Page 114 of Loathe Thy Neighbor

“You’ll live…but only if you get up and talk to him.”

“Maya, I love you—I really do—but I can’t just waltz over there and be like,Hey, I love you.”

“And why the hell not?”

“Because he doesn’t feel the same way,” I mutter, looking anywhere but at her.

“What makes you say that?”

I wave a hand around my sad, lonely apartment. “He didn’t stay. That’s my first indication.”

“Did you ask him to stay?”

Well…no.

But I knew he wouldn’t. He had no reason to. We agreed. Once his apartment was done, we were done.

Him staying would mean we got attached.

We weren’t supposed to get attached.

Tell that to my heart.

“You didn’t, so you don’t actually know if he would have.” She laughs sardonically. “You two… I swear…” She pinches the bridge of her nose. “Dean loves you. I’d bet you an entire year’s worth of cherry pie from The Gravy Train that man is head over heels for you.”

In what world does she think Dean is in love with me?

We’ve been at each other’s throat since the day he moved in. Morris snuck out and into his apartment. He wassucha dick when he brought him home.

We haven’t gotten along for a single day after that. There is absolutelyno wayhe’s secretly in love with me.

I move my head in the negative. “No way.”

“Yes way.Everyonesees it but you two for some reason. Me, Caroline, Lucy…we all do. Everyone but you.”

“Tell me, what do you see that I don’t?”

“For starters, there are your asinine reasons for loathing him. They’re obvious cover-ups for lust.”

“They—”

She holds her hand up. “Then there’s the way that no matter what, no matter how many insults you throw at him or how many times you scowl at him, you still have his sole focus in a room.” She grins. “I remember one time it was pouring rain outside. You were getting soaked, trying to walk as fast as your little legs would carry you to the diner, but it just wasn’t fast enough.”

“Sam came out with an umbrella for me.”

She smiles. “That was all Dean. He saw you coming and knew you’d refuse any help from him, so he shoved an umbrella in Sam’s hands and sent him out to rescue you.”

That was…Dean?

I remember that day. I was so thankful I bought Sam ice cream every day for a week straight. The little twerp.

“And let’s not forget all the times he’s bought you pie.”

“Stolen my pie, you mean.”

“And bought it too. I picked up early on that he was paying for it and just let it happen. I wanted to smack him every time he got you all worked up over stealing your pie and you’d yell at him, but he’d never confess what he’d been doing.” She rolls her eyes. “Then there are all the times he’s come to the shop for gifts for his mom and sister.”

“Dean shops at the boutique?”