At First Hate (Coastal Chronicles)

He released me with a sigh. I wasn’t playing into any of the games he was used to. I could see it in that moment that he had no idea what to make of me.

“Probably. March Madness?”

I nodded. “I’ll make a bracket. Winner takes all.”

His grin was devilish at those words. “I accept.”

Then, he disappeared back into the stadium.

I released my breath. Shit. I was in way too deep.

Amelia cleared her throat. “You ready?”

“Yeah,” I said, stepping back toward her. “Let’s go.”

“So…” Amelia said, glancing my way. “You’re dating my brother?”

“Definitely no.”

“He’s into you.”

“I think it’s just a conquest thing. I’m the one thing he can’t have.”

She shook her head. “No. I know Derek. I’ve never seen him look at anyone else like that.”

I laughed because I just couldn’t fathom how that could be true. “Come on, Amelia.”

She shrugged. “Believe what you want, but find me a hot guy to make out with tonight, yeah?”

“That is much easier than discussing your brother,” I said as we headed out.

No Derek in sight. No confusing looks or mixed messages. We’d see how March Madness went and figure out what was going on between us then.

14

Duke

April 5, 2010

Lora tipped her drink toward me. She’d been drunk for the last hour, and the game hadn’t even started. “So, tell me again… what happens if you win this bet?”

I leaned against the couch in Ash Talmadge’s off-campus house. Unsurprisingly, his parents had gotten him a place in Durham for college in the same way that Derek’s parents had, and he was throwing a national championship party. Because Duke was in the national championship.

“Technically, I’ve already won.”

UNC had fizzled out in the tournament, and Duke was about to clinch the title for the fourth time. Neither of us had called in for the end of the bet, even when UNC lost. It was as if we were both holding our breath to see how far this would all go.

“Yeah, but still…”

“She gets to get back at him for what he did… or something, right?” Brinley asked. “It’s a feud.”

I nodded. “We’ve been feuding since high school. He keeps fucking up my relationships, and I keep messing up his. So, now, we’re in a holding pattern.”

“Okay,” Lora said, tipping her cup forward and nearly pouring her drink out. “Hear me out. What if you just hooked up instead?”

I snorted.

Brinley cackled. “I said the same thing. But she swears that it’s platonic.”

“Yeah right,” Lora said. “You want him bad.”

I flushed at the comment. I did. I didn’t know what had happened over the last couple months. But Derek and I had started texting, and we hadn’t stopped. Not just about the bet. Actually, we never talked about it anymore. He was gone a lot for the tournament, and he sent pictures from wherever he ended up. What had gone from a feud and bet had morphed into something that I could hardly deny to my friends, let alone myself.

And then Derek walked into the house. Ash called his name, and they shook hands, laughing and heading to the kitchen to tap the keg. But for one split second, Derek turned away from Ash and glanced into the living room, as if he were looking for something. He found me, and his smile brightened. He’d been looking for me. My cheeks heated at that one glance. Then, he was gone.

“Girllll,” Lora drawled. “If you don’t fuck that, I’m going to.”

Brinley and I both burst into laughter. Lora wasn’t even going to make it through the game. I’d also been drinking steadily since I’d gotten here, but I didn’t want to get too drunk. I wanted to remember the game. And whatever might happen after.

Derek and Ash came back out of the kitchen with a bunch of Ash’s frat brothers. For the first time, I realized what Derek’s shirt said.

“You didn’t!” I said.

He arched an eyebrow. “What?” He pulled his shirt out for me to see. “You don’t like it?”

Duke was playing Butler in the national championship, and the bastard had gotten a Butler shirt to wear to the party. Such an asshole instigator.

“Where did you even get that?”

“Bought it online.” Derek sank into the open space next to me. Our knees and hips touched. I shivered slightly.

“I can’t believe you.”

“Had to support the correct team at a Duke party,” he said with a lazy smirk.

“You’re a dick,” Ash said with a laugh. “Why do I put up with you?”

“Because you’ve known me your entire life?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“So, Derek,” Lora said, batting her eyelashes at him, “what’s your plan after graduation?”

“Ahhh,” Ash said dramatically. He punched Derek in the shoulder. “Tell them.”

I looked at him expectantly. We hadn’t talked about the future. He was graduating in May. But we hadn’t discussed what would come next. As if we’d called a time-out on the clock moving forward.