Torn Between Tides

Chapter Fourteen

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a menace?" Colt spoke, shaking his head lightly. Roman let out a soft chuckle as he shrugged innocently.

"Maybe once or twice," Roman replied as he grabbed his phone to check the time. It was getting late and he already had a couple messages from Ezra asking for his whereabouts. Roman sighed as he texted his brother back, letting him know that he would be home soon.

"Everything okay?" Colt asked, noticing the sudden shift in Roman's demeanor.

"Yeah," Roman answered with a nod. "I should probably get back home now."

"Oh," Colt frowned. He hadn't even realized how fast the time had passed. He had a meeting after dinner that he had completely forgotten about until then as well. "It's too soon to ask you to stay the night, I suppose?"

"I'll see you tomorrow? If that's fine," Roman questioned.

"Okay," Colt said. "Let me know when your classes end and I'll pick you up. We can go out somewhere this time."

"It's a date," Roman retorted without thinking twice about what he was saying as he got up from the couch. Colt followed him, grabbing his car keys as they reached the front door.

"I'll drop you home," Colt stated.

"Till the bus stop is cool," Roman replied, making Colt frown slightly. "No, seriously, I know you're very...gentleman-ly but it's okay. I can get home fine on my own."

"It's not about being a gentleman," Colt argued. "I just want to make sure you're safe."

"I'm a six foot something male athlete," Roman said with a chuckle. "I think I'll be okay. Besides, it's not like I'm walking. I'm taking the bus like I have for years. You don't need to worry about me so much."

"Hard not to," Colt muttered. "What if I say it's an excuse to spend more time with you?"

"Then I'll say that you need to learn to be patient," Roman spoke. "I'll see you tomorrow. I'll text you the time."

"Last time you said that you ended up ghosting me." Colt only meant to tease Roman, he wasn't holding it against him but the swimmer's cheeks turned a light shade of pink at the comment. He was clearly still feeling guilty about leaving Colt hanging. "Hey, I was just kidding."

"I know, I know," Roman mumbled, looking down at his shoes. "I'm sorry regardless."

"Don't be," Colt stated. "Let's go now, I'll drop you till the bus stop."

Roman said nothing as both of them left the house. Colt didn't bother locking the door behind him. The neighborhood was safe and he knew that nobody would dare to step foot inside the Alpha's home without his permission. And if someone did, Colt would know by the scent that someone had trespassed his territory.

They got in Colt's car without a word, the only thing playing were some lo-fi songs on the radio. Colt drove till the bus stop where he had dropped Roman last time, he parked on the side as he turned down the volume. He turned around, facing Roman who was unbuckling his seatbelt.

Roman tilted to look at Colt too, both the men staring into each other's eyes and a thick tension surrounding them as they struggled to find the words to say. Neither of them wanted to part ways, but they knew that they had to.

"Are you sure about all of this?" Colt asked, his voice soft. "I know you said you aren't one for relationships and even though this...we aren't in one yet, that's what I ultimately want."

"Honestly? I'm not sure about a damn thing," Roman answered. "All I know is that I've never felt like this before and I do want to see where it goes."

Colt couldn't help but feel a tinge of guilt once again. Roman was being vulnerable with him yet the Alpha was lying to him about mostly everything.