Page 86 of Sleeping with the Frenemy
“It means exactly what I said,” she told him.
He scowled at her and stepped into her space. “It sounds like you’re calling me selfish.”
Sofi stood and put her hands on her hips. She was not about to be intimidated by Leo just because he was upset. “Leo, I swear. You don’t want to do this right now.”
“Guys,” Kamilah began, but Leo ignored her.
“Do what?” he said to Sofi. “Call you out because you’re here trying to imply that I’m a selfish asshole?”
“I’m trying to prevent a fight, but if you got something else out of it...” She purposely drifted off in hopes he’d pick up the thread in his head. She’d learned in the past that it was best to let Leo come to his own conclusion, because if she told him he’d just want to argue about it. She should’ve known it wouldn’t work though because he clearly just wanted to fight.
“I can’t believe you’re acting likeI’mthe selfish one here,” he said.
Whoa. Wait a damn minute. Now he was acting like she was the problem here and she was NOT the problem.
“Leo,” Kamilah attempted again, but this time Sofi cut her off.
“What did you just say?” She stepped up to him.
“I mean, I’m not the one who up and bounced for a year because my feelings were hurt,” he said.
Sofi pointed a finger at him. “Don’t you dare downplay my putting down boundaries and doing what I had to do for my own mental health as me being selfish.”
“Is that what we’re calling it, putting down boundaries? I know it more as being petty, but sure.”
“Óigame! Eso no,” Abuela Fina said, jumping to her feet. She stepped in between Sofi and Leo and got all up in his face or as much as she could when he was a foot taller than her. “Your abuelo and I didn’t help you with my granddaughter, so that you could turn around and treat her like a jerk.”
Sofi froze.What the hell were they talking about? What help?
“Si,” Papo joined in. “We didn’t plan all that stuff for you to ruin it now.”
Kamilah gasped. “Oh no, Abu, please tell me you didn’t do what I think you did,” she pleaded.
But Papo couldn’t answer, because he was focused on his grandson who looked ready to explode.
“I didn’t need your damn schemes,” Leo growled.
Schemes? What fucking schemes?Were these three conniving against her?
“Pretty bold claim for a man she’s broken up with more times than either one of us has been on a stage,” Papo said.
“Exacto,” Abuela agreed. “You may have her for now, but you still need to keep her. A cute face and guitar playing isn’t going to work forever. Especially if you treat her like this.”
They were totally in cahoots. These three were plotting ways to get her to be with Leo and had been for some time. She couldn’t believe it. She felt so betrayed. They’d been playing with her mind and emotions like three evil doctors experimenting on their patient in a mental hospital.
Here she was thinking that she was doing what she needed to do to finally be happy only to find out that the moves she’d been so proud of herself for making had been part of some plot. She was just a puppet that the three of them had been operating behind the scenes. “I can’t believe I was so stupid,” Sofi said softly. Yet somehow everyone heard. “You’ve been playing me since the beginning,” she decreed into the silence.
Leo froze for a second, but then his eyes swung to her, finally remembering that she was standing right there. “It’s not what it sounds like.”
“It’s not? Because it sounds like you and our grandparents got together to come up with ways to manipulate me into being with you.”
Leo winced. “So maybe it is what it sounds like, but it’s not this huge plot or anything. They’re mostly just giving me advice.”
“Yeah,” Papo agreed. “Just advice.”
“Don’t lie to me. Not now.”
Papo must’ve heard how serious she was in her voice, because he started singing like a canary. “Okay, so it was our idea for you to move in with Leo and I may have something to do with you finding Tostón.”
