Page 55 of Aria

Devon had finally convinced me to move in with him.

While I was fiercely opposed to the idea at first, my new predicament didn’t exactly put me in a position to say no… plus, our relationship had been getting stronger. It felt wrong to head home to my small apartment when a high-rise condominium could be mine. I was the only one holding myself back from living the good life.

For a long time, the “good life” had been simply existing. I had made it out alive. I had my own place, a small group of friends, and my beloved fat cat. That was all I ever wanted. But now that I was getting a taste for more, I wanted to trulylive—not just exist. Devon could give me that. Hewantedto give me that.

He wanted to give me the world.

He even bought me a car, so I didn’t have to take an Uber everywhere. I’d grown independent over the years, but not having to struggle with bills, rent, and transportation was a nice change.

“I think I got the last of the boxes,” Devon said. I watched as he carried the rest of my life out of the apartment, wondering again why he hadn’t hired professional movers. Devon insisted on doing it himself. He claimed it gave him a taste of real life, which kept his ego from getting too big.

“Today I’m just a regular guy moving my girlfriend out of her apartment and into my place,” he had told me with a smile.

I supposed that made sense.

“Just one more thing,” I called out as Devon placed the box down in the bed of the truck. Misty purred from the front seat. “Be right back.”

Jogging back into my apartment building, I headed toward the bathroom and peeked behind my shoulder, just to make sure Devon wasn’t following, before shutting the door. I stood on top of the toilet seat and popped one of the ceiling tiles out of place, revealing a hidden treasure.

Noah’s firearm.

Climbing off the toilet, I carefully placed the gun inside my purse, zipping it shut. Devon still didn’t know about the gun. Or Ian. Or any sordid details about my past. He had tried to learn more about my past relationships, but I’d been vague, as usual.

“You seriously don’t have any good ex stories for me? That seems impossible,” Devon had prodded me over Chinese takeout one night.

“Oh, you know me. I’ve always been a wallflower. There was this one guy who I was kind of serious with, but he cheated on me. All men were the Devil from that point forward,” I had laughed lightly. “Until there was you.”

Devon had seemed to accept my boring relationship history. It felt too late to tell him the truth.

“Okay, we’re good!” I said, skipping over to Devon and giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

“What did you need to get?”

“What? Oh… nothing,” I replied. “I just wanted to take it all in one last time. Lots of big life changes happened in that apartment.” My eyes averted away from his. I hated keeping things from Devon, but the truth was too risky.

Devon flung his arm over my shoulder and pulled me close. “I get it,” he said. “On to bigger and better things.”

Hugging him tight, I murmured, “Thanks to you.”

We hopped into the truck and drove off. I closed my eyes, taking in the moment as I stroked Misty’s fur.

Life was good. Ian hadn’t made his presence known—there had been no sightings, letters, or suspicious phone calls since my birthday. I wasn’t sure if he was waiting in the shadows to strike, or if I’d blown everything out of proportion.

Maybe Riley had only called to scare me; after all, she was hardly a trustworthy source.

Maybe the birthday card was a one-time scare tactic.

Maybe everything was going to be just fine.

Unfortunately, my friendship with Noah had been strained since our argument, but I was trying to grow content with that. Distancing myself was probably for the best.

Devon had every right to feel bothered by our peculiar relationship. Looking back… wehadbecome too close.

I still watched Sam on a regular basis, but my interaction with Noah was all business. There were no more movie nights, pillow fights, or late-night talks. And while I couldn’t deny missing the way things used to be, I knew it was for the best.

I was Devon’s girl.

“Hey, what are your thoughts on a triple date tonight?” Devon asked, breaking through my musings.

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