Page 29 of Lovestruck at Sundown
“That bad?”
I nodded. “He made it clear he disapproves of us being in a relationship.”
“Shocking. What else?”
“He gave me two options.” I stared at my hands as I pulled a napkin apart into tiny pieces. “The first option came with a contract. The main condition was that I should end things with you, and I would, in return, gain more freedom. No more security, and I get to keep my apartment.”
“What do you mean bykeep your apartment? And what’s the second option?”
“He’s selling the apartment.” Dropping the napkin, I looked up to meet his gaze and took a deep breath. “Second option means no freedom and Aaron sticks around.”
“Guille.”
“It’s done,” I said adamantly. William needed to understand that the first option wasn’t viable for me. “He said he already had an offer for the apartment. He was waiting to talk to me to accept or decline it. But with how we left things earlier, he’s definitely going to accept that offer.”
“He can’t leave you alone, can he?”
“It’s his apartment, and he can do with it as he pleases.” The words burned on my tongue. Being driven out of my place felt unfair, but I knew I needed to learn to look out for myself. It was my father’s apartment, after all. And I couldn’t expect to have freedom while still living under his roof and swiping his credit cards left and right.
William took a deep breath and considered me in silence.
“He wants me to move in with him,” I finally revealed.
“No fucking way.” William shook his head. “If anything, you’re moving in with me.”
“William, no.” We’d been dating for five minutes. I refused to move in with him, not like this. “This is why I didn’t want to talk about this. I don’t want you to feel like I’m your responsibility. I’ll figure it out.”
“We’llfigure it out.” He grabbed my hand between his. “You’re not on your own. Even if that’s how he wants you to feel.”
“I’m still hoping it was something he said in the heat of the moment,” I added. “Maybe he won’t go through with it and he just wanted to scare me a little to teach me a lesson. This apartment is a great investment. It wouldn’t be wise to sell it.” However, I was learning that wasn’t how my fatheroperated. His every move was thoroughly assessed and calculated. He wasn’t one to throw around empty threats.
“We’ll have to wait and see.”
I stood and sat on William’s lap. “He won’t be happy about the secret door in the wall.” I ran my arms around his neck and laughed.
“Oh, he’s going to be thrilled.” He pressed a soft kiss on my lips. “Did he mention anything about money? You know I can gladly cover any expenses if he decides to lower your spending or cut you off.”
“He didn’t mention it.” Naïvely, I hadn’t thought about that. Money was my father’s greatest weapon to control me. If he took away my apartment, I could find somewhere to live while I figured things out. I had friends and a boyfriend, and even if living with William wasn’t ideal, at least I could have the certainty that I wouldn’t be homeless. But if he cut me off entirely? I swallowed hard at the thought. I needed to think of something. Fast. “I guess I could apply for financial aid or a student loan and talk to the magazine to see if there are any open part-time positions I would be a good fit for if that were to happen.”
William looked away and kept shaking his head with disapproval.
“Why do you seem so disappointed?”
“Because I want to take care of you, and I already know you won’t let me.”
“William.” I ran my fingers through his hair and couldn’t help but chuckle, even if this conversation was anything but funny. But he was so cute when he was annoyed. “You are the kindest, sweetest, and most thoughtful human being on the planet. I’ve seen the things you’ve done for your family, and I couldn’t adore that generous side of you more. So, believe me when I say I would love to be able to accept your money andhospitality and be done with my father for good, but I can’t. I told you I am not your responsibility, and I don’t want to burden our relationship with these issues so early on. Or ever.”
“I don’t feel responsible for you. I love you and have enough money that sometimes I don’t even know what to do with it, so why not use it to help you?”
“Because I need to learn how to take care of myself, William.” I sighed. “And I need to grow the fuck up.”
October 8, 2010
“Liam, these arestunning!” I held one of the purple blooms between my fingers as I waited for Liam to come closer. It was a lovely arrangement made of various flowers in vibrant shades of purple, lilac, soft pink, and magenta. They smelled delicious, too. Fresh, crisp, and sweet. “You said she loves purple, right?”
“Yeah, she does. I think this is the one.” Liam smiled brightly and directed his attention to one of the employees, who couldn’t stop staring at him with evident starstruck admiration. “I’ll take this one, please.”
Liam had officially been dating Belén for a while now. She was three years younger than him and was usually very busy with her grueling high-performance training schedule, but they were making it work so far. He liked her a lot. And for what it seemed, she did too. I was happy for him.
