Hateful Saint by Ivy Blake

Chapter Eight

Ava

The rest of the school week passed by quicker than I expected. That was probably because I actually had something to look forward to. When I was younger, I had always been envious of the teenagers hanging out by the beach. Anytime Mom had driven past, I’d look out my window and gawk at the older kids with their surfboards and mysterious red cups, counting down the days until I could be one of them.

After Ross’s unexpected appearance at my house, I wasn’t sure how things would be at school. I kept an eye out for him, of course. It was a habit by now. But this time, I wasn’t scared that he was going to do some shit. I just wanted to know if he’d forgiven me yet. Oddly enough, it was like he was avoiding me. Anytime I caught his eye in the lunch hall, he looked away and engrossed himself in conversation with Austin and Nate. The only time he actually acknowledged me was when we brushed shoulders in the corridor, but even then, it was nothing more than a brooding look. I just couldn’t figure out how he was feeling. He’d said so much the other day that I now felt like I was walking on eggshells, anticipating his next explosion.

To my surprise, he didn’t even show up to our second geography class of that week.

“Looks like you scared him off,” Abi had joked as we’d sat in the back of Miss Wilson’s class.

“Maybe,” I said with a shrug as I tried to rack my brains for ideas about where Ross could be.

He resented me for uncovering and revealing the truth about his dad’s infidelity, which, unbeknownst to either of us, had led to his mom’s alcoholism. But I think I was coming to terms with the reason why he really resented me, and that was for leaving, even though it had been out of my control.

The image of Ross’s eyes welling up as he stood in my room came to mind. I’d wanted to wrap my arms around him and comfort him until he felt better, but I had felt stuck in place, helpless. Almost mad at myself for contributing to his feelings - even though I knew it was ridiculous to take full blame.

I was a fixer. This trait was both a blessing and a curse and often drove me crazy. I’d considered asking Sophie for advice about the whole situation, but thought against it, seeing as it was quite a private and touchy subject. Plus, I didn’t want Ross to be any more pissed than he already was. He was clearly going through a lot as is.

As I walked to Megan’s car after school, ready for the weekend to begin, I glanced over at the football pitches out of curiosity. Immediately, my eyes latched onto Ross just before he put his helmet on. I felt a weird sensation in my body as I took in the way he looked wearing his sports kit. Even though I already knew he had a nice body, one that he had clearly worked hard for, I was still taken by surprise as to just how good he looked.

It should be a crime. I tore my eyes away.

Being a thirsty creep would not solve the issues between me and Ross.

I wanted my friend back, and I was willing to accept that things weren’t going to be exactly the same as when we left. I needed an outsider’s opinion on this, someone who was far enough removed that they could offer up some insight without judgement.

Without thinking, I opened my phone and pressed on the last number I’d called. I sat down on the bench a few feet away from Megan’s car as I listened to my phone ringing.

Pick up, pick up.

I knew I was calling at an unusual time, but a girl could still hope.

“Hey, Ava, you okay?” The familiar voice immediately lessened my anxiety.

“Hey, Harrison, I’m alright. Sorry for the impromptu call. I’m just worrying over nothing. Sorry if I interrupted your day-”

“Nah, there’s no need to apologise. Anything for my little sis,” Harrison cut me off.

My body tensed up involuntarily, still getting used to the term of endearment. I was still getting used to the fact that I had an older half-brother that Mom had neglected to tell me about.

“What’s worrying you? Is it something at school?” I could hear Harrison sitting down and was grateful that he was actually willing to pay attention. I quickly ran through an abridged version of the situation between me and Ross. Once I’d finished, I made Harrison swear not to tell anyone.

“Who the hell am I going to tell? It’s not like I know any of your friends,” he chuckled.

“Harrison, please,” I hissed into the phone. I checked the time on my watch. I only had a few more minutes before I had to go.

“I promise, my lips are sealed,” Harrison said. “As to what you should do… I think you need to show him that he can trust you again.”

“How?”

“I dunno. This shit takes time, Ava. You just have to be patient. Hear him out where you can, try to be as open and honest with him…” as Harrison went on, the thought of unveiling my own secrets to Ross sent anxiety coursing through my veins. “Just try to hang out and keep things neutral. Maybe don’t talk about family stuff,” Harrison added, his voice taking on a bitter tone.

“You’re not going to be a secret forever,” I said quickly. “I just need to figure out how to tell Mom.”

