Page 94 of Love to Hate You

“But it’s always been like that,” I admit. “When you two started going out, you spent a lot of time catering to her, so…” I shrug as if the rest is obvious. “Can you blame her for not continuing to expect it?”

“You’re right, I did.” Noah’s lips flatten. “But I’m tired of her expecting so much from me and not getting anything in return. I guess it took me a while to realize how self-centered she can be. Now that I do, it really irks me.”

This probably makes me a bad person, but part of me wants to leap off the chair and do a victory dance that Noah has finally opened his eyes to his girlfriend’s behavior. As difficult as it is, I refrain. He might be bothered that Ashley stormed out of here, but that doesn’t mean they’ll break up anytime soon. For the time being, I need to remain neutral. If I express my true feelings and they hash out their problems, then I look like the bad guy who never wanted them together in the first place.

As much as I’m dying to tell him to dump Ashley’s skinny ass, I say instead, “It sounds like you need to talk to Ashley and get all this out in the open.” I’m tempted to pat myself on the back for handling this conversation so maturely.

Olivia would be proud.

“Yeah, maybe.” He drags a hand over his face. “But first I’m going to give her some time to cool off.” His voice hardens. “If things don’t change, this isn’t going to work out between us. I’ve got too much on my plate with law school coming up. The last thing I need is this immature bullshit weighing me down.”

Just as he drops that bomb, cheers erupt from the television.

Noah and I snap our heads toward the screen to see that the Titans have scored a touchdown while we weren’t looking. The heaviness of our previous conversation is forgotten as matching grins erupt on our faces and we jump up, pumping our fists in the air.

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