One Temptation

Chapter 13 - Roman

"Come on in," I say as I open the door for Roman.

"Nice place," he says looking around.

"Yeah, we can sit here or in the living room," I say as I slip off my shoes and Roman follows suit.

"Living room is fine," he says and he follows me.

I sit down on the couch. "So, we'll just start with the basics and go from there yeah?"

He nods his head as he pulls his notepad out of his backpack.

We go through the list of questions we came up with in class and it feels like we're really starting to get to know each other.

Roman has two siblings and his parents both work from home. He's interested in gaming and wants to become a graphic video game designer. He's also gay. But that was a private bit he shared with me and asked not to include that in the essay.

"So what ever happened with you and Cole?" He asks leaning back onto the couch.

I laugh. "Cole?"

"Yeah, weren't y'all together for awhile?"

I stand up, "do you want a soda?"

"Sure," he says leaning forward. "You gonna answer my question?"

"Cole was an asshole," I say as I come back into the living room with a coke in each hand.

I hand him one and he says thank you.

"I thought we were good, but he dumped me out of the blue right before he graduated." I tell him as I sit back down.

He motions for me to continue.

"I thought everything was great, until it wasn't." I say shrugging my shoulders.

"Gonna elaborate?" He asks taking a drink of his soda.

"He thought that I was going to have sex with him just before he left for college. When I didn't, he dumped me." I tell him as I put my coke on the side table. "Hence, the asshole."

"Shit," Roman says as he turns to face me. "That had to been tough though."

"Better to find out before you know?" I say kicking my feet up.

Roman grabs my feet and places them in his lap. Our conversation is easy. Uncomplicated.

"So where does that leave you now?" He asks rubbing my foot.

"Now," I say wiggling my toes. "I focus on school."

"What about that guy I saw you with a few times?"

"You mean Cooper?" I ask, my head falling back.

He nods his head, "yeah. What about him?"

"Asshole number 2?" I ask him with a laugh.

He shakes his head. "I don't know about that. I know we don't know each other that well, but from what I did see when you were with him you looked happy."

I sigh, "I was happy."

"So, what happened?" He asks and my phone pings with a new message.

I check it and see that it's a message from the devil himself.

**Cooper:** Can we talk?

"Speaking of the devil," I say shaking my head. "He hurt me."

I move my feet off of Roman's lap and look down at my phone. "I thought we were getting somewhere and I found out he slept with Britney."

"Ah," he says. "But were you guys exclusive?"

I look at Roman and shrug my shoulders. "I don't know."

"I'm not advocating for the guy," he says as he stands up. "But if you weren't exclusive, did he really do anything wrong?"

I bite my lip, "I guess not."

"I'm going to head out." He says as he collects his things. "Maybe it's worth a conversation. Especially if you're both unhappy."

"Who knew you were so wise," I say with a laugh.

He pats me on my head and we say goodbye to each other.

I look at my phone and stare at the messages from Cooper. Maybe what Roman was saying is right. Maybe it's at least worth a conversation. I just know that I can't keep opening up my heart to more heartbreak.

I decide to listen to Roman and text Cooper. If anything, it's to hear him out.

**Kennedy:** What is it?

**Cooper:** Can I see you?

**Kennedy:** When?

**Cooper:** Tonight?

Shit. This is really happening. And I don't know if I'm ready to handle it. So I send him a final text.

**Kennedy:** Sure.

I check the time and lock my phone and head upstairs. It's only 6pm, so I have time to shower.

My parents are gone for the night to a fundraiser in the city. They won't be home until late.

I get out of the shower and throw on a pair of black leggings and my white sweater. I blow dry my hair, and throw it into a messy bun.

I look at my reflection in the mirror. The happy girl from the past few weeks is replaced by one filled with sadness. There are bags under my eyes and I take some concealer to them.

I'm applying some mascara when I hear a knock on the door downstairs. My phone pings with a text.

**Cooper:** I'm outside.

**Kennedy:** I'll be down in a minute.

With one final look in the mirror, I head downstairs. I make my way through the kitchen, towards the back door.

I open the back door and see Cooper standing there. His eyes are filled with sadness, and his hair is disheveled.

He runs his hand through his hair and I take in the rest of his appearance.

He's wearing a pair of blue jeans and a black thermal shirt.

He clears his throat and my eyes meet his. "Hey," he says looking down at me.