Hate to Love You - Chapter 26: Chapter 26

Maybe it was the alcohol, but I was really happy to see him. So happy I nearly forgot about Frat-bro. But I was so rudely reminded of his presence when he happily exclaimed, "Tristan Beckett! What's up, my man?"
But Tristan paid him no attention, his gaze locked on me with a look of clear disapproval.
Realizing I had stayed away for longer than I'd planned to, I covered up my guilt with a wide smile. "There you are. What took you so long?"
"Wha—"
Tristan started to respond, but the other guy's irritating voice cut him off, his gaze bouncing between the two of us with a flash of realization. "No way! You're screwing Tris—"
Tristan gave him a warning look. "Careful. You don't want my fist to be the last thing you see tonight."
"Huh?" Frat-bro blinked, clearly shocked by the threat.
Sighing at his confusion, Tristan asked, "Obviously you know who I am, yeah?"
Frat-bro grinned and puffed out his chest. "Sure do, man. We met at a party last year, but I don't think you remember — you were too busy getting it on with Elizabeth Buchanan on her parent's back porch."
Wait. Did that mean he was watching them? My face scrunched up in disgust and Tristan's expression shifted from warning to murderous. "So if you know who I am, do you really want to make a public enemy of me?"
The guy gaped like a fish. An ugly one. The blobby one. "A public enemy? Did I do something wrong?"
"Yeah. You're busy insulting and harassing my woman." Tristan stepped closer to me, forcing the guy to take a step back. My head snapped back, and I stared at Tristan, just as shocked as the other guy.
"M-my bad, dude. When I approached her, I didn't know she was yours. She never said anything about you."
I turned back to gape at the jerk, about to say something scathing in return — but Tristan spoke before I could.
"She is. Now," He plucked my Mojito out of the man's hand and flicked his chin at him, "Fuck off. And if I catch you pulling any of this shit on anyone else, I'm gonna shove your head up your own ass and make you wear yourself as a hat. Jackson's your prez, right? You want me to have a word with him?"
Frat-bro raised his palms, frowning. "Woah man. I meant no harm. I was just tryna—"
"Scram. Now."
"Jeez. Fine... fucking asshole," Frat-bro spat out, glaring at both of us before slinking back into the crowd, and taking his sweaty armpits with him.
I watched him leave, using it as a flimsy excuse to avoid looking at Tristan. I didn't want him to see the surprise on my face at the fact after he came to my defense like that. While I was perfectly capable of handling the situation myself, there was something undeniably endearing about the way he stood up for me. Especially his "my woman" comments, even though I'm sure he didn't actually mean them. Goddammit, I was losing my feminist card by the second.
"Hannah."
I shivered at the sound of my name on his lips. It belonged to me, and yet it, every time he said it, it made me feel like his.
His spicy scent quickly washed away the last of Frat-bro's disgusting odor, covering me in an intoxicating blanket. I had to stop myself from leaning forward and tipping into his arms.
When I reached up to take the drink, he shook his head, pulling his hand away. "No, I'll get you another one. I didn't see what he did with the drink when I wasn't here."
"I watched it the whole time and he didn't do anything." I frowned. "Why'd you take it back then?"
"I didn't want him to throw it at either of us when he finally remembered that he was holding it." He replaced my empty spot at the bar and flagged down Vince.
"Good thinking." I cleared my throat and stepped closer, watching as he handed the nearly full glass back to Vance and paid for another one.
While Vance made it, Tristan turned back to me, his face back to being stern. "Where have you been? It's been like twenty minutes and I couldn't find you anywhere. And now I find you here, like this?" He folded his arms.
I felt a little guilty for getting distracted by the sight of his bare forearms.
I didn't want to admit that I'd purposely delayed returning because I might have a crush on him and I didn't know if I could hide it — or that this whole friends thing was starting to feel impossible. It was hard to stay clear-headed when he was touching me, no matter how innocent it seemed.
So, instead, I said, "I... made some friends."
"You made some friends?"
"Mm-hm." I nodded, smiling at his raised brow. "We were sitting further back — that's why you couldn't see us, but I was planning to come find you soon. I'm sorry if I made you worry."
He seemed a bit surprised but nodded. His attention shifted when Vance called out, handing him a new drink. Tristan thanked him with a small nod before he moved on to the next customer in the busy bar.
He handed me the drink and stepped closer, encroaching on my personal space. His eyes dropped to my chest before slowly rising from my chest to my neck, over my lips, and finally meeting my gaze. His voice was low and raspy as he asked, "Where's your hoodie?"
Perplexed by his reaction, I replied, "With my new friends. Do you want to meet them? They don't know who you are so this might be a bit of a surprise for them. You don't mind if they stare, do you?"
He chuckled, looking away. "Just lead the way. You can introduce us, and then you can put your hoodie back on."
I glanced up at him, puzzled. "I took it off because it's too warm. Have you seen how many people are in here?"
Leading us in the direction I pointed at, he faced ahead and neglected to answer my question. I followed behind him, pursing my lips in annoyance. Even now, he had to be in front, assuming the role of leader. "Fine. Don't answer me. It's not like I wanted to hear whatever you had to say. I'm going to wear what I want."
