His Juliet: An Age Gap Hurt Comfort Mafia Romance (Empire of Royals Book 2)

I hugged my coat tighter and took a deep breath before I stepped outside. The days were growing colder now that we were approaching December, and I’d even seen some flurries through my window this morning. It was another day, just like every other day. Except when I opened the front door to my building, I came to an abrupt stop. Because standing in front of me was a grinning Romeo, looking way too good in a suit and black coat.

“Good morning,” he said.

I stared at him until he chuckled and closed the space between us. He ran his hand down my arm and gave it a little squeeze. “I see I’ve rendered you speechless.”

My brain was glitching at this complete diversion from routine.

“Hi,” I finally choked out.

“Not a morning person?”

I shook my head.

“Me either. Let’s get you some breakfast. That will make the morning better. Is this the bagel shop you go to?” He gestured at the shop next door.

I couldn’t believe he remembered me mentioning getting bagels the first time we met. All I could do was nod. He smiled and gently guided me to the entrance and held the door open.

“What’s your order, angel?”

My heart ached at hearing him call me angel, and I had to sternly tell it that Romeo and I were just friends.

I had been shocked when he texted me last night with his “proposal.” The part of my heart addicted to romance stories ached when he said he wanted to be just friends, but this was honestly more than I could ever have dreamed. I didn’t understand why this man had come into my life, but he added color to the gray that had become my day to day.

“Plain bagel toasted with strawberry cream cheese.”

“Sounds good.”

Instead of her usual dismissive wave, Kim was staring at us. When Romeo turned to look at the back of the shop, she gestured widely, mouthing oh my god, which made me laugh. He whipped his head back to me, his eyes wide with a look of awe.noveldrama

I cocked my head. “What?”

He twirled a piece of my hair around his finger. “I just like hearing you laugh.”

I blushed, and he slung his arm around my shoulder as we headed up to the counter. Romeo ordered for me, getting the same for himself, and paid, ignoring my protests. He took both bags and tucked me into his side again. Kim shot me another look as we left, and I knew she would be asking me about this tomorrow.

“Are you coming with me to the bookstore?” I asked.

“If that’s okay?”

I looked away, hiding my smile. “Yeah, that’s okay.”

He carefully navigated us down the sidewalk and I reveled in the warmth of his body. He made me feel safe and protected.

I was in a daze as we headed down the block, but was jolted out of it when we came upon some construction.

“I guess we have to make a detour,” Romeo said. There were signs telling us to walk a block to the left, but my body was frozen. “Juliet?”

My heart raced, and there was a high-pitched ringing in my ears. I would have to deviate from my route and my brain was not on board with that. Hot waves of dizziness washed over me. I clenched my fists, terrified I was going to pass out.

I vaguely noticed Romeo nudging me until my back was against a building and he was in front of me, blocking out the world. His hand cupped my face, his warmth breaking through some of my panic.

“What’s wrong?” His brow was furrowed.

My words were caught in my throat. If he weren’t here, I would have turned back around and gone home and closed the bookstore today. I had one safe route to the shop, and this deviation was enough to trigger my panic. But Romeo was here, and I had to tell him something.

“I…I have…”

“Shh,” he said, pressing his body tighter to mine. “Take your time. There’s no rush. Just take a breath and tell me when you’re ready.”

I matched my breathing with his, my chest rising and falling in the same rhythm until I no longer felt like I was going to pass out.

I kept my eyes on his chest as I spoke. “I have agoraphobia.”

His fingers played with my hair. “I’ve heard of that, but I don’t know much about it. Will you tell me about it?”

“I get panic attacks when I’m outside my home. I have a few places that are safe, like the bagel shop, and I have one route to the bookstore that I take.”

My words were jumbled and I was too much of a coward to look at Romeo. I was sure all I’d see there was judgement and confusion.

He gently cradled my face with both hands. “So the detour is an issue because it’s off your normal route?” He gently tilted my face until I reluctantly met his gaze. My eyes watered at the kindness I found there. “Is that the problem?” he prompted.

“Yeah,” I croaked.

“Okay. Do you want to go home or do you want to try the detour? If we do the detour, I won’t leave your side. I’ll keep you safe.”

Everything inside me was screaming to turn around and go home, lock myself in my apartment, and hide under my covers. But a tiny part of me urged me to be brave. I didn’t want to be trapped in my routine anymore. I used to be able to walk around the city without panicking. Maybe I could do it with Romeo at my side.

