Hatred With Benefits

F O R T Y - F I V E

EVA.

"Are we leaving together later?" I ask Aliya as we walk towards the exit of the campus and she shakes

her head, "No, I don't think so. I have to take care of something first. Text me once you're on your way.

"

"Does that something have to do with—"

"Yes. " She interrupts the rest of my words, and I drape a hand over her shoulder. "Good-luck. Don't

give in to the temptation of sex, babe. "

"Fuck off. " She groans, lowering her head to drop my hand from her shoulder and I let out a chuckle as

I adjust the strap on my shoulder.

"And you might just want to take care of something. " I furrow my brows in confusion as I meet her Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

eyes, and she nods in a direction. I follow the trail of her eyes and instantly freeze on my spot as I see

Dan approaching. He's appearing before me for the first time since that day, and he looks much better

than the last time, with his bruise almost faded.

"Hey. " He smiles as he stops in front of us, before he nods his head to Aliya as a form of greeting, and

instead of her usual response– she scowls at him. "What do you want?"

"Do you think I could steal Eva for a second? I need to speak to her. " He says, directing a gaze at me.

"You can speak to her right here. Though I doubt you have the luck to do that any longer. " She spats,

and Dan must have noticed the tone of her voice because he looks back at her, then to me and back to

her again before he says, "You told her?"

"Why does that come as a surprise to you?" Aliya is quick to respond to him, and I place a hand on her

shoulder to calm her down before she jumps on the poor guy in the middle of the field.

"What do you want, Dan?" I ask as I turn my attention back to Dan and his chest falls in a sigh before

he starts to speak, "I know you hate me for what happened, and since it's the semester break, I want to

apologize again and earn your forgiveness. We were heading somewhere, Eva. You felt it, and I felt it

before I ruined the—"

"Before you ruined it. " I complete his words and he nods slowly. "Not once, Dan. " He creases his

brows at my words and I drop my hand from Aliya's shoulder. "Back at the club? You lost your control.

Back at your house? You lost control. How many times do you have to lose your control before I realize

you're capable of forcefully taking me?"

"I'm not. I promise I—" he tries to take a step forward, but a glare from me stops him. "It'll never repeat

itself, Eva. I know you don't believe me, but you should sweetheart. I like you, and I was serious with

you. I still am. I want to make you mine, Eva. You have to give me a chance. You have to forget the

past for us to move forward; I know you feel something for me. "

"Hey, guys. " A familiar voice echoes in the air as I part my lips to speak and Dan steps to the side for

Sage and her friend to come into view. "Um– are we interrupting something?" Sage asks awkwardly as

she looks between the three of us.

"Not at all. Dan was just leaving. " I throw her a smile before I look back at Dan, who looks like he's

about to say something but thinks back on it and walks away after a sigh.

"Hey, angel. We meet again. " A smile appears on Josh's face as he takes my hand and presses his

lips to the back of my palm, just like last time.

"Nice to see you again, Josh. " I match his smile with one of mine before I look at Sage, who's staring

at Aliya.

"Do you want us to excuse you?" I break the silence and both girls' heads snap to me, as if they didn't

realize they were lost in each other's eyes.

"No, why would you—" Aliya starts to say, but I interrupt her words. "You got it. We'll just take a step

away. " I throw her a wink before I drag Josh with me, not waiting for her expression.

"They are so in love, aren't they?" Josh speaks once we're steps away from them and I grin. "You see it

too? I swear everyone sees it but those two. "

"I think they know it, but just try hard to deny it. Your friend, specifically. " He points out and I smile.

"She's just scared, nothing more. It's alright to be scared of love. "

"But love is nothing to be scared of. " He says as he looks away from the girls to meet my eyes.

"It isn't, but it could be. It depends on the person. Love could be the best thing that's ever happened to

one person, and the worst that's ever happened to another. We all have different perspectives and

experiences when it comes to it. "

"And you? Have you ever been in love, Eva?" He asks as he ducks his head and I say, "Not in love, but

I've known what it's like to love another. "

"So are you scared of being in love?"

I press my lips into a thin line at that question. Am I scared of being in love? Could I possibly be afraid

of love?

"You don't have an answer to that?" Josh pulls me out of my thoughts and I lift my gaze to him. "It's like

I said; it depends on the person. "

"That's one complicated answer. " He chuckles and I follow with. "I know, but what's the world without

complications?"

