34. Roman

34

ROMAN

W hen we reached the entrance to the hall, Elena left us, and then it was just me and Quinn. I looked down at her to find her already looking at me, her gorgeous eyes wide and apprehensive.

"It's gonna be okay," I said softly, and she nodded, taking a deep breath. Straightening my shoulders, I stepped into the room, holding her close to me.

"Hatherley Hall, here's Roman Cavendish and the woman that should have been his goddess all along, Quinn Farrow!" Tristan's voice boomed from the speakers.

For fuck's sake.

His words were accompanied by a roar from the assembled students, the crowd parting for us, creating a path that led to the centre of the hall. As we walked, the sweeping lights dimmed, and a spotlight lit the two of us, following our path to the dance floor area. No doubt that was also Tristan's doing.

"Students of Hatherley Hall, Roman and Quinn will now take their first dance!" Tristan proclaimed. That dramatic fucking bastard. When the echo of his words died away, music began playing, and déjà vu hit me when students formed a circle around us. But this was nothing like earlier. This was me, finally getting to dance with the girl I was in love with, right there for everyone to see. Her golden laurel wreath glittered under the spotlight as I wrapped my arms around her waist, and she'd never looked more beautiful.

Her hands slid up my shoulders, and then she clasped them around my neck. A gorgeous smile curved over her lips as we began to move to the music, and I couldn't stand it any longer.

Keeping one arm around her, I tilted up her chin, stroking over her soft skin with my thumb. Lowering my head, our lips almost touching, I spoke her name. "Quinn?"

"Yeah?"

I swallowed hard. I'd never said these words aloud. Not to anyone. But with Quinn Farrow, it was easy. "I love you."

Her beautiful eyes widened, glimmering with unshed tears as she stared up at me. "Really?"

"Really. I love you so much. So. Much."

"I love you, too," she breathed.

My heart fucking stopped. "You do?" She actually loved me back?

"Of course I do. How could I not?" she said, like it was that simple, and then we were kissing, neither of us caring about the people watching us, lost in each other.

"I love you. I love you. I love you." I couldn't stop saying it. Couldn't stop kissing her. I never wanted this moment to end. Never wanted to let her go. After everything we'd been through, somehow, she loved me, and I loved her with every fucking piece of me. Quinn Farrow was mine, and I was never going to let her go.

Except I did have to let her go because a heavy hand landed on my bicep. The headmaster stood there, a hard, uncompromising set to his jaw. "Mr. Cavendish. Miss Farrow. Please come with me."

We ended up having a reprieve because it was late in the evening—way too fucking late for a confrontation. The headmaster had gathered us together—everyone he knew was involved, at least, which meant Quinn, Knox, Elena, Tristan, and I were there. I presumed Aria had escaped his notice and that he was dealing with Penelope separately—I hoped. He informed us that Quinn and I would have an official meeting the following afternoon, and in the meantime, none of us were allowed to leave the premises. He ended with a veiled threat that referred to the crypts, which I knew for a fact the staff always turned a blind eye to, and then told us the only places we were allowed to go to in the meantime were our own dorms and bathroom, our common rooms, and the dining hall. The rest of the school was off limits until the meeting was over, and under no circumstances were we allowed outside. He muttered something about inspections and random checks to make sure we weren't in the wrong places and then dismissed us.

"No after-party," Tristan cried as we headed upstairs to the Epi common room. "Fuck Professor Lexington."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for any of you to get involved." Quinn looked like she was on the verge of tears again, and I opened my mouth, ready to defend my girl, but Tristan instantly realised what he'd said, shaking his head and giving her a reassuring smile.

"Ah, don't even worry about it. You're one of ours, and we look out for each other. We'll have a delayed party when all this shit is over, and in the meantime, I'll kick your boyfriend's ass on Mario Kart . What do you say, Ro? A hundred a game? Winner of the tournament takes all?"

"Boyfriend." A wide grin stretched across my face.

"Oh, fucking hell." Tristan rolled his eyes. Grimacing, he threw out his hands. "Why am I surrounded by couples?"

"Get over it," Knox told him as we entered the common room and flopped down on the sofas. I tugged Quinn into my lap, and she happily curled into my arms, placing a kiss on my jaw. Tristan threw me a controller, and I let Quinn pick my character and vehicle options.

"If I lose, it's my girlfriend's fault," I told her, taking the opportunity to run my hand up her thigh before the race began.

Her breath hitched, her gaze flying to mine, and then her lips curved upwards. "I guess I'll accept the responsibility." She rested her head on my shoulder, half her focus on the screen, the other talking in low tones to Elena, who was apparently having a sleepover in her dorm since she wasn't allowed to go to the crypts or to Knox's parents' house, where she normally lived. That also meant Knox would be sleeping in with me and Tristan, with the crypts being off limits. I smiled to myself as I knocked Tristan's vehicle off the track, kissing my girl's cheek. I felt…something. Something I couldn't put my finger on.

It took me until the final race of the tournament to work out what I was feeling.

Contentment.

I was completely content, for what might've been the first time in my life.

Yeah, we still had to deal with the aftermath of tonight—and I needed to give my cousins and probably my uncle a heads-up, but for now, I could relax and enjoy being with my best friends and the girl I loved.