Page 57 of I Hate You More

“Then you’re forgiven.”

A relieved smile lit his features. It was almost impossible to resist his allure when he looked so happy, and it made me question how I could ever hate someone so gorgeous.

I quickly averted my eyes so I wasn’t lured in by his magnetic powers and tried to change the subject. “Is truceful even a word?” I asked, blurting out the first thing that came to mind.

A deep chuckle rumbled in his chest as he started the engine, the truck spluttering as it sprang to life. “It is now.”

We didn’t talk as Chase drove us home. He was softly humming along to the radio while I tapped my fingers restlessly against my leg and looked out the window. I felt uneasy being alone with him after his apology, but he seemed completely relaxed.

I didn’t understand how he wasn’t feeling the same confusion as me. It was slowly tearing me up inside while he didn’t seem to have a problem in the world. What I needed was distance from him so I could set my mind straight. It had become so muddled over the last few days, and being close to Chase didn’t seem to help.

There was no car in the driveway when we got home, so I knew Shane must have already gone to the gym. Dad wasn’t getting home from his conference until tomorrow, which meant it would just be Chase and me in the house. It was one thing to share a drive home together but something different altogether to have the house to ourselves.

As he turned off the car, I gave him a tight smile. “Well, thanks for the ride,” I said, wanting to get out of the car as quickly as possible. I had the intention of escaping to my room and barricading the door so I could avoid him.

Chase didn’t make a move to get out of the truck though, and as he turned to look at me, his eyes were suddenly filled with uncertainty. It was like he wanted to talk but seemed hesitant to speak. “I just wanted you to know I’m glad you agreed to the truce,” he finally said. “And I won’t be untruceful again.”

I swallowed as I nodded. I wanted to smile at his little joke, but when he’d turned to me, the energy in the air around us had shifted, and the connection between us had become so strong I was finding it hard to breathe. We’d been sitting close to each other the whole trip home, but now that he was facing me, the truck cabin felt smaller, and the distance between us wasn’t nearly enough. I could see the small golden flecks that dotted his eyes and smell the peppermint on his breath. Where was the usual bristling anger I felt in his presence? Why was I waiting with bated breath for what he said next rather than wishing he’d leave me alone?

He slowly reached out and touched my face, his fingers barely skimming across the skin on my cheek. I closed my eyes as I gave in to the soft and tortuous sensation as he left a trail of sparks across my skin. “I think you’re always going to drive me crazy, Ally,” he murmured. “But I think I’m starting to like it.” He pulled his hand back.

I opened my eyes to find him staring at me in wonder. My skin still tingled from his touch, and I found I’d stopped breathing. The truck was silent, and it seemed like he was holding his breath along with me. He was looking at me like he’d never seen me before, and I was surprised to find I felt the same way. In this moment, I didn’t hate the boy sitting across from me. I didn’t hate him at all.

My mind snapped awake. I pulled back from him in a sudden movement. Last night, I’d gone to sleep despising him, and one apology shouldn’t change that. I couldn’t let his smooth words erase the years of pain he’d caused me.

“I have to get inside to do my homework,” I said, my words racing out of my mouth as I rushed to get out of the car.

Chase didn’t say a word as I jumped from the truck and closed the door behind me. I couldn’t seem to get away from him quick enough. I could feel his eyes watching me as I hurried to the front door, but I refused to let myself turn to see his reaction.

It wasn’t until I was safely in my room, with my door closed behind me, that I started to breathe easily again. I had no idea what had just happened between Chase and me, but whatever it was, it definitely wasn’t a part of any plan Tessa had concocted. I needed to get my head back in the game because falling for Chase wasn’t an option. I was going to have to up the ante and move through the stages of Operation Pest Control even quicker.

Starting tomorrow, I was going to throw everything I had into making Chase want me, because the longer Chase was in our house, the more concerned I became that my heart would be the one thing that stopped me from succeeding.

19

Chase

“You drive me crazy,but I’m starting to like it?”The words ran through my mind on repeat for the rest of the day. What had I been thinking, saying that out loud? I’d sounded like a total idiot, and it freaked Ally out so much that she’d run away from me. If I was being honest, it had freaked me out a little too.

Things were changing between Ally and me. I was starting to find her constantly drifting into my mind, and whenever we clashed, I actually enjoyed our interactions rather than suffered through them. I’d seen a totally different side to her at the nursing home yesterday. I was beginning to realize there was far more to the girl I thought I loathed, and beneath her barbed exterior was someone I could actually like.

I thought she’d felt the same shift in the dynamics between us as I had. Judging by the speed with which she’d bolted from my truck, clearly, I was wrong. To say I’d made a fool out of myself was an understatement.

I somehow managed to avoid her for the rest of the day, but unfortunately, my luck ran out when I entered the kitchen the following morning. She was standing by the kitchen counter, her held tilted back, as she drank from a large glass of juice. She hadn’t seen me yet and I froze to the spot as I considered what to do. A part of me wanted to slink back to my bedroom, but another part of me wanted to see how she acted around me after what I’d said.

Her eyes flicked in my direction as she slowly lowered her glass, and my opportunity to escape disappeared. Still, I hesitated by the door. Her eyes were wide and unsure, and I worried she might run off again at any moment. But then she surprised the heck out of me, and her nervous expression transformed into a beaming smile.

“Morning, Chase,” she said in greeting. She actually looked happy to see me, and that confused me more than anything. She couldn’t get out of my gramps’ truck quickly enough yesterday, and now, she was smiling at me like we were the best of friends? It didn’t make any sense.

I folded my arms over my chest as I took her in. Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, and her voice had been overly enthusiastic. Perhaps she was still rattled by my comments in the truck yesterday, and instead of running scared, she was pretending it didn’t happen. Only, this wasn’t how she normally acted around me, and her whole demeanor felt off.

“Did you sleep well?” she asked.

“Yeah, sure,” I replied, finally shaking off my early-morning stupor and entering the room. I walked over to where she was standing and reached to take a banana out of the fruit bowl. She reached for it at the same time, causing our hands to brush. I immediately jerked mine away as I realized there was only one piece of fruit left.

Ally frowned and held the banana out to me. “You have it,” she said.

I felt the urge to wave a hand in front of her face to see if she was actually awake because she was acting nothing like her normal self. “You want me to have the last piece of fruit?”

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