“How about ‘hey Mom, you know that child you gave away for adoption when you were 17? Well I know he exists and we’re talking now, surprise!’ I think that’s pretty simple and to the point, don’t you?” I shook my head and rolled my eyes. Harrison was getting steadily more impatient, and I understood why. If I was in his position and had waited so long to find my actual family, I’d be in a rush to reveal the truth, too.

“We need to be more careful than that. I just know she’s going to flip,” I said.

“Well, it’s not like she was thinking about anyone else’s feelings when she did what she did, right? Why should we spare hers?” Harrison’s words made me feel defensive of Mom. Our mom. Even though I had my own feelings of resentment and betrayal towards her for keeping him a secret for so long, I still felt sympathy for the scared teenager she must have been.

“I know you’re pissed, Harrison. I’m pissed too. I want to let her settle in first. This isn’t something I can just-”

My sentence cut off when I caught sight of Megan, Lola and Sophie walking towards me. Shoot, I’d run out of time.

“Look, thanks for the advice. Sorry I’m cutting things off short, but I’ve got to go,” I said quickly as the girls drew closer.

“No worries, bye,” Harrison cut the line abruptly, but I didn’t have time to consider my annoyance because Sophie was already beckoning me to the car. As we drove home, I was only half tuned into the conversation. Now I had two major problems that I didn’t feel any closer to solving. My head was scrambled and I didn’t know how much longer I could deal with feeling like this.

* * *

The next morning, I let myself have a lie in before heading downstairs for breakfast. I was surprised to see Mom at the kitchen table with bacon pancakes on her plate.

“Morning,” I said, confused to see her awake at such a time when she’d usually still be in bed recovering from work.

“Morning, honey, there’s some mix in the bowl for you. Help yourself,” she pointed to the pan and bowl next to the cooker.

“Thanks,” I said. I began preparing my breakfast, sideyeing my mom. What was she up to? Had she gone through my phone and caught the messages between me and Harrison?

As I prepared my pancakes, my heart was beating so fast in my chest I was so sure she could hear it.

“Ava?” My attention snapped back to Mom.

“Yeah?”

“I asked how your first week back has been?” Mom said, before taking a sip of her coffee.

“Oh,” I said, setting the bowl down before I made a monster sized pancake. “It’s been cool, kinda weird seeing how different some people are and also how some people literally haven’t changed.”

“I’m sure. How’s Ross? You haven’t spoken much about him and I’ve been trying to get a hold of his mom but can’t-”

“Oh, he’s good. I think they’re just going through a lot as a family, you know?” I said quickly. I returned my attention to my food, flipping over the pancake with my spatula.

“I think Alice is taking the divorce pretty hard,” Mom said after a moment.

“Oh, really?” I said, turning around quickly. “What makes you say that?”

“I caught up with some of the other moms for lunch the other day and there are rumours going around that she can’t stay off the booze.” Mom grimaced and shook her head. “That Robert wasn’t any good for her, but going off with the housekeeper? That’s another level.”

“It’s crazy,” I said, shaking my head. I poured the batter for another pancake into the pan and started eating the one I’d just finished making.

“Must be really hard for Ross,” Mom said wistfully. “That’s why I think you should invite him over.” I nodded silently as I chewed my food. “Or maybe we should make something and take it over to them.”

Mom’s voice had taken on an excited tone, and the look in her eyes betrayed her enthusiasm to help. The last thing Ross, and probably his mom, would want is any sympathy or charity. They were quite a proud and private family, which is why Ross’s dad’s behaviour had been such a scandal.

“I don’t think they’d want us to do that,” I said honestly. I turned off the cooker, placed my second pancake on my plate, and joined Mom at the table.

“We should think about it,” Mom shot back. “Alice must be awfully lonely and I can’t even begin to imagine how Ross is dealing with everything.” I shrugged, not wanting to divulge any information that could be incriminating. Mom wasn’t the best at keeping her mouth shut when it came to sensitive issues like this. Unless the situation pertained to her of course. I thought about Harrison and decided to dip my nose in.

“You’ve never told me much about your time at high school. Was there much drama going on?” I realised how unsubtle I was being, but the words had already come out and it was too late to retract them. Mom chewed her food thoughtfully before swallowing hard.

