An All American Love Story
Ch. Twelve: Waiting Up
Romano stared at Elizabeth. He wanted to be alone, but didn't have the heart to tell her to go away. He would tell anyone else, but not Elizabeth. Without a word he moved out of the way so she could walk in. Romano shut the door and turned to face her. "What are you doing here?" he asked. He tried very hard not to make his voice sound as hostile as he felt. Elizabeth, still holding the Chinese food, had originally been upset at Robert for starting a fight. She knew his temper, and at first, assumed he deserved what he got. However after she took a good look at him and how upset he seemed to be, her heart melted. She sighed as she answered him. "Abby told me what happened. I came to see if you were ok." Romano just nodded as he walked past her. "Are you hungry? You want some of this?" came his voice from the kitchen. "No." Elizabeth spoke back. "I already had dinner much earlier."
Romano walked into the living room with a fork and a bottle of beer. Elizabeth followed him in and sat down after she handed him the box of food. Romano set the food in his lap and went to open his beer. Noticing the black bruises under his eyes, Elizabeth brought her hand up to touch his face. "Did he break your nose?" she asked as Romano recoiled from the pressure of her fingers. "Yeah." Romano managed to get out before gulping down half of the bottle of alcohol. "It doesn't matter. It's not the first time I've broken it." he said again before he killed off the rest of the bottle and got up to get another one. "You should have really thought before picking a fight with Pratt. If I had known I would have gotten in on it." she joked. Standing in the doorway Romano sniped some more. "Well knowing Weaver, I'll have about a week of suspension to think about it."
When he returned he slumped down into the sofa, letting his head and shoulders lean forward. He dropped his head into his hand and sighed deeply. Elizabeth, noticing his tension, scooted in behind him and began to rub his shoulders. "So you want to tell me what happened?" Elizabeth softly asked. Romano, annoyed at the question, shrugged her off his shoulders and scooted over, leaning back into the couch. After seeing the concern in her eyes he decided it was better to say something. "Look, I don't want to get into this with my girlfriend, and certainly not tonight." He answered coldly, reaching for the beer that sat in front of him. That normally would have ended the conversation but Elizabeth felt closer to him tonight so she tried again. Taking the bottle from his hand she asked the question from another angle. "How about just telling your friend then?" Romano shook his head. He couldn't believe she wouldn't let it go. Snapping his head to the side to look at her he curtly responded. "Didn't you know? Rocket Romano doesn't have friends."
His sarcasm stung Elizabeth as he got up and walked back into the kitchen. Thinking he was coming back Elizabeth remained seated on the couch. However after several minutes she got up to go find him. She didn't see him in the kitchen or anywhere else. Her heart sped up a beat as she yelled his name. "Robert! Where are you?" After looking around more, she noticed the glass door that led to his porch was cracked open. "Robert?" she asked before walking through. She found him sitting down on the wooden porch, with his back against the rail, drinking another beer. He looked worse then she had noticed at first. Looking at him now, aside from the obvious injuries, it was becoming clear to her that there was something else wrong besides a busted face. Without looking up, Romano spat out one of his usual witty remarks. "You know that's the third time you've yelled my name in one day? I think it's grounds for a breakup." Not being amused at his joke she sat down next to him.
She wrapped her arms around herself. Although it had finally stopped raining, the December night was still extremely cold. "How did you get that nickname Rocket?" Elizabeth questioned with a smile. "One of your girlfriends give it to you?" To that Romano finally cracked a smile. "I wish." He sighed, the smile now gone from his face. "It was from swim team. I was as fast as a rocket." He said, quickly moving his hand in a line. Romano gazed out over his lakeside view. "It's funny. We are like the only state that's not on the coast but still has a beach." he said pointing to the sandy strip that traced around the lake. Elizabeth looked out. It was an amazing view. She opened her mouth to speak again but was interrupted as Romano started first. "You know I don't think this is going to work out." He stated matter of factly, moving his finger between the two of them. Now curious, Elizabeth decided to bite. "And why's that?" Romano tilted his head back before he answered. "Because I'm bitter and lonely and you're." he stopped before finishing and brought his eyes back down to look at her. "You're not." Leaning his head back again he waited for Elizabeth to speak. Not knowing if he was joking, she was shocked by his words.
"Maybe I should go." She remarked, waiting for his reaction. Still keeping his eyes closed and head back he answered her before he had a chance to think about it. "Well you know what they say. The only thing better than drinking is drinking alone." Elizabeth pressed her jaws together. She had wanted to help him, but the combination of his declining sobriety and his bad mood had made her too upset to stay. Wordlessly she got up and left. The past week had been so much fun for her, but Romano's current disposition had made her hurt worse than he would know.
Romano winced as he heard his door slam. He hadn't planned on that kind of ending for the evening. After he finished his third beer he got his feet underneath himself and stood up. "What a night." He whispered to himself before going back inside. He went back into the living room and sat on his couch. As he knocked back a shot of whiskey he put his feet up and looked across the room. Even though it was dark the small light from his doorway was enough to let him see that Elizabeth hadn't made it out of his driveway. She was sitting in her car wiping a tear from her face. Romano just closed his eyes. He couldn't deal with another person's problems now, even if he was the one who caused them. "How can she be that upset over me?" he asked himself. Only Elizabeth knew the answer. The truth was, that beneath what everyone else saw of Robert she saw something different and always had. Something that she loved.
