I Swear I Still Hate Him (Atlas Lawson) novel Chapter 108

Chapter 108

Emery’s POV

“Guys… we’re all gonna die!!!”

Ford burst into the living room like he was being chased by a pack of wolves, or maybe just his unpaid parking tickets.

We all paused mid-snack, drinks in hand, heads whipping around to stare at him.

“Did he hit his head on the elevator again?” Jazz whispered to me, biting into a slice of pepperoni pizza.

Ford dropped dramatically onto the couch, arms splayed like a fainting Victorian lady. “Ugh. You guys are no fun.”

Sam, who was curled up beside me with her legs crossed under her, rolled her eyes and stood. “You’re a terrible actor, babe,” she said, planting a kiss on his cheek.

He scoffed like she’d just offended his entire bloodline. “I’ll have you know I played Romeo twice in middle school. Got standing ovations.”

“Because the curtain got stuck and people couldn’t leave,” Omar deadpanned through a mouthful of powdered donuts.

Ford gasped, placing a hand over his heart. “Rude.”

“And,” he added, pointing a dramatic finger at Atlas, “you said I should go into acting!”

We all turned to look at Atlas, who shrugged without a single shred of guilt. “What? He’s got talent.”

“Thank you, Cap,” Ford said with a wink.

“Yeah, if they ever invent an Oscar for ‘Most Dramatic Overreaction,’ you’re a lock,” Jazz said, tossing a grape at him.

I leaned forward from the oversized beanbag I was sprawled on. “Or maybe ‘Best On-Stage Cry That Looked Like a Sneeze.””

“Or ‘Most Handsome But Completely Hopeless,” Howard added, not even glancing up from the game he was playing on his phone.

Ford narrowed his eyes. “Okay, first of all, screw all of you. Second, I did not invite you heathens into my penthouse to get verbally body-slammed.”

We all broke into laughter, the kind that shakes your shoulders and makes your stomach hurt.

Even Ford, despite his attempt to scowl, was smiling like a goof.

“Fuck you assholes,” he muttered, flopping back into the couch like the true drama queen he is.

“Okay, so tell us, babe,” Sam said, now officially lounging in Ford’s lap like a smug cat. “Why’d you call us all to yet another one of your massive penthouses? What’s the occasion this time?”

Ford cleared his throat dramatically, like he was about to deliver a TED Talk. “Well, first of all… we survived our first semester of freshman year.”

Jazz, ever the realist, raised a brow. “We still have, like, a week left. Finals haven’t even hit yet.”

Ford waved her off like she’d just disrespected his entire existence. “Details, details. Let me have my moment.”

He held up his half-empty root beer like it was a trophy.

“When I got to college, I was expecting chaos, parties, failed classes, maybe a couple of hot TAs…”

Omar coughed. “So… your life exactly as it is now?”

“Exactly,” Ford said with a grin. “But then I met you guys. And somehow, the chaos became… home. I got myself a badass girlfriend, friends who’ve seen me cry over pizza, don’t deny it, and a found family I didn’t know I needed. So yeah, I just wanna say… thanks. For being the people I didn’t know I was looking for.”

For a second, it got quiet. Like, actual quiet. Then…

“Awwwwww,” we all chorused like a bunch of second graders at a puppy parade.

Ford rolled his eyes. “Ugh. You guys suck.”

“That was actually really sweet,” I said, smiling as I leaned into the bean bag. “Kinda sappy. But sweet.”

Yeah, that was straight-up Oscar-worthy, babe,” Sam teased, twisting in his lap to face him fully. She cupped his jaw with both hands, pulling him into a slow, deep kiss that started sweet but turned filthy in about three seconds, her hips rocking down just enough to make him groan low against her mouth, hands sliding up under her tank to grip her bare back.

Ford’s fingers dug in, pulling her tighter as the kiss got messier….tongues, soft moans, her nails scraping lightly through his hair like she was two seconds from climbing him right there.

“Okay, that’s enough,” Omar groaned, chucking a throw pillow at them. “Or at least get a room, damn. Some of us are trying to enjoy the vibes without a live porno.”

Ford broke the kiss just long enough to flash Omar a shit-eating grin, lips red and swollen, eyes dark. “Wanna join us?” He wiggled his brows exaggeratedly, one hand sliding down to squeeze Sam’s ass openly, making her gasp and laugh at the same time.

Omar gagged dramatically, hand over his mouth like he was about to hurl. “Hard pass. I like my retinas unburned, thanks.”

We all cracked up, our laughter filling the whole room, it was warm, cozy…nice.

Ford wasn’t the only one feeling sentimental tonight. I was too.

For the first time in a long time, I had a real squad. Not the fake “I’ll cheat off your test then pretend we’re

I swallowed, eyes darting from Howard’s hopeful face… to Atlas…his reaction was calm but I could see the subtle clench of his jaw.

The cafeteria literally loud seconds ago, went so quiet it felt fake. Like we were in a movie and someone pressed pause.

All eyes on me.

All I could think was: Say something. Anything.

But I was frozen in place, a jersey offer hanging in the air… and my heart in someone else’s hands.

What am I going to do??