Page 522 of Hate Mates

“Hm.”

The obvious answer would be yes, although, I have a feeling she’s expecting me to brush her off.

“Maybe,” I finally reply coyly. “Why?”

“Forget it,” she grumbles as her hands drop to her sides. I watch as Karter’s shoulders slump a little when she turns to walk away.

Don’t let her leave like this.Reaching forward, I grip her elbow and give her a gentle tug back toward me.

“Tell me why,” I repeat, my smirk melting away. I do my best to not feel triumphant because I think that after all of these years, the next heart she draws on a rainy pane of glass might be because she’s thinking of me.

“I don’t want to be here inside right now,” she says quietly as she wrings her elbow out of my grip. “I can’t fake being happy just for the sake of not getting on Jessop’s bad side.”

I chuckle. “Yeah, I get it. Come on. I know how to get outside without her seeing it.”

I beckon for Karter to follow me as I push the door open to my room, holding the door open for her. Once inside, she glances around curiously, then blushes when she notices that I’m watching her. I’m interested in what it is that she thinks she’ll find in here, but my room is just as normal as the next kid’s.

At least, I like to think it is.

Fuck.

I move by her quickly, snatch the porn magazines off my bed, hoping she hasn’t seen them yet, then lift my mattress and toss them under. When I turn to look at Karter, she rolls her eyes and shakes her head, a smile on those beautiful, pouty lips of hers.

God, they look so fucking soft.

I stand here staring at her mouth, almost as if completely fucking hypnotized by the shape of her lips.

“Um, Harlan?”

I look away from her, hoping she doesn’t notice how flushed I’ve become, motioning for her to follow me to the window. I push it open and rest my hands on the sill, leaning out to glancearound. When I don’t see signs of anyone that might open their trap, I turn slightly and hold a hand out toward her.

“Ladies first,” I say as I help her onto the sill.

Karter gives me an odd look before she purses her lips, let’s out a sigh, then allows me to help get her outside.

Weird.

Feeling that it’s best to brush off the way she looked at me, I shrug and hoist myself on the sill. She’s looking up at me, dusting off the knees of her jeans, and I wave her out of the way.

Gentleman second,I tell myself as I hop out and land on the grass below.

Chapter Seven

KARTER

Thirteen Years Old

Harlan falls into step beside me as we walk down the side of the building. I’m not entirely sure yet, but I think it may have been him who was in my room last year.

I initially thought it may have been Kellan, but he’s been gone for a few months, so I was never able to ask. It’s entirely my fault, though. I’ve never been good at confrontation—that was always Enya’s thing.

I blow out my breath and reach back to smooth out my ponytail, suddenly feeling Harlan’s gaze on me.

“What?” I ask without looking at him.

“You do that a lot. One of these days you’re gonna end up launching yourself up into the atmosphere,” he teases with a laugh.

I shrug, “Then I won’t have to be here anymore. Doesn’t sound like a bad thing to me.”

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