I let out an exaggerated huff, my lips curling into a smile. “And you call me a drama queen,” I quip before leaning in to kisshim. “I love seeing you happy, light of my life,” I murmur against his lips.
“And I love you, love of mine,” he whispers back.
“This isn’tthe way to the studio,” Carolina states when I pull onto the street she lived on with her abuser.
“I know,” is all I offer in response.
She begins to fidget, her growing nervousness apparent. When I stop in front of her apartment building and turn off the engine, I can almost hear her heart pounding in the quiet car.
“What’s going on?” she asks in a hushed tone.
I face her and gently place a hand on her knee. “You don’t need to come in. Just stay here,” I assure her, but she holds my wrist tightly.
“What are you going to do?” she asks, her eyes widening.
“I go up there every morning before work and leave a twenty on the kitchen counter,” I admit, shrugging my shoulders. “It’s no big deal. I’ll be back in two minutes.”
She looks shocked, but I open the truck door and step out before she can say anything. And just as promised, I’m back in no time at all.
When I return, she is crying, tears rolling down her pretty face.
“I am so sorry. I should be the one doing this, I know, but just the thought of coming back here…”
I gently hold her chin between my thumb and forefinger, lifting it so I can look into her eyes. “I’ll take care of it. Just say ‘Thank you.’”
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“Good girl,” I praise, leaning in to lick a tear from her cheek.
Her expression is so stunned that I can’t help but smirk as I start the engine and drive away from that wretched place.
After a few minutes of silence, she asks softly, her voice filled with uncertainty, “Are you mad at me?”
“Why would I be?” I ask, shooting her a look.
“He’s your boyfriend,” she states like it should be obvious.
“Seems like he’s yours now too,” I remark, noticing her body tense up in my peripheral vision. So I add, “Do you want me to get you a morning-after pill, or are we going to wait and see what happens? It’s your body. You decide, but I just wanted to let you know that I can cover all expenses if this is a concern.”
“What?” She turns her head toward me swiftly, her eyebrows pinched in confusion, clearly taken aback by my offer.
“I know you don’t like me paying for your shit, but I think you have to take it relatively quickly after if you want to take it, and we can discuss you working to pay back half of it if you really insist. And I hope you agree that Clay has to at least pay the other half since he is the reason you are in this situation.”
“What are you even talking about?” She frowns at me as I park in front of the studio.
“Clay told me he was an irresponsible idiot and didn’t use protection. Just to ease any worries you may have, we get tested every time we have sex with a woman, which hasn’t happened for nearly half a year now.”
“I—” she starts, but I interject, feeling the need to clarify things further.
“And it won’t happen again. Believe me. We’re done playing around.”
“Xander!” she yells at me, clearly frustrated.
“What?” I turn to look at her.
“For once, you should shut up, yet you can’t stop talking.” She smiles at me. “I am on birth control. So, no need for a pill, but thank you.”
“Okay.” I nod, getting out of the truck and walking over to her side to lift her out so she doesn’t have to deal with the long drop.