Romano stared at Elizabeth. He wanted to be alone, but didn't have the heart to tell her to go away. He would tell anyone else, but not Elizabeth. Without a word he moved out of the way so she could walk in. Romano shut the door and turned to face her. "What are you doing here?" he asked. He tried very hard not to make his voice sound as hostile as he felt. Elizabeth, still holding the Chinese food, had originally been upset at Robert for starting a fight. She knew his temper, and at first, assumed he deserved what he got. However after she took a good look at him and how upset he seemed to be, her heart melted. She sighed as she answered him. "Abby told me what happened. I came to see if you were ok." Romano just nodded as he walked past her. "Are you hungry? You want some of this?" came his voice from the kitchen. "No." Elizabeth spoke back. "I already had dinner much earlier."
Romano walked into the living room with a fork and a bottle of beer. Elizabeth followed him in and sat down after she handed him the box of food. Romano set the food in his lap and went to open his beer. Noticing the black bruises under his eyes, Elizabeth brought her hand up to touch his face. "Did he break your nose?" she asked as Romano recoiled from the pressure of her fingers. "Yeah." Romano managed to get out before gulping down half of the bottle of alcohol. "It doesn't matter. It's not the first time I've broken it." he said again before he killed off the rest of the bottle and got up to get another one. "You should have really thought before picking a fight with Pratt. If I had known I would have gotten in on it." she joked. Standing in the doorway Romano sniped some more. "Well knowing Weaver, I'll have about a week of suspension to think about it."
When he returned he slumped down into the sofa, letting his head and shoulders lean forward. He dropped his head into his hand and sighed deeply. Elizabeth, noticing his tension, scooted in behind him and began to rub his shoulders. "So you want to tell me what happened?" Elizabeth softly asked. Romano, annoyed at the question, shrugged her off his shoulders and scooted over, leaning back into the couch. After seeing the concern in her eyes he decided it was better to say something. "Look, I don't want to get into this with my girlfriend, and certainly not tonight." He answered coldly, reaching for the beer that sat in front of him. That normally would have ended the conversation but Elizabeth felt closer to him tonight so she tried again. Taking the bottle from his hand she asked the question from another angle. "How about just telling your friend then?" Romano shook his head. He couldn't believe she wouldn't let it go. Snapping his head to the side to look at her he curtly responded. "Didn't you know? Rocket Romano doesn't have friends."
His sarcasm stung Elizabeth as he got up and walked back into the kitchen. Thinking he was coming back Elizabeth remained seated on the couch. However after several minutes she got up to go find him. She didn't see him in the kitchen or anywhere else. Her heart sped up a beat as she yelled his name. "Robert! Where are you?" After looking around more, she noticed the glass door that led to his porch was cracked open. "Robert?" she asked before walking through. She found him sitting down on the wooden porch, with his back against the rail, drinking another beer. He looked worse then she had noticed at first. Looking at him now, aside from the obvious injuries, it was becoming clear to her that there was something else wrong besides a busted face. Without looking up, Romano spat out one of his usual witty remarks. "You know that's the third time you've yelled my name in one day? I think it's grounds for a breakup." Not being amused at his joke she sat down next to him.
She wrapped her arms around herself. Although it had finally stopped raining, the December night was still extremely cold. "How did you get that nickname Rocket?" Elizabeth questioned with a smile. "One of your girlfriends give it to you?" To that Romano finally cracked a smile. "I wish." He sighed, the smile now gone from his face. "It was from swim team. I was as fast as a rocket." He said, quickly moving his hand in a line. Romano gazed out over his lakeside view. "It's funny. We are like the only state that's not on the coast but still has a beach." he said pointing to the sandy strip that traced around the lake. Elizabeth looked out. It was an amazing view. She opened her mouth to speak again but was interrupted as Romano started first. "You know I don't think this is going to work out." He stated matter of factly, moving his finger between the two of them. Now curious, Elizabeth decided to bite. "And why's that?" Romano tilted his head back before he answered. "Because I'm bitter and lonely and you're." he stopped before finishing and brought his eyes back down to look at her. "You're not." Leaning his head back again he waited for Elizabeth to speak. Not knowing if he was joking, she was shocked by his words.
"Maybe I should go." She remarked, waiting for his reaction. Still keeping his eyes closed and head back he answered her before he had a chance to think about it. "Well you know what they say. The only thing better than drinking is drinking alone." Elizabeth pressed her jaws together. She had wanted to help him, but the combination of his declining sobriety and his bad mood had made her too upset to stay. Wordlessly she got up and left. The past week had been so much fun for her, but Romano's current disposition had made her hurt worse than he would know.
Romano winced as he heard his door slam. He hadn't planned on that kind of ending for the evening. After he finished his third beer he got his feet underneath himself and stood up. "What a night." He whispered to himself before going back inside. He went back into the living room and sat on his couch. As he knocked back a shot of whiskey he put his feet up and looked across the room. Even though it was dark the small light from his doorway was enough to let him see that Elizabeth hadn't made it out of his driveway. She was sitting in her car wiping a tear from her face. Romano just closed his eyes. He couldn't deal with another person's problems now, even if he was the one who caused them. "How can she be that upset over me?" he asked himself. Only Elizabeth knew the answer. The truth was, that beneath what everyone else saw of Robert she saw something different and always had. Something that she loved.