Kiara
I sit in my front seat, busily tapping away at my laptop, when I feel someone's eyes on me. I glance up to see Trey staring back at me.
Oh shit!

My stomach drops into my ass. I quickly shrink down into the seat, hoping by some chance, he didn't really see me. I mean, it is kinda dark in this garage.
I hear a double knock on my window, and with reluctance, I roll it down and sit up to face him.
"What are you doing here?" I ask in horror. My attempt to act casual goes straight out the window. It has been two weeks since I last saw him. Was he here looking for me? And why?
"Get out of the car," he commands, his voice calm but with an underlying intensity that sends shivers down my spine.
I step out and shut the door. He immediately grabs my hand and pulls me towards the elevator. "Where are you going?"
He doesn't respond. He just pushes the button and we ride up in a tense silence. His expression is unreadable, as if he's trying his hardest to control his reaction.

A million thoughts are running through my head. I recognize the cake pan, Maggie asked him to come here. But why is he angry? And why did he just drag me out of my car and through the parking lot? Most importantly, why am I just going along with him?
Once we reach my floor, he leads me to my apartment. Like damn, do I live here or does he?
"Keys," he demands gruffly. I hand them over without a word. He unlocks the door and I follow him inside. I stand in the doorway as he walks around looking for who the hell knows what.
Why am I just letting him walk around here like he owns the place?

