Page 23 of Sleeping with the Frenemy

“Please,” Leo scoffed. “You were the one who was always leaving your stuff all over the place, your dirty dishes in the sink, and your hair in the bathroom drain. Ya nasty.”

“He’s not lying,” Valeria said.

“That was when we were kids,” Kamilah argued. “We’re adults now. Things change.”

Leo and Valeria gave each other a look. “Yeah sure,” Valeria said.

“Speaking of Ricky,” Sofi interjected. “Why aren’t you living with him anymore?” she asked Leo. He and his cousin had been roommates since their early twenties. Meaning that Ricky was one of the only people who knew about her and Leo’s relationship.

“Ricky moved to Florida with Gio,” Papo said, referring to his youngest son who was a well-known DJ and producer.

“What?” Sofi couldn’t believe the amount of stuff she’d missed.

“Leo was staying with Saint for a bit after he got shot because he couldn’t be alone and Ricky worked long hours,” Valeria said. “So Ricky moved Elena into their place.”

“Yeah,” Kamilah nodded sadly. “But then he found out that Elena was cheating on him and since Gio was already moving for work, Ricky decided it was time for a fresh start.”

“Leaving Elena with our nice-ass rent-controlled apartment. Hence me moving in upstairs,” Leo concluded.

“I can’t believe she cheated on Ricky,” Sofi said. Ricky was, like, the nicest guy ever. He was basically a golden retriever in a human body—sweet, loyal, cute as hell, and just the right amount of playful. “I never liked her anyway.” Sofi had been one of the only ones to see through the whole girl-next-door vibe which was why she wasn’t surprised every time she caught the woman checking Leo out when she thought no one was watching. She’d definitely been a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

“Yeah, well, that hardly means anything. You don’t like anyone,” Kamilah said. “You’re worse than Liam, you just hide it better.”

Sofi shrugged. “And nine times out of ten, they justify my dislike.” People were the worst most of the time and Sofi wasn’t dumb enough to pretend otherwise. “I call it having good instincts.”

“Or enough trust issues to fill Lake Michigan,” Leo grumbled over the lip of his glass.

Papo smacked him on the back of the head. “What is wrong with you?” he asked. “That’s no way to convince Sofi to move upstairs with you.”

Shit. She’d thought she’d successfully distracted everyone from that idea. “I have no intention of letting myself be convinced of anything.”

“I don’t see why not,” Abuela Fina said. “You complain every morning about being too tall for the couch and too old to be living with your mom. Plus you haven’t been able to find a place that you like that you can afford anyway.”

Dear lord, could her grandmother make her sound any more pathetic? Sofi wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole. The feeling only got worse when, in typical Kamilah fashion, her best friend went from zero to one hundred.

“Oh my God, Sofi! Why didn’t you tell me you’re struggling?” She reached over and grabbed Sofi’s hands. “What can I do to help? Do you want to stay with me and Liam? We technically don’t have a second room anymore because we turned it into Liam’s office when Mandy and Leo started working with him and needed an office to work out of too, but at least our couch is bigger than your mom’s love seat. And you have to let us pay you for planning the reception. There’s no reason we can’t. Right, Liam?” she asked without even looking at her fiancé.

At this point Sofi knew that she was blushing. She’d felt the heat rush to her cheeks and while she knew it wasn’t as noticeable on her dark skin, especially under her layers of makeup, it was still visible to those who knew her well. Case in point, Leo was staring at her with a knowing look on his face. Since he’d been one of the only causes of her blushes for over a decade, he knew she was flushed. She shot him a warning glare. He’d better not mention her situation out loud or she’d be forced to throat-punch him.

His lip curled in the corner and her flush grew. Shit. He was going to say something obnoxious. She just knew it. His lips opened and Sofi braced herself for more embarrassment.

“You should move in,” he said, shocking her to her very core.

“What?” she choked out. He must’ve lost his damn mind.

He raised one shoulder in a shrug. “I’m barely ever there. If I’m not sitting behind a stupid desk at the CFD headquarters or practicing with the band, then I’m in the distillery with this box of cornflakes.” He used his thumb to point at Liam—who simply rolled his eyes. “I basically just sleep and shower upstairs.”

Valeria decided to jump in with her two cents. She grabbed Sofi’s hand. “And with as much as you work, you’d never see each other. Plus, almost everything upstairs was updated by Luís and his crew last year. It’s in better shape than anything you’ll find around here and definitely cheaper.”

Leo snorted. “Especially since no one around here will let me pay any rent, so I don’t see why they’d let you.”

“Claro que no,” Valeria said. She squeezed Sofi’s hand. “You’re family and family doesn’t pay rent.”

Now Sofi must be losing her damn mind, because she was actually considering this insanity. Her and Leo just being in the same room together was a terrible idea, let alone cohabitating in an apartment. However, the idea of not having to pay rent was too tempting to refuse outright.

Abuela Fina wasn’t exaggerating when she said that Sofi couldn’t afford any of the apartments she liked. Her bank account had dwindled to virtually nothing after a year of living and traveling abroad. Even though she was now looking at potentially having to room with fucking Leo Vega, Sofi didn’t regret any of her spending. She’d told herself that she was going to live her best life in Paris and she’d done that. Besides, it wasn’t like she wouldn’t be able to build up her savings again even if she did quit her job. She just needed some time to figure out her next steps and put them in motion. As soon as she did, she could move out. She wouldn’t have a lease tying her to the place. “If I move in, it will be short-term,” she heard herself say. At the smiles of everyone around her, especially the smug one on Leo’s face, she felt the need to clarify. “Very very short-term. As in I will still be looking at other options.”

“Sure. That makes sense,” Papo said as if he still owned the building or had any say. “No one is going to hold you hostage. And it’s not like we’re expecting the two of you to get married or anything.” He started laughing as if he’d just made the funniest joke in the world and soon enough Kamilah, Liam, Valeria, and even Liam’s friend were laughing. The only two not busting a gut were Leo and Abuela Fina, but something about the looks on their faces made Sofi gulp.

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