He stopped in his tracks, and I had to catch myself before bumping into him. A drop of my drink spilled onto my hand and I frowned at his back.
"What are y—"
He spun around, one hand gripping my forearm while the other covered my hand that held the glass, pulling me close. His mouth brushed against my ear, his warm breath sending shivers down my spine as I tried to make sense of what was happening.
I froze when his husky voice tickled my ears. "I can't be staring at my friend's tits all night, can I? Wear whatever the fuck you want to, but I'm asking for a little mercy here. It hurts to look and not taste."
I gasped, my head snapping back to meet his gaze as my heart pounded so hard it felt like it would burst through my rib cage. Wide-eyed, I stared up at him, feeling the same giddy excitement a little girl might feel when her crush complimented her. Only this compliment didn't make me feel like a little girl. Not at all. Instead, his words went straight to my—
"Fuck." He cursed softly, forcing himself to let go of me. "Ignore what I just said. It's not like I'm going to stop looking either way." He looked behind him. "Your friends are this way, yeah?"
And just like that, he was back to pulling me along, acting as if what he'd just said was completely normal, while I was left to pick up the pieces of my convictions.
"Hannah." His voice pulled me out of the small daze I'd been in and I looked up at him. "Do you see them anywhere?"
It took me a second to understand what he was saying. Shaking my head to myself, I looked around for Adrian and Nadia's table, spotting the two of them bent over Nadia's phone. Adrian was frowning so I assumed our gamer-boy was up to more of his nonsense.
"They're probably not what you're expecting," I warned, grabbing Tristan's hand and pulling him towards them. "But I like them."
"With you, I never know what to expect, but I'm sure I'll like them." His hand squeezed mine, and I couldn't help the small smile that crept onto my lips, even as my heart jerked at his touch.
I looked back at Adrian and Nadia just as Adrian glanced up and saw me. His smile was welcoming until he noticed who I was bringing with me. His jaw actually dropped open — so did Nadia's when she looked up to see what he was staring at. They both quickly composed themselves as we approached the table, but Adrian's eyes kept darting between me, Tristan, and our joined hands. I tried to let go, but Tristan held on, keeping our hands clasped together.
I felt my cheeks warm as I said, "Hi, guys. This is Tristan. The guy I came with and my friend. I don't know if either of you recognize him?"
Adrian laughed as if I'd just made the funniest joke he'd ever heard. "He's on all our college's flyers and billboards. Who wouldn't recognize him? Why didn't you tell us he was that guy?"
My blush deepened while Tristan stepped forward and playfully bowed. "I am that guy. She's already mentioned me, huh?"
"Only briefly, but it made quite an impression."
I jumped in before the conversation could go any further. "This is Adrian and Nadia. They're theatre majors."
Tristan grinned. "Then they know how to have fun. How about joining us for dinner? We've got room for two more."
They looked at me, and I shrugged, smiling. I wanted them to come along since I still didn't know Tristan's teammates too well, but the choice was theirs.
"Sure," they agreed after exchanging glances. They gathered their things, and I tied my hoodie around my waist so I wouldn't have to carry it.
Taking the lead again, Tristan guided us through the crowd while people instinctively moved aside for him. It was always a bit jarring to see this side of his life — the way others reacted to his presence.
Adrian caught hold of my other hand as we walked, and I glanced back, leaning closer to hear him over the noise.
"Okay, explain yourself. Right now," he demanded, still staring in disbelief at Tristan's back.
Nadia leaned in too, eager for the answer. I sighed, trying to keep my voice low. "I know what it looks like, but it's not like that. We became friends because of some really crazy circumstances. That's all there is to it. Plus," I glanced toward Tristan, "this is his last year here. Even if I was ready for a relationship, it wouldn't work."
Adrian raised an eyebrow, his expression skeptical. "The bitch says as she holds his hand right in front of us." He shook his head. "Why are you acting like he's moving to Mars and technology doesn't exist?"
"Weren't you listening? She doesn't want a relationship," Nadia interjected.
I dodged someone, quickly glancing at Tristan to make sure he wasn't looking back. "He also doesn't want a relationship," I added.
Adrian scoffed, waving it off. "Relationship? Who said anything about that? You're young — forget about relationships for now. I'm saying you shouldn't pass up on a golden opportunity. If he's getting drafted somewhere else, use the time left to make some unforgettable memories. My grandmother always said not to hold back when you're young because, one day, when you're old and ugly, those memories will keep you warm at night."
I laughed and checked Tristan again, making sure he still wasn't listening. "That's if he doesn't get bored of me after a while."
"Simple. Make sure he doesn't."
I gave Adrian a deadpan look. "Oh, sure. Easy. Who doesn't know a little magic?"
He rolled his eyes. "You have his attention now, right? Why?"
"Because he enjoys the chase," I admitted.
"Exactly. So keep running. Let him catch you, but as soon as he thinks he's got you, you run again. Keep him on his toes."
As ridiculous as it sounded, there was a strange logic to it. But I still shook my head. "And what if I trip and fall?"
"Then you get back up, look at how far you've come, and keep going. Sometimes the answers in life are simple, just not easy to do." He glanced over my shoulder. "But it looks like you're going to have to decide soon. He's looking at you."