Hate to Date You (Dating #4) - Monica Murphy Page 0,11

cross street. A cool breeze wafts over me, bringing with it the briny scent of the ocean and I reconsider my plan.

But then the door swings open and out walks Stella, her shoes clicking in the otherwise quiet night. She’s completely unaware of the fact that I’m standing only a few feet away from her, and I realize quick I don’t want to scare the crap out of her.

“Stel.” I step out of the shadows, revealing myself, and she shrieks when she spots me, her arm going back almost reflexively, her purse dangling from her fingers like she was going to slug me with it.

“Holy shit, Carter, you scared me!” She drops her arm to her side, her other hand going to rest against her chest. I can only imagine how hard her heart must be pounding.

Wincing, I shift closer to her. “I’m sorry. I tried not to.”

A big sigh leaves her and she tilts her head, contemplating me. “Waiting for your Uber?”

I haven’t even ordered one yet. “Sure.”

She looks around, and I wonder if she’s trying to avoid my gaze. “Want me to wait with you?”

I’m surprised she’d offer. “I’m good. I just—I wanted to make sure you’re not angry. With me.” When she sends me a questioning glance, I explain myself further. “Angry that I’m now your roommate.”

“Well, you did sort of trick me.” She moves so she’s standing right beside me, both of us facing the mostly abandoned street. “But it’s fine.”

“Is it really?”

“I suppose.” She wraps her arms around her waist, as if she’s trying to ward off that cool ocean breeze, and I’m half tempted to pull her in close to me to warm her up.

But I don’t.

“You don’t plan on staying at the apartment for long, do you?” she asks after we’re quiet for a moment.

“Of course not.” Honestly? I have no idea. I have no plan of action for once in my life, and I feel a little…lost.

Not that I’d admit that to anyone. Certainly not to the woman I’m standing next to.

“As long as you stay out of my hair, we’ll be fine,” she says with all the reassurance I’m searching for. “And I’ll stay out of yours.”

“I won’t be home much,” I tell her, though I have no idea if that’s the truth. “You’ll barely have to deal with me.”

“Perfect,” she says, turning to look at me. “That sounds ideal.”

I’m irritated by her cool demeanor. How she almost acts like she doesn’t want me there. This shouldn’t surprise me. She’s mad and I can’t blame her. I fucked up. Worse, I never apologized for what I did, which makes me an asshole.

“Can we start over?” I ask her, like a complete idiot. I should just say sorry. Right here. Right now. Her brows wrinkle like I’ve just confused her so I keep talking. “Put everything in the past where it belongs and start fresh?”

Now her delicate brows are arching upwards. “You want to pretend that what happened between us a year ago…never did?”

“Exactly,” I say with an enthusiastic nod.

Her arms dropping to her sides, she turns to face me, her finger darting out to poke me in the chest. “You wish it was that easy. I’m not the type to forgive and forget, Carter.”

I’m shocked by the hostility in her tone, but I tell myself I shouldn’t be. “Okay, I get it. You’re right. What happened between us last year—shouldn’t have.”

“Right. So you want to forget everything.” The hurt on her face is unmistakable. “I should tell your sister I don’t want you living with me after all. And I should tell her the exact reason why.”

She starts to walk away, but I’m faster than her. I catch up easily, walking beside her, matching her brisk pace. “I didn’t phrase that correctly.”

“I think you phrased it exactly the way you feel about this. About us. About me.” Stella comes to a stop and so do I. Her eyes are narrowed and her lips are thinned as she contemplates me. “I’m your dirty little secret. Don’t worry. We never have to talk about it again.”

Stella shakes my hand off her arm and stalks off, stopping at the edge of the sidewalk, looking this way and that before she darts across the road, toward Sweet Dreams and her—soon to be our—apartment above it.

Well. I handled that pretty fucking badly, now didn’t I?

Six

Considering I pissed Stella off so thoroughly in front of the restaurant after Alex and Caroline left, I figured my ass was