Page 65 of In a Perfect World

Chapter 33

Triana~

I couldn’t lie and say that I didn’t feel heartbroken over Kairo, because I did.However, it wasn’t only him that I was heartbroken over.My parents were officially done with me, and if it’d been just me that this was affecting, I could deal with it, but it wasn’t.Tomasco had chosen my side, and he was ready to disown our parents in a move of solidarity.My family was being torn apart, and though my brother blamed my parents for all of it, that still didn’t make me feel any better.This wasn’t anything that I had ever wanted for us, and it hurt; all of it hurt.

“Why don’t we move to Hillrom?”Tomasco suggested.“It’s close enough to Morning Peaks and Flower Realms that the scenery should be different enough to forget this damn town.”

Sonia grinned.“I’m so down.”

“You guys are crazy,” I said, though I was smiling.

“We can sell our houses, then roommate until we can buy something in Hillrom,” Tomasco went on.“We can do it.”

Currently, we were all at my place, a movie playing on the television in the background, and only two slices of pizza left in the box on the coffee table.Ever since I’d gotten back home, Tomasco and Sonia hadn’t left my side.Tomasco was boycotting our parents, and Sonia wasn’t shy about telling her parents that she needed time off to be with me, and knowing their daughter the way that they did, they’d been wise enough not to fight her on it.

“While I appreciate you guys willing to move all the way to Hillrom, it’s only been a couple of days,” I told them.“How about we give it a bit before you guys disrupt your entire lives to up and leave with me?”

“I’m already looking for other jobs, so I don’t need to give it a bit,” Tomasco retorted.“Even if you don’t want to leave, I’m done with Mom and Dad.”

“Tomasco-”

“Triana, I can forgive them for being arrogant assholes, but I can’t forgive how they did nothing when you got arrested,” he said.“My mind can’t comprehend how two parents can just leave their child in their darkest hour, and there is nothing that they can do to erase how I view them now.I...if they can do that to you, then there’s nothing stopping them from doing it to me, and I’m not about to waste any of my energy on people who don’t love us unconditionally like they’re supposed to.”

“As for me, I’m fine with leaving just to get a job that pays me a fair wage,” Sonia said, shrugging like it really was no big deal to her.

Before I could say anything to any of that, my phone rang, and when I grabbed it off the coffee table, I saw Benicio Cortez’s name flashing across the screen, and my heart immediately sank to my feet.Why in the hell would he be calling me?Had he found out about Kairo?I mean, we hadn’t exactly parted ways as friends, and so I couldn’t imagine why he’d be calling me.Yeah, we had exchanged numbers in case he’d had any further questions, but I hadn’t really expected him to call me.

“It’s Benicio Cortez,” I said as I reached for the phone.

“Well, answer it,” Tomasco urged, nudging my knee.

I let out a deep breath before I answered.“Hello?”

“Ms.Medina, this is Benicio Cortez,” he said.“How are you this evening?”

“I’m...I’m good,” I stammered.“Is...is everything okay?”

“Yes, of course,” he lied like the politician that he was.“I’m calling because I just got off the phone with Miguel Domingo, and he wanted to assure me that the two guards who accosted you have been dealt with.”

“Oh...uhm, that’s good,” I muttered, not really knowing what to say.

“He also wanted to extend his apologies again, and...well, he presented me with an offer that he wanted me to speak to you about,” he went on, and my stomach immediately dropped to my toes.

“An offer?”