Page 37 of Sweet Hate
But I know how it has to go down.
I don’t want her. This is just biology. Sooner or later, my dick’s gonna get that memo, or Haven will leave for London and life will go back to normal.
Until then, I just need to keep my promise to her, my hands to myself, and weather the storm.
13
HAVEN
“So, that was interesting…” Mia draws out the words as she flashes a big grin my way, her violet eyes dancing with mischief.
“Er, what was interesting, M?”
I line up my dart to take my shot, side eyeing her as she practically bounces on the spot.
“You can’t have missed Axel's face just now, girl! He legit looked like he was about to murder Lucas when you hugged him.”
“Axel needs to grow the hell up.” I throw the dart without looking at her.
“Bullseye!” Mia shouts out as she dances her way to pull the darts off the board.
“Yeah, I was picturing Axel’s face as I threw it.”
That sets us both off in uncontrollable giggles.
I feel so free tonight. For the first time since I’ve been back, I can just let go and say whatever I’m thinking because Mia gets it.
“So, what’s been going on there? Is he still acting weird?” She stealthily glances toward the bar where he’ssitting with Lucas. “He’s looking right at you, you know.”
I refuse to turn around and make eye contact with him. Fuck this guy. I need him to fix the bakery, then he can get the hell out of my life again since he was so keen on doing that before.
I don’t care how hot he is or how much I miss my best friend. Clearly, all that was a total fucking lie.
“I don’t know what to tell you, Mia. He’s hot, then he’s cold. He even had the audacity to tell me his phone number has been the same for the last fifteen years after he flat out ignored my messages. Who does that?”
She scoffs in outrage. “Fuck if I know. He disappeared after you left. From what Lucas said, he’d find him drunk or passed out somewhere all the time, but he wouldn’t tell us shit. Anytime I brought you up in conversation with the others, he’d disappear. But he hasn’t been the same since.”
Now it’s my turn to scoff.
“Oh please, he jumped from woman to woman just fine. Besides, if he had something to say, why would he have ghosted me all this time? Him of all people? Now he’s all up in my business, and I have to see him every day. You could have warned me he was a firefighter. Or a handyman for that matter.”
“Well, first, you blacklisted his name, remember? And I wasn’t expecting you to set the bakery on fire after being back in town for five fucking minutes!”
“Mate, that’s cold, even for you, Ice Queen!” I say, elbowing her in the side as we dissolve into more giggles.
I’ve missed this. Her.
“Besides, you probably should have expected the handyman part. You know his dad ran that business when we were kids.”
To be honest, I’d forgotten that. We didn’t see his dad all that often because he was always working. I never made the connection. I’m an idiot.
“Ugh, Mia…what if I made a mistake coming back here? Maybe I should’ve just stayed in London. I had a good job, my own apartment, and friends who don’t know what an anxious, basket case I used to be.”
“Hey, you have friends here, and you weren’t a basket case! Besides,youwanted to be the next Blake to run the bakery and get it over the hundred-year mark. I for one am glad you’re back. I’m sure deep down, Axel is too. Does he know you’re staying?”
“Hell no. The few interactions we’ve had so far, he’s either been a growly, bossy prick or having to pick my clumsy ass up off the floor.”
We won’t mention the almost kiss or that I’ve felt his boner already.
