Hate to Love You - Chapter 10: Chapter 10

Tristan
Bent over to retrieve something from the fridge, was the sexiest ass I'd ever seen. Heart-shaped and encased in skin-tight yoga pants, it was every man's fantasy brought to life.
I stayed frozen in my spot, unable to tear my gaze away from the picture of perfection before me. I could already tell I'd be jerking off to this image whenever I had a spare minute in the shower.
She stood up, her long hair cascading down her back in waves of liquid honey and sunlight. It swayed and bounced with her movements, almost hypnotic — and my whole body froze in anticipation. I was dying to see what she looked like from the front.
"Hey," I said, trying to keep my tone casual.
She let out a small scream, causing me to flinch, before spinning around to meet her assailant. Not that I was her assailant.
And then, out of nowhere, she hurled a water bottle straight at my face. She had quite an arm on her because it sailed towards my face at a surprising speed. Lightning fast, I caught it before it could do any damage. I couldn't help but take a moment to savor the fact that I finally caught something this week. Lowering the bottle, I looked back at the girl.
It took a second because she looked different without her usual hoodies and her hair loose, but those almost transparent blue eyes were unmistakable. As was the familiar glare.
Our other roommate... well, this isn't really her thing.
Of course. The redhead's words echoed in my mind, and suddenly, everything clicked. The absurdity of the situation struck me with such force that a grin spread across my face. Starting with a low chuckle, my amusement quickly grew until it morphed into full-blown belly laughs.
"Oh, this is too good," I managed between breaths, my shoulders shaking with laughter.
It grew to a point where I couldn't contain it, and I doubled over, hand on my abs, as the sheer brilliance of it all washed over me. This whole thing felt unreal. And honestly, it felt damn good to let go and embrace that madness, even if it made me look like a total lunatic.
No-Hoodie-girl stared at me with narrowed eyes and I couldn't help but laugh even more, hoping that the movie covered the sounds of my breakdown from the rest.
I don't know how long I stood there laughing, but I suspected it was a while. It was impossible not to crack up every time I thought about the situation I'd found myself in. Again. I mean, come on — it was just too damn fucking funny.
I tried to straighten up, but it was no use. The laughter kept surging through me like an uncontrollable wave, and I rode it hard.
"Are you okay? Is this some kind of a psychotic break?" no-Hoodie-girl asked, backing away from me slowly.
You know what? Maybe she was right. Maybe I was losing it. But you know what else? Everything suddenly became crystal clear. She was the cause of all my problems — the terrible playing, the lack of sex, and the messed-up state of mind I'd been in all week. She was the reason I couldn't sleep at night, because even in my dreams, I wasn't safe from her. It all boiled down to her, and she'd somehow managed to reduce me to a complete wreck.
I couldn't help but laugh even harder, not because it was funny, but because the truth hit me like a shit-ton of bricks.
She'd singlehandedly managed to break the impenetrable Captain of the Knights, one of the most talented quarterbacks in the whole of the United States. I mean, seriously, not even my rivals on the field had come close to disarming me like she did. And to think, all of this happened within a measly two weeks.
She should be damn proud of herself.
But here's the kicker, no really— I still didn't even know her name. This whole time, she had wreaked havoc on my life, turning it upside down, and I hadn't even bothered to find out who she was. I was both impressed and disturbed as I acknowledged the undeniable impact this unknown girl had on my life.
Well played, no-Hoodie-girl, well played.
"You." I wagged my finger at her, straightening as I finally got my breathing under control, still chuckling occasionally.
"Me?" She raised a single uncertain brow, frowning at me with caution.
"You did this." I took a deep breath, looking up at the ceiling to gather my composure and letting out a blissful sigh as I grinned.
Wow. Who knew laughing like a lunatic could make you feel so good?
"Did what?"
"This. Everything. You've fucked up my entire life, and you're going to fix it before tomorrow, or I swear to all that is holy, I'll find a way to make your life miserable." I said all this with a happy grin, still riding the high.
The look of caution fell from her beautiful face, replaced by her signature glare. She put her hands on her hips. "You're going to have to elaborate. How exactly have I fucked up your life? And how am I going to fix it? Hmm? Any suggestions?" she asked sarcastically.
Fuck her for being so hot when she was pissed off.
I thought about it for a few seconds as she glowered at me. How could she fix this? Clearly, staying away from each other wasn't doing jack shit, as evidenced by the disaster of a week I'd just had.
