The blank screen of Roz’s phone was taunting her. She was sure of it. The longer she stared at it and willed it to light up with a call or message, the more it seemed determined to do absolutely nothing for her.
Three days.
Three long days.
That’s how long it had been since Roz received even a simple text message from Naz. Every call she made to him went to voicemail, and every text went unanswered. She was trying really hard not to be pissed off, but it was fucking hard.
You know, considering the last time they’d spoken was when he lowered her to the ground after having his hands shoved down her freaking panties. That wasn’t really the best time to skip out on somebody, and if that’s what he was doing, then Naz was a jerk.
To say the least.
Glaring at the phone again, Roz tossed it to the table, huffed, and crossed her arms over her chest. Wasn’t it bad enough that just the fact he hadn’t answered her texts and calls put her on edge in a whole new way? Before, she couldn’t concentrate on her music because Naz was around. Now, she couldn’t fucking concentrate on anything because she was wondering why he wasn’t around.
This was not what Roz wanted.
At all.
Nobody ever said love was like a goddamn disease. Like an infection ravaging someone’s entire soul and heart until there was nothing left to keep for yourself. But that’s exactly what it was like, and Roz wasn’t sure if she was made out for this.
Slowly, like an urge she couldn’t control, her gaze slid back in the direction of the discarded phone. Before she could stop herself, Roz reached out and snatched it up from the table once more just so she could check again.
Even though she knew it was still blank.
Nothing was there.
She knew, and she still had to check.
Yep.
Just like a disease.
He made her lovesick, and now she was dying.
Unlocking the screen, Roz brought up the texts, and sent one more to Naz just because she could. It wasn’t all anger that she was feeling. There was a hell of a lot of worry mixed in, too. It wasn’t like him to go off the grid like this.
Sure, he’d said he would be busy with work for a while, but what exactly did that mean? He’d told her that before, and usually, he called her back by the end of the night, or better yet, showed up at her house with that grin she liked far too much.
Not this time, though.
It just felt … off.
Roz typed out a quick text, and sent the message off. What the hell, Naz? Where are you?
She wasn’t the type of girl that blew up a guy’s phone. Frankly, she never found a guy she gave a shit about enough to do that, anyway. Naz apparently wasn’t the same, and while she was sure she would regret all these texts and messages later … well, right now she was just worried and pissed and wondering.
“You okay over there?”
Roz’s head snapped up, and she found her mother leaning against the kitchen island while she nursed a cup of coffee. “Yeah, fine, Ma.”
Katya nodded. “Mmhmm. How long do you think I was standing here?”
God, please don’t say more than a couple of seconds.
“I don’t know,” Roz hedged.
“Five minutes,” her mom murmured.
Well, fuck her whole life.
“He’s not calling you back, or what?” Katya asked.
Roz sighed. “It doesn’t—”
“It does matter, or you would leave your phone alone, yes?” Kayta raised her eyebrows as if to dare her daughter to deny it. Roz chose to stay silent. That was her best defense when words wouldn’t work. And very rarely did words work when it came to her mother. Katya never fell for that kind of thing. “Maybe he’s just … busy? He is a very active young man, Rosalynn. I’m sure he’s not out doing something you—”
“I don’t think he’s with someone else, if that’s what you’re trying to say,” Roz was quick to interject. “I just don’t know where he is, or why he won’t answer my calls.”
Her mother nodded. “Hmm, did you ask your brother?”
“Called him this morning.”
“And?”
“And he said Naz was working. That was it. Working.”
Which told Roz nothing, and left her with more questions than answers. Actually, that was when the anger started to bleed away, and her concern really picked up. If it was just work, then her brother should have been able to give her more information, right? Why couldn’t Naz find five freaking seconds to call her back?
None of this made sense.
Katya sighed quietly. “You’re sure Luca said Naz was working?”
“I’m not deaf, Ma.” Her mother gave her that look, and Roz was quick to check her attitude. “Sorry.”
Katya pressed her lips together, and then hummed under her breath. Setting the cup aside on the counter, she pointed a finger at Roz and then said, “Give me a few minutes. Maybe I can help. But keep that bad mood for him, yeah? Not your mother, dushka.”
Roz smirked. “Got it, Ma.”
She didn’t know how exactly her mother planned to help, but it didn’t matter. Roz was distracted by staring at her phone again, and wondering. Love really was like a fucking sickness she couldn’t shake.
Maybe because it was a first love.
