⇢ ˗ˏˋ $𝟓.𝟔𝟕, 𝐬𝐢𝐫 ࿐ྂ

i thought i told you 'bout it

With just a little over a quarter of a million, the girl smiled and showed Karl, her boyfriend kissing her face all over with a grin.

"That should hold us over for a little until we both start working, yeah?" The brown haired boy gave a little nod as he looked down at his girlfriend, determination filling his gaze.

"Yeah, for sure. I'm probably gonna start looking for a job tomorrow. You should too," Y/N placed a soft kiss to his cheek before walking over to the couch and passing out.

What Y/N didn't know is that Karl didn't look for a job, he already had one. She was never told about it, but she never questioned it either. When the sums of money started to get larger and larger as the months rolled by, the girl got suspicious.

"Karl, how do you make so much money? Where the hell do you work?"

"I work for Jimmy. He's pretty great when it comes to paying old friends," Karl answered with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, a chaste kiss pressed to Y/N's neck.

Another few months slipped away and Karl was still riding the high that was waves of cash. With Y/N being more skeptical than ever, she searched through her boyfriend's phone and even tried prying information from his friends.

Y/N always came up empty handed, a deep sigh slipping from her lips after she grew tired of snooping around their new house.

"Babe, I need you to put on one of those tight dresses I got you. And your red bottoms too. We're going out tonight," Karl poked his head into the room full of bookshelves, his eyes dancing on his girlfriend's figure that was snuggled into the small couch with a book in hand.

"Right now?"

"Yeah, right now. Go get ready," he winked and slipped back out of the room to somewhere else in the house.

Without much more of a fight, Y/N sighed and stood up to start getting ready, showering and doing her hair and makeup before pulling on a little red dress and those white Louboutin heels Karl bought her for their anniversary.

As she descended down the stairs, Karl sighed in content with open arms, dragging the girl into a tight embrace once she reached the bottom.

"You look so sexy, babes."

"You clean up nicely, too. Where are we going?" Y/N asked as she played around with the suit Karl wore, eyes looking him over hungrily.

"You'll see," the brunet teased.

The room was lit nicely, men in suits and women in stripper heels, fizzy drinks on trays and hearty laughs being shared. The chandelier that hung from the high ceiling was intimidatingly expensive, something that Y/N was slightly familiar with.

She didn't want to believe that Karl was in the business that she expected him to be in, but the gathering was all too recognizable, Y/N growing sick. Her father used to take her to these kinds of parties, but she was never allowed to listen to the men speak.

"Karl! I haven't seen you since we were in diapers, man!" A stranger walked over and pulled him into one of those weird guy-hugs that left Y/N questioning how fruity they actually were.

"Yeah, had to move back here with my baby so I could treat her to the life she deserves. This is Y/N—"

Everything faded for a few seconds, the chatter, the sound of glasses clinking, the lights. Everything dimmed, like the world stopped turning. Just like that, it all came back, spinning much too fast, like it was never going to stop.

The rest of the night was a blur, taut smiles and fake laughs thrown around only for Karl, friends coming over and catching up with stories she had never heard before.

"How was yesterday's business trip? Everything got handled, right?" One of Karl's buddies had asked, earning a quick glare from the young adult.

"Yeah, everything went out. Jimmy knows."

"Wouldn't expect anything less from the city's best plug," the stranger chuckled before patting his back.

Y/N's eyebrow worried into an expression of confusion and expected elaboration, only to receive a look from Karl she hadn't seen since they used to get into trouble as teens.

"Come on man, not in front of my girlfriend-"

"What? Is she still in the dark about it?"

"In the dark about what?" Y/N jumped into the conversation.

"I thought I told you 'bout it!" Karl chuckled lightly, but his gaze was anything but.

Act like you know. Act like you know. Act like you know-

"-I should be getting Y/N home now, she must be tired with all this conversation. I'll see you later, alright?"

The drive home was deadly silent, so silent it could be mistaken for a cemetery. Karl's knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel, eyes focused on the road. Y/N had tapped her nails against her exposed thigh, right cheek between her teeth as her thoughts ran wild.

"When were you going to tell me you're a dealer?" She finally asked as they pulled into the driveway.

"Y/N-"

"Answer me. Now. Karl Jacobs, I am five seconds from sleeping in a hotel tonight."

"I was going to at some point!"

"Were you really? Because to me it seems like your career was going to be kept a secret for as long as it could be," Y/N bit out harshly, glaring at her boyfriend with venom in her tone.

"I'm doing it for us! You think I wanted to go back to dealing? I haven't done this shit since middle school, Y/N! It's for you! So you can live the same way you did before you left your dad!" Karl sighed shakily, tears brimming his eyes.

"Middle school? Karl... Y-You don't have to give me a fancy lifestyle. I don't need to live like that. I'm okay with anything as long as I've got you," Y/N sniffled and leaned over to slide onto his lap, hugging his head into her chest.

Together, the couple stayed in silence for a few moments, Karl feeling right at home with his head on her chest. After awhile, Karl pulled back and looked up at Y/N, smiling weakly.

"I'm gonna stop and get a job- a real one this time, okay, baby? No more dealing, I promise."

"That's all I ask; for our safety."

With a final kiss to the head, Y/N held Karl's hand and pulled him inside, slowly undressing him with little kisses all over his body before tucking him into bed.

"I love you, Y/N. You're so good to me..."

"I know I am, baby."