GIO (Interracial Rockstar Romance)

“It’s just...weird.”

“Sure.” He shrugged. “No disrespect.”

“Of course not. I know you and I are cool.”

“But Gio doesn’t know it?”

I sighed. Both Gio and he were starting to annoy me. Both focused too much on protecting me from the other.

I ignored the question. “Where are we going?”

He looked at me over the top of his sunglasses. “There’s a small town right next to Gio’s house. Barely five minutes away.”

“O-kay.”

It took us longer than that. Clearly his calculations were off because the drive lasted close to thirty minutes. Finally, he pulled off the highway, exited, and then rounded the corner.

Ahead of us was a long block of tiny stores: clothing shops, one salon, and a tiny diner. Even though it was afternoon, not many people walked the streets. Only a few women strolled down the newly shoveled sidewalk.

Ru passed the many empty parking spaces. “This must be the town’s little main street.”

I checked the name of the road. “Yep. It’s Main Street.”

“Cool. Look for Building 504.”

“Okay.” I checked the numbers and pointed two stores down. “It’s right there.”

A wig shop was right next to it.

“Good.” Ru parked in front of the building. “I’m loving this town already. No problems with parking.”

“What’s at building 504?”

He winked at me. “You’ll see.”

“But—”

He jumped out the car and rushed over to my side, catching me by surprise as he opened the door. “After you.”

Quirking my eyebrows, I climbed out. “Ru, what’s going on?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“You’ve only been in Utah for barely twenty-four hours and you have a surprise for me?”

“I didn’t get much sleep last night, so I had plenty of time to plan.” He shut the door. “Now, just promise me something.”

“O-kay.”

“Keep an open mind.”

I sighed. “Okay.”

I followed him as he pulled out keys and opened the front door. Darkness bathed the empty place. I coughed from the dust in the air, doubting anyone had been in the building in years.

“Give me a minute.” Ru slid his hands around the walls. “There should be a light switch around here. I didn’t get a chance to see the place before I bought it.”

I remained in the doorway. “You bought it?”

“Yeah.” He found the switch and flipped it on. Instead of the light maintaining a continuous glow, it blinked off and on, while buzzing every five seconds.

If I’d thought the place was dusty with the lights off, I almost shrieked at seeing the layers of dust coating the whole place. It must’ve been at least five inches of muck covering rotted walls and floors. Several feet ahead of me, two rats screeched and ran into a hole in the wall. Stacks of ripped and molded books lined the walls next to crumbling mannequins and matted wigs. My stomach twisted as I spotted a few roaches crawling along the knotted strands.

Ru frowned. “It needs to be cleaned up.”

Ya think?

“So...” I held my hands out and still hadn’t stepped inside. “Why did you buy this place?”

“There’s an apartment upstairs.” Ru pointed to the cracked ceiling. “Do you want to check it out?”

“Maybe, after a building inspector tells me it’s safe.”

“You might be right.” He laughed. “The ink’s not dry. I should probably get out of this deal before it closes. We can find another.”

“We? And what were you going to do with it?”

He dangled the key and walked out. “I was going to put your studio here and renovate the second floor for a nice apartment, but this needs too much work. This is what happens when I rush a real estate agent right after Christmas. Lesson learned.”

I stood there in shock.

He shut the building’s front door, locked it, and faced me. “What?”

“I’m not...What?...Why would you think I would stay here?” I pointed at the building. “I don’t even need a place. I have an apartment, and I’m just going to be here for...”

Humor left Ru’s face. “How long?”

“Until we’re done with the album.”

He leaned his head to the side. “Have you started on it yet?”

“No.”

He cocked his head to the side. “Has anything else started?”

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

“I hope not.”

“Are you trying to say something?” I shook my head. “I mean seriously, Ru. I was in an accident and then Christmas. Come on. It’s not like I’m lazy at my job. I write. I do what I’m supposed to.”

A few snowflakes began to fall. Not a lot, but enough to tell me that it was quiet right before the storm.

Ru looked away as he asked me, “Where did you sleep last night?”

I cleared my throat. “In his room.”

“Anything happened?”

I bristled, feeling like a little kid being reprimanded. “That’s none of your business.”

“It’s not?”

“No, my love life is not a part of your job.”

His jaw twitched. “Love life?”

“I mean...” I shook my head. “Ru, whatever. I’m not staying in some building just because you’re worried that something is going on with Gio.”