Page 33 of Please Hate Me

“That far?” She gasped. “But you’re so tiny!”

That shouldn’t have felt like a compliment, but it did. I hid my blush, letting my hair fall like a curtain in front of my face, and continued exploring. Along one of the living room walls, alittle library was set up. A cozy-looking armchair sat next to a small side table with a lamp, all in front of a large bookshelf. The shelves were lined with trashy romance novels like the ones I enjoyed, but they looked like they had never been touched.

What a shame.

Near the bottom, I could see a few thicker books that I didn’t recognize, and in the corner, there were two cats nestled together on a pink cushion. The color of their fur was slightly washed out as they basked in the sunlight, and the sound of purrs filled the room.

“The black one is Pepper, and the orange tabby is Richard,” Sophia explained, and I realized I had backed myself into a place where I couldn’t run from her. So, with a deep breath, I turned to face her again. Her smile was wide, and the way she looked at me caused butterflies to swarm in my chest. I took a deep breath and reminded myself she deserved better than I could ever be.

You promised Seb you’d do this. Just play along.

“Pepper and Richard, huh?” The smile I wore hurt my cheeks. “They seem happy.”

Sophia nodded. “They’re my babies.”

“I can’t believe Lucian agreed to pets,” I snorted. He wouldn’t even let me have a mouse when we lived together… but I guess he also had kids now.

Speaking of, shouldn’t thechildrenbe Sophia’s babies?

“I don’t think he wanted me to have these two either.” she continued. “He found them as kittens behind his tattoo parlor. Someone threw them in his dumpster, and he climbed in to get them out. He brought them home for one night until he could take them to a shelter, and... well. They never left.”

Sophia continued rambling about the cats, but something she’d said caught my attention. Lucian was still in his tattoo apprenticeship when I left America, but tattooing was supposed to be his backup plan. Lucian wanted to be a musician, and fromwhat I remembered, he wasgood. He was the one who taught me how to play guitar. No matter how much I practiced, I could never reach his level, even to this day.

So much had changed since I left.

I stared at the felines for a moment and wondered if they were scared when they first came here. If their first thought was to run and hide and pretend the world didn’t exist. Did they come out slowly, cautiously sniffing out their new environment? Did they tear up the couches to show their displeasure at being trapped inside?

Or were they just happy to be out of the cold?

“... and sometimes Richard will sit directly on Cam’s head. It’s the funniest thing. But, for me to keep them, I did have to let Luci get a snake. I’d rather die than touch it.”

Nowthatsounded more like Lucian.

“Maybe I’ll ask him to show me later.”

“He would! He loves to show off Pearl.”

Pearl must be the snake’s name.

“Here, I promised breakfast. Let’s go sit.”

My stomach churned at the thought of breakfast, but it wasn’t from morning sickness. I had eaten way too much yesterday, and I needed to get back on track.

Oblivious to my resistance, Sophia laced her fingers in mine as she dragged me into the kitchen. Just like the rest of the house, it was massive. Giant windows stood over a small table with three dining chairs. Counters and cabinets stretched across two of the walls, providing enough space for three people to cook at the same time. I was a little jealous of the double-basin sink and the gas stove—I’d have to ask Sebastian if his kitchen in Portland was as beautiful as this one.

Sophia led me to the kitchen island and helped me onto one of the stools. My fingers drummed against the quartz countertop as I tried to hide my nerves.

“Cameron made cinnamon rolls, and they’re seriously better than sex,” Sophia said, heading toward the fridge. I seriously doubtedanythingcould be better than sex... But as far as I remembered, when Sophia said something, it wasn’t up for debate. She’d argue with a wall if she could, and somehow, she’d win.

Sophia pulled back the stainless-steel fridge door and examined the contents. My mouth watered at the idea of a pastry, but that wasn’t what I was allowed to have for breakfast. Besides, I’d already had way too much to eat yesterday.

“Do you have grapefruit?” I asked, hoping that I wasn’t being too much of a burden.

Her head poked out from behind the fridge door. “Do you like grapefruit now? You always said it was bitter.”

I took a deep breath.“Not exactly—”

“Great! We don’t have that anyway.”

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