just for a bloody contract | Roman Godfrey au

ch. 30 • broken

Letha dropped off Shelley maybe an hour after Roman left. We spent the day just talking and hanging out. She had become my closest friend over the past few months, and it was a shame outside people were afraid of her just because she was taller than the average person and because her face deformed. Looks had nothing on inner beauty, and Shelley was full of that.

Roman came home much later than usual and seemed more worried than anything else. He didn't say anything, just ate a quiet dinner, then headed off upstairs. Shelley and I didn't say much. Shelley retreated to her room to read another book. I cleaned up, and went up to look for Roman. He wasn't in his room or mine. Where on earth was I supposed to go looking for him. Why did he have to live in such a big house.

I was walking to the other side when the narrow hallway with the big glass window caught my eye. There he was, just standing. I wondered if it was best to give him space or to go ask what was wrong. I chose the latter.

I slowly came up to him and looked at his face. The moon was shadowed by clouds, but it gave off a faint enough light that I could see Roman was lost in thought. I touched his shoulder.

"Hey, what's wrong? Did Mr. Tulane say something?" I asked gently.

"Huh? No, no," Roman looked at me, then back at the window. His voice seemed shaky. Something was definitely wrong.

"Then what happened?" I asked.

"Leave me alone," Roman said, coldly.

I know this was a bad idea. If he wanted to share, he would've. I left him to his thoughts, and headed to his room to pick up my stuff from last night.

Then I decided to do something stupid. I went into Roman's gorgeous bathroom, turned on the light, got up on the marble countertop, sat cross-legged,, and just looked at myself in the mirror. The good lighting brought out every tiny detail and flaw on my face, but it also made my eyes look prettier. And mirrors in general make you look 10 times prettier than pictures do. Pictures never do you justice.

I thought of what was bothering Roman. He was so different this morning, and now he was in one of those moods again. His temperament was something to be concerned about. He'd sporadically be sweet like this morning, but most of the time he was in some type of negative mood. But he was almost always nice to Letha and the sweetest big brother anyone could ask for to Shelley. But everyone else- he was almost disgusted by. I don't know what was up with him.

The door suddenly opened, with Roman looking more confused than anything. I got scared and jerked back, and almost fell off, when he caught me. He looked at me, rather annoyed.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Um, I was, sitting here," I said.

He rolled his eyes. "I can see that, but why are you here?"

"I-I like your bathroom," I said, as I balanced myself and then got down and walked to the doorway. "Sorry."

Roman's expression changed to a half smile. "You like my bathroom?"

"Yeah, it's very pretty," I sheepishly smiled, feeling very embarrassed. "I'll leave you alone for real now."

I went into his room and began picking up what I originally came for.

"Wait," Roman started, leaning against the bathroom door frame. "You're welcome to use it whenever you'd like."

"Really?" I think my eyes lit up. Oh, to be excited by little things. Except Roman's bathroom was probably the size of half a studio apartment.

"Yeah, in fact, you can stay the night. If you'd like. I'm sorry for pushing you out," Roman said, looking down and clicking his tongue.

I think I was excited about the bathroom, but I went over to Roman and gave him an expected hug. "Thanks."

I thought he'd pull away, but he actually held on to me tightly. I inhaled his cologne. It was really something. But I also felt his heart beat fast, like the day he was scared for me. I pulled away and looked at him.

"Something's wrong. Don't tell me that's a lie. Something's up," I said as I nodded my head.

"Pryce-"

"What did he do now?" I shouted. "I'm going to-"

"No, Liana, listen. After Tulane left, Pryce came into my office. We didn't talk about the lab at all. Instead, he told me he was working on a solution. For me. My bloodthirst," Roman sighed and went to take a seat on his couch. I did too. "I- I don't know. He said he doesn't know if it's going to work or what, but I mean, I should give it a shot, right?"

He was talking about my solution. I placed my hand on top of Roman's. "Of course. If this helps in any sort of way, you know it's better than where you're at now. I'd recommend you trying."

That's when I saw his face. There were tears in his eyes. I never thought I'd see someone like him cry. Normally he's so stuck-up, knowing what he wants and how to get it. Normally he's mean, cold, harsh, and confident. And now he looked broken. And it wasn't just his tears. His eyes held pain. It was so unlike him, and that scared me. I came closer to him and allowed him to rest his head on my shoulder. I patted his back.

"Hey, it's going to be okay. Pryce knows what he's doing. I'm sure he'll figure something out."

Roman's cracking voice broke my heart. "It's hard. It's hard to keep wanting blood. Every single time I have to drink it, I feel like a monster. I am a monster. But there's nothing I can do. I-"

"Shh," I closed my eyes and comforted him. "I'll never understand what it feels like, but you're not a monster, Roman. You're not. You're not manipulative like Olivia. Yes, you're lost sometimes and I never understand your feelings or mood, but you are not a monster." I made sure to emphasize the last words.

Roman regained composure and sniffed. "The treatment is in two days."

"I'll be there. And so will Peter. You need your best friend more than you think you do."