Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 56831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
“It’s not that. I was just thinking about all you missed during those ten years. How much news reached you from the outside world while you were locked up?”
“Very little. I don’t know what it’s like at different levels, but I was in a maximum security prison, so everything was tightly controlled. Maybe it would have been different if I’d had visitors during that time, because they might have told me what was going on in the world. I didn’t though, so it kind of felt like living on another planet, almost totally cut off from this one.”
I shifted a bit to get more comfortable as I continued, “Not that that decade is still a mystery to me. I’ve been out for six years, so I’m up to speed on a lot of things. But with pop culture, there’s really no way to catch up on all of it.”
Romy’s eyes were full of emotion as he asked, “No one visited you?”
I moved closer and took his hand. “It’s all in the past. Don’t let it upset you.” I tried to change the subject with, “So, tell me, what are some must-see movies I should know about? You can be my pop culture advisor.”
That turned out to be a topic he was passionate about. At one point, he ran to find a notepad and a pen, so he could make a list for me. He then proceeded to fill several sheets with scribbled notes while he raved about one film after another.
Romy might have gone on for hours—and I would have gladly listened, because I loved seeing him so excited—but the arrival of our dinner interrupted him. After I signed the bill, I told the waiter I’d take it from there and wheeled the cart into the suite.
We decided to eat on the couch, and Romy helped me move all the dishes to the coffee table. I raised a cloche and found his grilled cheese sandwich, and he thanked me as I put it in front of him. Then I removed another lid and blurted, “Holy shit!”
Romy leaned over to take a look at what I’d uncovered, and then he burst out laughing. That was the first time I’d heard it in its full glory, and it made me chuckle. He laughed with his whole body, flinging himself back onto the couch as he shrieked and howled. When he finally got it under control, he sat up and wiped tears from his eyes as he reminded me, “Well, you did order off the children’s menu.”
The pasta in my macaroni and cheese consisted of round discs with smiley faces punched out, which was both disturbing and hilarious. I stabbed one with a fork and sniffed it before putting it in my mouth, and Romy asked, “How is it?”
“It tastes funny.” He didn’t know if I was kidding for a moment, until I flashed him a smile and ate another happy face. Then he grinned delightedly and tucked into his sandwich.
After the main course, I uncovered all twelve desserts, arranged them on the coffee table, and handed Romy a fork. “This all looks wonderful,” he said. “Where do we start?”
I rubbed my chin and pretended to give that question serious thought. “There are several arguments to be made here. You could start light and end rich,” I said, as I gestured from a bowl of berries with whipped cream to a thick slice of cheesecake. “Or maybe the opposite approach makes sense to you. Me? I’m going straight for the chocolate.” I scooped a bit of chocolate cake onto my fork and popped into my mouth, and Romy grinned and followed my lead.
Then he said, “Thank you, Marcus. I feel like a king.”
“Good. That’s how you should feel, every day of your life.” I picked up a chocolate dipped strawberry and offered it to him. Instead of taking it from me, he leaned in and took a bite. Then he grinned as he wiped some juice from his lip with the back of his hand. “That was supposed to be flirty, but I think it ended up more like feeding a goat at a petting zoo.”
I chuckled and set aside the rest of the strawberry. Then I raised his chin with a light touch and told him, “It’s definitely not that second thing.” After I kissed him, I murmured, “You taste so sweet.”
“It’s the strawberry.”
“No, it isn’t.”
I kissed him again, and he climbed onto my lap and ended up staying there while we finished dessert. Some of the fruit and a couple of mini pies survived because we finally had to admit defeat, but he just shrugged and said, “We can have them for breakfast.”
Then we got ready to watch the movie, which involved several steps, according to Romy. He turned off the lights, dragged in a comforter and some pillows from the bedroom, and would only let me hit play once we were totally settled in. We ended up on opposite ends of the couch, with our feet meeting in the middle under the big blanket.