Teach Me to Please | Please Me #1

TWENTY FOUR

But you probably know too much about each other to just be strangers.

No, we weren't strangers. We were... urgh, I don't. what do I even know about Roman?

He likes science, he wants to be a neurologist, he likes to box but ironically doesn't like violence, he has a fifteen-year-old sister named Skye who also listens to Lana Del Rey, he likes listening to The Neighbourhood, he wants to be valued more for his mind than anything else, he likes Hot Cheetos, he's going to do great things, oh, and he has a huge c –

"Yeah." I quickly cut off my rambling thoughts. "Yeah, we're friends."

I watched as Roman gave me a look of surprise and noticed a little sparkle in his eyes. Sparkle? Sparkle, Sienna? Shut up.

I gave a soft smile in return and witness how his lips tug up as he takes a sip of juice. Friends. We were friends. I knew things about Roman that no one else did and it would never bother me to call him a friend.

"Well, you should stay for dinner more often." His mom declared. "Any friend of Roman's is welcome in this house."

A sudden relief lifted off my shoulder as I watched the smile beam on his parents' faces.

"You should visit the gym for often too. I'm sure Roman could use an audience." Mark suggested with a chuckle.

"Dad." Roman groaned.

"What d'you mean an audience?" I asked.

Roman looked as if he wanted to set himself on fire at this point. "What I mean is, it'd be nice for a friend of his to come and support him. He doesn't tell a lot of people about the whole boxing thing."

"You really don't have to do that, Sienna –"

"I'd love to." I cut Roman off, smiling back at his dad before turning back to him. He must have been surprised at my answer as his eyebrows raised. "What?" I shrugged. "It'd give you more time to tutor me." I didn't let my eyes leave his to let him notice a further intention in my voice. I could see the locker room extravaganza replaying behind his eyes and my smile turned into a subtle smirk.

After dinner, I offered to help his mom with the washing up. She refused me at first but I insisted.

"Thank you for the meal, Mrs Lawrence." I said as I dried up a plate.

"It's okay and, please, call me Samantha." She chuckled. "Mrs Lawrence is what they call my mother-in-law."

I laughed and placed the plate in the cupboard. "How long have you had the jewellery shop?" I then asked.

"Around ten years now." Wow, that was a pretty long time. "It started off as a dream, but Mark convinced me to do it. I used to work in accounting and hated it but always loved designing on the side. So, for my birthday one year, Mark surprised me by coming home and bought me the shop."

"Woah, that's..."

"Slightly insane?"

"I was going to say 'romantic'."

Samantha handed me another wet plate and continued. "I told him he was insane when he first did it but he believed in me. Even when he wasn't home, he'd constantly sent me letters to motivate me to. I wouldn't be where I am today without him." She looked over her shoulder to Mark and Roman talking on the couch, a casual father-and-son moment as they laughed and poked fun at one another.

I could see the love shining in Samantha's eyes as she looked at her husband. He caught her eyes and grinned, and I observed the loving look fluttering like hundreds of butterflies and rose petals dancing in the wind. It was so sweet it almost made me melt. Roman looked my way and smiled, I smiled back before realising his parents were watching us and quickly turned my head away, heat rising to my cheeks.