Page 113 of Love to Hate You

Chapter Thirty-Five

Daisy

“You need to back this truck up and start over again,” Olivia demands over the loud noise of the stadium. “I want all the details in slow motion, so I can savor them more fully. Plus, I want to make sure you didn’t leave anything out.”

“That’s not necessary,” I chuckle. “You’re totally in the know.”

“Likely story.” She huffs and slaps my thigh. “I still can’t believe you were holding out on me like that!” She pauses for a beat. “This is huge.”

Even though we’re sitting in the tenth row of the student section, with people jam packed around us, she manages to throw her arms wide, narrowly missing the guy sitting next to her. “Bigger than huge. Mega-huge.”

“Yeah,” I wince. “I know.”

I probably should have clued Olivia in to what was going on with Carter, but how could I do that when I didn’t know myself? Olivia and I have always confided in each other. We delved headfirst into our friendship the first week of freshman year and haven’t come up for air since. Not wanting her to be mad or hurt by my lack of transparency, I loop my arm through hers and tug her close.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to say anything until I knew it was more than,” I pause trying to come up with an adequate term to describe what Carter and I were involved in. “A friends-with-benefits situation.”

She snorts. “When were you two ever friends?”

Good point.

“How about a frenemies-with-benefits situation?” I quip.

“Sure, we’ll just go with that.” Olivia sits up a little straighter and gives me a knowing look. “See, I wasn’t too far off base when I said that he liked you.” She nudges my shoulder and waggles her brows. “And that you liked him.”

Carter’s reasons for keeping me at a distance somersault through my head.

“I guess you weren’t,” I admit.

Olivia seems mildly annoyed by my confession but nothing more. And even that is fleeting. She’s never able to stay mad at me.

“You know I live vicariously through you,” she says.

I roll my eyes. “Please, you make me censor all the good parts.”

“I’m more into the romance of it, not the graphic details. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to look some of these guys in the face when you’ve mimicked what they sound like when they’re…” her words trail off and she raises her eyebrows in place of coming.

I bite my lip to suppress the laughter bubbling up in my throat as I wave a hand. “Oh, I never did that.”

Actually, I did.

Once.

No, twice.

But you should have heard them. I can’t even think about it without chuckling.

“Yes, you did. Twice. That’s two guys I have to avoid on campus. And one of them ended up in my stats class last semester and kept trying to talk to me. Do you have any idea how awkward that was?”

Poor Olivia. I can imagine.

“Fine, I did, but that’s beside the point, because I won’t be handing over any details this time,” I add primly.

“Well, well, well,” Olivia singsongs with a grin. “Isn’t this an interesting turn of events.”

I bump my shoulder into hers as my face heats. This is the first time I’ve ever wanted to keep the intimate details to myself.

Olivia does a double take and her eyes widen. “Oh my God, you’re blushing! I didn’t think that was possible.”

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