“Urm, drama? Nothing out of the ordinary, I guess. People kissing people they weren’t meant to. The occasional sabotage, parties, all the normal stuff.” Mom laughed, but I could tell that she was forcing it. She was specifically refusing to go into her teenage pregnancy and everything that had happened around that. I understood if she felt embarrassed about it, especially at the time, but it still rubbed me the wrong way that she couldn’t be honest with me about it.

“Anything you regret or would do differently?” I asked, “If you could do it all over again, that is,” I added. A faraway look entered Mom’s eyes, and I got the sense that she was probably thinking about Harrison. I wanted to come clean and tell her what I knew, but the time wasn’t right yet. Besides, I still had no idea how she’d react or how badly. Not to mention who she’d be most angry at.

“I think I would have been less naïve, not as easily trusting,” she said after a minute, nodding her head slowly. “I think I wanted to see the good in everyone and sometimes that’s more damaging.”

She must have been talking about Harrison’s dad, who I knew next to nothing about. As far as Harrison knew, he lived on the other side of the world in Australia or New Zealand. I forgot which one. The main thing I remembered was that he wanted nothing to do with Harrison and wouldn’t even accept that he was his kid in the first place.

Double ouch for him.

“Did anything happen in particular?” I pressed. I knew I was probably bordering on dangerous territory, but I just couldn’t stop myself. As soon as the words came out of my mouth, it was like Mom snapped out of a trance. She was suddenly back in the kitchen with me, distanced from the schoolgirl she had once been.

“Look at you, being nosy,” she teased. Mom stood up and took both our empty plates to the dishwasher, her back turned to me.

“Can you blame me for wanting to know more about my mom?” I chuckled, even though this situation couldn’t be any less funny.

“No, but you’ve got to remember, I’m getting old now. My memory is starting to test me now.” Mom faked a laugh again, giving me the indication that the conversation was over. I’d hit a brick wall. Great.

“What time are you going out again?” she changed the subject abruptly.

“In like an hour,” I said, standing up from my chair. “I’m gonna go shower and stuff.”

“No worries. I might not be here when you get back. I’m going to lunch with some of my friends from my old book club. There are leftovers in the fridge though.”

“Thanks,” I said before leaving the room and running up the stairs.

When I got in the shower, I realised how annoyed I was at Mom for basically lying to my face. It made me wonder what else she could possibly be lying about.

Had my dad really died before I was born, or was he still lurking around somewhere? I’d always taken what my mom had said at face value, she’d been the one who raised me after all. But the day that I’d received that message from Harrison revealing the truth about who he was, I hadn’t been able to look at her in the same way. I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but it was getting harder and harder every single day. If I wasn’t careful, I’d accidentally unveil the whole secret in an episode of sleep talking or some shit, knowing me.

* * *

I heard Megan’s car in the driveway and after grabbing my bag I ran down the stairs to meet her.

“See ya later, Mom,” I called out.

“Bye, Ava, have fun!” she replied.

I opened the car door and was instantly caught off-guard by how happy and awake Megan and Sophie looked. To be fair to both of them, the beach was definitely more exciting than school. Especially since the weather looked very promising today.

“That’s a cute little bikini,” said Sophie, pointing at the strap that was peeping out from my t-shirt.

“Thanks, I actually got in on sale,” I said as I strapped myself into the backseat. “Where’s Lola?” I asked, noticing that both she and her snarky remarks were missing.

“She said she’d rather go with her actual friends,” said Megan from the front seat. “So we’ll probably see her there.”

“Fair enough.”

As we approached the beach, I could see the cars already piling up on the road. It seemed like everyone else had a similar idea to us. Even though I wasn’t in the mood to socialise en masse, I couldn’t blame them. The sun had come out, and she was doing the most. It only seemed right to bask in her glory in the golden sand and cool, salty sea.

“Can you swim?” asked Megan as the three of us grabbed our stuff and walked across the sand to find a spot. I recognised some people from school and waved when they acknowledged us.

“Urm…” I thought to myself. I remembered the last time I’d been swimming properly at a friend’s pool party. It was so embarrassing that I needed to be saved by her dad.

I was 12 too.

“I won’t drown,” I said after a moment. Sophie and Megan burst out laughing.

“You and Sophie can chill and look cute in the shallow end then,” Megan teased, flashing me a wink. My lips curled up into a smile involuntarily. Maybe I was starting to warm up to her a bit after a week of carpooling with her.

“Last one into the water is buying lunch,” Sophie yelled, tossing her belongings onto the sand.

