Disclaimer: See Chapter 25.

Note: You'll need those tissues for some feels this chapter! Next chapter up Wednesday to celebrate 200 reviews. You guys are so fucking amazing, you really are! Thank you so much. See you Wednesday. Enjoy -JJ

Hearts Burst Into Fire

Cody eased Roman's door open, peeking inside before he stepped in. He really took a look at the room, the cream colored walls decorated with various photos, some of him and Roman, others of scenery, and a few of them with friends. He smiled gently, taking in the walnut colored wood of Roman's tall headboard, the matching dresser on the far wall. The large window was covered with white blinds and closed thick, red curtains, casting the room in near darkness. To the right, he could see the door to the bathroom.

He walked up to where Roman was laying, wrapped up in the dark colored blankets. He couldn't help but smile a little wider, the blankets wrapped around bare shoulders, the dark hair a mess with only a little bit of hair still stuck in the hair band. He looked down into the peaceful face, wanting nothing more than to touch the light stubble on Roman's cheeks.

He squatted down, really looking at the handsome face. He'd only slept a couple hours after he'd gone to bed, but he'd spent over an hour laying there in the dark. Everything Roman had said hadn't set well inside him. He hadn't realized how much he'd tormented Roman, nor did he realize how much Roman was bothering him.

He sighed, looking down at the carpet. He'd been forced to think about how his feelings hadn't stopped growing for Roman. They took over at some of the worst times, showing just how much of an effect Roman had on him. That was one reason why he was sitting there, him and Roman needed to talk, they needed to take the time out for each other and get at least a few things straight.

Cody swallowed hard, reaching out and touching the warm skin of Roman's shoulder. "Roman?" he eased, giving the other man a slow, easy shake. "Hey, wake up." He heard a deep growl from the other man, one grey eye cracking open before it bore into him. "Hey."

"Go 'way," Roman muttered, wincing at the gruff sound of his own voice. His head was pounding, his stomach churning. He felt like complete road kill and he decided right at that moment that he wasn't going to ever try and keep up with Brad ever again. He only hoped the other man was feeling as bad as he was.

Cody sighed, expecting as much from the bigger man. "C'mon, wake up, I wanna talk to you," he said gently, watching as Roman curled the blankets over his shoulder as he turned his back to Cody.

His body protested each movement, but he didn't want to look into the blue eyes, not yet. He didn't want to talk either. He just wanted to be alone. That way he could think over the night before. He was so confused about Brad and then how Cody knew that today was their anniversary, not to mention how he'd broken down and wished that either Cody would remember or that he could forget.

Cody stood, walking over to the window and pulled back the curtains and rolled open the blinds a bit, light flooding the room. He looked back over, Roman groaning in pain as he covered his head with the pillow. "My next move is to yank the covers off," he warned, walking back over with a smile.

"I'm naked," Roman retorted, clutching his blankets even tighter. It wasn't completely the truth, he still had his boxers on, but he didn't want Cody to know that. He'd only used it as an excuse to keep from getting up and losing the warmth of his blankets.

Cody felt his body grow a little warmer at the thought. "That's not going to stop me, so either cover up or turn and talk to me," he answered, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. He gently took the pillow and moved it from Roman's face. A small smile graced his lips as he looked down at the grumpy face. "Hey."

Roman winced as his eyes opened, the light blinding him and doing nothing for his pounding headache. "If I talk, will you let me sleep?" he asked, blindly reaching for something to block the light again. "And it's too fucking early for this."

Cody shook his head. "No, it's almost noon and I wanted to remind you that we have dinner reservations." He could see the sudden look of shock and disappointment in Roman's scrunched up face. "If you're going to make them, you need to get up and shower. You smell like a brewery still."

Roman groaned, resting his hand over his eyes, finally blocking out some of the light. "I'm not going, take Drew or something," he rumbled, heart pounding. He'd forgotten about the reservations, not like he was going to need them now anyway. "Enjoy the food." He knew he sounded bitter, but at that moment, he couldn't bring himself to give a damn. He was too hung over to care.