"Aliya is lucky. " Josh suddenly says, changing the topic and I lift a brow in confusion until he says, "To

have you as a friend. You look and sound amazing. "

"You can't decide that on a few words, Josh. " I tell him and he shakes his head, "I can, and I just did. "

"Thank you. Sage is lucky too. " I say and he cocks a brow, "To have a guy as handsome as me as a

friend?"

"No, " I laugh and his fall falls. "To have you as a friend in general. "

"So you don't think I'm handsome?" His lips turn in a frown, and I teasingly take a step back to check

him out.

"I'm not sure about that. " I tilt my head and he breaks into a laugh, revealing his perfect set of white

teeth.

"I have a feeling that we'd make a crazy duo, Eva. "

"Aliya took that title. " I inform him and he lifts his shoulder in a shrug. "A fine duo, then. "

"Yeah?" I raise a brow and he blinks once as a response. "Yeah. " And we both smile before we look

back at the girls.

~

I take one last glance at my door, before I shut the door and look to Emerson's room. The thought that

he hasn't been around since early this morning crosses my mind and I fish out my phone as I stroll to

the living room.

ME: I'm heading home. You won't meet me when you arrive.

I click on the send button to deliver the text to Emerson before I throw my phone in my Jeans pocket

and take my backpack from the couch before striding out of the house.

I stroll towards the Uber parked at Emerson's spot before I climb inside, and say a greeting to the man

behind the wheel as he starts the engine and begins to drive.

~

"You're back!" Mom is the first to sight me as I walk through the door and I smile as she walks towards

me with open arms.

"Hello, beautiful. " I beam excitedly at the sight of my mother as I move into her arms and let her wrap

hers around my body; almost lifting me from my feet.

"God, mom. Am I that easy to lift?" I joke as she pulls away from me and holds my face in her hands

with teary eyes.

"I've just missed you so much! You have no idea. " She mutters and I smile, moving into her arms again

and I give gentle strokes to her back as I say. "I know, and I've missed you too. "

When I pull away, I look behind her in search of my father and mom must have caught onto my search

because she says, "He isn't home yet. Busy day at work today. "

"I forgot how late that man comes home sometimes. " I say as I look back at her and she nods, "So you

understand why I miss you being around? "

"Mrs Martins is here and you have friends you go to. " I point out and she frowns, "I mean family time,

Eva. My friends are different from my family. "

"I thought you told me to consider my friends my family?" I counter just to tease her and she throws me

a look before she says, "You are back with your argument?"

"No, " I say through cackles. "I'm back for some family time. "

She smiles and moves to my side, throwing a hand around my waist as she leads me forward. "How

was school?"

"Better than I thought it would be. " She halts our steps at my response, and press her hand to my

cheek; her eyes full of adoration meeting mine.

"I'm glad you didn't feel left out. " She says and my lips lift into a tiny smile. "I'm better than that. Plus,

Aliya was there for me. "

"I was just about to ask of her. Why isn't she here with you? Is she staying back at campus?" She

raises a brow and I jiggle my head, "No, she had to sort out some things first. She should be home

later tonight, or tomorrow. "

"Oh, good. I can't wait to see her again. I've missed her positive attitude. "

"More than you missed me?" I push my lips forward in a pout and a small laugh leaves her mouth. "Of

course not! I missed you more, but I've missed her too. "

"She'll be here. " I assure her and she hums before nodding towards the direction of the rooms. "You

should get settled in, and we'd resume this conservation. " I bob my head and press a kiss to her

cheek, earning me a giggle from her before I step away and stride in the direction of the rooms.

The familiarity of my room welcomes me as I walk through the door, and I throw my backpack to the

side before I fall on my bed with a thud, my body bouncing off before it settles back on it.

I spread my arms as I stare up at the ceiling before I sit up at the remembrance of my earlier text.

Fishing my phone out of my pocket, I scroll through my messages, and stop at Emerson's to see there

is no new text from him.

"And why the fuck are you checking on him?" I mutter under my breath before I throw my phone to the

side, and slump back on the bed– resuming my stare at the ceiling.

~

My phone beeps next to me and I drop the book in hand to grab it, unlocking the screen to see a new

text notification from Emerson. The first one from him in the entire day.

ANNOYING FORD: Come to your window.

ME: Why?

His reply comes immediately after mine.

ANNOYING FORD: Just do as I asked, Carson.

I roll my eyes at his demanding tone before I toss my phone to the side, and move from the bed,

striding towards my window. I push it open and bend over it to see Emerson standing in the yard

behind my room.

"What do you think you're doing?" I question, lowering my voice to not alert anyone in the house.

