Page 41 of I Love to Hate You
Derek’s eyes bounce to each person in the room before landing back on Chad.
“You don't know the saying?” he says, his face full of genuine confusion. “An ass out of you and me? You don't know—”
“Clearly, I don't know what you're talking about, so maybe you should just stop talking,” Chad snips.
“Wow, nice way to start your first day,” Erica Swan, the youngest of the group, says as she goes to the coffee maker and checks the water reservoir.
Chad glares at Erica, but his eyes don't linger long because he clearly can feel the sting of Kendrick’s stare burning into the side of his face.
Chad clears his throat before saying, “What’s up, man?” to Kendrick.
“Nothing much,” Kendrick replies with a shrug. “Just wondering if you're gonna be an asshole the entire time, and if so, what I’m going to do about it.”
Memories of the night Kendrick saved me from the group of chanting morons at Amber Perkins’ house come roaring back. For someone who was known to be a bully himself, he sure seems to take issue with anybody he sees bullying others—a fact that makes me shake my head when I think about it, catching Kendrick’s attention from his spot against the wall.
He gawks at me, which Chad sees so he follows Kendrick’s gaze. Samantha follows suit and does the same. I’m already not the biggest fan of attention, and I definitely don't want everyone staring and wondering why Kendrick is looking at me the way he is, so I whirl around and start to help Erica put on a pot of coffee.
“So, first impressions?” Samantha asks, addressing the entire group.
“Seems like it’ll be cool, but it’s too early to tell,” Derek says.
Samantha crosses her arms and exhales as she leans her chair on its back legs. “I agree.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Chad joins before turning to me. “What do you think? You’ve been the quietest.”
I turn around with wide eyes. “Oh, yeah I agree. Denver seems cool and so do most of you.”
“Most of us?” Chad says, chuckling to himself. “Are you talking about me? Geez, I just thought there would be snacks in here. I didn't know I’d get the asshole badge so early.”
“You’re fine, Chad,” I say, followed by immediate regret, because I realize I’ve opened myself up to questions.
“Is it me then?” Samantha asks, looking befuddled.
“Of course not,” I answer immediately. “You’re all fine. I just … don't mind me.”
“Nah, I know you don't mean that,” Samantha presses. “Who has gotten on your nerves already? One of the old heads running around here?”
“She’s talking about me,” Kendrick blurts out.
The entire group looks at him with confusion, but it’s Chad who speaks up.
“Do you two know each other? You’ve been throwing dirty looks back and forth all morning.”
“Seriously, if you were trying to hide the tension, you both failed miserably,” Samantha agrees.
Kendrick and I stare at each other for far too long, proving everyone in the group right about the bad job we’ve been doing hiding the tension. However, I don't want to tell them that we hooked up. I highly doubt Kendrick will understand, but in an environment like this, it’s the women who are labeled as whores for hooking up with someone in the office. The hookup becomes an airborne virus floating from person to person, and in no time at all, everyone knows you're the girl who slept with so-and-so, and they judge you for it. I just started here, and I don't want that shit happening to me, especially not on my first day. So I don't say anything, and I glare at Kendrick in the hope that he’ll read my mind and keep is dumb mouth shut.
“We knew each other in college,” he answers vaguely, raising my body temperature by a few million degrees. “I used to hook up with her best friend, but the two of them had a falling out. So now Maya doesn't like me.”
I glare at Kendrick with an intensity that could make his head explode, and he stares right back. While I admire that he didn't say we slept together, I’m still annoyed, and the way he gazes back at me only makes it worse. I hate his face so much I could punch it over and over again, because it’s so gorgeous and he doesn't deserve to have it. His face should be as ugly as the way he treats people. If only karma were so kind.
When Samantha sees us glaring at each other again, she clears her throat and raises her eyebrows.
“Umm, maybe you two should go have a talk in private,” she suggests.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” I snip. “He’s an ass and he knows it, so there’s nothing else that needs to be said. He had plenty of time to speak and chose not to, so he shouldn't try now.”
“Why are you sayingheas if I’m not standing right here?” Kendrick asks, frowning at me, which makes my blood boil.
