Page 93 of Love to Hate You

“What do you mean?” I swallow past the lump in my throat and push all the emotion down where I can’t focus on it.

“You have a strange look on your face.” He pauses as if picking through my expression with more care. Noah knows me better than almost anyone. “Like you’re going to be sick or something.”

I shake my head and flatten a hand over my tummy. “The pizza’s not sitting well, that’s all. I ate too much.”

He grunts.

I hold my breath and wait to see if he’ll ask any more questions. After about thirty seconds of scrutiny, his gaze bounces back to the game. A time out has been called and programming has switched to a commercial.

“Can I ask you a serious question?” His voice drops as he shifts on the couch. “And I want you to be honest with me.”

I send up a quick prayer and hope this has nothing to do with my sneaking around. I hate lying to Noah, but there’s no point in coming clean when I might be ending things with Carter.

My muscles tense. “Sure.”

“Do you like Ashley?”

The air rushes from my lungs until I feel light headed. I was so prepared for the worst, that I almost release a gurgle of relieved laughter. Just as that’s about to happen, I rein it in.

Noah wears a solemn expression which is at odds with his usual demeanor.

“Ummm,” I stall and gather my thoughts.

Of course, I don’t like Ashley. She’s done nothing to endear herself to me. In fact, it’s been the opposite. But still, I don’t necessarily want to disclose that.

Instead of answering his question, I deflect. “Why are you asking?”

“I don’t know.” He lifts his shoulders. “Just wondering.”

His gaze resettles on the game. The clock is running. I’m surprised when he says, “You don’t seem like a fan.”

I nibble my lip and wonder how to handle the situation. “Does it matter what I think?”

“Kind of.”

“Why?” As much as it pains me to say this… “In the end, it doesn’t matter what I think. It only matters how you feel about her.”

“Yeah, I know,” he sighs. “You probably haven’t noticed, but Ashley has a few annoying qualities that are starting to get on my nerves.”

I almost choke.

Um, dude, I noticed from day one. I just never said anything.

“What specific qualities are you referring to?” I ask.

I could easily tick off at least five from the top of my head. Probably more.

He sits up, his elbows going to his knees. “Well, you saw what just happened, right?”

Yup, it was kind of hard to miss.

“She seems picky about her food,” I say, attempting to tread carefully.

“It’s not even that. It’s more that she expects me to jump the moment she says the word.” He pauses. “You know, I wouldn’t have minded running out and exchanging the salad, but her attitude pissed me off.”

Noah is a good boyfriend. And I’m not just saying that because he’s my cousin and I love him to death. He’s dated other girls before Ashley and always treated them well. He’s not one of these jocks who’s looking to bang as many chicks as possible. He’s a relationship guy. I can’t blame him for wanting to be treated with respect.

It’s unfortunate that Ashley doesn’t treat him the way she should.

---