Hatred With Benefits novel Chapter 39

EVA.

I make my way inside the bathroom and Emerson walks in through his side at the same time. His gaze drops down my body and without a word, he moves out of the room.

A sigh leaves my mouth as I turn to the sink. It's been a week since that morning on his bed, and things have turned wholly bad for both of us. There have been no snarky comments from him, no looks of annoyance and no mocking words just to taunt me; no form of interaction at all and the only time he speaks to me is when he's buried inside me. Whatever came over him from that day, he's following strictly with our arrangement and I'm aggravated to admit that I miss the other side of him. I told him to follow the rules, only to discover following the rules rigidly might not be so fun after all.

Pulling out of Emerson's thoughts and stripping out of my clothes, I walk through the glass door and move under the shower. I turn it on and place my hands on the wall with my head hanging between the space as I let the cold water run down my body, soothing the skin and calming my nerves.

After spending a longer time than necessary inside the bathroom, I make my way out of the room and it isn't long before I hear the click of the door and the running of the shower– which tells me Emerson is inside.

I bite down on my lips as I move from my spot and stride towards my closet for my clothing for the day, and I settle with a short skirt and a boxy crop top.

I clad my body in the clothing and pull my hair into a tight bun before I slide my feet into my flats and walk out of the room with my bag hanging off my shoulder.

As I walk inside the living room, Emerson emerges from the kitchen dressed in his usual attire with a key dangling off his pinky finger.

To strike a conversation, I part my lips to speak. "Hey, do you think–" Emerson doesn't let me finish my words before he cut me off. "I'm heading out first. See you later, Carson. " And those are the only words he utters before he walks past me, and shuts the door behind him as he moves out, leaving me on my spot.

~

"She asked you out on a date?" I repeat Aliya's words as we walk across the field after class and she bobs her head in response to my words before she opens her mouth to speak, "A formal date, or at least that's what she called it. She said I can't decline either. "

"And you said Chloe? Not Sage?" I point out for clarification and Aliya's shoulders sink into a sigh as she halts her steps and turns to me. "I was just as surprised as you are when she told me. "

At the indecision that encircles my best friend's entire form; I open my mouth and say, "I think you should go. "

Aliya's head snaps to me, and before she can speak; I continue, "To get a chance to see another side of Chloe. Maybe that'll heighten your opinion about her. It'll give you a clearer view of the kind of person she is, and I think that'll make things easier for the three of you. I mean, you got to meet that side of Sage, it only makes sense that you give the other one a chance too. "

"Eva Carson. " Aliya calls with a grin. "Sometimes, you're just too smart for yourself. "

"I know. " I mumble with a proud smile. "Brain is the new sexy, bitch. "

Aliya laughs and shakes her head before the sound dies down from a voice that doesn't belong to either of us.

"Hey ladies. " Dan stands in front of me, and I throw him a smile as I say, "Hey, you. "

"Evie, I need to leave. " Aliya says, and I turn to meet her eyes. She waves her phone in front of her with an apologetic look on her face and I nod in understanding, giving her the gesture to move.

"Text me, yeah?" She squeezes my shoulder and nods her head as a form of greeting to Dan before she skips away from us. And as I watch her go, my eyes catch the sight of Emerson moving out of the campus with a new girl I've never seen with him. They look close. Ridiculously close with his arm across her shoulder and her body perched to his side. Closer than necessary.

"I guess luck is on my side today. " I tear my gaze away from him at Dan's words, to settle it on his and he says, "I was going to ask you to come to my place? Hang out a bit?"

I should decline. I shouldn't agree with it, knowing what's bound to come from it, but it's said that people tend to make crazier decisions when they're not in the right state of mind and that's the only excuse for the answer I give Dan.

"I don't see why not. " His lips curve into a wide smile and he places his hand on the small of my back as he leads me to where his bike is parked.

~

"I didn't know you were in the fraternity. " I tell Dan as I climb off his bike and pass him his helmet, and he removes his before he says, "You met me here, remember?"

"I did. " I agree with his words as he hangs the helmet by the handle and gets off the bike. "I just didn't know you stay here. You never mentioned it either. "

"We both managed to miss that slight detail of where we live; how couple like, don't you think?" Dan jokes and a chuckle slips through my parted lips before I say, "I don't think so. "

"You just hurt me daily, Eva. " A playful hurtful expression climbs on his face as he crosses a hand over his chest and we both break into a laugh.

"Come on. " He says, motioning for me to follow him and I trail behind him as we walk inside the house, and stroll down the hallway before we arrive in front of his room.

"Bigger than I expected. " I tell Dan as we walk inside the room and he hurries to gather things that are littered across the floor.

"I pulled some strings. You can grab a seat on the bed. " He motions to the single bed in the room and I look around for chairs, only to end up with none.

As I walk to the bed and take a seat, I tease Dan and say, "Do you have no other seats inside this room on purpose, Dan?"

He raises his head to me as he dumps the clothes to the side with a tiny smirk playing by the corners of his lips, "Maybe I did. Makes things easier, don't you think?" He winks and a laugh falls from my mouth.

"Do you want anything?" He asks as he strides towards me to settle beside me and I give a shake of my head, letting my bag fall off my shoulder.

"No, I'm good for now. So... What are we doing, Dan?" I blink up at him and a smile crosses his lips as he pushes his face closer to mine and says, "You shouldn't act innocent, Eva. "

I drop my gaze to the swipe of his tongue across his lips before I lift it to meet his eyes and I raise my brows, "Am I supposed to know?"