Chapter 151 151

Chapter 151 151
EVA

White was best?

I stared at him for a long second, my brain trying to catch up to what he just said. White. A white dress. From a group of women he supposedly surveyed. My mouth opened, then closed, then opened again.

"What?. What are you talking about?"

He tilted his head toward the car. "Take a better look."

I turned back to the vehicle. The windows were tinted, the paint a shiny white now carefully looking at it. I stepped closer, peering through the driver's side window. The interior was cream leather, pristine, untouched. I glanced back at him, confused, and he nodded toward the back of the car. I walked around and froze.

There was a bow on the trunk. A massive white satin bow, the kind you saw in commercials for luxury car brands, the kind that made you think someone was about to get the surprise of their life.

My hand flew to my mouth.

"No way."

"Open it."

I reached for the handle, my fingers trembling. The door swung open and I stared at the interior. Cream leather seats, wood trim, a dashboard that looked like it belonged in a spaceship. I stepped back, then forward again, then back again. I touched the seat, the steering wheel, and the gear shift. I climbed in, my legs still a little shaky from the cast removal, and gripped the wheel. The leather was warm against my palms.

I turned the key in the ignition. The engine purred to life, smooth and quiet, nothing like the sputtering death rattles of every car I'd ever owned. I turned it off, then on again, then off. I couldn't stop smiling.

I climbed out and stood there, staring at the car.

A car.

He bought me a fucking car?

For my birthday.

I rushed to him before I could think, my arms wrapping around his neck, my face buried in his shoulder. I didn't cry, not really, but my eyes burned and I couldn't breathe properly. He held me, one hand on my back, the other cupping the back of my head, and I felt his chest rise and fall against mine.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

I pulled back and punched his arm. Not hard, just enough to get my point across. "You can't just buy someone a car. That's not a thing you do. What is wrong with you? What is wrong with your brain? Who does that?"

He shrugged, and the amusement in his eyes made me want to hit him again. "I've never done it before. I'm learning."

I looked back at the car. The white bow. The shiny white paint. The leather seats I could already picture Lily spilling juice on.

I wouldn't have to book a ride anymore. I wouldn't have to stand in the rain waiting for a taxi that never came. I wouldn't have to depend on Nico or anyone else to get me where I needed to go. I could drive Lily to school, to the park, to the hospital for her checkups. I could leave whenever I wanted, go wherever I needed. The thought hit me so hard I had to press my palm against my chest to steady myself.

I turned back to him and hugged him again, tighter this time. "Thank you," I said into his shirt. "This is insane. You're insane. Thank you."

He kissed the top of my head. "You're welcome."

The front gate creaked open, and a familiar red car pulled into the driveway. Chloe climbed out, her phone in one hand, her bag slung over her shoulder. She stopped when she saw me standing in the middle of the driveway with my arms around Dante. Her eyebrows shot up.

"Wow. Okay. I didn't mean to interrupt—"

I pulled away from him and waved him off. "Go. Change. I'll be up later."

He kissed my forehead and walked inside, his footsteps fading into the house. I turned to Chloe and ran at her, grabbing her in a hug so tight she squeaked.

"Whoa, okay, what's happening? Why are you so excited? Did you get the dress? Wait, did you go to the sale? I thought you said the car broke down? You better start talking or I'm going to lose my mind."

I pulled back, grinning so wide my cheeks hurt. I held up the key and watched her face shift from confusion to shock.

"No."

"Yes."

"No way."

"Way."

She grabbed my wrist and yanked the key closer, squinting at it like it might be fake. "This is a real car key. This is a real, actual, I-can-drive-this-thing car key. Eva. Eva, what did you do? Did you win the lottery? Did you rob someone? Why is there a car? Is this the car?" She whirled around and spotted the Rover with the massive white bow. "Oh my God. Is that the car? Is that your car?"

"Apparently."

"You're joking. You're actually joking right now."

I shook my head, still grinning. "He just gave it to me. For my birthday. Like it was nothing."

Chloe's mouth dropped open. "He just—he just gave you a car? For your birthday? As a gift? Like a normal person gives someone a candle or a book?"

"I know. I don't understand it either."

She turned to me, her eyes wide. "Do you know how much this thing costs? Did you look it up? I'm looking it up. I'm literally going to look it up right now."

She grabbed her phone and started typing, her fingers flying across the screen. She scrolled for a moment, then her face went pale.

"Eva. Eva, this car costs more than my apartment. More than my life. More than both our lives combined, probably. This is a luxury car. This is a rich person's car. You are now a rich person with a rich person's car. I can't believe this."

I laughed, the sound bubbling out of me. "I can't believe it either."

We walked around the car together, Chloe running her hand along the hood like she was touching something sacred. I opened the back door and found the flowers, the candy, the branded bags from stores I couldn't afford. Chloe leaned in and let out a low whistle.

"What is all this?"