Page 104 of Hate To Love You

“Hey, where have you been? I’ve been looking for you,” she says, a twinkle in her eye. Her voice irks me, and I want to get away so I can find Gwen.

“Around. I have to go,” I tell her sternly, hoping she’ll just walk away. But she doesn’t. Instead, her face changes from the innocent girl to a more bitter expression. My spine straightens as her demeanor changes.

“I ran into your little girlfriend earlier. She seemed upset,” she smiles mischievously. The blood in my veins runs cold at the thought of Amy speaking to Gwen. Who knows what she could have told her. Amy clearly isn’t the kind of girl that gives up easily, despite how shy she’d acted when we’d first met.

My eyes narrow. “What did you do?”

Amy chuckles, shrugging before letting go of my wrist. I take a step closer to her, crowding her space. She doesn’t even flinch.

“I just told her the truth,” she says in a blasé tone, shrugging.

“What do you mean?” I grit out. Amy looks like she’s proud of herself, and I know whatever she told Gwen was a blatant lie.

“That Ryker Steele isn’t the kind of guy to settle down. That you need to keep your options open. That she’s the type of girl that needs stability, and you aren’t the kind of guy to give it to her,” Amy says snidely. I can hear my heartbeat in my ears as my fists clench at my sides, my jaw tightening.

Don’t hit a girl, Ryker. Don’t hit a girl.

“Why would you tell her that?” I ask through clenched teeth. What is this crazy bitch’s problem? She narrows her eyes questioningly.

“Isn’t that what you want? Casual hookups and no commitment? Everyone knows Ryker Steele doesn’t do relationships. I was doing you a favor,” she explains as if she actually believes she was doing shit for me.

I shake my head and scoff in disbelief. My entire body feels like it’s on fire, and my head is spinning. I was gone for a little over an hour. How did this happen?

“You don’t know anything about me, or what I want. You’re an insecure, jealous little bitch who for some reason, thinks she has a claim on me after I’ve repeatedly told you to leave me the fuck alone,” I seethe. Amy has the decency to look a bit nervous, and a little offended. “You better pray I never see you again, because I will make your life at Ellington University hell.”

I begin to walk away, feeling good about my threat when I remember one more thing I need to add. I turn back, meeting Amy’s shocked expression.

“Oh, and if I ever see or hear of you talking to Gwen again, I’ll make sure your time at Ellington comes to an end. Got it?” I ask with a tilt of my head. Amy nods, her eyes wide with fear. “Good. Now get the fuck out of my house.”

With that, Amy scurries through the crowd, hopefully leaving the party, if she knows what’s good for her.

Turning back around, I practically run to Lainey, Ellie, and Damian. When I arrive, they all look up, their expressions indifferent.

“Where have you been?” Lainey hisses. I take a deep breath before answering.

“I was in a meeting with my father. Where is Gwen?” I ask, trying to keep the panic I’m feeling out of my voice. Lainey rolls her eyes.

“She’s been looking for you all night, asshole. She went to the bathroom, and when she came back, she looked like she saw a ghost.”

Shit. “Where is she?” I ask again. I don’t have time to be lectured. I need to find Gwen and tell her that Amy is a bitch, and she has no idea what she’s talking about. I need Gwen to know that I want her, only her. I need her to know I love her.

Adrenaline pumps through me as I realize how deep I’m in this thing with Gwen. It’s not just some hookup, it’s not a fling. I love her. I’m in love with her.

The feeling is foreign, and my chest squeezes at the thought of losing her over some lie fucking Amy told her. This can’t be it for us. She has to know that I would never hurt her.

“She left, man. She said she was going home,” Damian tells me. Ellie and Lainey both hit his arm, and he brings his hand up to rub the spot. He grimaces.

“Ow! Why are people always hitting me?” he asks. Ellie glares at him.

“We don’t know if Gwen wanted to see him, you idiot,” Ellie sneers, rolling her eyes. I begin to leave, but a hand lands on my shoulder.

Lainey steps in front of me, her eyes narrowed. “If you hurt her, I will string you up by your balls. You got me?” she asks. For such a petite girl, she’s really kind of frightening.

I nod before walking away and heading over to Gwen’s house.

When I get to the front yard of Gwen’s house, I notice her car isn’t in the driveway. I run up to the front door and knock furiously, hoping she’s in there. But when the door opens, it’s not Gwen. It’s Haley. My heart drops.

Haley’s eyes move up and down my body before landing on my face, her face turning angry, but I don’t have the time to care.

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