Page 124 of Hate To Love You

“Speaking of the mansion, have you talked to Ryker yet?” she asks as she searches my face. I shake my head and she groans. “Gwen, you have to talk to him. You go to the same school. You live on the same road for Christ’s sake. You’ll run into him eventually, you know.”

“I know, Lain. I just… I don’t know what I’d even say at this point. It’s been weeks since we’ve spoken and he probably hates me for leaving and not letting him explain himself,” I whine. “Maybe I’ll just drop out and move to Canada.”

“You hate the snow, and Canada gets a lot of it,” Lainey says pointedly. She has a point. “Just talk to him.”

I groan exaggeratedly before walking into the living room and plopping down on the couch. Lainey follows and sits down next to me.

The front door swings open and Ellie walks through. We lock eyes and squeal before running into each other’s arms.

“Hi!” Ellie’s sweet voice chimes.

“Hi!” I grin. Seeing Ellie and Lainey has already made me feel so much better. They’re like a breath of fresh air after weeks of drowning.

“I missed you,” Ellie says. She’s been stuck at home dealing with some family issues which she hasn’t disclosed with the group yet, but we’re not going to push her to tell us if she’s not ready to share.

“I missed you too,” I throw my arms around her shoulders in another hug, and she giggles.

My head peaks up to the open door behind her. My heart freezes in my chest and my throat tightens at the sight of Ellie’s brother standing in my doorway. I haven’t seen any of the guys since the end of semester party and I wasn’t expecting to see them so soon.

“Hey,” Holland says softly, as if we’re friends. I pull away from Ellie giving her a wary expression. She gives me a sheepish smile. I look back at Lainey who just shrugs, clearly unaware of whatever is happening right now.

“El… why is he here?” I ask cautiously, gesturing to Holland who looks like he’d rather be anywhere but here.

Before Ellie can answer, Holland speaks up. “Inviting you ladies to a back-to-school party tonight at the Elite mansion,” he says with a cocky grin. Hell to the no. I am not stepping foot in that house. Not after what happened last time.

“Absolutely not,” I say, taking a step back as Holland invites himself in. He shakes his head knowingly as if he assumed that would be my answer.

“It’s less of an invite and more of a demand,” he says in a gruff tone. I cross my arms over my chest.

“A demand from whom?” I ask, although I already know the answer.

“Just be there. Ten p.m.,” he orders, as if I’ll listen to him.

“And if I’m not?” I challenge.

Hollands lips lift into a knowing smirk, and it makes chills run down my spine. “You will be.”

With that, he moves past his sister and out the door, shutting it behind him.

My blood boils and I can feel the rage sinking in. Who does Ryker think he is? We haven’t spoken in weeks and now he’s demanding me to come to his house for a party? And he didn’t even have the decency to ask me himself.

The freaking nerve.

He can’t actually think that I’ll show up. He’s not that dense. Well, maybe he is.

My thoughts run back to the night of the end of semester party when Amy decided to blow up my life.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to blindside you. I'm Amy, by the way. Ryker and I have been hooking up for a while. I think he might even want to make it official.”

“Ryker likes to keep his options open. He always has, and you don’t strike me as the kind of girl that likes to have casual relationships.”

My skin crawls at the memory and my eyes begin to water. Shit, I don’t want to cry anymore.

Ellie walks over to me, setting her small hand on my arm.

“I’m sorry, Gwen. He didn’t give me a choice. He just followed me over,” she tells me, her voice genuine.

I nod. I know she wouldn’t do anything on purpose, I’m just… I don’t know, taken aback, I guess. I wasn’t expecting Holland to be here, and I definitely wasn’t expecting to be invited to a party where Ryker will be tonight.

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