Free Taming Romeo by Rachelle Ayala Page B

fists into my solar plexus, giving me the Heimlich maneuver. One. Two. Three. Push. One. Two. Three. Push.
    My mind is blanking, dots swirling around my face. I grab my throat, praying and crying inside. My torso is in pain where his fist thrusts in and up. Right before things go dark, I expel the bean. The hands relax and hold me, and I bend over to cough, gasp, and wheeze for air.
    Choco and my mom are wailing, patting and hugging parts of me. Romeo hasn’t relinquished me. He’s rocking me in on his lap like I’m a giant baby.
    Once oxygen returns to my brain and my breathing stabilizes, I struggle out of Romeo’s arms, brush back my hair and hug my mother and sister. “I’m okay. Don’t cry. I’m not dead yet.”
    Papa takes control and reassures the customers. “Everything is okay. My daughter is going to be fine. Thank you for your concern.”
    Our break is long over, so Choco and I clear our uneaten meal. Romeo helps us put the food into takeout containers and place them in the refrigerator. He hasn’t said a word to me and I know he’s biding his time, but I don’t have anything to say to him.
    When I head to the dumpster to throw out the recyclables, he grabs my elbow and pulls me to the neighboring alley. “Are you pregnant?”
    “It’s none of your business if I am.” I yank away from him.
    “Last night.”
    “I’ll take care of it. Let me go to the pharmacy.”
    He takes ahold of my face and lays a tender kiss on my lips. “If there’s a chance, let it be.”
    “How can you say that? I have to go back to med school. I have my life in front of me.”
    He lays a finger on my lips. “I only ask you to think before you act.”
    “You don’t need me or a baby. It was one night, Romeo. And it’s over. Walk away, like you did this morning. Go.” I point down the alley toward the street.
    “Wait. I can explain. My mother—”
    “I don’t want to hear about your mother.” I throw my fists at his chest. “She hates me. Now she hates my mother.”
    “Evie, calm down. We can work it out.” He grabs both my wrists, but I kick his shins.
    “Leave me alone, slimeball. I don’t want to see you again. I hate you.” I’m bordering on hysterical. Okay, maybe I’m crossing a line, but dammit. He’s an actor. He lies for a living. Nothing he says in the throes of passion is real.
    I twist away from him and stumble toward the back door.
    “You’ll let me know, won’t you?” He blocks my progress.
    “I’ll text you. Thanks for saving my life.”
    He doesn’t stop me from walking away.

Chapter 15
    “Evie, open up.” Choco knocks on my bedroom door. Our restaurant closes at ten p.m. and she hadn’t been able to get to the pharmacy until well after eleven-thirty.
    Me? I was watched and coddled by Mama and Papa. Even Genie softened her stance toward me when she tugged my sleeve and said, “I’m glad you’re all right.”
    I gave her a hug and a kiss and I think things are stable between us, for now. Besides, I suspect she saw my blowup with Romeo, or at least the end of it when I kicked his shins. She was lurking at the back door and God knows how much of it she heard.
    No time to worry. I open the door and Choco rushes in with a little brown bag. “Fifty dollars.”
    “Thanks, I’ll pay you right now.” I dig through my purse and pull out three twenties. “Here. Keep the change.”
    “So, what’s up with Romeo? I heard you told him off. Said you hated him and didn’t want to see him again.”
    Bingo! Someone was spying on me this afternoon.
    “He’s a player. I don’t have time to watch the soap operas he stars in, but I bet he’s memorized every sweet, sappy line he uses to seduce women.”
    “That sucks. He used to be nice. But you know how it is with handsome guys. They’re spoiled by all the women who let them get away with being assholes. He has no incentive to behave.” Choco sits on my bed and kicks off her heels.
    “It was a mistake. Let’s not talk about it.”