Page 5 of Sweetest Hate

Quinn:Ye of little faith. I'm a fucking artist when it comes to getting into a pair of panties.

I rolled my eyes and ignored the comment, studying the omnipresent paint under my fingernails.

Me:Where are you?

Quinn:On my way home in about five minutes.

Me:From a girl's place, who isn't this sweet, new future Mrs. Quinn Peterson?

I could picture his scowl as he read the message and chuckled to myself.

Quinn:Don't be a dick, K. I said I'd rather fuck her, but I'm not going to walk around like a saint while I wait for her to say yes. Especially over the summer. But when we come back? You watch. She'll be mine.

Again, I wasn't sure why I had a thing for my best friend. Quinn had been a lanky kid with glasses that were too big for his face. And while I remained slim and only stood at five-nine, Quinn had doubled in weight and grown to just under six feet during senior year of high school. After he'd traded his glasses for contacts, showing off his bright hazel eyes, I barely recognized him as the kid I'd always known.

I didn't want to talk anymore about this new girl or the one he was probably still with. It only confused me further. Blowing out a deep breath, I tapped on the screen.

Me:Yeah, again, I'll believe it when I see it. I gotta go.

Quinn:You'll see.

Stubborn and cocky, he would hound her until she gave in or filed a restraining order. Likely the former since he was admittedly hard to say no to. Thanks to his good looks, girls fawned all over his ass.

Me:Whatever. I'll see you when you get here. I need to pack.

Quinn:Same. Tomorrow will be a long drive, but I'm ready to get back home. I miss it.

A two-hour drive wasn't what I would consider excessively long, but Quinn was occasionally prone to dramatics.

I missed home too. With the spring semester of our sophomore year officially over almost a month ago, we were heading to our hometown for three weeks to spend time with our families before we'd have to come back to our jobs and fall semester classes. I could only hope the hangover from hell would be gone by the time I had to drive back to Holloway in the morning.

Tossing my phone onto the nightstand, I flopped back on my bed and stared at the old popcorn ceiling.Quinn with a girlfriend. I called bullshit, but I let the thought fester in my mind. Was I happy about it? Obviously not. But maybe it would be best if he shackled himself to a decent girl, forcing me to get over him. He'd never see me that way. Quinn would never seeanyguy that way because my best friend was straight.

I scrubbed my hands over my face and debated whether or not to check out my hookup app. Anything to get my mind off the latest possible development. I blew a raspberry and folded my arms behind my head. The last thing I needed was to hop straight on a new dick when I was still berating myself for the one last night. I wouldn't be sleeping with anyone in my current condition anyway. Plus, I really did need to pack. Groaning, I rolled off the mattress and retrieved my duffle bag. At least I'd have a distraction from Quinn and my chaotic thoughts once I got back home to my parents' house.

Two

Kellan

"I can't believe this shit."Quinn scowled as he folded his tall frame into the passenger seat of my car. "I don't even want to go on this little family bonding trip anymore. Spending a week in some fancy ass cabin Bill owns sounded amazing when it was just supposed to be the three of us. Now Arsen is coming? You've got to be fucking kidding me."

Frustrated, Quinn's hazel eyes narrowed to slits as he glared out the windshield, while he simultaneously ran his fingers aggressively through his chestnut curls.

"When was that decided?" I had to admit I was curious about this new stepbrother, Arsen, who had Quinn so riled up. Even though Quinn's mom had been married to Arsen's dad for several months, I had yet to meet the guy. The one day he'd visited over Christmas break, Quinn had convinced me to go to an art exhibit in the city instead of meeting him. I'd felt bad, but Quinn had been persistent for some reason. I'd chalked it up to him needing to escape the situation at home, and when it came to art…well, he knew my weakness too well. From the way Quinn had described Arsen repeatedly over the last several months, maybe it was a good thing I'd dodged the introduction.

"No idea" He shrugged his tense shoulders. "This morning, I guess, since I'm just now hearing about it."

"It's just seven days. Can't you just avoid him?" I asked as I shifted into drive, pulling away from our duplex.

Quinn ground his molars, causing an irritating sound that made me cringe. "I wish. My mom has all kinds of family activities planned. He's such an asshole."

This was far from the first time he'd complained about Arsen, but not usually to this degree. It was probably because he was now forced into spending more time with the guy. As far as I knew, the two had only met once and Arsen had rubbed Quinn the wrong way for some reason. Or at least that was what I'd been told.

"Look." I sighed as I pulled out onto the street and shot Quinn a disapproving frown. "Your mom's happy. After dealing with your piece of shit dad, I don't blame her for staying single for a decade. She finally found a good dude. Arichgood dude. Suck it, up and let her have this without being a dick about it."

Quinn drummed his fingers on the center console. "You know she doesn't care about his money, and why do you think I agreed to this in the first place? I don't have a problem with Bill. Like you said, he's good to my mom. But Arsen wasn't supposed to be there. The trip starts tomorrow, and he just now agreed to come, like everyone's plans should just automatically change because he says so. He's a spoiled asshole."

I suppressed an exasperated huff. How bad could the guy really be? "It'll be over before you know it."

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