One Small Step | ✔

It's A Small Town After All

First dates,
according to Roman
were all
overrated.

He'd had
a fair share
of them
since he was fifteen.

There was Jemima
who ended up with
ice cream on her shirt
thanks to her younger sister.

Chrissy,
who happened to date
him just to get back
at her ex-boyfriend.

Gracie,
who he took to
see a movie
and ended up bawling her eyes out.

It wasn't
even a horror movie
or a sad one.
It was an action movie.

Jacinda had been
okay.
But he never got a
second date with her.

He told all this
to me, after I panicked
and asked if
it was a date.

The doorbell sounds
and Ambrose,
still with bedhead, answers,
a sleepy, Dara by his side.

"Hi." My brother blinks at him.
"You must be Roman.
I'm Ambrose, Tallulah's brother.
This is Dara, my girlfriend."

Ambrose blushes slightly at
his words and Dara sticks out
her hand, giving him a warm smile.
"Hi, Roman. I've heard about you."

Ambrose opens the door
wider and
invites him in.
Roman steps inside.

"I'll go get my sister."
Ambrose says, turning
to go up the stairs.
He doesn't go far.

Watching from behind the wall, dressed
in a green jacket and
jeans, I come down the stairs,
my cheeks flaming red.

"Hi," I say,
voice a little strangled.
"Hi," he replies,
grinning.

Another voice yells,
"Who's there?"
"Go back to sleep, Tate!"
I yell back.

"Sorry, let me
just grab some water."
I tell him nervously.
He can only nod.

I return in
seconds with a glass of water
chugging it down
quickly.

A blond head pops out behind
the wall
and he grins happily.
"This is Tal's boyfriend?"

I choke and cough
and Roman can't help
but laugh.
"Just a friend."

"Right. Just a friend who's
taking her out on a date."
Tate says dubiously.
"Because that's really all there is."

"I'll be back by dinner,"
I tell my brothers,
ushering Roman
out the door.

"I like your brothers,"
he announces
walking down
the doorsteps.

As soon as he utters the words,
I grimace.
"You mean you like the
ones you see."

"You have another brother?"
Roman says, disbelieving.
"Wow, I see why you would
have been close to your sister."

"Can we just stay away from
the topic of my family?"
I ask tightly.
He just smiles sadly.

"Tal, the only way to recover
is to let it all go."
Roman says
as gently as he can.

"You don't know!"
I snap at him.
I can almost see his anger grow.
"You forget I do!"

We both fall silent and
he says, shaking his head,
"Let's just get some breakfast
and go to the cliff."

I nod shortly,
biting my lip.
I don't really
focus on his words.

We are walking slowly to
the cliff, Roman takes
a look at me
and looks surprised.

"You've been here before?"
I give a half-hearted laugh
and say,
"Yeah, this was the first place I saw you."