I Hated You First by Rachel John

Lauren

 

 

 

The O’Dells had shown up just in time to make things extra awkward. Our life-long neighbors, Patty and Roger, had always teased Clay and I about how we were meant to end up together, and like the rest of their conspiracy theories, they’d convinced absolutely no one in the past. Well, I was secretly in agreement with them on the Roswell cover-up thing.

Patty put her hands to her cheeks and looked at Clay and me as if we had just fulfilled all her day-time soap opera fantasies. “Aren’t the two of you adorable? Absolutely adorable. Like I always say—” She cut off when she saw Denver standing next to me and blinked. “That uh, you young people are the cutest. Who’s this?”

“This is Denver. So, lunch is ready?”

I grabbed Denver’s hand and went to claim our seats at the table. Dad came around and shook Denver’s hand before sitting next to him and politely asking him about sports teams and hobbies and lots of totally normal things that made me suspicious. Dad never made small talk.

It was because he knew I’d overheard him talking to Clay and he wanted to make up for it. That was all. I took a long drink of lemonade before reaching out for Jax. My appetite had gone dormant, and I knew Melissa would relish the chance to eat with both hands. She handed him over like I’d volunteered as tribute for her in the Hunger Games.

It wasn’t just my dad. The whole family was super nice to Denver during the meal, and that only made me feel worse. It didn’t matter. Denver was already breaking up with me, or un-dating me, or whatever you did when you went on a handful of dates with a person and decided it was better to not call again.

I could see it in his body language, in the way he studied Clay when he thought no one else was looking. It didn’t stop Denver from eating steak. I think he ate three, along with two baked potatoes and a whole plate of salad. I almost smiled. Going out to eat with him had always been fun. He made food an event, a concept I could really get behind. And now it was all over. Back to meeting guys who thought it was romantic to text and ask for sexy pictures. I had an image of a warthog on my phone for just such occasions before I blocked their numbers.

“What happened with the alarm going off?” I asked Parker, realizing I wasn’t being a part of the conversation as much as I should be. I took my slice of key lime pie from Mom without meeting her eyes. She’d be able to read me if I looked at her too closely, and I wasn’t ready for that. I’d cry with her later, when I knew exactly what it was that made me want to cry.

“Nothing. A cottontail probably tripped it going through the fence.” Parker glanced from me, to Clay, to Denver, and back again, and I inwardly flinched. There was a curiosity there, a wariness. Clay was his friend, not mine. I was getting in the way of Parker’s perfectly ordered life, messing things up. As the middle kid, Parker was naturally territorial. And as the baby, I was the one who got everything. Or so he thought.

But I wasn’t taking anything from Parker. Not this time. He was seeing something that wasn’t there, the way the O’Dells saw Elvis as alive and kicking and Bigfoot hiding in the woods, leaving trails of DNA for the Travel Channel to capitalize on. Yeah, maybe Clay found me attractive, but only enough to tease when nobody else was around to see it. I swallowed the lump in my throat and told myself I didn’t care.

“This key lime pie is amazing.” Denver shook his head. “Thanks so much, Mrs. H.”

Mom smiled. I don’t think anyone had ever called her that, and I could tell she liked it.

“When will the bucket truck be ready to rent out?” Dad asked Clay.

They went back and forth over repair issues, and I tuned them out until Denver nudged my arm. “Clay works with you?”

“Yep.”

“I see.”

I’m sure he did. Denver was a lot of things, but stupid was not one of them.

“Are you ready?” I asked, noticing his empty pie plate. He hadn’t left a crumb.

We said our goodbyes right there at the table, and I took our two dessert plates into the kitchen to rinse before we walked out. Denver followed me to my truck and opened my door for me before going around and getting in the passenger side. He pulled out his phone and stared at it for several minutes while I drove.

I actually jumped when he finally spoke. “It’s really hard to read you, Lauren. And I’m good with just hanging out, but not if you’re secretly hooking up with some guy from work on the side. That’s too complicated for me.”

“I’m not… I’ve never hooked up with anyone.” I thought he knew that about me, even though I’d never come out and said it.

He put his phone down and looked at me for several beats. “And I’m so good with that. Good for you. But that dude’s not your brother. I was relieved when you said he wasn’t. There was like, so much sexual tension there when I walked up.”

I blinked, trying to focus on the road. “I’m sorry. I just put you through the worst date ever. You were such a good sport, and I made a fool of myself.” I pulled at my collar, knowing my apology didn’t even begin to cut it. I turned and caught Denver smiling at me.

“They don’t know, do they? Your family?”

“Know what?”

“That you and Clay have somethin-somethin going on.” He saw my look and immediately corrected himself. “That you two wish you had somethin-somethin going on.”

I let out a huge sigh. “I don’t think they know. But nothing’s happened with me and Clay. Ever.”

“Nothing?”

“You don’t want to hear this, Denver.”

“Yeah, I do. I just got friend-zoned. So no more giving me the vault every time I ask about your life.”

He still wanted to be friends with me? I didn’t know whether to be flattered or offended. I hadn’t broken his heart. Not even a little bit. In fact, I had a feeling he had a list of girls to call when he got home. I wished I could conjure up just a little bit of jealousy over that, but I felt only disappointment.

“Nothing is going to happen between me and Clay. We work together, and he’s my brother’s best friend. They’ve always had each other’s backs. If Clay had to pick, he’d choose his friendship with my brother over a relationship with me all day, every day. And that includes giving me a hard time, because that’s what Parker likes to do.”

“That’s messed up.”

“Yeah. I think Clay could be a decent guy if he tried, but he doesn’t. I’m at peace with that.”

“No, you’re not.”

“No, I’m not.” I smiled.

We’d reached Denver’s house, the one he shared with several roommates. He leaned over and gave me a hug before hopping out and slamming the passenger door. I would have thought he was angry with me if I wasn’t already familiar with his passion for slamming doors to make sure they shut. The truck window was down, and he leaned in, resting his arms on the door frame. “I’ll call you, sometime. I don’t know when.”

“Okay.” I loved his honesty. Everything with Denver was open and real. I’d never get that with anyone else, least of all Clay, and that was why my mission when I returned to my parents’ house was damage control. When I was done, not only would Clay be convinced I was indifferent to him, but everyone else would be, too.