Redeemed (Dirty Air #4)(72)

I’ve been living scared, which isn’t really living at all. I’m done experiencing life on pause anymore. I want to challenge myself to be better. To be someone I’m proud of, whether it’s pursuing a degree or traveling around the world.

All I know is it’s about damn time I focused on the people who matter, rather than the ones who don’t.





I do my best to pretend I’m not rattled after the shocking call with my mom. Santiago looks at me a couple of times for a few seconds longer than I’d like, but he doesn’t ask me if anything is wrong.

For the rest of the day, I throw myself into playing Santiago’s dutiful girlfriend. I support him as he answers questions with reporters and visits Bandini employees. Similar to me, it was as if a switch was flipped inside of him over the weekend. It’s the best sight, with him checking in on old friends, asking about their kids and their families. I love every second of it. In fact, phone call aside, I love this weekend way more than I should. I’m sad to see it come to an end.

It isn’t until we both enter his mansion hours later that reality hits us. His hands linger on the handles of my luggage, with him not passing them over. They stand out like a sore thumb against his marble floors and luxurious wallpaper.

I move to grab one from him. “Listen, I’ve been thinking—”

He speaks at the same time. “You should move in with me—”

My eyes threaten to pop out of their sockets. “What?!”

“What if you lived here instead of paying for a place to stay?” His golden cheeks flush with color.

Santiago Alatorre needs to stop surprising me because I’m pretty sure my heart has officially gone into cardiac arrest. Mayday. Someone needs to call the doctor because I’m not making it out of this weekend alive.





31





Santiago





Listen. I get it. Everyone thinks I’m going crazy after this weekend, with me deciding to test Noah’s new steering wheel. Even Chloe looks at me now like I told her I’m an alien. I can’t begin to explain my reasoning behind inviting her to live with me. It’s crazy and unexpected, but it’s for my own selfish reasons. Do I want to help her out when she clearly shouldn’t be spending her savings on some shitty bed-and-breakfast? Of course. But I also can’t bear the silence anymore. This massive house is lonely, with my thoughts occupying all the square footage.

After my bravery this weekend, I’m afraid to revert back to how life was before. Experiencing Chloe’s chaos is a hell of a lot more fun than stewing in my self-hatred. I’ve grown fond of her choice words and energetic presence. And most of all, I really like her. So, yeah, I’m a selfish fucker who benefits more from having her around than the other way around. Sue me. Life is unfair, and I’ll preach that lesson until the day I die.

Chloe blinks at me, her brows drawing together. “You want me to move in with you?”

I nod my head.

“Okay, haha, very funny.” She takes a hesitant step toward the door like a scared animal.

I tread carefully because I’m afraid to scare her out of the idea. “Listen. Why bother paying for a room at a hotel when I have plenty of space?”

She stares at her sneakers. “I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“Because that’s crazy.”

“Of course it is. But since when do you shy away from crazy?”

“Since I ended up breaking into someone’s house and faking an entire life to a long list of kind people who don’t deserve to be lied to.”

Whatever small ground I had to stand on is slipping out from underneath me. “Well, seeing as I have sixteen bedrooms here, it’s not a huge deal if you take up one of them. It’s free room and board.”

She rolls her eyes. “Your head just grew a little larger.”

“What do you say? We can be roommates.”

“Roommates?” Her lips purse.

Shit. This is going terrible. Everything I say sounds worse by the second. “The reason I’m offering you a place to stay is because you shouldn’t be living out of a hotel for the rest of the summer. Think about it. You could stay here, right next to your dad, which could lead to more encounters. And you did offer to help me with my car remodel...and that requires 24/7 on-call service.”

God, that sounded about as desperate as I feel.

“24/7, huh?” She smirks.

“Out of everything I said, you pick that?”

She laughs up to the ceiling. “This is the weirdest summer of my life. And you call me crazy! You’re asking me to move in with you and I barely know you.”

I frown. “You know me.”

“Not enough to move in with you. That’s not normal.”

“Since when do you follow the status quo?”

“Well…when you put it that way.” She snorts.

Damn. After our weekend, I definitely can’t let her leave. The thought of being on my own here again is…stifling.

“Is that a yes?” My voice sounds pathetic to my own ears, but I don’t care.

“No.”

My heart sinks. The thought of Chloe leaving me to my silent, empty mansion fills me with dread. I hate the idea more than I should, but I can’t help it. Being alone is like drowning in the middle of the ocean. No one can find me, let alone save me from myself.