Hate to Love You - Chapter 43: Chapter 43
You are reading Hate to Love You, Chapter 43: Chapter 43. Read more chapters of Hate to Love You.
Hannah
"Wooo! Go Jared! Move that sexy ass!" Bailey screamed through cupped hands, jumping up and down like an excited little girl as she cheered on her defenceman.
I shook my head, chuckling at Bailey's over-the-top excitement. I would've been a tad more embarrassed by the attention we were garnering if it weren't for the fact that everyone else was just as crazy about our football team, man or woman.
On the makeshift football field, Tristan led his team against the opposing teams made up of volunteer festival goers. Some of them were athletes from our college's various sports teams, while others were just regular students who knew their way around a football. Surprisingly, a few of them actually had some genuine skill, which sometimes put pressure on our football team to step up their game.
Everyone was having a lot of fun, especially Tristan. He wore an ear-to-ear grin, his good mood infectious as he and his team bantered, teased, and joked with the opposing teams. They engaged in playful antics, almost treating their opponents like a bunch of inexperienced rookies, executing feigned plays and expertly dodging tackles. But it wasn't meant to be mean-spirited. Their sabotages were directed at each other, like when Alex threw a mud ball directly at his brother's face. Or when Ryan gave Tai a massive wedgie in front of everyone, almost lifting the poor guy off the ground.
Right at this instant, the crowd erupted into a frenzy when Tristan jumped clean over a shorter guy, playfully tapping him on the head before smoothly landing with the ball in his possession and taking off for the end zone. In a matter of seconds, he was across the field, having gracefully dodged a few opponents on the way. Even I laughed and cheered when he threw the ball into the air and did a pretty good rendition of the running man to celebrate his touchdown. It was stupidly adorable.
The games had been shortened to twenty minutes each to ensure everyone who wanted a turn had a chance to play. Still, to attest to our football team's skill and stamina, they had yet to lose, winning some games by a landslide. So far, there had only been one close call.
As the match concluded with yet another win for our team, Tristan jogged over in my direction. Anticipating his arrival, I quickly pulled my bag off my shoulder and reached inside to retrieve the bottle of water I'd gotten him. By the time he slowed to a stop in front of me, I was holding the bottle toward him. Bailey was already in Jared's arms, peppering his face with kisses and whispering not-so-sweet nothings in his ear.
"Here. I thought you might need this after all the running," I said, feeling a little awkward as I held it out to him. I wanted to kiss him, but we had a lot of eyes on us, scrutinizing our every move and I was a lot more sober than last night.
His gaze dropped to the blue bottle, and that playful look in his eyes briefly morphed into something else. There was a flicker, a subtle change, before he returned to his familiar playful demeanor, plastering on his signature smirk. It happened so fast that I almost believed I'd imagined it.
"Thanks, babe. I think I've lost a gallon in sweat, but at least the muscles are glistening." He winked, taking the bottle from me and drinking half of the contents in two seconds flat.
Then, without warning, he dumped the rest over his head, soaking his hair and the top half of his shirt. The thin material clung to his muscled shoulders and chest like a second skin, plastering itself to his sexy nipples. And when he lifted the dry parts of his shirt to wipe his face, he exposed all of those rippling, wet muscles to my greedy gaze. Suddenly, I was the thirsty one, my throat dry as I stared at his torso like a deer in headlights.
Would anyone judge me if I licked off all the water droplets, right here and right now, in front of all these people?
"You look like a drowned rat." I cleared my throat in a weak attempt to get my raging hormones under control. Still, I couldn't resist reaching up and flicking one of the cute little nipples poking through his shirt.
"A sexy drowned rat," he shot back with a grin, flexing his chest muscles. "And if I had the time, I'd show you what this sexy rat can do, but the next match starts in five minutes — so, your rat's gotta scurry back to his team."
I snorted at his ridiculousness, laughing. "Okay, Ratatouille. Make us proud."