“Fuck!” I exclaimed. I quickly stripped off my shorts and t-shirt, dropping my things onto the pile of Sophie’s stuff and beelined to the water. I was hot on Sophie’s heels and Megan was close by my side. I hadn’t planned to buy lunch for myself, let alone all three of us.

“Jeez, Sophie, have you been training or something?” Megan gasped, her lungs struggling for air. Sophie giggled like a cartoon goblin, but kept her eyes on the prize. I pumped my arms harder by my sides, and soon I was overtaking Megan. I leapt into the water without thinking, the cool waves splashing on my face.

“How does it feel to be out of pocket?” Sophie teased as she bobbed in the water.

Megan stood in the shallowest part of the water so that only her ankles were covered. Her arms were on her hips and even though she had sunglasses on, I could tell that she was a bit annoyed.

“You didn’t specify what constitutes as lunch,” she said smugly. “Bread and butter it is.”

“Bread and butter, my ass!” said Sophie. Megan waded into the water and joined us, her arms moving smoothly in the water. I had to admit, I was jealous.

We splashed about, my limbs flailing as I tried to mask the fact I couldn’t really swim. The sun beat down on us and I was grateful that I’d remembered to put on an extra layer of sunscreen as I watched Sophie’s back slowly turn red.

“It’s not that noticeable,” said Megan when Sophie pointed it out.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, it’ll go away soon.” Me and Megan shared a look behind Sophie’s back.

It was not going to go away soon, but Sophie liked to stress about the smallest things, so there was no point telling her about the extent of the redness.

We were here to have fun, after all. Anyway, she still looked cute as hell in her pink strappy bikini. Sophie’s back and shoulders were the least of her worries.

The sound of car horns and loud music permeated through the air. All three of us looked in the direction of where the noise was coming from, our eyes landing on two cars that had just pulled up. Both were convertibles, one red, the other blue, and both had their roofs down to reveal a bunch of guys.

“The football team, just what we needed,” said Sophie sarcastically.

The boys were cheering and clinking beers as they climbed out of the car wearing low rise shorts, showing off their washboard abs and bulging arms. I might have stared for a bit too long, but hey guys did it all the time.

Was it the worst thing to objectify men for once?

“You guys mind if we hang with Austin and his friends?” asked Megan as she nodded over to her boyfriend, who had his surfboard under his arm.

“We might catch up with you in a bit. You go on without us,” said Sophie, before I had a chance to open my mouth.

“Alright,” said Megan. She swam back to shore and rung her hair out as she jogged up the beach to meet Austin. I noticed that Ross and Nate were standing behind him. Ross was shielding his eyes from the sun and looking out to the sea. I wondered if he was looking for me. Suddenly feeling embarrassed, I turned around so my back was facing him, directing my attention to Sophie.

“You sure you didn’t want to go with Megan?” I asked her.

“Absolutely sure, I don’t like third wheeling.” She laughed. “Don’t let that stop you from doing what you need to do, though.” Sophie’s gaze went over my shoulder and I could tell that she was looking at Ross.

“What do you mean?” I asked. Sometimes I felt like she could read my mind or something.

“He’s looking like a snack and I know you have eyes and you’re probably hungry,” she nudged me when my mouth fell open in shock. “I’m teasing. You guys are still friends though, right?” I shrugged, unsure of where to begin.

“I guess. I dunno, Ross is a confusing guy-”

“Probably better if you focus your attention elsewhere then,” Sophie cut me off. “I mean, look at how many hot guys there are. I’d be very happy to tell you which ones to avoid and which ones to go for.”

“Do I look that desperate?” I asked with a chuckle, only half joking.

“Of course not!” Sophie exclaimed. “I just think you’re insanely hot and it’s crazy that you haven’t tried it on with anyone, that’s all!”

“Insanely hot?” I teased.

“Incredibly!” I laughed, but thanked her for the compliment.

“Oh, Ava…” Sophie’s voice took on a concerning tone.

“What?” I turned around to see what had caught her attention.

“I think Ross is taking your shit.” I quickly turned around and was horrified to see that she was right. Ross caught my eye and held up my clothes above his head like a victorious champion with a big grin spread across his face.

“Hey what the fuck?” I shouted.

Douchebag. Without thinking, I swam to shore and started marching up the beach to meet him, but of course Ross had other ideas.

“He’s getting away,” I heard Sophie call from behind me. I knew other people were watching, but I couldn’t care less. A massive cloud had just appeared in the sky, momentarily hiding the sun from view. Soon I was shivering from the cold water droplets, but I continued following Ross as he ran up the hill away from the beach.