Her first love.
Was it supposed to feel like this?
All crazy and heavy and fragile.
Like if she breathed the wrong way, she was going to fall apart at the seams?
God.
“Get your jacket on, and let’s go,” came a new voice from the kitchen doorway.
Roz found her father standing there with a set of car keys hanging from his fingertips. Zeke flashed a smile, but Roz stayed put.
“What, why?”
“We’re going to go visit someone,” her father said. “And I didn’t ask for questions. I told you to do something. Get to it.”
Roz gave her father a side eye, but despite his words, his tone was joking in nature. Zeke flashed another smile, and twirled the keys around his finger. Another silent demand for her to hurry up, and get moving.
She got her ass up from the table, and moved.
“I thought you said we were going to visit someone,” Roz said, glancing over at her dad.
Zeke shrugged, and cut the engine on the car. “We are. Cross and Catherine.”
Roz’s gaze narrowed. “But why?”
“Because they’re my friends, and your godparents.”
“And because Ma told you to take me out of the house and do something with me?”
Probably her mother’s way of thinking she could get Roz’s mind off Naz. That was highly unlikely given this was his parents’ home and all.
“No, that wasn’t what she said at all. I promise you that, Roz.”
Zeke didn’t offer anything more before he got out of the car, and slammed the door. Bending down, he looked in and pointed at her door as if to silently say, Let’s go.
She got out of the car, and raced after her father to catch up with him. He didn’t even bother to ring the doorbell before he opened the door, and walked right into the large Donati home. Echoing laughter came from down the hall before Catherine darted between the living room, into the hallway, and then disappeared into the kitchen. Her husband was fast on her heels.
“Get back here, Catty!”
“No way. I am keeping that picture forever.”
“Jesus Christ, woman—”
“Save the foreplay for when the guests are gone, yeah?” Zeke shouted.
Cross was the first one to come back out from the kitchen by poking his head into the hallway first. The dark-eyed man narrowed his gaze on Roz’s father. “Don’t you know how to fucking knock, or what?”
“You don’t knock at my house.”
“That’s fair,” Cross murmured with a shrug. Then, his gaze drifted to Roz. “And you brought Roz along. Did I forget something, or—”
“Someone is missing someone else, actually,” her father said vaguely.
Cross’s brow shot up as his gaze turned on her again. Roz felt the way her cheeks heated up, but she settled for glaring at her father. Zeke acted like nothing was wrong.
“Figured she could use some company, and then maybe she’ll, you know, get out of her mood,” Zeke said.
“Stop it,” Roz muttered under her breath.
Cross chuckled. “Roz, Catherine is in the kitchen finishing up some tarts, if you want one.”
Roz’s face was as red as a goddamn tomato. She was sure of it. Nonetheless, she was still grateful for the chance to escape the situation, so she nodded, and mumbled a quick thanks before darting ahead of her father.
Once she was in the kitchen, that didn’t stop the voices from filtering in from the hallway even as they tried to keep quiet. Catherine shot Roz a sly grin that said she knew the girl was spying but didn’t give a single shit either way. The woman was good like that.
“I take it he didn’t tell her,” Zeke said. “Don’t you think maybe he should have?”
“It’s Naz’s business when and how he wants to deal with his business but especially when it comes to Rosalynn, Zeke. Let him tell her why he goes off like this on his own time, and when he’s ready to.”
“That’s shitty for her, then. She’s stuck wondering. And where did my fucking daughter go, huh? I swear the only goddamn thing she thinks about now is your son.”
Cross grunted under his breath. “Say that like it’s a bad thing one more time, man. Do it.”
“Jesus.” Her father sighed. “It’s not a bad thing, Cross. It’s Nazio. It’s not bad. I don’t … mean that it’s bad.”
“I know what you mean.”
“Then act like it,” Zeke countered.
“Let them figure this out on their own. This fucking … love thing. Them. Let them figure it out on their own time and way. Including Nazio, and business.”
“Fine.”
“You’re such a prick.”
“I’m allowed to be right now,” Zeke snapped. “This was Cece once, all right. Don’t act like you were any better, Cross.”
“Yeah. Fair enough.”
“Move away from the door,” Catherine murmured quickly, “before they catch you there, Roz.”
She did, and took a tart from Catherine’s outstretched hand in just enough time to make the two men think she hadn’t been listening to their conversation at all. Catherine didn’t say a word differently, either.
Roz was still left with questions.
Way too many questions.