Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Alonzo
I had to give it to myself. Going to Juana on a whim was the best idea I’d had in a while. Maybe even forever.
And all I’d had to do was get my heart broken.
The image of Dani with Aaron— fucking Aaron —hit me again. So I chugged down my beer as I sat on the plastic chair in front of Inang’s guesthouse. Was it my second bottle? Fifth? Who knew?
“You’re kidding me.”
At the familiar voice, the liquid went down the wrong pipe and I ended up spewing it out.
Cam stood just inside the small gate, gaping at me. “What the hell are you doing here? Are you stalking me?”
“Cam,” I said between coughing fits. “You again.”
“You have five seconds to leave or I’m screaming the street down.”
My brows swung up. “I’m renting a room here.”
Her eyes shot daggers at me. “I live here.”
Oh. “I guess we’re housemates then.”
I would have laughed at the look of sheer horror on her face if it weren’t for the very real fear that she’d sucker punch me.
A single “ha!” broke through the terse silence, and I realized it had come from me. Guess alcohol slowed down the reception time between my brain and my mouth.
“You’re mistaken,” she declared with such utter certainty that I second-guessed my version of events.
No. You’re better than that, even with the beers. “If you’re going to pass it off as a typo like you did earlier, you should know I met Inang this afternoon and paid for my stay,” I told her. “The spare room is mine for the night.”
She stared at me. “But—you’re rich. Why aren’t you staying at a hotel?”
“Newsflash, Cam. Just because I live in Manila doesn’t mean I’m rich.”
“You rented a villa last time.”
My eyes widened, and she huffed out a breath.
“You practically announced it to everyone at the café,” she said, exasperation in her voice.
Realization dawned, and right at its heels came the memories of that trip. “I wasn’t the one who paid,” I muttered before emptying my bottle.
“Don’t tell me—your girlfriend did?”
The bottle almost slipped from my hand.
Her mouth fell open. “Shit. She di?—”
“Don’t,” I snapped.
She pressed her lips together but judgment was written all over her face.
“Damn it.” Leaning forward, I put my empty bottle on the ground next to the others and grabbed a fresh one.
She folded her arms over her chest. “Gonna drink yourself to sleep?”
“Not planning to, but if it happens—” I shrugged and popped the cap with my keychain. I lifted the open bottle. Hesitated. Then I held it out to her. “Truce?”
Staring at the bottle, she sighed. “One night, you said?”
“I have to be back in Manila by Monday morning.”
She took the beer. “Consider this me saving you from a hangover.”
“Ha! You're welcome.” I grabbed another one and popped it open too.
With a shake of her head, she stuck her key into the doorknob, not knowing I’d left it unlocked. “Don’t be noisy and don’t throw up inside the house.”
Wouldn’t you know it, but she added another walk-out to my growing tally.
Cam
Drinking the lukewarm beer, I dialed Nikki from the safety of my bedroom. My bedroom that was right beside Alonzo’s.
“You’re not going to believe this,” I blurted out the moment she picked up.
“You took my suggestion and did Lonzo?”
“What?” I almost shouted but caught myself. Lowering my voice for Inang’s sake, I said, “No.”
“Oh.”
“He’s renting the extra room here.” The beer should have relaxed me, but thinking about my new housemate had my muscles tightening. Wasn’t it enough that I’d been forced to interact with him multiple times today? Now I had to live with him too?
Lady Karma was not on my side.
“Oh.” The amusement in her voice had me scowling. “Wait, why’s he staying there?”
“According to him, not everyone from Manila is rich,” I muttered, pacing beside my bed.
“Well, that’s true. You should know that since you lived there.”
Still, of all the guesthouses he could have picked, why did he have to go for this one?
“He’s just there for one night, right?” Nikki pressed. “It’s not like he’s moving in permanently.”
The mere idea had me grinding my teeth. “Oh God, definitely not.”
“Did you ask if he’s single?”
“Don’t care.” Although based on how he’d reacted when I brought up his girlfriend, it seemed things weren’t all well on that front.
Nikki hummed. “You should ask. Cause if he is, it’s the perfect setup. You’re in the same house, so no need for the walk of shame. And he’s leaving tomorrow, which is what you prefer—not to mention he looks damn good. Honestly, Cam, you hit the jackpot with him.”
“You’re forgetting the other fact—that he’s annoying.”
“Not if you keep his mouth shut.”
An image of his stupid mouth on my skin flashed in my head—his lips kissing the curve of my neck before trailing down to suck?—
I cleared my throat. “If only I had duct tape.” My imagination conjured up Alonzo with tape across his mouth and his hands bound to my bed frame.
I wasn’t sure which version I preferred.
Nikki’s laughter mocked me. “I bet you could improvise.”
“Shut up.” Beneath my bra, my breasts grew heavy. I took another drink and said, “I thought I was the bad influence in our group.”
“I didn’t realize how fun it would be. Unfortunately for you, Eric’s not here to be the good cop.”
Something told me he wouldn’t argue with her.
“Cam, you saw how he lifted my daughter, right? He didn’t even break a sweat. He can definitely pin you up against the wall and?—”
I hung up on her. That was the only appropriate response after she’d given me three visuals to get worked up over. Dropping into my chair, I drank my beer and tried to push all thoughts of Alonzo out of my mind.
Sure, he had the type of forearms I liked, strong with those veins running up top. His biceps were well-defined too, though one of them was currently battered. And yes, I’d gotten a good view of his abs…not to mention what was outlined beneath his boxer briefs.
He was still a fake—a so-called nice guy who turned into an ass when he didn’t get his way. More than that, he reminded me of the place I wanted to forget. The people too.
I slipped off my bra from under my shirt and opened my laptop. Since my brain was running a million miles a minute, I might as well put it to work doing something productive.
Like getting myself more jobs.