I ignored the twitching part of me that remembered the curves of her ass, noticed the swell of her tits behind the loose tank top she was wearing, and focused on her full lips. Yeah, my lower half had a few suggestions, but I suspected that if I voiced any of them to her, she'd saw off my dick and pickle my balls. I was very attached to them, so I stayed quiet.
Trying to distract myself from those kinds of thoughts, I asked, "Why aren't you watching the movie with us?"
She frowned at the change of subject but answered, "That movie is terrible. I'd strangle myself before watching a rom-com."
Fair enough. "What are you doing right now?"
She tilted her head at me, suspicious. "Not that it's any of your business, but I'm watching my own movie. I was just grabbing a bottle of water and some snacks before I ran into your crazy ass."
"I'm sure you weren't expecting to run into me here, right? What a coincidence," I chuckled, shaking my head.
Of all the houses...
"No, I wasn't." She crossed her arms, leaning her weight on one leg. "I'm guessing you're here to find your next victim?"
"My next victim?"
"Yeah, you know — the girl unlucky enough to be picked as your flavor of the day."
She was kind of right, but— "I'm just tagging along with my buddies. Matt asked if I wanted to join and I thought, why not? Possibly getting laid was an added bonus." I shrugged and gave her my most charming smile. "So, what are you watching?"
She frowned. "Why do you care? Don't you have your own movie to get to? I'm sure the girls are missing you."
"Just curious. But you don't have to tell me. I could always keep pestering you." I tucked my hands in my pockets and waited.
She sighed, glancing behind me before meeting my gaze again. "Alright, fine. I'm watching this new action movie called Nova Dominion. Happy now? What's with the sudden interest in my movie choice?"
"I'd like to watch that movie," I drawled, rolling my shoulders. My abs still hurt from laughing so much.
She huffed in annoyance. "Well, go ahead and watch it then. I'm leaving. This whole interaction has been weird, and I'd rather get back to what I was doing."
She grabbed a couple of chip packets on the counter and walked past me. As she did, a combination of vanilla and strawberries washed over me, making my mouth water.
Before I knew it, I was trailing behind her, matching her pace. My eyes were drawn down to her ass and I imagined myself taking a big bite out of those perfect curves. It made my mouth water even more. She had what guys liked to call an Instagram Ass. How had I never noticed it before? Probably because all of her hoodies covered it, hiding perfection.
I followed her as we headed towards the stairs, completely bypassing the living room entrance. I didn't spare the others a glance, keeping my hands in my pockets as I trailed behind her. She didn't pay me any mind as we began climbing the stairs.
I figured it was best to keep my trap shut if I wanted to enjoy the view. With every step, the movement of her ass was strangely captivating — far more interesting than the movie playing downstairs.
Lost in my own little world of ass-observation, I almost missed the fact that she suddenly stopped and began to turn around. Thankfully, by some stroke of luck or divine intervention, I managed to snap my gaze away before she caught me staring. I probably just saved my own life.
"Why are you following me?" She glared down at me.
"We're going to watch the movie, aren't we?"
She looked at me like I'd lost my mind for the second time that evening. "No. There's no ′we'. You're crazy if you think I'm going to let you watch a movie with me. Don't you have your own movie to get back to?"
"I want to watch Nova... whatever— with you." I moved to follow her, but she blocked my path with her hands, preventing me from going any higher up the stairs.
"Nova Dominion. And no, I'm not letting you watch a movie with me. Did you forget our agreement already? Nothing to do with each other, remember? This is the opposite of that. Like, wayyyy opposite."
I sighed. "Can I be honest with you? I'm gonna be honest with you. You've got a lot of issues, lady. A boat-load. Possibly too many to count. You can be really weird." Her expression darkened, and I cleared my throat, continuing, "Anyway — those issues have started to negatively affect me. I can't do anything. Anything. And I've just realized that it's all because of you. Our weird encounters have completely thrown me off my game, and I'm at a loss for what to do."
She crossed her arms, and it took all my willpower not to look at her chest.
"That sounds like a you problem."
I smiled darkly. "Lady, I'm about to make it an us problem."
Her expression told me this was the wrong thing to say. I sighed and tilted my head back, closing my eyes.
"Listen... I'm beat. Like — fucking exhausted. I've had a really fucked up week and I'm super stressed out about tomorrow. I just want to relax and watch a good movie. And every inch of me does not want to go back into that living room. This really weird chick keeps touching my dick and I'm not in the mood to put up with it any longer. So, please? Can I just chill with you until my buddies are finished and we leave?" I opened my eyes and looked back at her.
She still appeared reluctant, gnawing on her bottom lip. Damn. I wanted to do that too.
