solana

Solana

When the knock came, I exhaled, smoothing my hands down my sweater before opening the door. And there he was—Roman, standing under the porch light, dressed in all black, hood up. Looking just as unfairly good as always.

But what caught me off guard wasn't him—it was what he was holding. A bouquet of lilies, my favorite, and a gift basket packed with chocolates, sketchbooks, new paintbrushes... things I loved. Things I'd mentioned in passing, things he had no reason to remember. But he did.

For a second, my chest tightened. My fingers hovered over my lips as I took it all in.

"You didn't have to do all this," I said quietly, my voice not quite as steady as I wanted it to be.

Roman shrugged, stepping inside as I moved aside. "I know," he said simply. "But I wanted to."

I took the flowers from him, fingers brushing against his as I did. His hands were warm—too warm for how cold I wanted to be right now.

I set the bouquet in a vase, letting the silence stretch between us before turning back toward him. He had already settled onto the couch, his hood still up, dark eyes watching me carefully. Like he was trying to gauge where my head was at, how much distance I was planning to keep between us.

I crossed my arms, leaning against the counter. "I'm not mad," I started, watching the way his shoulders relaxed just a fraction before I continued. "I'm just... disappointed."

Roman's jaw tightened, his fingers interlocking between his knees. He nodded slowly, letting me speak.

"I know what you do now, Roman. And I know why you didn't tell me. But do you know what it was like? Finding out that way?" My voice wavered slightly, but I held my ground. "Walking in and seeing those guys... surrounding that girl... and not knowing the full story? Not knowing who you were in that moment?"

He exhaled through his nose, his hands tightening into fists before he forced them to relax. "You were scared."

"I was terrified," I admitted. "Not just of what I saw, but of the fact that I had no idea if I even knew you."

He looked down for a moment, jaw clenched, before meeting my gaze again. "You do," he said, voice rough but certain. "You do know me, Solana."

I swallowed, the weight of his words pressing against the walls I'd built around myself.

"I wanted to tell you," he continued, shaking his head slightly. "I should have. I just—" He exhaled, running a hand down his face. "I didn't want to lose you."

I let out a slow breath, my arms loosening from their tight hold around my torso. "And now?"

Roman held my gaze, unwavering. "Now, I'm here. I'll tell you anything you want to know."

I studied him for a long moment before pushing off the counter, walking toward the couch. I sat down beside him—not too close, but close enough.

"Alright," I said, tilting my head slightly. "Then start talking."

Roman exhaled, running a hand through his hair before leaning back against the couch. "I was born into this," he started, his voice steady but low. "My father—he was the leader before me. He built all of this, and from the moment I was old enough to understand what it meant, he trained me to take over."

I watched him carefully, my fingers loosely gripping my knees. "So, you never had a choice?"

He let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head. "No. Not really. It was either become the man he raised me to be or..." He trailed off, his jaw tightening for a second before he shrugged. "There was no or."