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“No, of course not. Why would it be? I can’t afford to pay rent without a job.”
“Soph, your boyfriend paid out the rest of our lease—both mine and your share—to make up for the inconvenience of the paps swarming the place.”
“What?” I whispered.
“Yeah. He sent someone over weeks ago. The rent’s been paid out for the rest of the lease. You didn’t know?”
“Who are you talking to?” Rome asked from behind me.
I turned around, my phone still on the desk in speaker mode, to find Rome standing in front of the closed door.
The door I’d never even heard open.
Chapter Twenty-One
Rome
I blinked at Sophia in surprise. Who was she talking to on her phone about me? About us? Sophia stared back at me with wide eyes like I’d caught her doing something she shouldn’t have.
“Soph? Are you there?” A tinny voice asked. “Are you okay?”
Sophia snapped her head back toward her phone sitting on the table. “Gotta go, Molly. We’ll talk later. Bye.”
She stabbed at the red end call button and shook her head.
“Friend of yours?” I asked with raised eyebrows as I leaned against the other side of the table.
Sophia shrugged. “That was my bestie and roommate. When were you going to tell me that you paid my rent?”
“Uh…” I straightened and shoved my hands in my front pockets. “I thought you already knew about that?”
“Are you asking me? Because I know the answer to that is no. I had no idea you paid my rent. Why would you do that?”
Judging by her angry expression, I was going to have to walk carefully here. “I knew you lost your job because of me, and I’d guessed that money might be tight, so I took care of that for you. I didn’t want you stressing about making ends meet. And apparently telling you slipped my mind. I really thought we talked about it.”
Sophia chewed on her bottom lip. “And you just paid—including Molly’s half—for the rest of the lease?”
“It wasn’t that much money.” I winced at the expression on Sophia’s face. “I mean, I inconvenienced her too, what with the paps swarming the place for the better part of a week when we first got together. I just wanted to help, and I could afford to.”
Sophia narrowed her eyes at me.
I closed the distance between us and wrapped my arms around her. “I remember what it was like to scrape by. I just, I don’t want that for you. And it’s ridiculous for you to struggle when I’m standing right here with a stupid amount of money in my accounts. I want to help you. Why is that bad?”
“It’s not.” Sophia’s reply was muffled as she burrowed her head into my shirt. “It’s really, really sweet. I just don’t like all the crazy feelings that rattle around inside me when you spend money on me. And I worry what other people think of it. Not just that part but about why I’m with you. That I have some ulterior motive to be with you.”
“Because all this isn’t enough of a reason?” I gesture with one hand toward my body.
But Sophia just rolled her eyes. “Because you can do things—get things done—you know? In case you don’t know, you’re kind of a big deal in Hollywood. I’ve heard more than a few people speculate that’s the real reason I’m with you.”
“This is a real relationship. And I know your motives. Screw what everyone else thinks.”
“I wish it were that easy. But it’s not, especially since it’s also coming from people I know.”
“What? Like Molly? Is she the one saying that shit about you?”
“No. Molly supports me one hundred percent. It’s just…people online and some of my writing friends.” She looked torn. “It’s not just strangers, you know? I think that’s what hurts the most.”
“I get it baby–I really do—but you’ve got to let it go. Anyone who would think shit like that were never really your friends, and strangers online? They don’t matter. You should be nicer to Sophia. She’s one of the best people I know. And screw what everyone else thinks. We know what’s going on and that it’s real.”
