The Lonely Hearts Club

19/ messy love

"WHERE DO you want me to drop you off?" Verona asked Roman.

She was giving Roman a ride, as it turned out that he had walked from his house to the forest preserve. Why he didn't drive himself, she would never know.

"Emilia texted me, saying she's at Kat's house, so I guess at Kat's?" Roman suggested before pausing and facepalming, "Crap. I forgot to pick her up."

"It's okay." Verona told him, "I asked Katrina to pick her up, so they're both at her house right now. I'll drop you off. I need to see Katrina anyways."

Roman nodded.

They continued in silence. There was a quietness in the air that only left Verona's thoughts as her company.

Her sudden realization a few nights before left her reeling in confusion. She didn't know what to do, and if anything, she hated not knowing what to do more than anything. She didn't know if she preferred the ignorance before her realization or the doubt that followed.

It was like she was standing on uneven footing with the sudden curveball that had been thrown at her.

Verona had always prided herself on knowing what she wanted, on knowing what she would do step by step.

But now she had no clue whatsoever.

"We're here." Verona announced needlessly.

"I can tell." The corners of Roman's lips quirked upwards, "I don't know if you realized, but I've been to Kat's house only about a thousand times."

"Shut up." She retorted with a grin.

Roman raised his eyebrows at her, "That's your only comeback line? Smooth."

"If I actually tried for a comeback line, you would be so burned you would need to go to the hospital."

He shook his head bemusedly.

Verona undid her seat belt, preparing to get out of the car, but then Roman stopped her.

"Rona." He said softly.

He suddenly reached out with his hand, resting it on her cheek. His palm traced the contours of her face beneath.

Verona's eyes widened, her breath catching. What was he doing?

"Thank you." He said, removing his hand and exiting the car, leaving a coldness on her skin where his hand used to be.

Verona's hands shook before she managed to steady herself.

~~~

ROMAN WALKED alongside Emilia on the sidewalk, their footsteps echoing on the pavement. They were walking to the diner, which was not too far from Katrina's house.

"I'm so sorry that I forgot to pick you up." He apologized, "I'm honestly so sorry, I feel so bad."

"It's fine." Emilia smiled faintly at him although the smile did not reach her eyes.

"I'm really sorry."

"I honestly get it." Emilia told him, "It's really okay, it's not like you always forget to pick me up. This is the first time."

"But you had to call Verona, and Katrina had to pick you up. And I didn't come to watch your gymnastics meet like I said I would."

"It's okay." She said, "Don't worry about it."

"Thanks." He told her, continuing to take long strides, "It's easy to be with you." He said as an afterthought.

He realized his mistake the moment Emilia stopped walking, looking up at him through her lashes.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked, her face unreadable.

"I just meant," He paused, not sure how to make this better. He couldn't tell if Emilia was mad at him, "that you're easy to love."

"I'm easy to love?" She echoed.

"It's easy to be with you. It's easy." He tried to explain, "Not in a bad way."

Emilia met his gaze, and he was surprised to see the blaze burning in her eyes.

Her gaze seemed to scorch him as she said with a strange amount of fire.

"If it's easy, then is it really love?"

~~~

"POOR ROMAN BOY." Katrina murmured to herself after Verona told her what had happened, "I feel so bad for him."

"What else happened?" Katrina asked shrewdly, her eyebrows raising, "You've been talking about Roman in a different way. I don't what it is, but it's not how you used to talk about him."

Haltingly, Verona told her best friend about the strange intimate moments between her and Roman and her confusion about her feelings.

Katrina continued listening as Verona told her everything that happened.

Katrina turned to Verona after she was done talking and asked her, "What the heck are you doing?"

Verona's eyes widened in surprise, "What do you mean?"

"I'm meaning you're messing with Leo's feelings too. Someone's going to end up hurt because you and Roman are a complete mess right now. Two emotional messes."

"Oh." Verona managed to say.

"I love you to pieces, V, but right now, you're acting like a complete spaz." Katrina told her bluntly, "I'm really glad you're getting in touch with your emotional side like I've always told you, but I think it's time you put on your head and think about what you're doing."

Verona sighed in frustration, "I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know why I'm like this. Leo should be the easy choice. I should choose him, shouldn't I?"

Katrina reached over and slapped her on the side of her head, "There's no choice here." She told Verona sternly, "Roman has a girlfriend right now, so he shouldn't even be on the table. I don't know what you two are doing, but if this keeps happening, Leo and Emilia are going to get hurt."

"You're right." Verona sighed again, "I can't believe you're being my voice of reason."

"I have no clue what triggered this, like I knew both of you still had feelings, but it went from 0 to 100 real quick." Katrina shrugged.

"I never meant for this to happen. Like everything gets so intimate all of a sudden."

"Then fix it. Don't let it happen." Katrina pointed out, "It only happens cause you let it."

"So I shouldn't see Roman?" Verona asked.

"It's your choice." Katrina told her, "You're my friend, and that's why I'm saying this to you."

"I get it." Verona said, "I don't know."

"Maybe you should ask yourself why you're stringing along two guys."

"Not on purpose."

"Subconsciously then. And don't say that you have feelings for both, cause it's more than that." Katrina replied.

"I think," Verona responded haltingly, "I think I just want to be loved."

~~~

[A/N: lol i'm sorry this chapter was so melodramatic, I just need to speed up the plot or else it's going to end up being reaaaally long.]