Chapter 73: Chapter 73

It was official. And just like that, we were official. I was now James's girlfriend.

It only took a single evening at the snack restaurant to turn the tide of our relationship. The conversation had taken a new turn after I said "I want you too" to him. He asked me out again and I agreed to be in a relationship with him.

It wasn't out of pity for him, or a desire to avoid hurting his feelings. I truly wanted it, as much as he did. I could think of no one who had treated me with the care and respect James had shown me since the moment we'd met.

I knew that my relationship with James could work, if I could put the past behind me and stop dwelling on my history with Romeo. And I had been able to do that. I was done with Romeo, done thinking about him and what we had. What we'd had was over, and all that remained were the lessons I'd learned from the experience. Lessons that would help me become a better person, and a better partner to James.

I had even gathered up everything that still belonged to Romeo – his clothes. I planned to hand them over to him when I see him at school this morning.

I looked in the mirror, giving myself a once-over before heading out the door. When did I start to care so much about how I look? I grabbed my school bag and another bag filled with all of Romeo's things. I hadn't realized I had so many of his clothes - mostly hoodies until last night when I was checking my closet for his things.

I climbed through the stairs, clutching the bags tightly as I made my way out of the house. I would have to take a cab today, since my friend, Joey, wouldn't be picking me up. She and her boyfriend, Jake, had settled their misunderstanding, and he would be taking her to school. It was a relief to know that they were happy again.

When I arrived at school, class had already started, but I still took my usual seat hoping that I would see Romeo sitting in his usual spot. I needed to give him his things. But, I didn't see him.

We had the first morning classes together, I should be able to see him in one. He might be in our second class of the day, or perhaps the third. But, the second class came and went, without any sign of him. Third class came too, I didn't see him. Probably, the dickhead skipped school today. I hoped he would be more serious with his studies.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. I was among the first to bolt for the door, eager to find my best friend at lunch. I couldn't wait to tell her the big news - that I was officially dating James! She'd been rooting for us from the start, and she was sure to be thrilled.

As I rushed down the hallway, I was not watching where I was going. My head collided with a broad chest, and I stumbled backward, my hand coming up to my throbbing headache. That hurt.

I looked up to see who I had bumped to. I swallowed a gulp down my throat. It was the green eyed devil.

"You didn't use your cologne,"

The words slipped out from my mouth before I could even stop myself.

I could not blame myself. The cologne was his signature. I would have known it was him I bumped into if he had used the cologne.

"Why do I keep bumping into you here?" Romeo asked, ignoring my question.

"I've been trying to find you. I need to give you these, they are yours." I said, ignoring his question too.

His eyebrows furrowed. "What are these?" He asked, taking the bag and peering inside.

He scoffed."Is returning all these things to me really necessary?"

"It is," I replied. "My boyfriend would not like it if I kept wearing your clothes and having your things with me."

"And, who cares what your boyfriend thinks?" He shot back.

Romeo took one last look at me, and then turned to leave.

I let out a hiss. Who did he think he was? I hated his stupid outburst. I watched as he strode down the hallway, then turned back to my own path.

I reached the cafeteria, scanning the room for my best friend, Joey. When I found her, I hurried over to our usual table. "Where's Jake?" I asked, noticing his absence.

Joey raised her eyebrow."We are taking a break from eating together. We decided that we needed some space for girls' talk." She answered.

"Oh," I muttered under my breath.

Then my face lit up. "I have some news! Guess what?"

Joey smiled back. "You don't have to tell me. He told me first,"

I pouted my lips, acting like I was pissed off. "I wanted to be the first to tell you. James betrayed me," I grumbled.

"Come on, you know I couldn't resist," She uttered, grinning from ear to ear. "James told me himself when we were chatting yesterday. Bro's over the moon that you agreed to be his girlfriend."

I laughed. "You're more excited than either of us."

"I'm just happy for you guys," Joey said, lifting her shoulder in a half shrug.

"You were as happy when I agreed to date Romeo," I mumbled.

Joey's eyes narrowed. "Did you really have to bring Romeo up right now? I had no idea that your relationship with him would end this way. I thought he'd treat you well since he was Jake's friend," She explained.

"He was nice to me though,"

"No, bro is a walking red flag," Joey snapped at him.

"He did treat me well, actually. I know he has his flaws," I argued. "But, I feel like there's more to him than what meets the eye. He's hiding a lot from everyone."

"So, you want to find out what he's hiding from everyone?" Joey questioned, lifting her eyebrows.

I shook my head."No, I'm over it and I don't care about him anymore," I blurted out.

"You should tell me the truth, so I can set James straight. I should tell James that you still have feelings for your stupid ex, and he is going to get his heart broken if he keeps pursuing you," Joey rambled.

I sighed. "I'm over Romeo," I stated.

"Are you serious?" Joey probed.

"You know I am serious," I replied. "I'm over him."