He gave me a look that was equal parts disgust and disbelief. "Uh, Hannah, the rat's name is Remy. Do we need to watch Ratatouille to educate you properly?"
"Would we actually watch the movie?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Probably not. I bet I'd have your pants off before the opening scene even started. But that's not the point — it's the principle of the matter." He shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe you'll catch a bit of the movie if you ride me reverse cowgirl." He nodded, proud of himself for coming up with that solution. "Now that sounds like a plan."
Rolling my eyes, I waved my hand to shoo him away. "Just run along already. We are not arguing over some fictional rat right now."
"Babe, we ain't arguing. We're busy setting up a future date night," he chuckled, leaning in for a kiss, but froze in mid-motion as we both realized what he'd just said.
Inches apart, I stared up at him with imploring eyes, tense as I waited to see what his reaction to that little slip-up would be — if he meant it in a joking way or not. Because having a date night sounded a lot like we were in a relationship, and having a future date night implied that we had a future.
Panic and confusion intertwined with a spark of hope. My heart pounded in my chest, torn between the surge of happiness at the thought of a future together and the lingering fear that I couldn't let go of. I mean, I'd only just recently realized that I might, kind of be open to a new relationship, and he was the reason why. But what if I was wrong? What if he didn't feel the same? Those words were probably just a slip of the tongue.
When I saw him frown and pull back, I knew I was right. It stung, but I brushed it off and decided to carry on as usual to avoid a weird misunderstanding, cutting off any apology or explanation he might have given me.
"I think your team is waiting for you. Alex is making rather crude hand signs at us right now." I laughed, albeit a little awkwardly.
Searching my eyes for something I wouldn't let him find, he nodded and gave me that same smile I'd grown to love. "Right, I have to go. I'll catch you after, yeah?"
"Sure." I managed a faint smile, masking the chaos unfolding inside me.
He jogged backward a couple of steps, throwing a wink my way before rejoining his team. Bailey sidled up next to me, the two of us watching him settle into his role as captain naturally.
"So... I couldn't help but overhear that whole... thing. And because I've known you since our booger stage, I can guess exactly what you're thinking right now. And because I'm your best friend, I'm going to give you some bestie advice." She turned to look at me, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"Sweetie, do yourself a favor and stop overthinking this. If you just go with the flow, I promise you, things always have a way of working out. You'll blink, and before you know it, it's been a decade, and you're expecting kid number two. Guys are dumb like that."
"Kid number two? I don't even know if I want one," I sputtered, a little panicked at the thought.
"Ha," She snorted. "I bet, one day, you'll look into those dreamy green eyes of his, and you won't be able to resist making mini versions of him. And when he goes, 'Honey, I think we should have another one,' You're going to say, 'Yes, my stud muffin. Let me just get on my back and spread my legs,' because you know you'll love making adorable green-eyed babies with that gorgeous hunk of a man. That's your fate, Hannah. Accept it now." She patted my shoulder, almost in sympathy as I turned to frown at her.
"You say all of this, but what about—"
"Stop overthinking this, Hannah. You're gonna think yourself into some serious wrinkles. Just stop." She gave me a pointed look.
"Yeah, but—"
"What did I just say? I'm sure it sounded a lot like 'stop'. Or was it ′chop'? Hmm... nope, it was definitely 'stop'."
I sighed, conceding defeat. "You're impossible."
"Did you mean ′awesome'? 'Bestest friend ever'? I'm thrilled you're finally getting it. Wouldn't want to resort to other tricks to keep you from sabotaging your happiness. Some of those tricks involve tying you up and subjecting you to self-help audiobooks until you come to your senses. One of them is called 'Always listen to your bestie — she knows what's up'. I really recommend it."
"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response. Let me just say — psychologists would have a field day with you. You're a total nutcase," I contended, crossing my arms and turning my attention to the new game, while Bailey snickered like a maniac beside me.
I opened my mouth to tell her I'd be putting them on speed dial if she kept laughing like that, when I was suddenly pulled into a pair of slender but firm arms, and the smell of sunscreen, fresh air, and sweet deodorant enveloped me.
