Page 47 of Sweetest Hate

"Yeah? That okay with you? I didn't realize you'd be so picky." Arsen didn't really look upset about it. More like he was waffling over whether he'd made the right call. "I thought not telling you would make it fun." He shrugged, and I realized right then that this thing between us, whatever it was, had somehow shifted. I just wasn't sure in what way.

"Since when are you concerned with my happiness, anyway?" I asked, staring at his profile as he drove through the streets of Holloway that led to the highway.

Arsen shrugged. "Since recently."

"Recently," I mocked. "Something is wrong with you."

"We've had this conversation before." He quickly glanced at me, cocking a brow.

We had, and the statement held true. "And there's still something wrong with you."

Arsen chuckled as if someone thinking he was slightly insane gave him twisted pleasure. "And you still seem to like it."

"He says to the guy he accused of avoiding him a few hours ago," I argued.

Arsen grunted, and I sighed as I sank back in the bucket seat. On the one hand, Arsen had a migraine-inducing ability to fuck with my head. On the other...Arsen was taking me to the beach. Why would he do that? "Are you bribing me to get in my pants?"

"Is it working?" he asked, making his eyebrows wiggle.

I wasn't sure if Arsen was trying his hand at flirting instead of glaring all the time, but if so, his effort needed work. So why did I find it endearing?

I scoffed while thinking internally,maybe. It was official. I was broken beyond repair and incapable of making good decisions. But even if Arsen offered to turn the car around, I knew I didn't want him to. For some insane reason, I didn't hate the way Arsen had planned the day.

I turned the radio to my favorite rock station, and Arsen didn't even argue. Maybe he was a little broken too.

Sixteen

Kellan

The smellof salt carried on the breeze that flowed through the car when we rolled the windows down. The closer we got to the beach, the heavier the scent became. I didn't visit the ocean often because of my class schedule, work, and my gas budget. Arsen hadn't picked a bad way to spend the day, although how he'd executed the plan was questionable. I'd apparently left my clear thinking somewhere along the highway on the hour and a half drive. I'd ignored my good sense and Arsen's actions in favor of excitement over the unexpected trip.

Arsen asking or demanding me to bring my art portfolio was oddly thoughtful. The idea of sitting in the sand as I painted the scenery sent a sense of peace through me before we even arrived.

"There's a place not far from here that's usually not overcrowded." Arsen's voice grabbed my attention. I'd been staring out the window, watching the town of Ellington pass by. "We should have at least semi-privacy."

"You've thought this through more than you let on, didn't you?" I asked as I studied him, wondering why exactly he'd thought of it at all. "Why did you bring me here, Arsen?"

He spared me a quick glance before refocusing on the road. "I wanted to visit the beach and thought maybe it would give you a chance to paint a different water view."

I wasn't sure how to reply because, other than the kidnapping bit, it was thoughtful. The low roar that came from the ocean told me we were close, and as soon as we rounded a curve, the landscape opened up in a breath-stealing view. An endless stretch of blue water extended as far as the eye could see. Ripples moved along the surface before capping into white peaks that rolled in soft waves up the tawny sand, leaving foam along the feet of the people standing on the shore.

Arsen continued driving instead of pulling into the crowded parking lot. I glanced at him. "Where are we going?"

"I told you, somewhere more secluded. Unless you want to go back?" He cocked a brow.

I didn't. If he truly knew a place more secluded and quieter, I was on board. "I trust you."

The minute the words were out of my mouth, I realized they were true, but regardless they seemed to catch us both by surprise.

Arsen shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat. "I've been here a few times...when I wanted to get away."

"Away from what?" I studied his profile as he bit his lip, seeming to debate whether or not to answer the question.

He finally sighed. "Everything."

One word, yet it felt loaded with unspoken stories I found myself wanting to learn. "So this is one of your escapes."

He nodded. "Something like that."

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