Chapter Sixteen

REALIZATION

“Okay, where to go today?” Sierra asked, slurping on the strawberry and cream milkshake that Roman insisted they try, she wasn’t in the least disappointed in his insistence. 

“I was thinking, you haven’t been to the night market since you got here, which is actually kind of weird, but it’s Saturday, which means there will be a lot more street performers around and all the best food vendors are there over the weekend.” Sierra glanced at her watch and raised an eyebrow at him when she saw that it was only 9 am.

“I hate to break it to you, Roman, but it’s 9 am.” Chuckling at her obvious statement he continued to lead them back in the direction of their buildings. 

“I know and as much as I love painting the town red with you, it has been a ridiculous week at the hospital, I was really hoping for a day in. What do you say I whip us up some Char Kuay Teow and we can binge-watch movies till the sun sets?” Sierra’s eyes softened when he mentioned his busy week, they were a little short-staffed since two of the doctors on their rotation were getting married and a few colleagues had joined them for the wedding, Roman was working longer hours and even had to work a double shift earlier in the week to make up for the gap. 

“That actually sounds so much better than going anywhere right now, but I have one condition.” Roman raised an eyebrow at her mention of the condition. 

“We’re going to my place and I’m cooking for you, I suspect you’ve been on your feet enough this week so you can lounge on my couch while I treat you.” Roman’s face lit up into a smile when he saw the determination on her face. 

“As long as I don’t get food poisoning, I’m game.” Sierra slapped his overly taut bicep at his comment, feeling slightly offended by his lack of faith, though to be fair, he hadn’t seen much of her abilities in the kitchen since most of their meals and time were spent outside of their apartments. 

“I resent that statement, I may not have taken my mom’s love for cooking, but I have picked up some tricks over the years, I make some mean teriyaki wings.” Roman’s mouth formed an “O” T the mention of teriyaki wings, any type of wings were his favorite guilty pleasure. 

“Forget the Char Kuay Teow, I want teriyaki wings.” Staring at her with wide, excited eyes, she could almost see the saliva drip from his mouth. 

Someone likes wings.

“So, what do you think?” Sierra hadn’t touched her plate, waiting for him to offer his critique first. She was confident in her skills because everyone who had ever tasted them loved it and she would be very mad and untrusting if he didn’t share the sentiment. 

Roman held up a hand as he took a bite of the second wing on his plate, his face was neutral as he cleaned the chicken off the bone till every last wing in his plate was finished. 

Sierra watched in both worry and contemplation, surely if it was bad he would have stopped eating by now and if it was good he would have at least said something about it. 

Reaching for another wing in the large casserole she placed on the table he took a bite and a groan escaped his throat, “Yup, just as good as the last four. This is without a doubt my new favorite binge food. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and spicy and the crispiness? Don’t get me started on that. These are delicious Sierra and if you're not going to start eating soon, I’m afraid I might make it to your plate before you do.” He praised, reaching for the tong to fill his plate once again. 

Sierra couldn’t wipe the smile off her face as she sat back and gathered her knees on the couch, he was so engrossed in licking the sticky sauce off his fingers that the movie was long forgotten, Roman chose The Hobbit trilogy as his marathon of choice and she mentally praised him for it, she loved fantasy movies. 

He was hardly engrossed in the movie which made her wonder how come he’d chosen it, while she was busy in the kitchen he spent more time engaging her in conversation over the couch rest than he did watching the movie and judging by his loving look at the food in his plate, he hardly cared for it now. 

“You’re not a fantasy guy, are you?” Roman glanced at her with wide eyes, whether it was because he’d been caught or because his attention was dragged from his wings, she had no idea, but she found the look beyond adorable. 

“Huh?” He glanced around as if he were trying to figure out what she’d said. 

“What’s your favorite movie, Dr. Roman Leek?” She smothered the wide smile threatening to erupt on her lips, it was moments like this that intrigued her. He looked nothing like the sophisticated ER doctor that saved lives every day of his life, he looked younger and more carefree, most of the time like a guy in college looking to have the time of his life, but right now he looked like a youthful little boy who discovered that people walked on the moon. 

Seeing him like this made her wish she had the ability to travel back in time, she wished she could have been there to see him at those times in his life, to grasp whether he was indeed the same younger versions of himself she saw in his eyes, but that wasn’t part of the deal. 

She shouldn’t want to know more about him, but the feeling wasn’t one she could control and she made a promise to stick to their deal. For both their sakes.

“The Theory of Everything.” Sierra’s gaze flew back to him, shocked by his answer. “What?” he asked, looking a little uncertain about her response. 

“Nothing, I just- I guess I expected something starkly different. Not sure what exactly, but it’s a brilliant choice.” She shook her head and smiled, even when she made a point not to break their deal about personal information, she felt as if she toed the line. 

You never quite understand how much the little things contribute to knowing a person, till all the significance is given only to it. 

“You probably expected some with action or horror, right?” He asked, grinning slightly. 

“No…” She tilted her head, observing him with keen eyes, “somehow that answer doesn’t suit you, though I will say it’s rare for a man to admit something like that.” 

I like that you’re not afraid.

The words were at the tip of her tongue but went unsaid. 

“Guess I’m just the guy who prefers a meaningful romance than an adventurous fling and I’m not afraid to admit it.” His words held a sense of double meaning Sierra wasn’t sure he meant it to, but she couldn’t help the thought it planted in her brain. 

Wasn’t that what they were doing?

“Have you watched, ‘The Upside’?” Sierra questioned after a beat of silence with hope tattooed in her eyes. 

“No, but I’ve heard it’s a good one.” Sierra didn’t wait for another word before she plucked up the remote from the sofa and sought out the movie. 

“I must warn you, I tend to get a little too invested.” She pointed out playfully. 

“Don’t worry Brightly, I’ll wipe your tears and hold you close.” He wrapped an arm around her and tugged her closer just as he said the words, his empty plate long abandoned on the table. 

Sierra covered them with the fluffy throw she kept on the couch and leaned into his warmth. 

They may not choose to say it out loud, but that was exactly the road they were embarking on and as much as Sierra cautioned herself to remember their deal, she was becoming more and more aware of the fact that one didn’t need to know personal details to catch feelings. 

All she needed was his warm arms around her, his encouraging voice in her ears, and his electric blue orbs sparkling her way.         

Laying snuggled up against him, Sierra refused to wonder if he felt the same way or if her mind and heart were simply using him to fill a void inside her that Brent created when he left behind, but even as she thought the words, they didn’t seem to fit. 

Roman wasn’t Brent, he was far from it and that was a reality that put her in a lot of trouble.