"Don't be a baby," Cody answered, earning a dark look from the other man through the bronze fingers. "I'm sorry, for everything." He looked down at his hands in his lap. "I know I've been a real dick to you lately and I didn't mean it." He looked over, the tanned hand moving away from Roman's face as their eyes met. "I'm sorry for everything I've put you through."

Roman moved to sit up, adjusting to the light in the room. "If this is because of last night," he started, stopping at the way Cody shook his head slowly. He just looked at the slightly younger male.

"It's not just that. I've been selfish pushing you away just to pull you back and I'm sorry for sending mixed signals. I really want you to be happy, but there's a small part of me that has trouble letting you go and I don't understand it," Cody explained, looking up into the wide grey eyes. "I want us to go out and talk, I don't like how we are right now. I don't like the fighting."

Roman pulled one knee up to his chest, resting his forehead against it. He couldn't tell Cody no, even if he wanted to. He nodded, silent. He looked over into the averted blue eyes, telling his heart to stop pounding in his chest. Even if Cody did have those mixed emotions, it didn't mean that he would act on them. "We'll go," he finally said softly, rubbing his face like a kid. "It's formal dress, just so you know."

Cody smiled. "I know," he murmured, standing from the bed. "I'll come check on you in a couple hours. So get some rest and a shower. I'll put some coffee on." He took a step back, telling himself not to look at Roman's bare skin, especially the exposed tattoo that he desperately wanted to touch again.

Roman nodded, scooting back down in his bed, pulling the covers over his head. He just needed a little more rest and then he'd be able to sort out his thoughts and feelings. "Thank you," he breathed, a hushed 'You're welcome' following before the soft click of his door closing. Yeah, a nap would be good before he worked out any emotion.

Cody stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, looking over himself. He straightened his dark blue tie, feeling more than a little awkward. He looked into his own eyes, his hands dropping to his sides. He knew that these dinner reservations had been made for what would've been his and Roman's anniversary, and that only seemed to make him more nervous. He brushed his hands along his black suit jacket, blowing out a breath.

He didn't understand why he was so nervous. It was just dinner. They were just going out to talk, sure it was a high class restaurant that Roman had booked reservations for months in advance on what would be their three year anniversary, but it was still just dinner. Cody sighed, shaking his head at his reflection. He had no idea what he was getting himself into.

He'd already let it slip that there was a part of him that didn't want Roman to move on, and there was an even bigger part of him that was attracted to Roman, but he didn't want to compete with who he had been. He didn't want to let those kinds of emotions take him over, not when he knew Roman loved him and in the end, he may never love Roman that deeply again. He didn't want to drag Roman through the mud just to leave him at the end when it didn't work out. He did care that much about him.

Blue eyes looked away, knowing that they were telling him to stop being selfish and at least let Roman inside his walls. He'd been pushing the bigger man out for too long. He sighed, straightening his jacket before he turned towards the door and walked out. He put on his best smile, his lips slowly falling and mouth going dry when his eyes landed on Roman, who was standing in the middle of the living room fiddling with a pair of cufflinks.

Roman was standing there in a sleek black suit, the blue and silver tie almost sparkling in the light. His hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, his cheeks clean shaven and goatee trimmed to perfection. He looked almost perfect.

Cody swallowed hard around a sudden lump in his throat. He'd seen Roman several times in slacks and his vest for work at the University, but he'd never thought about what Roman would really look like in the full suit. He closed his eyes, telling himself not to let his eyes wander. He already knew he'd be seeing that suit again in his dreams later.

Roman looked up, finally getting his cuff link on. "Hey," he murmured, looking over Cody with a smile. He didn't want to say it out loud but Cody looked good standing there. He looked beyond good. "This cleaned up enough for you?"

