Paloma woke up alone. Her bedroom still had a vague smell of sex hanging in the air. She got out of bed and opened the window before throwing on a pair of panties and a t-shirt. She walked through her house but Roman was gone. He liked going for runs in the morning so she wasn't worried. Instead she went to take a shower.
After she showered and got dressed, she heard the front door open. She could hear Roman's heavy breathing as he walked through the house. He never stopped running until he reached the front door. She knew she would be greeted by a sweaty man. She stepped out of the bedroom and looked at him nervously. They had stepped over a line last night and she wasn't sure what would happen next.
"Hi," she said.
"Hey," he said.
He stepped into the bedroom and grabbed some fresh clothes.
"I need a shower," he said.
"Of course," she said. "You know the way."
He walked past her but stopped a few steps later. He turned around and looked at her. For a few seconds they just stared at each other. They usually knew each other so well but suddenly it felt like they were in uncharted waters.
"We probably should talk," he said.
He looked so serious that it broke her heart. Judging by his facial expression, she wasn't gonna like what he had to say. She decided to cut him off before he could hurt her further.
"No need. It was a drunken mistake. I hardly remember it anyway," she said.
"Yeah, me neither," he said lowly. "I'll take that shower now."
"I'll make coffee meanwhile," she said.
She went to the kitchen and just stared at the coffee maker while it was brewing. He was out of the shower around the same time the coffee was done. She poured coffee in two mugs and handed him one. That awkward silence was back while they both pretended to be lost in tasting their coffee.
"No, I can't do this," he put his mug down. "We need to talk about what happened between us. I don't wanna ruin our friendship."
"Nothing's ruined. We're fine," she said.
"You know I hate that word," he said. "Nothing's ever fine when people use it."
He grabbed her mug and put it down on the countertop as well. He placed himself in front of her, placed both his hands on either side of her on the countertop and boxed her in.
"And I don't want us to be fine," he said. "I want us to..."
He mumbled the last words while he was slowly leaning in. She wasn't sure if he was going for a hug or a kiss. Her heart started beating faster. The moment was ruined by his phone beeping.
"God damn it!" He growled lowly.
He pulled his phone out of his back pocket to look at the text. He furrowed his brows and took a step backwards.
"That motherfucker!" He snarled.
"What is it?" She asked.
"Lana," he answered. "Her new boyfriend beat her up."
He turned his phone to show the photo that Lana had sent. She had a black eye. It didn't matter if it was Rusev, Bobby or a third guy doing that to her. It didn't matter how much of a bitch she was. No one deserved to be abused by their partner.
"Go to her," she said.
"Are you sure?" He asked.
"Yes, she needs you," she answered. "Go help her."
He pulled her in for one of his classic bear hugs. This was her best friend hugging her. She knew it. She had read too much into the moment a minute earlier. He was never gonna kiss her again. She was sure of it. Last night had been a mistake to him, and she would lie for the rest of her life and agree with him on that if that's what it took to keep him in her life. She didn't wanna lose him.
"Alright, I'm going," he said.
"Give her my best," she said.
"She just got beaten up. No need to rub salt in the wound," he chuckled. "I'll be back later."
"No rush. Take your time," she said.