“Ross!” I shouted, but he kept jogging away. “Fucking prick!”

I heard multiple people laughing and looked to my left to see some of the football boys watching me and cheering me on. I realised that I must have looked like a state with my wet hair plastered to me and my bikini bottoms probably sitting weirdly on my butt.

“You can do it, Ava!” someone shouted, and the other jocks cheered in harmony. I flipped them the middle finger but continued my quest. I wasn’t giving up.

Where the fuck was he going?

I paused as I reached the road, conscious that the tarmac was going to be really hot from having the sun on it all day. The mother fucker had also taken my shoes. Ross had crossed to the other side of the road and I needed to get to him so I could get my shit back.

“Ross, cut the shit. Just give me my clothes back!” I yelled at the back of his shaved head. Ross stopped and turned around, his face looking more smug than ever.

“I don’t think you want these bad enough!” He shouted as a car drove past. I growled and curled my hands into fists.

If Ross had woken up and chosen violence, then I would too.

Taking a deep breath, I half tiptoed, half ran across the road, wincing at the heat. When I got over to the other side, I realised that I’d reached a forest. The trees and plants were in full bloom, meaning that there was plenty of foliage for Ross to hide in. I called out his name a few times, my voice now sounding hoarse. I wish I’d brought my water bottle, but I hadn’t had enough time to grab it in the midst of all the chaos.

I pushed through leaves and swatted away bugs that wanted to take residence on my skin and in my hair. Finally, I got to a grassy clearing, and I was just about to sit down to take a break when I spotted Ross, still holding onto my clothes triumphantly.

“I didn’t realise it would be so easy to get your clothes off of you,” he said smugly.

“Very funny,” I said, reaching out to grab them from him. Ross held them up above his head, out of reach, flashing me a taunting smile.

“Snatching is rude,” he said in a condescending voice.

“You’re the one who fucking snatched my shit in the first place!” I jumped up to try and take my things back, but he kept moving his hands away every time I got close.

My rage threatened to spill out of my chest. I just wanted to spend a nice day with my friends. Why couldn’t he just let me do that?

My hands found Ross’s chest, and I pushed him hard, allowing him to feel all my frustration. I must have caught him off-guard because the next thing I knew, Ross had tripped on something behind him and we both went flying backwards.

My life flashed before my eyes and I was ready to black out, but when I opened my eyes and looked down, Ross’s body had broken my fall. He was lying on the ground, my clothes beside him, while I was straddling him.

My breath caught in my chest, and my heart started to quicken. What a compromising position. I watched Ross’s pupils dilate as his eyes met mine and for a second; I forgot what we were even doing.

My arms were on either side of Ross’s head, while his hands were firmly on my hips. I quickly became aware of his dick pressing against my pubic bone and knew that I should pull myself away, but couldn’t bring myself to do it.

It was like we were both caught in a trance. Our eyes searching each other’s faces, waiting for a sign as to what to do next. My eyes fell to his lips and up close, I could see just how pink and full they were.

A wave of sense passed through my body and I attempted to climb off of Ross. Ross held me still with his big firm hands, his eyes locked onto mine. His gaze sent shivers through my body and made my clit pulse against my will.

As if he could sense this, Ross’s lips curled into a devilish smirk and he brought one hand to my face, his touch setting me on fire. Before I could protest, Ross was guiding my lips to his. The moment our lips touched, I felt like I was going to explode.

It was like I was outside of my body or like my brain had gone on vacation, banishing all rational thought. Ross’s hands were kneading my ass as I grinded on him, our kisses getting deeper as we lost ourselves in each other. An involuntary moan escaped from my mouth as Ross reached up and grabbed my boobs, squeezing them roughly with both of his hands. His kisses grew hungrier, more urgent, and I met each one with enthusiasm as I ran my fingers down his sexy chest. I’d dreamt of kissing him since we were kids, but I’d never imagined it would feel like this. Like flying, like forgetting my own name.

Catching me by surprise, in one swift motion, Ross had wrapped his arm around my waist and flipped me over so that he was on top of me. An animalistic growl escaped his throat, and I shuddered with pleasure as he lowered himself on top of me, pressing his rock hard erection against my throbbing clit. I was annoyed by the thin swimwear that was in the way- I desperately wanted it off.

