Free The Proposal (Forever Bound Book 2) by Bree Callahan

awesome?”
    “This floor is filled with male college students.  I bet I walked past seven of them coming up here.”
    Charity frowned at her, before laughing.  When she looked back at Damian’s expression, she nearly choked.  He was shooting a look at her that was filled with jealousy and anger.  She looked away from him and caught Ana’s expression.  “You don’t know they live in this apartment.  Maybe there’s a party going on.”
    She shrugged.  “All the better.  Maybe we’ll get invited.”  She wiggled her eyebrows and Charity couldn’t believe how easy the conversation was flowing out of Ana, when a man, whom she only met a day earlier, was staring at her. 
    Charity had to break the awkwardness so she turned back to Damian.  Ana had carried her load into her bedroom, giving her room to talk to him.  “I probably should start unpacking.”
    He scrunched up his nose.  “I thought perhaps we could christen your bedroom.”  He wiggled his eyes and she playfully slapped.
    “As much as I would like that,” she whispered.  “Ana would question things, and I’m not willing to go there…not yet.”
    He nodded in his knowing way.  “Then I guess we’ll see each other later.”
    “Guess so,” she stated.  She quickly kissed Damian, before he left her apartment.  When he was gone, she heard Ana behind her.
    “So…who is he again?”
    Charity turned around and saw Ana staring at her.  Charity closed the door, before replying.  “No one.  He’s just a friend.”
    Ana smirked.  “A friend?  So when did you meet this friend?  Where did you meet this friend?”
    Charity shrugged.  “I met him around.  Why does it matter?”
    Ana smiled.  “He seemed more than a friend.  Is it a friend with benefits?”
    Charity opened her mouth to deny it but then stopped herself.  “Why does it matter?  He gives me things I need, and I help him out, too.”
    Ana nodded, knowingly.  “So, it is.  He’s hot and any guy that would be willing to spend his weekend moving is a keeper.”  Ana turned around and carried another box into her bedroom. 
    Charity glanced at the closed door and then put that thought from her mind.  Damian and her were nothing but friends that were satisfying a need they both had.  That was it, and she didn’t need Ana to try to convince her otherwise.  She grabbed a box and carried it to her own room.  She unloaded it, and when she got back to the living room, Ana was already there. 
    “What do you say we order some pizza?” Ana replied.
    “Works for me!”  Charity answered back.  Ana dialed up the pizza place that was stored in her phone and placed an order, which would be delivered.  When she hung up the call, Charity continued the conversation but left out Damian.  “What about you, Ana?”
    Ana frowned.  “What do you mean?”
    “You were talking about those college boys on this floor.  Are you over, Jesse, or are you using that as a tactic so people don’t think you care?”
    Anger shone in Ana’s eyes.  “How dare you think that I would use someone for my own gain.”
    Charity sighed.  “I’m not saying that.  I’m simply asking if you’re truly over, Jesse?  You seemed all eager about the guys, and it seemed like maybe there was something you were hiding.”
    “You don’t just get over some guy you once loved.  Are you over, Joe?” Ana asked, tossing Charity’s fiancé back in her face.
    “Those are two different things.  The love you shared with Jesse was a hell of a lot stronger than the love I shared for Joe.”
    Ana laughed.  “You were going to marry Joe.”
    Charity nodded, laughing lightly.  “Precisely.  I was about to marry a guy that I barely knew.  You were attached to Jesse, and that just doesn’t evaporate.  So, you still love him, right?”
    “Of course!” Ana replied softly.  Her eyes dipped down to the floor, and she didn’t look up until she asked her own hard question.  “You care about