The Boss

Six.

I walked into my house almost three hours later and dropped my keys on the front table. I wasn't surprised to see Roman pacing my living room. As soon as he heard the door close, he pounced.

"Where have you-" he stopped short when he saw me. "Whoa," he said.

"What?" I said, suddenly irritated again.

"Blonde," was all he said. "You look... different," he said as he came closer and picked up a strand of my hair. It was short and blonde.

"It is," I said. Roman was so close that I could feel his breath on my cheek. "So what were you about to yell at me for?" I asked, trying to change the subject.  He sighed and took a step back.

"I'm here to protect you, or have you already forgotten that? I can't protect you if you run off. So however you feel about me doesn't matter. I still take a bullet for you," he lectured. I sighed and decided to give him a break. My mother was the one who told him to do it in the first place.

"You're right. I'm sorry. You have to understand though. I was finally okay. I was finally able to move on and then you're thrown back in my face. Ever since my mom got arrested, I haven't been able to stop thinking about high school and everything that came with it. I'm not okay, Roman. With you here, I have to relive the worst time in my life over and over again and it sucks," I said honestly. Roman took my hand and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Cam. I really am. I'm sorry for leaving you. I'm sorry for the accident. I'm sorry you had to go through that alone. If I could change the past, I would do it in a heartbeat, but I can't, and we're here now. All I've ever wanted was for you to be happy," he said softly. My eyes met his and I saw the raw honesty in them. He was being sincere.

"Then you wouldn't have left," I said in a voice barely above a whisper. I felt exposed and raw letting down my protective wall with Roman, but it needed to be said.we were quiet for a moment until a knock at the door made us jump slightly. Roman's hand went to his holster as he looked towards the door. I sighed, already knowing who it was.

"Keep it in your pants. It's probably Owen," I said as I moved to the door and opened it. Owen smiled but then froze when he saw me.

"Whoa, you're hair," he said as he stepped in. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, it's different," I replied quickly. Owen made eye contact with Roman and squinted slightly.

"I see your lapdog is still here," Owen said, speaking able Roman. Roman only glared at him.

"Comadreja," Roman replied. Owen turned to me and held up a bag.

"I brought food. Cheeseburgers from Teddy's with teriyaki, tomato, onions, and pickles," Owen smiled. I cringed internally.

"Cammie hates pickles," Roman said absentmindedly, beating me to the punch. Roman was right though. I absolutely despised pickles and I mentioned it to Owen about a handful of times. Owen turned his glare back to Roman.

"I don't remember anyone asking you. And I think I know my own girlfriend," Owen said defensively.

"Actually, he's right, Owen. And I've told you that before but you keep forgetting because you love pickles," I cut in. Roman smirked and stuck his hands in his pockets before he went to sit in the couch in the living room.

"So you're taking his side now?!" Owen yelled at me. Roman stood quickly and was beside me before I knew it.

"Hey! Yell at her again and see what happens," Roman said, being protective of me. Owen glared at him.

"You're a little close to just be her FBI detail," Owen said.

"Owen, maybe you should leave," I said. He looked between the two of us and scoffed.

"Whatever Camilla," he said before he did just that. I flinched when the door slammed behind him.

"There's a reason I call him a weasel, you know," Roman said.

"Not now, Roman," I snapped at him.

"You're just going to hurt him, Cam. He can't know about any of this. He'll always be in the dark," Roman continued anyway. I sighed and moved to the kitchen to get something to eat.

"I know, Roman," I said defeatedly. Roman moved around me and opened up the freezer. I watched him curiously. "What are you doing?" I asked suspiciously. He looked for another moment before he smiled.

"Here it is," he said as he pulled out my hidden stash of popsicles.

"Hey! That's mine!" I said childishly. Roman rolled his eyes

"Well duh. I know you Cam; you're upset. So here are your popsicles and I'll go turn on the Hallmark channel," he said, handing me the box. I just stared at him. I couldn't believe how much he remembered about me. I didn't know what to say. That's exactly what I did when I was upset. I'd done it since middle school. I took the box from him hesitantly and he left. I heard the TV turn on. I slowly made my way to the living room and sat next to him on the couch. I opened a popsicle as My Summer Prince played on the Hallmark channel for the millionth time. After about half an hour of silence, I decided to break it.

"Roman?" I said timidly. He hummed a response as his eyes stayed on the TV. "Thanks," I said. He finally looked at me as his lips pulled into a small smile.

"You don't have to thank me, Cammie. I do it because I care about you," he said honestly.

"But I've been horrible to you," I said guiltily.

"You have every right to be mad at me. I left you when you needed me and I'm sorry. I'm going to make it up to you... I promise," he said.