I Swear I Still Hate Him (Atlas Lawson) novel Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Emery’s POV

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Howard’s eyes lit up when he saw me, and he started walking over, that soft smile already stretching across his face.

“You made it,” he said, sounding genuinely happy to see me.

I gave him a little grin. “Of course. I wasn’t about to miss out on free pizza and wings. That would be a crime.”

Howard chuckled, his whole face brightening. “Just this way,” he said, motioning toward the living room. I nodded and followed him, my fingers curling around the strap of my bag. I could already hear a bunch of guys laughing in the back, and the sound of a soda can cracking open.

Okay, not bad. So far, no one had tackled anyone or flung a hockey puck through a window. Progress. And Howard was right here. That made it easier.

Way easier.

The living room was loud, controllers clicking, guys yelling at the screen, a couple of curse words thrown around like confetti, but none of them even looked up when Howard introduced me. Charming. I followed him into the kitchen, grateful for the slight quiet. My eyes did a quick scan: counter stacked with pizza boxes, wings in foil trays, soda cans everywhere. Basically, a college athlete’s dream buffet.

Howard reached into the fridge and held up two cans, wiggling them at me. “Pick your poison.”

One was a hard seltzer, the other Mountain Dew. And as much as I craved the light buzz of a drink, I had a meet coming up. No way was I letting Sophie’s ice glare slice through me at practice tomorrow.

“Mountain Dew,” I said, pointing.

He smiled and passed it to me. “Good choice. And now…” he opened a pizza box like it was a treasure chest, “your wings and pizza, m’lady.”

“Yes, baby!” I cheered, grabbing a slice with both hands like it was a trophy. The first bite made me close my eyes and groan dramatically, “Mmmmh. Worth it.”

Howard laughed, leaning against the counter as he watched me eat like I hadn’t had food in weeks. His eyes softened a bit, but then he looked past me and lifted his hand in a wave. “Cap!”

I turned, and there he was. Atlas, in all his tall, broody glory. His hair was messy, but not in a just fought a windstorm kind of way, more like just rolled out of bed and still looked like a damn Calvin Klein model kind of way. He had on a black jacket, sleeves pushed up just enough to show off the veins on his forearms, like, okay, sir, we get it. Your blood flows dramatically. His jaw looked even sharper tonight, clenched slightly like he was chewing on a thought. Or maybe just annoyed.

And then his eyes landed on me. There was a flicker, something unreadable. A shift in the air. And for a

second… was that tension?

His expression gave away nothing but I swear I saw his iaw twitch

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Chapter 45

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“Cap, you remember Emery, right?” Howard asked, completely unaware that this wasn’t just a cute intro.

Atlas’s eyes stayed on me. “Yeah.”

I smiled stiffly, willing my hands not to fumble the pizza slice. “We’re actually project partners in Finance, I added quickly, like that somehow erased the fact that we also shared a wall and a long, complicated history.

“Oh, that’s cool.” Howard nodded.

“It’s nice to see you, Emery,” Atlas said with a small smile, polite but distant, and then turned toward the living room. “I should check on the other guys.”

“Yeah, sure,” Howard said casually.

I watched Atlas walk away, back straight, expression unreadable.

The moment he was gone, I took a long sip of my soda, trying to ignore the twist in my stomach. Why did he look at me like that? And more importantly… why did it bother me so much?

The night was going great. I was well fed, played some video games, and even beat Ford’s ass-twice. I’d been chatting with Howard on the couch, laughing more than I probably should’ve, and everything felt light. Fun.

Except for one thing.

Atlas.

He’d been quiet the entire night. Like, weirdly quiet. Just sitting there, nursing a beer, eyes distant, barely saying a word.

Was he okay?

I mean, sure, Atlas can be reserved when he wants to be, but this… this felt different. Like something was on his mind.

Or maybe I was just in my head again. Overanalyzing like always. Maybe he was just committing to our little “pretend we don’t know each other on campus” agreement. Method acting or something. Well, that was until my phone beeped.

A message from Atlas.

Atlas: Come upstairs. Second room on your left.

I stared at it for a second, my heart weirdly thudding.

Atlas: Please.

Okay… that didn’t sound like casual roommate energy.

I leaned toward Howard. “I’m gonna use the restroom real quick.”

“Oh, want me to show you where…”

Chapter 45

“No, no, I’m good,” I said, smiling. “Just tell me which one?”

“Third door on your right.”

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Perfect. I absolutely did not go that way. My heart thumped as I climbed the stairs, turning down the hallway until I stopped in front of the right door.

Deep breath, Emery.

I opened it and stepped inside. The moment the door clicked shut, arms wrapped around me from behind, fast and tight.

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