Page 90 of Love to Hate You

Noah studies his girlfriend. You can almost see the gears turning in his head as he tries to piece together this puzzle.

“So…you’re not going to eat your salad because there are a few croutons on it?” he asks.

Ashley jerks her head into a tight nod. “I ordered it without croutons and they messed up. Even if I picked them out, there would be crumbs mixed in with the lettuce.”

I shift my body and silently munch my pizza. I’m genuinely curious as to how Noah is going to play this one. Because I could see it going one of two ways.

He shrugs, not looking bothered by her tantrum. “Suit yourself.”

That’s actually not how I saw this going. What we’re witnessing here today, folks, is unprecedented. I’m not the only one who thinks so because Daisy snorts before attempting to cover it with a cough. It wasn’t all that long ago that Noah would have grabbed the keys and hustled his ass out the door to do her bidding.

Times, they be a changing.

Ashley’s mouth falls open when she realizes it. “Well?”

She drops the word like an atom bomb. The aftershock can be felt for miles.

Noah stuffs another enormous bite into his mouth. Once he swallows it, he says, “Well, what?”

She folds her arms across her chest. “Aren’t you going to return this salad and get me a new one?”

There’s a whole lot of incredulous packed into her tone.

Noah’s brows skyrocket across his forehead and he gives her an you’re out of your mind look before shaking his head. “Ah, no. I wasn’t planning on it.” He points to the untouched salad on the counter. “Pick the croutons off or don’t eat it, the choice is yours. And the game is back on, so…”

His voice trails off as if no further explanation is necessary.

Which it’s not.

It’s the fucking Titans.

It takes everything I have inside not to stand up and applaud him for finally growing a pair of balls. I don’t have to glance at Daisy to know that she wants to cheer him on.

A rush of color floods into Ashley’s cheeks. “You’re seriously not going to run out and get me another salad?”

With his plate in hand, Noah settles on the couch next to her. His eyes are glued to the television. The third quarter is about to get underway and the game is tight. Which is precisely why Daisy was pissed at the end of the second quarter.

Goddamn, but I love that girl.

I inhale sharply.

No…I don’t love Daisy. But I like her. A lot.

This situation is so much worse than I originally suspected.

“Nope,” Noah says. “Have a slice of pizza. It’ll probably make you feel better.”

It’s not like I claim to understand the inner workings of the female brain, but even I know when to keep my trap shut.

The situation goes from bad to worse.

Although, it’s not my situation, so I’m not about to let it ruin my meal. I grab another slice of pizza and settle on the chair next to Daisy. I give her another disbelieving look. The edges of her lips lift but she doesn’t say a word. Our attention bounces between the game and the Noah/Ashley drama.

Not that I need to add anything more to the growing what-I-like-about-Daisy list, but the girl likes to eat. She doesn’t allow herself to get all hangry like a certain someone else who shall remain nameless.

Yeah, yeah…I hear her bitching and moaning about her weight, but she eats when she’s hungry and exercises a couple times a week to balance it out. Daisy will never be stick thin and I wouldn’t want her that way. I love her curves. They’re sexy as hell.

I shake myself out of those thoughts. This friends-with-benefits thing we’ve got going on can’t last forever. It shouldn’t have even lasted this long.

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