Kyle had been with me the longest and never sounded like an asshole. Adam and Brady were good friends when it came to talking about chicks and throwing parties, but they had gotten lucky with everything. They had nice, old fathers who trusted them enough with their respective businesses, despite knowing how much of dumb fucks they were. Besides, those two were the worst possible people to get advice from, so we never really did.
Kyle actually understood where I was at. He was smart as fuck, too. But unlike me, he wasn’t impulsive at all – he was good at persuading people and getting his way without any violence.
“Is it the girl?” he asked. I already told him a little more about what had been going on with Eloisa.
“It’s the girl and the business,” I confided, looking at our other friends who were busy sitting Infront of the flat-screen TV, playing a video game that Adam brought.
“What about it? You had it, and now it’s gone,” Kyle said matter-of-factly.
“I’ll fuck up Bilbao; there’s no stopping me now. That’s what’s on my mind.” Relief washed over me as it was the first time I had confessed my plan to anyone.
“It’s eventually yours,” he replied, bringing out a joint and taking a drag before offering it to me.
“Maybe,” I said, inhaling the smoke deeply.
“But I know what’s the deal with you. You’ve been raised like a filthy lion – no offense.”
I grinned. “None taken.”
“And now that the lion has had his share of blood, he wants more,” Kyle added.
I couldn’t think of any explanation better than that, so I just uttered, “Kyle, you have no idea what it felt like – the rush, the fucking power that I felt in my body when I shot that man in a room full of people.” Smiling, I added, “I’ve never felt more like myself than in those few weeks. I’m born to be the king of Bilbao.”
“And you will be,” Kyle assured me.
I shook my head. “I want to be king now, not later. I will be the best fucking thing that has ever happened to that shithole, no matter what I have to do to get there.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Eloisa
A few days had passed since I returned to college. Since Keith Carson showed up.
If I’m honest, I thought that every day would end up a disaster, but there wasn’t much interaction between us at all. We shared only two classes twice a week, and that’s only when he acted like an annoying ass. Other than that, his presence did not affect me in any way. We had even walked together once, and it wasn’t all bad.
My father still hadn’t called me. Since I told Will not to check up on me until Father decided to talk to me, I had not gotten any calls from my family members. Still, Nick texted a few times, being completely casual and all.
I initially worried about how I would break this news about Keith to my family, but then I decided against it. If they ended up finding out on their own, I would come up with something. But if the news came from me, they would most likely send a bodyguard to watch over me at all times. There was no way in hell that I would let that happen.
“Do you think he is hungover or just very creepy?” a very familiar voice whispered in my ear, snapping me out of my reverie.
“Can you shut up? I’m trying to study here,” I hissed at Keith without turning to look at him. Though he sat behind me, he moved his seat a lot closer to mine, always saying something or asking questions. Maybe that was his way of trying to communicate, considering the only thing that guy seemed to ever do was talk business or think about ways to murder his father.
And Allison thought I had daddy issues.
“Eloisa, are you free this weekend?” Keith asked out of the blue.
I was a bit taken back by the sudden change in his voice. He sounded a lot more serious than he typically did. I turned to look at him. When I did, I was surprised by how close Keith had leaned in, our faces only inches apart.
“W-what? I mean, why?” I stumbled through my words. Get it together, damn it. I kept my calm and did not pull away since I was very sure Keith only did that to make me feel weird or flustered.
A small smirk appeared on his lips as he looked closely, his eyes trailing over my face.
“Is there something on my face?” I asked, and he just hummed in reply.
“What?” I demanded.
“Are you free this weekend?” Keith repeated his original question.
I nodded.
“I’m having a party. Well, my friends are throwing a party at my apartment. Maybe you can come.”
“We’ll see,” I replied noncommittally.
Keith nodded. “Then, after that, I can take care of this thing on your face. It’s hideous,” he joked, grinning.
I rolled my eyes. “You really need to stop trying.”
He looked at me, his eyebrows furrowed. “Trying what?” Keith asked innocently, making me scoff.
“You and I – it’s not going to happen,” I said before turning my attention back to the teacher.
“What makes you think I’m trying to make anything happen?”
“You’re not?” I faced Keith again as he nodded. The look on his face and the way he moved closer again made it clear how interested he was in this conversation.
“So, do you flirt with everyone like that?” I inquired.
“Just with the pretty ones.”
I rolled my eyes. “Has any of those pretty ones ever slapped you in front of at least a hundred peo—”
“Miss. Castillo, Mr. Carson,” the teacher interrupted, causing my head to snap back towards the board. “Is there something important going back there? I certainly think you should exit the classroom if there is.”
“Now’s the good time to bring in the slap – all eyes are on us,” Keith whispered, his warm breath against my neck.
“I apologize,” I mumbled to the teacher, embarrassed.
With another look our way, the teacher returned to teaching.
“This has never happened to me before. It’s your fault!” I hissed angrily.
Keith pouted. “A lot of things don’t seem to be happening to you. Well, things change.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I turned, glancing back and forth between the teacher and Keith to make sure that I wouldn’t get caught.
