Chapter 19 She's A Gold Digger
Tasha’s POV
“YOU’RE quiet,” he said after a while of driving, his voice cutting through the silence without sounding like he was trying to.
I didn’t look at him, I kept my eyes on the road. “I’m thinking.”
“About what?”
Everything.
Nothing.
Him.
I exhaled slowly. “This was a lot,” I admitted, gesturing towards the paper bags at the backseat.
“That was the point,” he replied. “I want you to have everything, not worry about anything.”
I looked at him with furrowed brows. “What? Why?”
“Because you’re my girl,” he said almost immediately, but after a second, as if realizing what he just said, he turned his gaze back on the road and added, “and we need to make this look real.”
Of course.
I turned my head slightly, finally looking at him. “So, you always go all in like that?”
He glanced at me. “Yes. But this is the first time I did this.”
“But you and Debbie—”
“Yes, we dated last year,” he continued. “But Debbie can buy all her things.”
Right. Debbie was capable—financially. Unlike me.
Still, I shook my head lightly, looking away again. “That’s exhausting.”
“You’ll get used to it.”
Something about that made my chest tighten. I didn’t respond. Because I wasn’t sure I wanted to get used to it.
The car slowed as we turned into the dorm area. My stomach twisted slightly as the building came into view, lights still on in several rooms, silhouettes moving behind curtains, figures leaning casually on balconies.
Watching. Always watching.
Carlos parked smoothly, the engine going quiet as the car settled into stillness.
For a second, neither of us moved.
I reached for the door handle. “I should go—”
My words cut off. Because suddenly, Carlos was closer. Much closer.
His hand came up, brushing lightly against my jaw as he turned my face toward him before I could react properly.
And then, his lips were on mine.
My breath caught instantly. The kiss wasn’t soft, not even hesitant. Instead, it was intentional. Like everything he did.
My hands instinctively pressed against his chest, a reflex more than a decision, my body caught somewhere between surprise and something else I didn’t want to name.
For a second, I froze. Then I started to pull back, but his hand moved and slid to the back of my head, holding me in place.
Not rough.
But not letting me go either.
And then the kiss deepened.
My heart slammed hard against my ribs, too fast, too loud, my fingers tightening against his shirt as the world narrowed into that moment. Into the way his lips moved against mine like he wasn’t pretending. Like this wasn’t part of some plan.
Like this meant something. And that was the problem. Because I didn’t know if it did. I didn’t know if any of this did.
When he finally pulled away, it wasn’t sudden. It was slow. Like he was giving me time to feel it.
To register it.
To react.
My lips parted slightly as I tried to catch my breath, my mind still trying to catch up with what just happened.
I blinked, looked past him at the window, and that was when I saw it.
The balcony. Two floors up. A group of students leaning over the railing, phones out, watching.
My stomach dropped. My eyes widened slightly as realization hit hard and fast.
Of course.
Of course.
This wasn’t just a moment. This wasn’t just… us. There was an audience. There was always an audience.
A sharp, quiet sting settled somewhere deep in my chest.
Because part of me—A small, stupid part of me had almost believed that kiss wasn’t for show.
I swallowed, pulling back fully now, creating distance between us.
Carlos didn’t look up at the balcony, pretending as if he didn’t that there were people watching us.
“I should go,” I said quickly, reaching for the door again, my voice steadier than I felt.
He didn’t stop me this time. I stepped out of the car, the cool air hitting my skin and grounding me just enough to move.
Carlos got out on his side, already walking around to the back to grab the bags.
“Can you handle all these?” he asked, glancing at me briefly as he lifted several at once.
“I can carry them,” I said quickly, stepping toward him and reaching out.
He didn’t let go immediately. “I can walk you inside.”
“No,” I said, a little too fast.
He paused. Studied me. Like he was trying to figure out why.
“I’ve got it,” I added, forcing a small shrug. “It’s not that far.”
His gaze lingered for a second longer. Then he handed the bags over. “Fine.”
I took them, adjusting the weight awkwardly in my hands. “Thanks,” I muttered.
He didn’t respond.
I didn’t look back as I walked toward the building.
Even though I could feel his eyes on me. Even though I knew he was still there and watching me.
BY THE time I got back to the dorm, I was exhausted. Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. The shopping bags felt heavier than they should have.
Or maybe it was everything that came with them and what happened inside the car.
The moment I stepped inside, Lila’s voice practically exploded across the room.
“Oh my God! What is all that?” she demanded, rushing toward me, eyes wide as she stared at the bags.
“Nothing,” I said quickly, dropping them near the bed.
“Nothing?” she repeated. “That’s not nothing, Tasha. That’s like… a whole new life.”
“It’s just—”
The door suddenly opened behind me and I froze when I saw Carlos. He stepped inside like he belonged here too, holding a smaller paper bag in his hand.
“You forgot this,” he said, walking straight toward me.
Lila looked like she had stopped breathing. “That’s—” she started, then stopped again, clearly too shocked to form a sentence.
Carlos stopped in front of me, handing me the bag. “A phone,” he added casually. “You needed one.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
I stared at the bag. Then at him. “You can’t just—”
He leaned in before I could finish. And pressed a kiss to my cheek.
My breath caught. Because that—that wasn’t for show. There was no one here to impress except Lila.
He pulled back, his expression unreadable. “Don’t forget to charge it,” he said. “And text me before you sleep.”
Then he turned. And walked out like nothing had happened. The door clicked shut behind him.
“Oh. My. God.” Lila spun toward me, eyes wide. “Since when does Carlos Santiago show up in our dorm room and kiss you like that?”
I didn’t answer. Because I didn’t know how to. Because my cheek still felt warm where his lips had been. Because something in my chest hadn’t settled yet.
“It is fake,” I said quickly. “I mean, he’s just pretending he likes me, because who would really like me? He’ll wake up soon and leave.”
“That’s not pretending,” Lila said, stepping closer. “You don’t kiss someone like that if it’s just for a fling.”
Lila studied me for a second longer. Then her expression shifted slightly to concern.
“You have to be careful, Tasha,” she suddenly said.
I frowned. “About what?”
She hesitated. Then pulled out her phone. “About this.”
She turned the screen toward me. A video. Me and Carlos at the mall, holding hands while he buy me all the luxury things I don’t need.
The caption underneath made my stomach drop.
“SCHOLAR GIRL HITS JACKPOT. GOLD DIGGER MUCH?”
My chest tightened. “What… is this?” I whispered.
“It’s everywhere,” Lila said softly. “People are talking, Tasha.”
I swallowed hard. The comments kept scrolling. Laughing, judging, assuming.
“She’s using him.”
“She planned this.”
“She doesn’t deserve to be here.”
My grip on the phone tightened. “I didn’t—”
“I know,” Lila said quickly, placing a hand on my arm. “I know you didn’t. But they don’t.” Her voice softened. “So you have to be careful… people are talking.”