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"Why are they crazy?"
"Because you want me to move in with you and pretend that we're dating, and this will never work!"
"Why not?"
Because I'm in love with you, and I'm terrified you'll break my heart.
I shrug instead of telling him that.
He crowds close to me again and then crooks his finger beneath my chin, tilting my head back until I meet his gaze. "Try," he whispers, those crazy green eyes sending my system into a tailspin. "Please, Charlotte. I need you."
"You need me?" I whisper, my stomach fluttering like mad. It really does feel like there are butterflies in there, their delicate wings beating hard enough to send little waves of heat through me. No one has ever needed me before. I don't think he's just saying it to get me to agree, either. He looks like he's never meant anything more.
"I need you."
My resolve crumbles like a hastily erected sandcastle at high tide.
"I can pay rent?"
"If it makes you happy." He leans in, blocking me with his arms on either side of me. His lips graze my forehead and then down the side of my face. "I'll never tell you no."
"You should," I whisper.
"Never."
I curl my hands into tight fists, trying to keep myself from latching onto him like one of those clinging vines that smother people in the jungle. They probably only exist in the movies, but I want to latch onto Theo. I want to hold onto him until all his warmth lives inside of me and the rest of the world disappears. That wouldn't be so bad, would it? Just me and Theo and a whole planet to ourselves.
"Move in with me, Charlotte."
"Okay."
"Yeah?" He pulls back, his gaze dancing across my face. Hope lights his eyes, turning them seafoam green. "You'll move in with me?"
"Yes," I say, giving in to the inevitable. Even if this blows up in my face—and I'm positive it will—I want to know what living with him is like. I want to know what it feels like to be his. Even if it's only pretend, it's better than nothing…right?
Please, don't let him break my heart, I pray. And then, because I can't help it, I send up another prayer.Please don't let me ruin him.
"I'm pretty sure we'renot supposed to be in here," I whisper-hiss at Theo two hours later, casting furtive glances over my shoulder as if we're breaking the law. We might actually be breaking the law. There was caution tape over the door of my apartment, but Theo ripped it off, muttering under his breath about…I don't even know what.
I was too busy looking for photographers. A whole group of them were camped outside the security gates for his neighborhood when we left. I thought they were going to chase us all the way here. Theo laughed when I tried to hide in the floorboard. He's not nearly concerned enough about the whole world seeing us together.
In fact, he doesn't seem concerned about very much at all. He spent the whole drive here humming under his breath. Every time I looked at him, he was smiling. I don't even know why. When I asked him, he just winked at me and then tried to hold my hand.
"Don't care," he says, reaching for my hand again. "We're getting your clothes and whatever else you need right now. I'll hire someone to come pack up the rest of it this week. I don't want you in here by yourself. It's not safe."
He's not kidding about that. In the light of day, the kitchen looks even worse than it did the other night. The stove is little more than a charred ruin. Scorch marks travel up the walls allthe way to the ceiling. One entire row of cabinets has fallen to ash. Melted plastic drips down the remnants. I guess those charred blobs are all that's left of my dishes.
"No wonder Chad evicted me," I mutter, staring in dismay at the wreckage.
"He's a prick," Theo grunts, scrutinizing the kitchen from the doorway. "Did you have renter's insurance?"
"No," I whisper, feeling sick to my stomach. "I asked about it, but he said I didn't need it."
"He was lying to you," Theo says, his voice grim. His expression matches when he turns to look at me. "Always get renter's insurance. That way, you have insurance to cover any damages and you aren't taken to court if something like this ever happens again."
"Okay. Um, I guess I can call my insurance company and ask them to add it to my policy. How much do you think I need for your place?" I fidget, worried I won't be able to afford it. He lives in a mansion. I'm pretty sure his furniture alone costs more than this entire building.
"You don't need it."