Cody's smile returned as he nodded. "I guess that'll do," he teased, watching as Roman returned the delicate smile. "So, what time did you want to leave?" His heart pounded at the way Roman walked over to him, the large hands moving to straighten his tie. He only looked up into the focused eyes, his eyes floating down to slightly pursed lips. He wondered what it would feel like to kiss them.

Roman backed up, looking the other man over again, suddenly nervous. He'd been feeling like everything was going to be fine, that they were just going to go out and eat and talk before they came home and went about their lives. "Ready?" he asked gently, holding out his hand.

Cody just looked down at Roman's open hand, smirking up into the laughing eyes. "I'm not going to be the girl on this date. You can't wine and dine me," he chuckled, enjoying the sudden rumble of laughter reverberating from Roman's chest.

"So it's a date?" Roman questioned, watching as the color drained from Cody's face as he looked away. "I… I didn't mean it seriously. I know it's not a date."

Cody only nodded, wishing he could say that it was a date, that it was more than them trying to piece together this messed up relationship they had. "So, we don't want to be late right? Fancy people aren't late."

Roman only smiled softly, leading Cody out the door. "Jon drove my car back, so we can take it, if you want," he said, pointing at the black car next to Cody's. "I'll drive."

"You sure? I mean, you did all of this, the least I can do is drive or something," Cody near protested, nerves making his heart jump. He looked up into the dark grey eyes, Roman shaking his head. He looked down at the pavement, walking to the passenger side and getting in. He heard the engine rumble to life as he tried to ignore the growing awkwardness between them. It was so thick he felt like he was suffocating under the pressure.

Roman could feel it too as he drove down the road, his hands almost clutching the wheel as they both sat in silence, the only noise in the car being the softly playing radio between them. He sighed loudly, looking over at Cody, who finally looked up at him. "You look good tonight," he finally said, the real words refusing to leave his mouth. He could feel Cody's gaze lower from his face, and from the corner of is eye he could see a small blush on the other man's face. He only smiled, missing that kind of power he'd had.

"Well, you know, you aren't bad looking yourself," Cody remarked, looking away out the window, his voice shaky even to him. He swallowed hard again, heart pounding even harder. His eyes landed on the black and white building, and he smiled. He'd always wanted to go to a place like this, just once to see what it was like.

Roman parked the car and led Cody inside, the nicely dressed hostess seating them at a nice table next to a window over looking a beach. He smiled, watching as waiters and waitresses passed them, all working quickly and silently. He could hear the overly posh language of those around him and he suddenly felt very out of place. He honestly didn't like high class places. He'd always found them to be too snooty for his tastes.

Cody looked down at the pristine white table cloth, sucking his lower lip into his mouth for a brief moment, the smiling waiter coming up to take their drink order and offer them a complimentary taste of wine. He agreed, thinking that he could use something, anything to help him loosen up. He smiled, letting Roman order his drink before deciding on water. It wasn't long before there was a large glass of red wine in front of Roman and a highly decorated, crystal, water goblet in front of Cody.

Roman sipped at the expensive wine, looking over the menu. He couldn't pronounce half of the words and he was sure Cody would laugh if he even tried to. He looked over, noticing the perplexing look on Cody's face. "I can't pronounce half of these things either," he murmured so only Cody could hear.

Cody only smiled, his blue eyes darting up. He was feeling more and more comfortable with Roman, but the restaurant was still too uptight for him. He really didn't like it and he suddenly wondered why Roman would want to bring him to this kind of place, they both felt awkward, it was written all over them. "It feels stuffy," he answered, closing the menu and setting it down in front of him. "Really stuffy." He let out a quiet chuckle, watching as a grin broke out on Roman's face.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels like that," he answered, relaxing a little in his chair. "To be honest, I only made these reservations because you'd said you'd always wanted to go to a place like this. I never thought it would be like this. I mean, they have a real life string quartet playing over there."