“Fuck,” Ross purred as he traced hungry kisses down my throat and across my exposed breasts, his hands journeying up and down my thighs. I moaned against his touch, desperate for more even though I knew it was greedy and that we should stop and talk.

“Ross,” I breathed as his hand found my clit through my bikini bottoms. “We should talk.”

“Shut up,” he growled, his hand now on my throat.

Ross’s eyes flashed with dangerous seduction as he rubbed circles into my clit. I squirmed with pleasure from his touch. No guy had ever been able to find the right spot, let alone that quick. I felt my back arch as I leaned into Ross’s touch. Even though he’d pinned me down, was choking me and pressing his lips to mine to stop me from talking, I felt safe in his arms. I hadn’t realised how much I’d been aching for him to touch me like this until we’d fallen on top of each other.

I felt drops of rain splash on my legs and forehead and looked up to see that the heavens had decided to erupt at that moment.

“Fuck’s sake,” said Ross as he leapt off of me. He offered me a hand to get up, and I gladly took it. The rain was getting heavier by the second, as if the sun hadn’t been out mere moments ago. This shit looked apocalyptic. At least my bikini was waterproof.

“Oh my god,” I said, using my hands to shield myself, which I soon realised was pointless.

“Here, get on my back.” Ross bent his knees in front of me and I couldn’t believe what he was asking me to do. What if I was too heavy and he couldn’t support my weight?

“I know I’m a great kisser, but please come back down to earth, Ava,” he said, looking over his shoulder at me. “If you hadn’t noticed, it’s fucking raining, and I’d rather not get soaked.”

“You sure I should get on?” I asked warily, tentatively grabbing onto his tanned shoulders.

“Yes!” Ross helped me climb onto his back, the rain still falling around us. I wrapped my legs around his torso like a koala. Ross picked up my clothes that had been abandoned on the ground during our impromptu make-out session and starting pacing it out of the forest.

Ross was fast, even with me on his back. Clearly, I had nothing to worry about, as he was evidently strong enough to carry my weight while running through the rain. As the road and the beach came into view, I could see other people running to their cars to get out of the sudden bout of torrential rain. I spotted Megan and Sophie heading to the car and pointed them out to Ross. He ignored me and instead took me in the opposite direction to them, lowering me down in front of the red convertible.

“Get in,” he ordered me, opening the door with his free hand.

“Okay,” I squeaked. I wasn’t going to protest if it meant getting a free ride. I’d explain everything to Sophie and Megan later. Maybe not everything, but I’d at least apologise for disappearing. I was sure they’d understand, especially since they’d watched Ross run away with my shit earlier.

Ross slammed the passenger door shut before jumping into the driver’s seat. He pressed a button that quickly brought the roof up before fastening his seatbelt.

“Should we wait for your friends?” I asked, not realising how breathless I was. Which was odd because I hadn’t had to move as much. I guess I was still reeling from the events that had happened in the forest. If the rain hadn’t started, what would have happened next?

Ross looked at me sideways and wiped a droplet of rain from the bridge of his nose.

“They’ll find a way home,” he said in a gravelly voice. “Let’s get you back and warmed up.” The rain had darkened his long eyelashes, and I had to force myself to look away out of fear that he’d think I was being creepy for looking too long.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” I said, looking out the window. The beach was mostly empty save for one group of teenagers that had decided to embrace the rain and dance around near the waterfront. Whatever worked for them.

I, on the other hand, was ready to have a warm shower and get into my pyjamas. Ross started the engine and reversed out of his parking spot without saying a word. The silence between us as we drove home was deafening, and I had no clue who’s responsibility it was to break it.

Did he want to talk about what had just happened, or had it been a momentary lapse in judgement?

“Ava?” I turned to face Ross at the sound of his velvety voice.

“Yeah?” I asked expectantly. His eyes were focused on the traffic, one hand resting leisurely on the steering wheel.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for a while,” said Ross. A smirk twitched at the corner of his lips. Lips that I’d finally had a chance to taste. Butterflies swirled in my stomach as I struggled to find the appropriate response.

“I thought you hated me,” I said coolly, giving him the chance to explicitly prove me wrong. Ross chuckled, then glanced sideways at me.

“Two things can be right at the same time, can’t they?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, I punched him in the arm and Ross spent the rest of the journey home making a big show out of the fact that I had hurt him.

Ignoring his fake dramatic cries, I couldn’t help but notice how his body was less tense than it had been the last time I’d been with him.