“In the past few weeks, the only thing I’ve ever seen you do is be a daddy’s girl, stay with Allison, or study. How are you like this?”
“So, you think that’s all I do?” I decided to play along.
He nodded. “Yeah, pretty much.”
“Well, too bad,” I uttered, shrugging.
“Are you a virgin?”
My eyes widened at his bluntness.
“No,” I shot back quickly.
It was Keith’s turn to shrug. “When was the last time you had sex?”
“I’m not having this conversation with you.”
In all honesty, I knew where he was trying to get at. After my last relationship ended two years ago, I got involved with the family business, so I barely had any time to go out and date. Out of all the necessary things in the world, dating didn’t make it at the top of my list.
“Okay, don’t,” Keith replied. “I just think you need to blow off some steam – that’s all.”
“Fuck off, Keith.” I hit his arm.
He gasped dramatically. “You’re mean.”
“You’re an idiot and a pervert,” I snapped.
“The joke’s on you. You’re into that, aren’t you?” Keith leaned in, testing my patience.
“Yes, I’m definitely into creepy dudes. Away you go,” I responded sarcastically.
“No, that’s not what I meant,” he said. This time, his voice sounded a little deeper as our faces were inches apart once more. I couldn’t help but stare at him. “You’re not interested in good guys. If you were open to dating, there would be a line right outside that dorm.”
I smiled despite everything. Keith was extremely trying to get to know me, and I found it hi
larious.
“You like the thrill, don’t you? You want to be with someone who’s not easy, who can handle the fire that you’ve lived your whole life in?” he asked and waited for me to say something.
For a moment, I almost forgot we were in a classroom full of people. “Okay, so if you know me well, what do you think is my type?”
“I am your type.”
I wanted to laugh, but I couldn’t. Keith’s eyes roamed my face, his eyes stopping momentarily on my lips. My breath got caught up in my throat, but I managed to say, “I don’t think I would like someone who’s slept with every woman he met.”
“You don’t? And what makes you think I have?”
“I know your type, Keith Carson. As you said, I like bad boys,” I said, earning a little smirk from him. “But am I yours?” I found myself asking him the dumbest question, and I literally wanted to hit myself in the head with a pan.
“Are you kidding?” He chuckled. “Eloisa, if I could kiss you right fucking now, I would.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Eloisa
The weekend approached faster than usual. Perhaps it felt like that because there had been an uneasy tension between us since Keith invited me to his party. For that reason, I could tell he was trying to avoid me. I was doing the same thing since our last conversation did not end clearly. The bell rung moments after Keith expressed his desire to kiss me. With our history, I really thought it would be disastrous, though it might not be the type that I signed up for.
I hadn’t told Allison about that little incident. If I did, I knew that she would make things even more awkward at the party. I was not even sure we’d go there, but since Allison has also been invited, I guess there’s no backing out of this without telling her.
The truth is, no matter how much I tried to disregard everything, a part of me wanted to be at the party and talk to Keith again. It did not necessarily have to be about what happened, but I would definitely like to get rid of this tension and go back to being enemies if it slipped into the conversation. After all, no matter what, that’s what Keith and I were, right? We’re born to be each other’s enemies.
“Do you think I should wear my cherry or purple dress for the party?” Allison asked, pulling me out of my head. I saw her holding a bunch of clothes in front of me.
“I don’t know. Maybe you should go with the purple one.”
She sighed. “You’re always more indecisive than me.”
I rolled my eyes, turning back to my laptop. I was supposed to be doing an assignment and not thinking about this party, but things might not go according to plan.
“After you’re done picking out something for yourself, can you look for my blue top? I’ll just wear it with the new pants I got,” I uttered, earning a whistle from Allison.
“Look at you!” she replied, grinning. “Keith won’t be able to resist you – your ass looks great in those pants!”
I laughed, shaking my head. “I’m not wearing that for him. It’s just that I don’t have any other pants left since I forgot laundry day.”
Allison shrugged. “Whatever – you’re lucky then.” She added, “Sure, I’ll fish it out for you. I’m done with my work anyway.”
“I owe you,” I told her gratefully before turning back to my assignment, which I was pretty sure would take up most of my night.
After an hour, Allison yelled, “I’m literally so tired!”
I looked at her, realizing what time it was. “I’m hungry. I’m going down to the coffee shop. Do you want something?”
“No, I’m good,” she said.
I shrugged. Closing my laptop, I got off the bed and stretched out my body. My arms were sore with all the typing and bad postures, and I craved a nice, warm bath and some wine. However, I had to make do with what I could get – espresso and waffles, for that matter – to stay awake.
I grabbed my keys after putting on a jacket over my old T-shirt and sweatpants, hoping not to run into anyone. I meant Keith, of course.
Get it together! I knew there was no way Keith would be serious about wanting to kiss me. He liked to play around, and right now, who’s better for him to toy with than the Castillo he despised the most?