Cody covered his broad smile with one hand, trying hard to keep from laughing. He was flattered that Roman would go through that much trouble for him, especially if he felt this uncomfortable himself. "You know, I want us to be comfortable talking to each other, and this isn't cutting it," he said a moment later, his wide smile fading to a small one. "I'm awkward, you're awkward, lets ditch this place and go grab some burgers. We can go to something like this when we're fifty and rich." He saw the smile break out on Roman's lip, his heart lurching at the handsome face. He watched as Roman nodded.

Roman covered the small bill and led Cody out, sure that they'd left everyone confused as to why they were leaving so quickly. "So, a burger, at the boardwalk?" he asked, looking over at Cody as they pulled out of the high class place. He watched Cody nod in agreement, both laughing as they stripped off their ties. He unbuttoned the top button of his dress shirt, Cody following suit with the first two of his own shirt.

"Thank God," Cody breathed, leaning back in his seat, watching as the ocean came into view. "Remind me if I ever say something stupid like that again, that I'm not old. I'm young, spontaneous, and I like burgers." He laughed along with Roman, their laughter bouncing off the walls of the car. He stripped his suit jacket off, leaving him in the white button up shirt. He unbuttoned the sleeves and rolled them up to just under his elbows.

"I'll remind you as often as you want me to," Roman answered, almost jumping at the way Cody's hand touching his forearm. He looked over quickly, the blue eyes resting on the passing traffic, Cody's warm hand refusing to move from his arm. He took a chance, sliding his hand up and taking Cody's hand in his. He felt a deep-set emotion surge through him as their fingers laced and rested against his thigh. He smiled, looking over to see a hidden smile on Cody's lips. He reminded himself not to look too far into the gentle touch.

Cody only broke hands with Roman when they'd parked. He felt disappointment course through him at the lack of warmth. He followed Roman down the boardwalk, almost shivering at the cold gust of wind that cut through his thin shirt. "Fuck it's cold," he grumbled, moving in closer to Roman, the other man wrapping his arm around Cody's shoulders.

Roman told himself to stop the hope that was creeping into him, pulling free after they'd walked into a small local café that served some of the best burgers. Him and Cody joked about the previous place as they ordered, both laughing as they ate. "I'm glad we went out," he admitted half way through dinner, nibbling on a few more fries. "I just planned on being in bed all day. I thought my head was going to explode this morning I was so hung over."

Cody felt his lips ease into a frown. "I really was worried about you last night Roman," he started, looking up into wide grey eyes. "I wanted to talk to you about everything that had happened and I couldn't get a hold of you. I was scared that something happened to you."

Roman kept his growing smile back. "Nothing would stop me from coming home," he murmured, looking down at his almost finished food. He really was full as he pushed it back a little. "I'm sorry for making you worry. I just needed some time to myself to sort some things out."

"You don't have to do it on your own," Cody pushed, catching Roman's soft gaze. "Just because I can't remember doesn't mean I don't want to be there for you still. I really hate that we're like this. I hate how bad I hurt you when I don't mean to. I hate that I'm happy and you're not."

"Who said I wasn't happy?" Roman questioned, cocking his head to the side. It was just a question, and his voice held no malice or hurt. "I'm not unhappy Cody. I just have some things I have to get used to. This is one of them." He picked up a stray fry and popped it in his mouth. "I'm fine."

Cody looked down at his own food, scooting the fries around a little. He suddenly felt awkward again. Had he sounded full of himself? He hoped not. It was just most of the time he was around Roman he looked almost miserable. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean… I just…." He trailed off, unable to think of the right words to say.

Roman let out a heavy sigh, looking the other man over. "Look, this is something we should've talked about a while ago. I know you and Drew are happy. No, I don't like it, but I can accept it. I shoulda been honest with you in the beginning and went from there, I know that now. As long as you're happy, I can learn to deal with this. That doesn't mean that I'm not going to be depressed sometimes and I sometimes do stupid things, like what happened on Halloween," he explained, letting his grey eyes meet blue ones. He knew he was frowning just from the way Cody looked at him. "I've never been this close to someone before, starting over with someone else is hard, especially when there was nothing wrong in our relationship."