I've got all my stuff packed in bags or boxes, and just a few things on the bathroom sink. With my lease up in two weeks, my landlord said she would have another apartment ready for me by then. It's just a waiting game now. You know, until I ultimately get evicted for not being able to pay the rent in a few months.
"How long, Kiara?" The muscle in his jaw jumps up and down.
"Huh?"
"How long has it been since you've been living in your car?" he asks, hardly containing his anger now.
I swallow the pile of rocks in my throat. "Since Jordan cheated on me," I murmur.
"Why?"
His voice holds no judgement, but still anger and shame wash over me. Why should I have to explain anything to him? He doesn't know what I've been through this past month!
I take a deep breath to steady myself before I lash out at him."I walked in on them fucking in my bedroom then Candice found their Onlyfans account. They pretty much destroyed my safe place and, like a coward, I've been sleeping in my car until the lease is up."
The truth stings my eyes, but I refuse to cry. I've already shed too many tears over my fucked up situation.
"And when is that?"
"November first."
He's quiet for a long moment. "I'm going to give you two options. Either come stay with me until your place is ready, or I can arrange a hotel room for you."
"What?" My voice accidentally goes up like two octaves. "Y-You're not doing that. I won't let you go out of your way for me!"
Flaring his nostrils, he looks at me intensely. "I'm not letting you sleep in that car a minute longer. I bet that night we slept together was the last time you slept in a nice, warm bed. Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell Candace?" he growls.
I don't know what to say. He actually seems mad at me and I don't understand why. I've told him repeatedly that we're not ever going to be together, and he still cares about me?
I guess he's a lot less shallow than I thought.
His expression is hard as steel as he heads over to my belongings on the couch and begins stacking up the boxes.
"What are you doing?" I manage to ask. I press my lips together, rubbing my hands up and down my arms anxiously.
He glances back up at me, a raging fire in his eyes. "Pack the rest of your stuff up. You can decide where you're going when we get to the car."
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I enter his luxurious penthouse while he takes my bags inside. I find myself glancing around, half expecting Candace to pop out of nowhere and yell, "Gotcha, bitch!"
Oh God. I'm nauseous. This feels so fucking wrong. There's no way I was going to let him pay for a hotel, so I chose the cheaper but probably worse option. There's no way I can stay here and not feel that I'm betraying Candace. If she found out, how would I even explain this to her?
The knot in my stomach tightens. I don't even realize I'm hyperventilating until Trey crushes me against his chest. "Shh Cupcake, it's going to be okay."
Against my better judgement, I melt into his embrace, his delicious scent washing over me. I quickly come to my senses, and push him away. "W-We can't do this, Trey. Candace is going to hate us!"
He grabs my shoulders, squeezing gently. "Look Kiara, you're not doing anything wrong. You've been living in your fucking car for weeks, and Candace was so caught up in her own shit, she completely abandoned you."
"She didn't abandon me!" I snap back. I rip out of his grasp so I can actually think straight.
He doesn't make another attempt to touch me. "Oh yeah?" he asks, raising an eyebrow. "When was the last time you heard from her? I know Mom and I haven't heard shit from her since she left."
I fall silent. I haven't heard a word from her either. I only know she's alive because she posts on Instagram every few days. Her last message to me was that she needs a break from Virginia, I guess that includes me too because she doesn't respond to my texts and when I call her, she sends it straight to voicemail.
I do feel...abandoned. I'm not sure even if I would've told her what was going on with me, she would've stayed. She's been looking for a reason to join her girlfriend in New York, and the fight with her mom was exactly what she needed. I guess I understand though, long distance relationships are hard and she has always been afraid that Patricia was cheating on her.
Trey gives me a knowing look. "I'm supposed to be your friend now, right? You can lean on me."
I rub my shoulders, although I'm nowhere near cold. I guess I'm just comforting myself through the next huge mistake I'm about to make.
"Okay," I whisper finally.
I see the smirk on his face, even though he tries to hide it. He lets go of me and goes into the room with my suitcase. "Uh, there's only one bed," I point out.
He chuckles. "I know, I'll just sleep on the couch."
"I'm not kicking you out of your own bed!"
"It's time you slept in a proper bed. Besides, I'm trying to be a good friend. If he sleep in the same bed, I can't promise I'll be able to keep my hands off you," he says with a sexy wink.
Before I can respond, he starts to strip off his shirt.
"W-What are you doing?" I demand.
His hazel eyes lock with mine and he smirks. "Getting ready for work. I suggest you step outside or you'll see a show I know you'll enjoy."
I scoff. "Get over yourself."
But my body betrays me. My mouth practically salivates as I scan his sculpted body. His hard pecs, his defined abs, the V-shape that leads down to his-
"Oh God," I mutter to myself. I'm in trouble. There's no way I can live here for two weeks and not want to fuck him. Wait, yes I can.
Have some fucking control, Kiara. He's not that hot!
Once he puts on his chef coat, my mouth isn't the only thing drooling.
Damn it! Why are men so sexy in uniform?
He begins to unbutton his pants, and I scurry out of the room. "Uh, I-I'll just excuse myself," I stammer, trying to hide my flaming cheeks.
A few minutes later, he comes out of the room fully dressed. He hands me a shiny, gold credit card. "Here. Order some food or whatever else you need, and I'll be back after dinner service."
I stare at the card in my hand. "Holy shit, are you serious right now?" I exclaim, obviously fucking flabbergasted.
He kisses me on the forehead. "Yes. Make yourself at home." The gesture is so simple, yet intimate, and I can't help but admit how much I enjoy it.
"I-I can't take this. This is wayyy too much! There's like no way I can repay you for this or you kindness or allowing me to stay here-"
He cuts me off. "You don't need to."
"I swear, I'll pay you back anything I can as soon as I get back on my feet," I continue rambling, "I'll pay like half the rent for the month-"
He interrupts me again, his eyes clouded with anger. "Do that and I'll hand it right back to you. We're friends now. This is what friends are for." He gives me a final glance before turning away. "The code is on my dresser if you need to let in anyone. Call me if you need anything, and if I don't answer, I'll get back to you as soon as I can."
I watch as he walks out the door and locks it behind him.
With even more anxiety washing over me, I open the cake pan on the counter to find chocolate cake, my favorite. I moan appreciatively as the sweet, moist cake hits my tastebuds.
After eating a slice or three, I brush my teeth and climb into the cloud Trey calls a bed. I can't believe I'm here in his fortress, his safe haven. And he trusts me enough to let me stay here. That means a lot.
Maybe we can be friends. All I have to do is survive two weeks without thinking or making any attempt to do anything sexual with him.
I can manage that. Right?
I snuggle deeper into the bed, feeling so safe and cozy. It's been a while since I felt this way. My back is grateful for the relief, since my back seat isn't exactly the comfiest. Before I know it, I peacefully drift off to sleep.