"Wooo! Go Jared! Move that sexy ass!" Bailey screamed through cupped hands, jumping up and down like an excited little girl as she cheered on her defenceman.
I shook my head, chuckling at Bailey's over-the-top excitement. I would've been a tad more embarrassed by the attention we were garnering if it weren't for the fact that everyone else was just as crazy about our football team, man or woman.
On the makeshift football field, Tristan led his team against the opposing teams made up of volunteer festival goers. Some of them were athletes from our college's various sports teams, while others were just regular students who knew their way around a football. Surprisingly, a few of them actually had some genuine skill, which sometimes put pressure on our football team to step up their game.
Everyone was having a lot of fun, especially Tristan. He wore an ear-to-ear grin, his good mood infectious as he and his team bantered, teased, and joked with the opposing teams. They engaged in playful antics, almost treating their opponents like a bunch of inexperienced rookies, executing feigned plays and expertly dodging tackles. But it wasn't meant to be mean-spirited. Their sabotages were directed at each other, like when Alex threw a mud ball directly at his brother's face. Or when Ryan gave Tai a massive wedgie in front of everyone, almost lifting the poor guy off the ground.
Right at this instant, the crowd erupted into a frenzy when Tristan jumped clean over a shorter guy, playfully tapping him on the head before smoothly landing with the ball in his possession and taking off for the end zone. In a matter of seconds, he was across the field, having gracefully dodged a few opponents on the way. Even I laughed and cheered when he threw the ball into the air and did a pretty good rendition of the running man to celebrate his touchdown. It was stupidly adorable.
The games had been shortened to twenty minutes each to ensure everyone who wanted a turn had a chance to play. Still, to attest to our football team's skill and stamina, they had yet to lose, winning some games by a landslide. So far, there had only been one close call.
As the match concluded with yet another win for our team, Tristan jogged over in my direction. Anticipating his arrival, I quickly pulled my bag off my shoulder and reached inside to retrieve the bottle of water I'd gotten him. By the time he slowed to a stop in front of me, I was holding the bottle toward him. Bailey was already in Jared's arms, peppering his face with kisses and whispering not-so-sweet nothings in his ear.
"Here. I thought you might need this after all the running," I said, feeling a little awkward as I held it out to him. I wanted to kiss him, but we had a lot of eyes on us, scrutinizing our every move and I was a lot more sober than last night.
His gaze dropped to the blue bottle, and that playful look in his eyes briefly morphed into something else. There was a flicker, a subtle change, before he returned to his familiar playful demeanor, plastering on his signature smirk. It happened so fast that I almost believed I'd imagined it.
"Thanks, babe. I think I've lost a gallon in sweat, but at least the muscles are glistening." He winked, taking the bottle from me and drinking half of the contents in two seconds flat.
Then, without warning, he dumped the rest over his head, soaking his hair and the top half of his shirt. The thin material clung to his muscled shoulders and chest like a second skin, plastering itself to his sexy nipples. And when he lifted the dry parts of his shirt to wipe his face, he exposed all of those rippling, wet muscles to my greedy gaze. Suddenly, I was the thirsty one, my throat dry as I stared at his torso like a deer in headlights.
Would anyone judge me if I licked off all the water droplets, right here and right now, in front of all these people?
"You look like a drowned rat." I cleared my throat in a weak attempt to get my raging hormones under control. Still, I couldn't resist reaching up and flicking one of the cute little nipples poking through his shirt.
"A sexy drowned rat," he shot back with a grin, flexing his chest muscles. "And if I had the time, I'd show you what this sexy rat can do, but the next match starts in five minutes — so, your rat's gotta scurry back to his team."
I snorted at his ridiculousness, laughing. "Okay, Ratatouille. Make us proud."
He gave me a look that was equal parts disgust and disbelief. "Uh, Hannah, the rat's name is Remy. Do we need to watch Ratatouille to educate you properly?"
