Page 131 of Love to Hate You

Who can blame them for wanting to protect Daisy?

I glance away as heat creeps into my cheeks. “Something came up and I couldn’t make it.”

We’ve been friends long enough for Noah to realize when I’m feeding him a load of shit.

That’s confirmed when he shakes his head and snorts, “When the hell did you become such a pussy?”

My head whips up. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” he says gruffly. “I want to know when you became such a pussy?”

At a loss, I say nothing.

“I’ve known you since freshman year and you’ve always tackled everything head on.” Noah slices a hand through the air. “All this crap with your parents, you may not have wanted to deal with it, but you did. You’re always there, taking the brunt of your dad’s abuse like a punching bag.”

Whatever color had been filling my face, drains away until I feel light headed. Noah may know about the circumstances surrounding my family, but it’s not something we openly discuss.

So this…

I don’t like it. A sick knot settles in my gut as I break out into a cold sweat.

“And yet with Daisy, you’re tucking your tail between your legs and running away as fast as you can.”

My throat closes, making it difficult to breathe. His assessment of the situation is spot on. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to admit it. I can barely acknowledge it to myself, let alone him.

I clear my throat. “That’s not what I’m doing.” It takes effort to keep my voice level.

“The hell you are,” Noah snaps. “First you avoid Daisy, and now my parents? You won’t come back to the apartment. What’s next?” His lips flatten into a thin line and his eyes turn hard. “You gonna avoid me, too?”

I plow a hand through my hair and glance away.

How can I argue with him?

He’s right on all accounts and we both know it.

“It’s not that simple,” I rasp.

“Who the fuck said it would be?” There’s a pause. “I know how you feel about Daisy.”

My gaze lifts reluctantly to his.

“I also know you’ve always felt that way about her,” he continues.

I shake my head as more lies fall from my lips. “No. I—”

“Who the hell are you trying to fool?” He plants a hand on his chest and jerks his brows. “Me?” He shakes his head and smirks. “Nah, I’ve always been onto you, man.”

When I sit there mutely, he continues. “You know, when Mom first mentioned your interest in Daisy freshman year, I didn’t see what she was talking about but then I watched you for a while and realized that she was right. You’d push Daisy’s buttons and piss her off to keep her away but that didn’t work, did it?”

My head spins.

Marnie knew how I felt the entire time?

Noah, too?

“Why didn’t you say something?” I mumble, feeling like a jackass.

Noah shrugs. “It wasn’t my place. Plus, I was afraid Daisy would just mess with your head and move onto the next hapless victim, but you know what? You’re the one who’s fucked everything up, not her.”

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