Page 20 of I Hate You More

Shane chuckled and gave me a shove as he walked past me and headed for the stairs. “Just those two, but I’ll let you know if I think of anything else.”

I smiled and watched him leave the room. My face quickly fell though as the troublemaker herself came waltzing into the kitchen. She was wearing a set of ridiculously tiny pajama shorts that highlighted her long legs and a tight tank top that left little to the imagination. Her long hair was still messy from sleep, and she looked like she’d just walked out of some guy’s daydream.

It took me a long moment to remember that I hated her. But when she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, the movement seemed to jolt me back to my senses. My back stiffened, and a wave of irritation rose up inside me as I thought about the conversation I’d just finished with Shane about Ally’s demands.

“Good morning, princess,” I said.

Her eyes had been focused on the floor, but they widened as they darted up to meet mine. She looked a little like a rabbit caught in the headlights, and I hated how innocent she seemed sometimes. It made it harder to despise her when she appeared so harmless.

Her eyes hardened though, and the girl I knew began to return as her gaze strayed over my chest. I was shirtless, and it made her extremely uncomfortable. I took a bite of my toast but then lowered it from my lips as I recalled her little decree.

“Oh, I forgot. All the food in this kitchen is yours. Here…” I offered the half-eaten toast out toward her.

“That rule only applies to lasagna leftovers,” she grumbled.

“So, I can eat the toast?”

“Yes, Chase.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes! I’m sure.”

“And you’re not going to change your mind once I put this in my mouth? I’m not against spitting it out again, but I feel like it might offend your delicate disposition.”

A noise, somewhat like a growl, sounded from her throat, and I had to try really hard not to smile. I might have hated Ally, but I loved when I won our fights. This was definitely feeling like a win.

“Like I said before, eat what you want,” she said. “I only wanted the lasagna leftovers. Don’t be a jerk about it.”

She was being completely anal, and I was the jerk?

“And don’t you own a shirt?” she added.

“Why? Don’t like what you see?” I asked before popping the last bit of toast in my mouth.

“I saw more than enough yesterday, and I don’t really want to be reminded about it over breakfast,” she snapped as she walked past me toward the fridge. She got halfway there before she changed her mind and headed for the fruit bowl instead. She seemed irritable and flustered, and I liked that I’d riled her enough that she couldn’t even settle on what to eat. She’d ruined my breakfast too, so it only seemed fair.

She grabbed an apple and went to walk back the way she came. It was clear she wanted to get away from me as quickly as possible, but I stepped in front of her, blocking her escape. “Given any more thought to my offer of a truce, Ally?”

She folded her arms over her chest and scowled at me. “Can’t say I have.”

“Because you know it’s in both of our best interests.”

“I don’tknowany such thing,” she replied.

I let out a laugh in disbelief. “Are you really so intent on hating me that you’re willing to fight with me for your entire senior year? Because I can almost guarantee that if you don’t cool your cannons you’re going to have a terrible year.”

“Is that a threat?”

“More like a community service announcement. If you can’t at least pretend to be nice around me, then why should I return the favor?”

“Good to know.” She didn’t wait to see if I had more ammunition to fire her way and stepped around me to return upstairs. I turned to watch her leave, a part of me wishing things between us didn’t have to be so hard. Having an enemy was so much easier when you didn’t have to share a kitchen with them.

“Remember, Ally, we can make this a lot easier for each other,” I said, my voice following her as she went to leave the room.

She cursed under her breath and paused in the middle of her grand exit. My heart skipped a beat, and I wondered if perhaps she’d changed her mind.

She slowly turned toward me, and a wave of satisfaction and relief rushed through me. I didn’t really want to fight any more than she did, and I was just glad she’d come to her senses quickly. “I knew you’d come around.”

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