Page 8 of Lodged

We make it back to my place in no time, and I open the garage door with the remote fob I have in my pants pocket. It’s an under-house garage since my house is on a hill and was built at an angle. When the door is fully open, I look at Ruin, and her mouth is agape. I try not to chuckle, but it is pretty endearing to see my life through other people’s eyes.

“Do you have a roommate?” Ruin asks, curious.

“No, it’s just me,” I say as I cross my arms over my chest.

“So that means you have more than one car.”

“Yes,” I answer simply; there’s no point in hiding it.

“But these cars are expensive,” Ruin says as she takes a couple of steps into the garage and passes her hand over the hood of my dark gray Range Rover.

“They’re just cars.” I’m trying to get her mind away from the fact that this car alone probably costs more than her entire four years of education.

“No, Gio. I cannot drive this,” she says, shaking her head.

“Please go see your family. Do it for me.” She looks at me inquisitively. “Yes, do it for me. You get to see your family this weekend—something I can’t do with mine.” I don’t tell her thatI could just take my private jet and fly to Santiago to see my siblings. I just really want to do this for her.

“You’re definitely the nicest person I’ve ever met.” She flashes me a bright smile, and hope forms in my chest. She’s going to take me up on my offer. Why am I so hell-bent on this? I don’t want to go there right now. I know I’m breaking a lot of rules, and being so close to defending my thesis and graduating, it’s something quite stupid to do, but at this moment, I don’t care. I’m not taking advantage of her, and I’m not taking her grades hostage because of this. I’m simply helping someone out.

“I promise I’ll drive as safely as I can. And I’ll bring it back on Sunday night.” I nod and smile at her, silently closing our deal.

“Thank you so much, Gio. I’ll never be able to repay you this favor,” she says as she lunges to hug me. She takes me by surprise, so we stumble a couple of steps back. But the moment I hug her back, everything feels right in my world.

“There’s nothing to repay. You’re welcome.”

Chapter 6

Ruin MacAllister

After leaving Gio’s place, I drive around campus for a while to get comfortable with the car. I needed a relatively safe space with slow speed limits to test my abilities driving such an expensive car before taking it out on the highway. It feelsamazing, and it’s so easy to drive. Nothing like my old Ford, which always rattled when I used the breaks.

Before going home for the weekend, I head back to my apartment to grab my things. Luckily, I was able to save my stuffbefore the firefighters came to douse my car. When I get to my apartment, all the girls are gathered in the living room.

“Ruin!” Evelyn exclaims. “Are you okay?” she adds as she gets up from the couch and rushes to hug me.

“Yes, I’m okay. Just utterly embarrassed.” As I hug her back, my shoulders sag, letting her embrace comfort me. I wish I had hugged Gio longer, but I didn’t think it was appropriate—even though it felt so good to be in his arms, his warmth slipped through his gray sweater and into my skin.

“Oh, babes, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. We were just worried sick. With all the people wandering around, we couldn’t find you. When we texted you and you didn’t reply, we thought something had happened to you,” Charlotte says, hurrying to hug me too.

“I just needed some time alone to process everything, you know?” I tell them sincerely, and they all nod. I’m glad they get me. I honestly hit the jackpot with my roommates.

“So what are you going to do now?” Everly asks, and damn, I’m going to hell. I’m going to have to lie to her once more.

“That’s the other thing I was doing. I went to the insurance company to file a report and they lent me a car.” I internally cringe at my lie—who in their right mind is going to believe that I got a Range Rover as a loaner for my totaled Ford? I also make a mental note to actually go to the insurance office on Monday after classes. Maybe there’s something they can do to help?

“Oh, that’s awesome. At least you’re still going to be able to visit your family. I know you really wanted to go this weekend,” Charlotte says, and I nod with a smile. I’d rather not say anything else that may lead to more lies.

“Thank you all for keeping an eye out for me. I’m going to head out before it gets too dark to drive.” I give them a little salute as I make my way to my room. Once I close the door behind me, I exhale a deep breath. If I thought this was hard, I can’t imaginehow I’m going to spin it with my family when I get home. After making sure I have everything I need—clothes, toiletries, my laptop, and books—I check my phone, and I silently gasp at the amount of missed calls and texts. Most are from Rain, with a few from River and Miles, and even Mama. “Holy hell,” I whisper. Do they know what happened to my car? But how? I didn’t tell anyone, and I don’t think any of my roommates have their numbers.

Deciding to handle all this mess after I get on the road, I grab my bags and close the door to my room behind me. I say goodbye to the girls before making it to the parking lot and packing my stuff into Gio’s car. What a surreal day.

After I connect my phone to the car system, I look for my favorite playlist. I love country music at any time of the year, but during the fall, it just hits differently. Maybe it’s the cadence in the singer's voice and the beautiful lyrics about love, but combined with the crisp air and the trees losing their leaves, it makes it a beautiful combination. Once one of my favorite songs plays in the background, I take a deep breath and try to make sense of this day. What are the odds of Gio finding me on the amphitheater steps? Out of the thousands of people at Wolfe University, it had to behim—the most attractive man I’ve ever seen.

Growing up in Azalea Creek, everyone knew everyone. Although I had a high school boyfriend, Tim, I knew he wasn’t my forever. After three years together, we decided it was best to be friends and let each other pursue other interests. He went to trade school and now works with my brother, Miles, who has a construction company.

The two years I studied at the community college in Pine Shores, the town closest to Azalea Creek, I had a couple of dates here and there, but nothing serious. And even though I wouldn’t say Tim or any other guy I’ve gone out with is ugly orunattractive, none of them hold a candle to Gio Bianchi. The way his blond hair curls on the top gives him a boyish look, perfectly contrasting the sharp lines of his jaw. But his eyes—those eyes are like two pools on a warm, sunny day, shiny and bright.

By the time I come out of my daydreaming, I notice I’ve driven out of the city, and I’m now two hours into my drive. Needing to stretch for a little bit and a restroom break, I look for the next rest stop. It doesn’t take me long to find one, but when I pull into the parking lot, I reconsider getting out of my car—it’s deserted. I wait a few minutes, trying to get the courage to get out, when my playlist cuts off, and the ringtone I have set for my sister, Rain, starts playing through the car’s sound system. Oh crap, I had absolutely forgotten I still didn’t tell my family about my day. I hit connect on the touch screen.

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