Emily POV
What did I just accept?
As I walk out of work after what happened with Nathan, I just... couldn't help but think I'm an idiot.
But it's something I just can't help, as I'm literally between a rock and a hard place. I know it would be so simple for me to just say, Hi Lolo, please let me stay with you... And since I know my best friend, I know she would have accepted my request, and we would have had a weird family of 3, her, her boyfriend, and me... Until her child was born of course.
But I can't do that, as I'm not that kind of girl, so taken advantage of and... evil. I don't want to manipulate my best friend to stay with her and ruin her life.
I knew this moment would come, but I didn't expect it to be so soon. I know that every stage in a person's life has a beginning and an end, and that is when I was 12 years old and still in high school, living with my parents, I thought that stage would go on forever, that I would never make it to college and that I would stay in my little home with my little family forever.
But that time turned out to be much shorter, and I ended up moving to the capital, practically without knowing anyone, to get into the complicated life of a college student. And almost 4 years ago, I thought the same thing, that this stage would never end, and that I could stay forever in the middle of classes and next to Lolo every late afternoon.
As I slowly walked home from work, I stood outside the building where Lolo and I lived, and a feeling of undeniable sadness washed over me. It made me very melancholy to think that I would have to leave this place so soon.
In the beginning, I lived in university housing, because that was what my simple salary in a bookstore could pay (which was my job at the time), my family did not help me much with my studies, and I was determined to stay in that university to finish my studies. Then I met Lolo, who is an amazing girl.
She, unlike me, is from this city, from a family that is a little wealthier than mine, and she has always been a kind person. When she entered college, her parents rented her that apartment, but she felt very lonely and was always very shy, so after the first semester we were friends, and she asked me to live with her.
Lolo didn't need help with the rent, her parents could cover all her expenses perfectly. But she was doing me a favor, college housing is honestly... Horrible, it's one of the worst things I've seen in my entire existence, and I don't want to go back there for any reason.
Lolo knew this, so he kindly took me to his home just to help me. I know sometimes I exaggerate a bit, but Lolo is truly an angel and the best person I have ever met in my entire life. We both lived very well together during those years, I paid what I could for rent with my salary from my multiple temporary jobs (since I had several in those years), and Lolo had a little more money for herself. Everything was perfect...
Until her stupid boyfriend came along.
Lolo didn't tell me much about how her family reacted to it. I know her parents are conservative, and that's why she's planning her wedding practically the next day after her baby is born, but she didn't tell me if they got mad or if they gave her stupid boyfriend a good spanking for not protecting himself the right way. Still, she looks calmer since her boyfriend proposed, and with the end of college so close, I think everything has fallen into place for her, which makes me very happy since Lolo really deserves to be happy and have his own family.
As I approach the building, I can't help but feel nostalgic, thinking that this would probably be the last night I would use my key to unlock the door. For a while I thought my perfect life with my best friend would last forever, but once again I was wrong, and a new stage of change is approaching.
Am I afraid of change? Maybe, but I'm afraid of something even bigger, I'm really afraid of Nathan and this strange arrangement we are making.
But once again, I have no way to refuse, I have no choice. With my very small salary, I can't afford more than a cheap hotel room. And Nathan's apartment is big enough and good enough to be considered a perfect deal for what it costs. But the problem is the conditions for me to stay there.
That thing about being his fake girlfriend... Shit, it sounds so bad. I think it's the worst proposal I've ever been offered, and I don't know how far I have to go to pretend to be with him. Kissing, holding hands, hugging... Just thinking about it makes me nauseous. But what if he wants more than that? God, just thinking about it makes me want to cry.
I have so many doubts that my head is going to explode... Ah... Damn, why did I accept without thinking about it more carefully?
When I get to my apartment and open the door, I find Lolo in the kitchen, preparing dinner.
"Hi, Emi," My best friend says to me with a smile: "How was work? You look kind of tired..."
Approaching her, I hesitate a bit, but finally tell her, "Today that strange guy, the one from the apartment the other day, came to my work..."
"What?" asks Lolo in surprise, stopping what she was cooking on the stove to look at me, "And what did he want?"
"Agree to move into his apartment, Lolo, I'll leave tomorrow."
For a moment I see a smile of relief on Lolo's face, knowing that I will be leaving. But I understand that it's not intentional, that it was just an immediate reaction to the news. But when she thinks better of it, she puts down the stove and comes over to me to hug me, I think she understands better than anyone how hard this all is for me.
"Emi, are you sure? I don't want you to do this because you feel obligated, that guy is weird, we can find better deals if we look..."
"No Lolo, we looked hard enough, I can't keep stopping your life, this is the best offer I'll get," I tell her convinced.
"Oh... Emi..."
"It's ok," I say calmly, returning the hug, "I'm an adult and I can take care of myself, I assure you everything will be ok..."
I'm going to do this for my friend... And for myself, because I want to change, and I want to grow up.