Shaking my head, I offered, "How about I sweeten the deal? I'll bring you coffee and cookies to every class we have for the rest of the semester if you let me go up with you."
I watched as the bribe erased the last of her resistance and grinned. Bingo. She licked her lips and nodded.
"Okay. But won't your friends miss you?" Her eyes darted towards the living room.
"Nah. They're all probably getting handy's under the blankets about now. The last thing they'll be thinking about is me."
Her face twisted in disgust. "Gross." She turned around to make her way to the top of the stairs.
I tilted my head as I kept following her. "You got a thing against handjobs? Wait. Why am I surprised? Of course you hate handjobs."
She shot me a glare over her shoulder. "No, I have a thing against public sex."
"Does that count as public sex?"
"Yeah, it does if they're doing it in front of other people. Most of us aren't into that kind of thing." The tone of her voice was accusatory.
"I'm feeling called out."
"Good."
I chuckled and said nothing more.
We strolled past several closed doors until we finally reached a red door at the end. She swung it open and stepped inside, leaving it ajar for me. I followed suit, gently closing the door behind me, and took a moment to take in the surroundings. The first thing I looked for was tapestries, dream-catchers, or crystals. I breathed a small sigh of relief when I found nothing.
Her room was a mix of blues, purples, and greys. She had a double bed tucked into a corner of the room, piled high with pillows and blankets. It had a pretty old wooden headboard covered in items of clothing. Her messy desk and matching chair were also covered in clothing, books, and stationery. A single manila folder lay on top of the mess.
Nearest to the door was a built-in closet with its door wide open and an explosion of clothes inside. Even the large mirror attached to the inside of the closet door had bras dangling from it. All of her bras were plain, simple, and boring. Still, there was something sexy about them.
When she saw where my eyes were, she hurried to close her closet doors, scowling at me. I just smirked and continued my perusal.
"So..." I trailed off, my eyes drifting towards the pictures adorning her walls.
I stepped closer to get a better look. The photos offered a glimpse into her personal life. There were the obligatory family pictures — her mom, dad, and younger brother, frozen in smiles. But it was the other photos that caught my attention, capturing moments from her childhood. Most of them featured a dark-haired chubby girl who seemed to be her best friend.
I found myself lingering on the younger version of Hoodie-girl — awkward, gangly, and noticeably unsure of herself. In many of the photos where she smiled, it felt more like she was doing it because someone had told her to, not because she actually wanted to.
I scanned for any signs of a boyfriend but found none. Which was surprising. Even if she was a little... prickly, there was no denying she was attractive. She had that certain something that turned heads, even if she tried to brush it off.
"You can just grab that chair when you're done sticking your nose in my business. I've got the movie already set up." She pointed at the chair by her desk and climbed onto her bed, ass rocking from side to side as she climbed over the mattress to get settled in the middle.
Clearing my throat, I decided to ditch the chair idea, opting instead to kick off my shoes. Walking over the fluffy purple carpet, I confidently made my way towards the bed.
She noticed my approach and frowned. "Hey, you have to get the chair first."
"I'm assuming the movie's about two hours? Do you really expect me to sit on that tiny chair the whole time?" With a single knee planted on the bed, I claimed my territory.
"This was not part of the plan. You are not getting into bed with me." She shook her head, glowering at me.
"Move over, Hoodie-girl," I said.
"Excuse me, Fuckface, but this is my—"
"If you're worried about your virtue or whatever, don't be. I'm not really into the whole deflowering virgins spiel. So just move over." I picked up her laptop and waited for her to move.
With an outraged gasp, she angrily scooted over for me. Smirking, I balanced the laptop in one hand and climbed onto the bed, one knee at a time. I carefully maneuvered myself onto my back, propping my head up with one of the pillows. I wiggled to get settled and positioned the laptop on my lap, ensuring she could also see the screen.
"For the record, I'm not a virgin. Not that I would let you touch me anyway." She sounded all defensive and cute.
"Really? Huh. You struck me as a virgin with the whole 'sex is gross' act." I raised both brows and turned to face her. She was staring at me with a glare, but those no longer fazed me. "Let me guess — you tried it once, with the lights off and a guy who barely knew what to do with you or his dick, and decided it wasn't for you because it was painful and awkward and... gross. Am I on the right track?"
"No. Far from it actually." She looked away so that I couldn't see her expression, leading me to think that maybe she was lying.
"They must have been really bad at it for you to hate it this much." I chuckled.
She glared at me again. "Can we stop talking about this and watch the movie? Or otherwise, there's no reason for you to be here."
"Yeah, yeah. Let's watch the movie." I laughed and hit the button for it to begin playing.