Lake opened her eyes and was met by Roman's warm smile.
"Good morning," he said.
"You're still here?" She asked.
He moved in and gave her a kiss.
"I said I would be. I don't lie," he said.
"I'm beginning to understand that," she said.
"Good," he said. "Give it time. You'll learn to trust me completely. And I'll never give up if we meet a wall. I'll help you tear them down."
"Why?" She asked.
"I kinda like you," he chuckled.
"I don't understand why you do," she said.
He sighed and ran his fingers through her hair.
"Don't put yourself down like that," he said. "I know he's the one who's made you think this little of yourself. Hopefully I can help build that confidence back up. I know it's in there. I've seen it before."
"That was years ago," she said.
"So it's about time we bring it back out, don't you think?" He said.
She nodded and he smiled. A nod might be all she would be able to give today and that was okay in his world. It was a step in the right direction.
"How about breakfast?" He asked. "I can hear Seth is already on it so he beat us to it."
"Yeah, I'm hungry," she said.
They both got out of bed and got dressed. They walked out in the kitchen and Seth looked at Roman first.
"I thought you went home last night. You suddenly disappeared and I couldn't find you. You didn't answer my texts either. Where were you?" Seth asked.
Roman smirked and Seth moved his eyes to Lake.
"Oh!" Seth started grinning. "It's all good. You have my blessing."
"She said I should ask you how she likes her scrambled eggs," Roman said.
"That's a disaster in itself," Seth chuckled.
"Don't be mean," Lake giggled. "I'm gonna go pee while you two cook me breakfast."
"Or you could help," Seth suggested.
"Not today. I deserve breakfast from two good men," Lake said.
"We can't argue with that," Roman chuckled. "Where do you hide your juicer? If you got fruit and vegetables, I can make you both the most amazing juice to start your morning with."
Lake smiled and walked out in the bathroom to pee and brush her teeth. When she resurfaced, Seth was placing the last few things on the table. She sat down and Roman put a green drink in front of her.
"Green?" Lake asked.
"I found spinach," Roman smiled proudly. "Try it."
Lake took a sip and smiled.
"That's good. What is it?" Lake asked.
"Apples, bananas, lime and of course spinach. Normally I would add ginger too," Roman said.
"I told him no ginger," Seth said.
"Oh, thank fuck. I can't stand ginger. Well, I can tolerate it in food but I can't drink it. It's nasty," Lake said.
"At home I have premade ginger juice to add since not everyone wants the same amount. It won't be a problem making juice for the both of us," Roman said.
"Inviting her over already?" Seth chuckled.
"Of course," Roman said. "I wanna show her my home."
"Can we eat breakfast first before you schedule how my entire year will run?" Lake asked.
"Of course," Roman laughed. "Let's eat."
They ate and smalltalked until the table was cleaned of food. They put the dishes in the dishwasher and heard honking outside. Seth looked out of the window and sighed.
"It's Finn," Seth said. "He has some nerves coming here."
"Probably because of what he heard last night," Lake said.
"What did he hear?" Seth asked.
"Roman can fill you in on that," Lake looked at Roman. "I gotta go talk to him."
"Then go," Roman said.
Lake walked outside and over to Finn's car. He exited the car and looked up towards the house where Seth and Roman had come outside too.
"What? You can't face me alone?" He asked.
She looked back at them and then back at Finn.
"They're just standing there to make sure you don't hurt me," she said.
"Hurt you? I've never laid a hand on you," he said.
"Not all abuse if psychical," she said.
"Abuse? You're calling me an abuser? With what you made me listen to last night, you're the one abusing me," he said.
"Don't gaslight me," she said.
"You don't even know what that word means," he said.
She crossed her arms and stared him down. She could tell by the way his eyes were looking around that he felt uneasy about not being able to control the conversation like usual.
"It's supposed to be us in the end," he said.
He reached for her but she took a step back.
"Babe?" He asked nervously.
"It's not supposed to be us in the end. It should never have been us to begin with," she said.
"You don't mean that," he said.
"All you do is hurt me, and you're doing it on purpose. Control is some sick game to you. It's all about what you need and what you want. You don't care about me. You got off on the control you had over me. I've had enough, Finn. I don't ever wanna see you again," she said.
"Babe," he tried again.
"Enough!" She yelled as loud as she could. "Enough, Finn! Leave me the fuck alone!"
Roman and Seth made their way down to them faster than Finn could blink.
"Is everything okay here?" Roman asked.
"Yes, Finn was just leaving. He finally understands that we're over, don't you, Finn? By the way, have you met Roman?" Lake pointed at Roman. "He was the guy on the phone yesterday. What was it you said you would do if he touched me?"
Finn looked at Roman who was way bigger than him and shook his head no.
"Nothing. I didn't say anything. I was drunk last night and I don't remember even calling. I'm sorry," Finn said.
"I bet you are," Roman said.
"Finn, do you understand what I just said?" Lake asked.
"Yes, we're over. I'll never contact you again," Finn said.
Finn got back into his car and drove away. Lake turned around and looked at the two men behind her.
"I'm gonna wait inside," Seth said.
Seth walked away and Lake took out her phone.
"What are you doing?" Roman asked.
"Something I should have done a long time ago," Lake answered. "There, he's blocked now."
She put her phone back in her pocket and looked at Roman. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him down for a kiss.
"I think I'm in love with you," she said.
"You think?" He asked.
"I'm not used to this feeling but I like it," she said.
"I think we're feeling the same thing," he said.
She started grinning and he smiled at the sight.
"Tell me the future, wise guy," she said.
He pulled her close and leaned down to talk lowly in her ear.
"The future is full of pleasure," he said.
"Really?" She asked.
"You under me moaning my name. You on top of me moaning your name. Me behind you making you moan my name," he said.
"That's my future?" She asked.
"At least today," he said.
He leaned out and winked at her.
"If you wanna come see where I live," he said.
"Let me pack a bag real quick," she said.
He took her hand and gave it a squeeze.
"Pizza for dinner tonight?" He asked.
"Only if there's pineapple on it," she said.
"As if I would ever eat pizza without it," he chuckled.
He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head.
"The future is bright," he said.
"I'm starting to realize that," she smiled.
"Good," he smiled back. "I wanna see that smile everyday."