Free Locked Away (Living With Lies Book 2) by Riann C. Miller Page A

if he hadn’t acted like a jerk, I would have tried to explore the idea of something with him. After all, we live together, and I’m only here for a short time. I dismissed the idea days ago, but now, judging by the way he’s looking at me, I would say it’s possible he’d like to explore the same thing.
    “I was wondering ...” I pause, watching him closely.
    “Yes?” he questions.
    I push my nerves down. If I want to experience life free from my father’s watchful eye, then it’s now or never. “Do you want to go out with me?” I quickly say before I allow myself to chicken out.
    Kiran looks down at his watch. “It’s pretty late. Where did you plan on going?” I smile, fighting the urge to laugh.
    “No. I mean...do you want to go on a date with me?” I add with more confidence than I’m actually feeling. When an understanding washes over Kiran, his face drops. He sighs and runs his hands through his hair before looking me in the eyes. He holds my stare for several long moments.
    “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he quietly says, causing my stomach to turn. This is the first time I’ve put myself on the line, and I was shot down, which hurts more than I was expecting.
    “Oh. Okay,” I say as I stand up and make my way to the door as Kiran speaks up. “It’s just...You’re Kate’s family, and starting next month, your brother is going to be my roommate and ...” He pauses again and swallows loudly. “I think it would be better if we didn’t.” He puts his hands in his pockets as he rocks back on his heels, doing everything he can to avoid eye contact.
    I square my shoulders and muster up a smile. “It’s okay. Really.” Kiran’s eyes suddenly look sad. “I think I’m going to head to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow,” I add as I force myself to continue smiling.
    “Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow,” he repeats. I’m ready to experience life with what little time I have left, and if that’s not going to happen with Kiran, then I think I know just the person to call.
    ****
    The next day I spent most of my time out by the pool. Callie and Kate both left for their first day of school and both Gavin and Kiran went to work. Gavin’s grand opening for his software company is set to take place soon, causing them extra work. Kate told me my biological brother, Alex Johnson, has plans to move out here to work for Gavin. I guess that’s what Kiran meant when he said he’s going to live with my brother.
    Most days, I still have a hard time processing the fact that I don’t actually belong to Damian. When I hear Kate, and now even Kiran, talk about Alex, I don’t feel anything toward him. Maybe that makes me a horrible person, but I’m not sure I’ll ever think of him as family, let alone my brother.
    As the day moved on, I swam, ate lunch, took a nap by the pool then swam again. Now I’m out of the shower and cleaning up for my date with Jared. I called him earlier today and asked him if he still wanted to go out, and he gladly accepted my offer. Jared waited until we were hanging up to mention how I never told him my name. For a moment, I froze, debating what I should tell him.
    Damian named me Isabelle but has called me Belle for as long as I can remember. I’ve always thought my name was that of a little girl—or as Callie would say, it’s a princess’s name. I’m not a princess. Hayden was my birth name, but I don’t feel like Hayden. For that reason, I gave him my full name, Isabella, or Izzy for short. There is only one person in the world who calls me Izzy, and the idea that someone else will make me equally happy and sad—sad because I miss Manuel.
    I’ve never been on a date before, but I’ve read books and watched enough TV to have an idea of how I should dress. I picked out one of the tighter dresses I brought. I left my hair down but I made sure to wear the only sexy pair of heels I had. After I finished putting the final touches of my make-up on, I hear the house