Page 68 of I Love to Hate You
“Not that it’s anybody’s business,” Kendrick says as he sits up straight. “But Maya and I were never sure how we felt about each other. We had sort of a love-hate thing, with an emphasis on the hate, but after everything went down this weekend, we realized that we like each other. Now we’re together.”
Chad chuckles to himself, drawing a glare from Kendrick that makes the room feel twice as tense as it did before this conversation started.
“Wait, what happened this weekend?” Derek asks. “All we know is that you guys disappeared on us at the club. Is that where this started, at Club Asylum?”
“Sort of,” I answer for us. “I don’t know if you guys remember, but I had a bit of a problem with two guys at the bar almost as soon as we walked in.”
“I wasn’t around for that,” Chad says with his nose in the air. “I was too busy securing our seats in VIP.”
“Oh, well I was there, and I definitely remember,” Samantha responds. “One of them put his hands on you until Kendrick showed up ready to knock the dude’s teeth out. I think he even threatened to break his fingers or something wild like that.”
Kendrick and I look at each other, and when he smirks at me, I can’t help but laugh at the thought of him being my big, bad finger murderer.
“What was that?” Samantha says, pointing at us. “You guys have inside jokes now? I saw that look.”
“Oh, my god. You’re watching us way too closely,” I tell her, playfully rolling my eyes.
“Whatever, I saw it. Now tell us what happened at the club,” Samantha says.
“The two guys from the bar followed me outside when I went to get my phone from my car,” I begin. “Before I could get there, they attacked me.”
“Oh, my god,” Erica says, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Yeah, they smacked me in the face a bit and kicked the shit out of me,” I tell them. Looks of horror gradually form on everyone’s face except for Chad, who is his usual emotionless self. “I don’t know how it would’ve ended up if it weren’t for Kendrick.”
“Wait, you stopped them?” Samantha asks, sitting up in her seat like she’s watching a suspenseful movie play out.
“Yes,” Kendrick answers flatly, as if he didn’t single-handedly beat up two men by himself.
Derek leans forward with knitted brows. “How?”
“With my hands,” Kendrick replies.
“Did they fight back?” asks Derek.
“They tried to,” answers Kendrick. “I got hit once or twice, but ultimately, I won and they lost. I picked Maya up off the pavement and took her back to my place to get her cleaned up, and none of you need to know the rest. All that matters now is that she and I talked a lot, and we’re good now. We’re better than good.”
Kendrick looks over at me and smiles as he reaches out to grab my hand. His demeanor is both playful and protective at the same time, and I love it.
“Wow,” Chad chimes in now. “Is that the reward for doing a good job on a pitch with you, Maya, because if it is, sign me up to be your next partner.”
Chad chuckles to himself, but no one joins him. My first thought is to go off. I want to stand up and stick my finger in his face while cussing up a storm and telling him not to ever disrespect me again. However, I feel the tension in Kendrick’s hand as he squeezes it while glaring at Chad with murder in his eyes. I manage to slip out from under his grip just as he stands up and begins to slowly walk around the conference room table over to Chad’s side. The room is eerily quiet as he walks, and Chad’s shit-eating grin melts away.
“Kendrick,” Samantha says, but he doesn’t stop, and nobody else says or does anything.
Chad keeps his chair facing the center of the room, and Kendrick places a hand on his shoulder, leaning forward until his mouth is directly next to Chad’s ear. He whispers something to him that makes Chad’s eyes bulge and his face turn beet red, and when I look down at Kendrick’s fingertips, they are chalk-white from how hard he’s squeezing Chad’s shoulder.
Chad listens without moving an inch until Kendrick stops whispering. Then, he presses his lips together and clears his throat to speak, looking directly at me.
“Maya, I sincerely apologize for being so rude,” he says, his voice trembling with every single word. “That was both insensitive and misogynistic of me, and it will never happen again. I humbly ask that you please accept my apology.”
I want to laugh, but he looks so terrified that my face stays straight when I nod. “It’s cool.”
Kendrick, still leaning close to Chad’s ear, clears his throat.
“Maya,” Chad says. “Do you accept my apology? Please.”
Kendrick looks at me with a straight face, waiting for my response patiently with his hand still squeezing Chad’s shoulder.