“If we try the detour and I freak out⁠—”

“We’ll turn right back around, promise.” He ran his fingers through my hair, his touch soothing.

“I’m sorry I’m so weird,” I whispered.

His grip on my hair tightened. “Don’t speak badly about yourself.”

Our eyes locked and for a moment, the entire world melted away and all I could think about was his closeness and how good his body felt against mine.

Friends friends friends I chanted to my brain.

“Alright. Let’s give it a try,” I said.

Romeo gathered me to his chest, squeezing me into a tight hug. I could have sworn he smelled my hair, but then he pulled away. He kept his arm around me, though, and we turned to the street. Immediately, my breathing sped up.

“What book are you reading right now?” Romeo asked as we took a few steps.

“Umm, what?” The world spun, but his firm hold kept me upright.

“You’re reading something, right?”

We turned down the street, going the opposite way as usual.

“I don’t know. I’m in a bit of a reading slump. I started a new one last night. It’s an alien romance.”

I’d thought reading about aliens would distract me from my constant thoughts of my dark-haired Italian, but the alien guy kept cracking jokes that reminded me of Romeo.

“Alien romance? What the fuck is that?” The walk light turned green and Romeo half-dragged me across the street. A tall man crossing the opposite way bumped into me while texting, and I let out a distressed noise.

“You’re okay,” Romeo said, scowling at the man. “We’re almost there.”

He kept up a stream of conversation as we turned right and walked down the block, teasing me about alien romance until we were back on the original street we started on. He stopped and pulled us to the side again, wrapping me in his arms. I collapsed into his chest. His hand came to the back of my head, pressing my face into the crook of his neck. I breathed him in, his scent grounding me.

“You did it,” he said, voice low.

I don’t know how long we stood there, but I finally pulled back a bit and was met by Romeo’s smile.

“Thank you,” I said, struggling once more to meet his gaze. He’d seen me at my most vulnerable, knew something about me that no one else did.

“You don’t have to thank me. Thanks for trusting me enough to tell me.” He squeezed my hand and led the way to the bookstore.

“We should have gotten some coffee,” he said. “I need my morning caffeine.”

“There’s an espresso machine in the shop. I can make you one.”

He beamed at me. “I’d love that.”

My hands were still shaking when I unlocked the bookstore. The gentle scent of books grounded me, as did Romeo’s hand on my low back.

“Bagel time?” he asked.

“I’m running late, but you go ahead and eat.” I was a good fifteen minutes behind schedule and had to do my store opening tasks.

“Here, just take a moment.” Romeo guided me to a set of armchairs, kneeling in front of me as I sat down. “You need to catch your breath. You just did a big thing.”

My eyes filled with tears and I couldn’t blink them away fast enough. They trailed down my cheeks and he wiped them away. All I’d done was walk down a different block than usual, but he recognized it for how significant it was, and that meant everything.

He pulled my bagel out of the bag and pressed it into my hand before taking the seat beside me. “Let’s see if these are any good. I’ve never had strawberry cream cheese before.”

I wasn’t sure how much I’d be able to eat with my stomach churning, but I took a bite.

“This is great,” Romeo said. I looked over and saw that he was almost done with his bagel. I watched as he took another massive bite, my eyebrows raised with amusement.

I finished half my bagel and offered him the other half.

“No, you should eat it.”

“I’m full. Promise,” I added when he looked at me incredulously.

He took my half bagel and ate it in a few bites, making me grin. I pushed up from the chair. “Do you want an espresso?” The store was supposed to open in five minutes, but I figured it was okay if I was a tiny bit late today.

“I’d love one.”

He drank his straight while I added a healthy dose of milk and sugar, and then he helped me open up the store. With all the lights on, including the Christmas string lights I’d added, the space looked warm and welcoming.

I was booting up my ancient computer when Romeo got a call. He kept his voice low, but the few words I did catch were Italian.

“I’ve got to get to work,” he said after hanging up.

My heart sank. Of course he wouldn’t be able to stay here all day, but I wished he could. I was getting too used to having a friend in my life again.

“Thanks for the breakfast and… everything.” I cleared the lump from my throat.

“What time are you heading home?” Romeo asked.

“Probably around eight-thirty.”

“I’ll come back to walk you home.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

He fixed me with a stern look, and I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. He returned my smile and leaned in, kissing me on the cheek. “Have a good day, angel.”

“You, too.”

And then he was gone. My hand went to my cheek where his lips had just been, feeling warm inside.