Cody nodded, heart pounding. He knew Roman was telling the truth, he didn't question any of it. He looked down at the table, sucking his lower lip into his mouth. He wanted to tell Roman how he'd felt with Evan around, how he'd been so jealous at the party between Evan and Brad. "I'm sorry," he murmured, throat constricting on the confession.

"Don't apologize. I told you before I won't hide anything else from you, I'm trying to keep that promise. And that might make both of us uncomfortable," Roman went on, rubbing his hands against the thighs of his slacks. "So, you ready? I'm sure this was enough talking like that in a public place." He let out a small chuckle, Cody smiling as he nodded.

Both cleaned up before getting up and walking out of the café, both waving at the nice waitress they'd had.

Cody wrapped his arms around himself, shivering in the cold wind. "What the hell is going on with the weather?" he asked, looking up into the dark sky, silver grey clouds covering the usually black canvas, completely cutting out the stars. "This is Florida, I shouldn't be able to see my breath."

Roman chuckled, pulling his suit jacket off. He draped it around Cody's shoulders, the smaller male looking up at him with wide eyes. "I'm not cold," he murmured, smiling brightly. "I can't take you home as an ice cube now."

Cody felt his face heat up as he slid his arms through the long sleeves. He leaned in closer to Roman, taking in as much body heat as he could, the light scent of the other man's cologne making his head feel fuzzy, his thoughts either flying through his head or stopping completely. He smiled, Roman's strong arm wrapping around his shoulders. "Wanna watch the water?" he asked softly, looking up into the slightly surprised face of the Samoan.

Roman nodded, leading them over to the guardrail of the pier, both standing there watching the waves as they gently rolled in. "Pretty huh? Normally it's better with the moonlight and all," he breathed, looking down into the far off blue orbs. He tightened his arm around Cody a little more, sure that this would be the only time he'd be able to.

Cody only nodded, turning to look up at Roman. "You know, this is the nicest date I've probably ever been on," he said, smiling. "Thank you."

Roman only smirked, looking down. "I thought you said it wasn't a date?" he questioned, laughing at the confused look on Cody's face. He felt Cody move a little closer to him, a finger pointing in the middle of his chest as Cody's features scrunched up in playful anger.

"I said you couldn't wine and dine me. I didn't say anything about it not being a date, that was all you," he retorted, smiling and relaxing. He turned from Roman, resting his hands on the railing as he looked at the waves gently slap against the sandy banks around them. His smile slow slid away, his heart pounding as he thought about really telling Roman how he felt, how he had these built up emotions that he didn't understand. "I wish I could remember."

Roman barely caught the words as he stood there, his gaze focused on Cody's back. He swallowed hard, looking away. He wasn't ready for this kind of conversation, not there. "Cody, I know I said some insensitive shit last night," he started, Cody turning to face him, those blue eyes so wide and so innocent. He paused, his voice growing too soft to speak.

Cody shook his head, opening his mouth only to stop when a soft, fluffy white flake landed on his cheek. It was cold and melted into a drop of icy water before it slid away. He looked up into the sky, fat flakes of snow starting to rain down on them lightly. He couldn't help but smile, pointing at the sky. "It's snowing," he murmured, turning his attention back to Roman. He watched a lock blow free from the pulled back hair, fluttering in the cold breeze that blew past them.

Roman nodded, looking up before letting his eyes fall back to Cody's sparkling eyes. He was almost frozen there, his heart pounding at how beautiful Cody looked standing there in his oversized suit jacket, the snow landing on the shoulders for only a moment or two before the soft flakes melted into nothing. He smiled, Cody looking at him, an unknown expression gracing his features.