"Would we actually watch the movie?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Probably not. I bet I'd have your pants off before the opening scene even started. But that's not the point — it's the principle of the matter." He shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe you'll catch a bit of the movie if you ride me reverse cowgirl." He nodded, proud of himself for coming up with that solution. "Now that sounds like a plan."
Rolling my eyes, I waved my hand to shoo him away. "Just run along already. We are not arguing over some fictional rat right now."
"Babe, we ain't arguing. We're busy setting up a future date night," he chuckled, leaning in for a kiss, but froze in mid-motion as we both realized what he'd just said.
Inches apart, I stared up at him with imploring eyes, tense as I waited to see what his reaction to that little slip-up would be — if he meant it in a joking way or not. Because having a date night sounded a lot like we were in a relationship, and having a future date night implied that we had a future.
Panic and confusion intertwined with a spark of hope. My heart pounded in my chest, torn between the surge of happiness at the thought of a future together and the lingering fear that I couldn't let go of. I mean, I'd only just recently realized that I might, kind of be open to a new relationship, and he was the reason why. But what if I was wrong? What if he didn't feel the same? Those words were probably just a slip of the tongue.
When I saw him frown and pull back, I knew I was right. It stung, but I brushed it off and decided to carry on as usual to avoid a weird misunderstanding, cutting off any apology or explanation he might have given me.
"I think your team is waiting for you. Alex is making rather crude hand signs at us right now." I laughed, albeit a little awkwardly.
Searching my eyes for something I wouldn't let him find, he nodded and gave me that same smile I'd grown to love. "Right, I have to go. I'll catch you after, yeah?"
"Sure." I managed a faint smile, masking the chaos unfolding inside me.
He jogged backward a couple of steps, throwing a wink my way before rejoining his team. Bailey sidled up next to me, the two of us watching him settle into his role as captain naturally.
"So... I couldn't help but overhear that whole... thing. And because I've known you since our booger stage, I can guess exactly what you're thinking right now. And because I'm your best friend, I'm going to give you some bestie advice." She turned to look at me, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"Sweetie, do yourself a favor and stop overthinking this. If you just go with the flow, I promise you, things always have a way of working out. You'll blink, and before you know it, it's been a decade, and you're expecting kid number two. Guys are dumb like that."
"Kid number two? I don't even know if I want one," I sputtered, a little panicked at the thought.
"Ha," She snorted. "I bet, one day, you'll look into those dreamy green eyes of his, and you won't be able to resist making mini versions of him. And when he goes, 'Honey, I think we should have another one,' You're going to say, 'Yes, my stud muffin. Let me just get on my back and spread my legs,' because you know you'll love making adorable green-eyed babies with that gorgeous hunk of a man. That's your fate, Hannah. Accept it now." She patted my shoulder, almost in sympathy as I turned to frown at her.
"You say all of this, but what about—"
"Stop overthinking this, Hannah. You're gonna think yourself into some serious wrinkles. Just stop." She gave me a pointed look.
"Yeah, but—"
"What did I just say? I'm sure it sounded a lot like 'stop'. Or was it ′chop'? Hmm... nope, it was definitely 'stop'."
I sighed, conceding defeat. "You're impossible."
"Did you mean ′awesome'? 'Bestest friend ever'? I'm thrilled you're finally getting it. Wouldn't want to resort to other tricks to keep you from sabotaging your happiness. Some of those tricks involve tying you up and subjecting you to self-help audiobooks until you come to your senses. One of them is called 'Always listen to your bestie — she knows what's up'. I really recommend it."
"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response. Let me just say — psychologists would have a field day with you. You're a total nutcase," I contended, crossing my arms and turning my attention to the new game, while Bailey snickered like a maniac beside me.
I opened my mouth to tell her I'd be putting them on speed dial if she kept laughing like that, when I was suddenly pulled into a pair of slender but firm arms, and the smell of sunscreen, fresh air, and sweet deodorant enveloped me.
End of Hate to Love You Chapter 43. Continue reading Chapter 44 or return to Hate to Love You book page.