By the time I got to the coffee shop, it was almost closing down. Luckily, I was friends with Jona, the café owner. He was a super chill, super nice and cute guy, who was only a few years older than me. I remembered having the biggest crush on Jona when I entered college, but the more we talked and I got to know him, the more I realized that he wasn’t the type who’d be able to muster enough courage after finding out about my family. At present, I also heard that Jona got engaged. It all seemed like yesterday, but it had already been three years.
“Hey, you,” I greeted Jona as he was cleaning a corner table.
“I’m not giving you coffee at this hour. It’s suicidal, and I’m not a murderer,” he said.
“That’s rude, but I will die if I don’t get any coffee and waffles to go.” I pouted, leaning my head against a standee near the entrance.
“Another deadline?” Jona asked.
“Yes, and I really tested myself with this one,” I confided, and he laughed in return. Jona wasn’t a conventionally good-looking guy. He had long, curly hair that was usually up in a man bun, but he mostly wore a hat backward to cover his head, looking like a lumberjack from the 90s. His eyes were a bright shade of blue; his skin was way too pale for someone who came from Los Angeles.
“Maybe you shouldn’t be partying around,” Jona joked, walking away from the table towards the counter. I followed him and took a seat as he turned the coffee maker on. “It’s gonna take a while,” he said.
I gasped. “I don’t have all the time in the world. Stop being a lazy ass and make me my latte, mister!” I ordered him jokingly.
He laughed. “You really don’t look like you need coffee.”
“Please don’t try to talk me out of this; it’s already too late.” Jona shook his head as I added, “Any news?”
He laughed again. That’s what we usually did: talk about all the gossip he heard from the other students. But this was the first time I got to speak with Jona since the semester started.
“I haven’t really heard much, except about that friend of yours.”
I frowned. “Which friend?”
“The new one,” Jona replied.
“Oh, he’s definitely not my friend,” I answered, realizing he meant Keith Carson.
Jona gave me a look. “What’s the deal with him?” he asked.
I sighed. “He’s just… Let’s just say that there’s history involved.”
“An ex?” he tried to guess.
“No. God, no.” When Jona raised an eyebrow at me, I added, “My family and his family are business rivals.” I put it as nicely as I could, and Jona seemed to have bought it as he let out a sigh.
“Oh, what a cliché. He definitely has a thing for you,” Jona disclosed while pouring my coffee in a large foam cup.
“Why do you think so?” I found myself asking curiously.
“It’s easy. He’s only here when you are; I see him walking by, peeking in and stuff. But that dude seems a little sketchy, so just steer away from him.”
“He’s Keith Carson,” I uttered.
It took a moment for Jona to register his name. When he did, his eyes widened. “Oh, this must be bad, right?”
“You have no idea,” I responded, shaking my head.
After a few more minutes, I noticed how much time I already lost and hurried out of the café after saying goodbye to Jona. I made my way back to the car, thinking about all the things that I had been hearing around about Keith and me. I mean, people didn’t really know what’s going on between us, and they still suspected something. I would’ve also thought about it, but then again, he was a Carson.
When I returned to my dorm room, Allison was fast asleep, and it was already midnight. I sighed, cracking my fingers before sitting down with my waffle and coffee on the ground with my
laptop in front of me and my earphones plugged into the phone as I listened to some upbeat music.
Halfway through my assignment, just as I paused to take another bite of the waffle, my phone started to ring. Concern washed over me as I assumed that something bad happened at home. However, I frowned when I saw an unregistered number on the screen.
I was never a call person – especially not at two in the morning or when I didn’t recognize the number – but I answered anyway.
“I didn’t think you would be awake,” Keith said in greeting from the other line.
How the hell did he—? I didn’t remember giving it to him.
“Why are you calling me?” I took another sip of coffee.
I heard him chuckle slightly. “I don’t know; I couldn’t sleep. You?” Keith asked.
“I have an assignment due until ten o’clock. I’m almost done with it, but—”
“Why have you been ignoring me?” he blurted out, unable to wait for me to finish my sentence.
“Are you drunk?” I asked, confused. I assumed he drunk dialed me, but Keith sounded sober.
“Answer me.” His voice was stern, but it didn’t clear my confusion.
“You do not call me at two in the morning and act like a jackass, especially when it’s you who had been on the ignoring end of this!” I whispered angrily, making sure I wasn’t loud enough for Allison to hear.
“You freaked out!” he snapped.
“What else did you expect? What was I supposed to do, grab you and kiss you instead?” I shot back.
There was a moment of silence. Then, Keith softly replied, “That wouldn’t be so bad.”
There it was. As angry as I was at him, I couldn’t help but laugh. “There is something seriously wrong with you. You know that, don’t you?” I asked.
“Mm-hm,” he responded. “Are you coming tomorrow?” Keith asked.
I grinned, though I knew he couldn’t see me. “I don’t know. Why?”
“Just asking.”
“It’s not like you want me there,” I uttered.
“I’m shooting in the head the person who said that,” he said.
I laughed. “Why aren’t you sleeping?” I asked instead, resting my head against the edge of the bed.
Cruel Hearts : An Enemies to Lovers Mafia Romance (Ruthless Legacy Book 2) Page 3