Cody reached up, gently brushing the long lock of hair back behind Roman's bronze ear, his fingers trailing down the smooth cheek. He felt a spark in his fingertips. He stood there, unable to think of anything else but being right there with Roman. His tongue flicked out to moisten his lower lip, a strong, invisible rope pulling him to move closer.

Roman leaned in, his body acting without a single thought. He met Cody in the middle, dipping down just enough as Cody pushed up for their lips to touch gently. His heart quickened to the point he was sure it would explode as his arms wrapped around Cody's waist, his head tilting to the side as they moved even closer. His eyes fluttered shut, Cody's hands tightly grasping the front of his shirt. At that moment, he felt like things were normal again, that Cody was his.

Cody felt a bolt of lightening shoot through him, consuming him in a burning fire that begged to be unleashed inside of him. His heart was pounding and being right there in Roman's arms just felt right. He felt his entire body relax, his hands refusing to let Roman go. He was the one to take the next step, his warm tongue gliding along Roman's lower lip, silently asking permission for admittance into the hat cavern. Once he felt Roman's lips part, his tongue slowly, gently slid into Roman's mouth, Roman's meeting his and gliding smoothly against him. He whimpered, Roman pulling him even closer.

Roman took over the gentle kiss. His tongue pushed into Cody's mouth, both groaning as he searched every single crevice he could. He wanted to taste every last bit of Cody all over again, sure that this would be the last and only time he'd have the chance. He felt his heartache when he realized that it was wrong, that he was locking lips with his previous lover whom had a boyfriend. He pulled back, looking desperately into the half lidded, glazed over blue eyes. He pressed his forehead against Cody's, sighing in defeat.

Cody looked up into the clouded grey eyes. He could see the love that Roman held for him in the worried gaze. He felt his heart jump uncomfortably in his chest, Roman's hands sliding up to wrap around his, gently unwinding them from his crisp white dress shirt. He swallowed hard, the look of utter anguish so hard to ignore.

"I'm sorry," Roman murmured, his jaw tight around the words he didn't mean. He took a few steps back, turning away from Cody completely. He couldn't look at the man in front of him, not after another colossal fuck up. "That was stupid."

Cody couldn't breathe, his chest tight and lungs burning. He could barely speak, refusing to admit how much power he'd felt in their small kiss, or in the way Roman had looked at him. He bit his lower lip, telling his body to calm down. He stood silent for another moment, deciding to play the kiss off as best as he could; Roman was already apologizing for it. He didn't want to complicate things more than they already were. "It was just a kiss," he started, lightly chuckling. It sounded forced. He hoped Roman would just laugh it off as well. "Nothing serious."

Roman whipped around, his narrowed eyes meeting Cody's wide ones. He growled, running a hand over his pulled back hair, anger filling him. He wasn't sure if it was aimed at Cody's insensitive words or his own self-hatred. "See, that's the fucking problem," he snapped finally, shaking his head. "None of this, not a fucking thing means anything to you!" He looked down at the ground, wishing he'd just stayed home, that he wouldn't have given into Cody's demand to go out. "Tonight, that kiss, everything means so much more to me than it ever will to you!"

Cody stood there, watching as Roman walked away. He closed his eyes, his heart feeling like it was breaking to watch Roman walk away from him like he was. He hated that he couldn't say what he'd actually felt. He was only complicating things between them. "I'm sorry," he breathed, the words floating away on a cold gust of wind, the snow slowing to a stop, leaving only a very light dusting around Cody.

(A/N): 26 chapters…. 26 fucking chapters just for these two to fucking kiss…. That's a new record! So, what do you guys think? Cody's suffering, Roman's suffering and neither one of them are making this easier on themselves or each other. I've never been to an ultra fancy restaurant just so you know, so if it's all wrong, I do apologize. Haha. Also it HAS snowed in Pensacola before, go google it! So it's totally legit! Well, until next time loves, please let me know your thoughts and feelings! Title is Hearts Burst Into Fire by Bullet For My Valentine.

JacktheSinister_JaketheJust