Dear Heart, I Hate You

To be honest, I hadn’t even thought about what kind of music Cal might enjoy, but hearing him hum along to the song now playing on the radio made me giggle.

He stopped humming and glanced my way. “I like all kinds of music, but I’m on a country kick right now. I can put on something else if you don’t like it. What’s your favorite?”

Grinning at him, I said, “I’m sure you’d love to listen to some Top 40 pop music. I can see you now, singing along to Bieber and One Direction.” I liked a lot of music too, but I loved pop the best. Always had.

He stifled a smile as he yanked his hand from my leg. “You like Justin Bieber and One Direction? Out of my car.” He pointed at the door as the city whizzed past.

“Oh, please,” I said with a huff. “You probably love all their music and you don’t even know it.”

He laughed before returning his hand to its rightful place. “I might. Do you want me to turn it on?”

“No, it’s fine. I like country. I like everything except hard rock and old metal. Ick.” I stuck my tongue out and made a face.

Nodding, he said, “I can tolerate pretty much anything except techno. It all sounds the same, and it makes me want to punch someone in the face. Repeatedly.” To make his point, he scowled as he mimicked the nst-nst sound of a synthesizer.

“I think that’s the exact opposite reaction you’re supposed to have when listening to techno, Cal. Something’s wrong with you.”

A moment later, we came to a stop behind a long line of cars. He released my leg and opened the glove compartment, removing a pass of some sort as the stadium came into view.

When we pulled into the parking lot, he rolled down the window and stopped next to a young guy walking toward us wearing a bright yellow vest and carrying a handheld machine. Cal showed him the pass.

“You know where you’re going?” the attendant asked.

“Yep. Thanks.”

“Don’t forget to put that on your dashboard so it’s visible.”

“Will do.”

Cal pulled forward and navigated his way through the massive parking lot. I had no idea where we were going but I was already in awe, and we hadn’t even entered the stadium yet.

The Donovan Brothers

Cal

After parking the car, I grabbed both the sweatshirt and the jacket for Jules, not knowing how cold she might get during the game, and reached for her hand.

She looked even prettier than she had last night, that blue sweater doing a number against her tanned skin. I had to admit I’d been a little worried that things might be uncomfortable between us, not for any particular reason other than a little time had passed and things from last night had been able to settle.

But the second I saw Jules step out of the elevator, all those concerns disappeared. There was no weirdness at all. Yes, there were lots of other feelings and thoughts—desire, want, lust, holy hell, she looks good enough to eat—but no awkwardness, which both intrigued and scared me. So I pushed them away, shoved them deep inside as if they didn’t exist.

I picked up our tickets from the will-call booth and led Jules into the arena, k

nowing exactly where our seats were located. The visiting team’s seats were always in the same section each year.

“Do you need anything?” I asked Jules as she walked at my side.

“I’m good.”

“You sure you’re not hungry?”

She smiled and leaned against me. “Not yet.”

“All right.”

Suddenly, she blurted, “Katherine will like me, right?”

I stopped and grabbed her by the shoulders, bringing us face-to-face. “She’ll love you. She’s really nice, and so are you. You have nothing to worry about.” I gave Jules a quick kiss and waited for her reaction, but she just stared at me. “Okay?”