more than he had ever loved someone, and he knew Savannah loved him too. She was just confused.

While Savannah felt more distant now, his father felt closer than ever. Romeo had no idea if last night was an isolated event, but he was finally starting to allow himself to believe otherwise. He started to believe that there really was a chance for his relationship with his father. And it felt way better than he would ever admit. Of course, he never expected his relationship with his father to be nowhere close the one Savannah had with Jacob, but they were different people with different circumstances. And to talk about his mother with his father after so many years felt like things were finally getting back on track. Seeing her at the cemetery, listening to his father explain the reasons behind the way he acted after his mother's death, coming to the conclusion that the best thing they could do for her was move on with their lives... It felt like the closure Romeo had needed most of his life. And his father, too. He now understood how lonely and fearful the man had lived ever since his wife died. How he was as lost or even more than Romeo had been.

He stood up quite late last night, so he stayed in bed for a little longer. What was the point of getting up anyway? He didn't have school or piano, his father was probably already at work, and Savannah didn't want to see him.

He wondered how she spent the New Year's Eve. He felt bad for kind of ruining it for her, in the same way Penelope ruined it for him. He was glad he got to spend time with his father, but he had planned a lot for that night for him and Savannah, and starting the year apart from her felt disappointing to say the least. He hoped she got to do something fun, but he felt like she probably ended up spending the night in her dorm wondering why she fell in love with someone who had such a dark past. And that was no way to spend her first New Year's Eve ever at the city. Maybe they should have just stayed at the farm for a couple more days. It was Romeo who insisted on going back to the city for the New Year. If they were still at the farm, none of this would have happened. None of this drama would have come to the surface and they would be now taking care of the animals and being normal.

Eventually, Romeo gathered the strength to get up and start the day. He took a long shower and got dressed in something comfortable. When he walked down the stairs, he was surprised to meet his father by the dining room. He was sitting by the table, apparently eating lunch.

"You slept in." His father pointed out.

"You're not at work." Romeo said in response. He really wasn't expecting to see his father right now. Yes, most people didn't work on the first day of the year, but his father wasn't most people. He had already taken Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off to meet him at the farm, so he figured he would try to compensate by working extra hard on New Year's Eve.

"Want some lunch?" His father asked.

Romeo nodded silently and took his usual seat. He wasn't exactly hungry when he woke up, but now that he smelled the warm food his stomach was about to growl. He wondered if Savannah had been eating well. She wasn't exactly the kind to lose her appetite due to things going on in her life, but it still worried him. Not being able to talk to her and make sure she was healthy and alright worried him.