"Standing in your yard to get some rest since I don't have a house to sleep in. " He utters sarcastically

and I throw him a glare, "This isn't the time to be funny, Ford. You could get caught. "

"Only if you want me to. " He raises a shoulder in a shrug and I shake my head before letting my eyes

roam down his body to note that he's still in his attire from this morning.

"Are you going to let me in, or are you going to stand over there and admire me, Eva?" Emerson's

mocking voice pulls me out of my check out and I snicker, "I wasn't admiring you. "

"Sure, you weren't. " The amusement in his tone is easily detestable and I sigh, looking away from him

to my door to make sure I have it locked before I look down at him and say, "Climb up. "

Emerson nods and makes his way towards the ladder and I watch as he traces up the steps till he's in

front of my face.

"Hey, " he says in a heavy breath as he places his hand over mine on the edge of the window. "I

thought we were going to leave together?"

"We never made that plan, " I tell him. "We couldn't have. " I look away from him to his lower body

before I try to take a step back for him to climb through, but Emerson grabs hold of my hands as he

pushes through, causing my body to incline back and a loud gasp slips through my parted lips as we

both fall backwards, but before my head could hit the cold floor; Emerson slides his hand to the back of

my head, protecting that part as I fall to the ground with his body falling over me.

We stay in that position for a few seconds before Emerson pulls back with a proud smile on his face as

he says, "I could have made you hit your head, and bleed to death, Carson. "

"You're too obsessed with me to do that, Emerson. " I retort and his smile drops, his voice lowered as

he speaks. "You're right. I am. "

When Emerson remains still with no sort of movement, I groan and try to move his body from mine. He

catches onto my attempt and eases back, moving to his feet before extending his hand to me.

A scoff falls from my mouth at the gesture and I ignore his hand as I move to my feet, and stand in front

of him.

"Since when did you turn into a gentleman, Ford?" I lift my brows as I smooth my hands down my shirt

and he smiles, "You're right. I should have remained on you for a while just to watch you struggle, but

since I'm trying to get on your good side for now– you should get used to me doing these things,

Carson. "

"So what next are you going to do? Open the car door for me?" I taunt him and the sound of his laugh

echoes around us. "The door? That's setting your expectations too high, Carson. You shouldn't do that,

because you'll get disappointed. "

"So much for getting on my good side. " I mumble under my breath before moving towards my bed

while Emerson follows behind me.

"When did you get back?" I ask him as I take my previous spot while he settles at the edge of the bed,

leaving a reasonable space between us.

"Hours ago. " He responds as he leans forward to catch the sight of the book I was reading. "Another

naughty book, Carson?" He lifts his head to meet my eyes.

"They are the best kind, aren't they?" I beam and Emerson stretches his hand across the bed to grab

the book, flipping it to the back to scan the cover. "I can't decide if your naughtiness came from these

books or something else?"

"I'll leave you to your imagination. " I tell him, and attempt to take the book from him, but Emerson

snatches his hand back; moving it out of my reach.

"What are you trying to hide?" He lifts a brow and I try to reach for it again, but fail. "Nothing. I just don't

want your hands on my stuff. "

"That's funny because these hands have been on every single inch of your body, and you enjoy them

way more than you're willing to admit. " He calls out, and heat spreads to my cheeks at the bitter truth

from him.

"Just give it back?" I hold out my hand, ignoring his words and Emerson twists his head sideways as a

form of refusal.

"Emerson. Don't make me get it from you. " I warn him and his smile appears, adding a soft glow to his

gorgeous face as he says, "That's exactly what I'm trying to do, Carson. "

"Give it. " I insist with a frown and Emerson pushes his face forward with the hand holding the book

pulled back as he says, "Make me. "

With a gaze that matches the challenging one on his face, I move to my fours and crawl towards him,

relishing in the way Emerson's gaze darts to my movement– his teasing stance quick to be replaced

with something naughtier.

I stop at the side of his legs and lift my body before I throw one leg to the other side as I straddle his

lap.

Emerson lowers his hand and I glide my hands up his shoulders as I adjust on his lap and drag my legs

to the sides, wrapping them around his waist.

A victorious smile covers my lips as I easily grab the book from Emerson's lowered hand and drop it to

the side before I look back at the man. As I open my mouth to speak, Emerson's hands move to my

sides and he drags me down with him as he falls on the bed– my words coming out in a yelp.

"I won. " He says as I flatten my palms on his chest to lift my head. "You didn't. I got the book. "

"That was the plan. The book was to get you closer to me. " He informs me with his hold tightening

around my middle to prove his point and I say, "That's not a win if I didn't know your intention. "

"You've always got to be smarter than your opponent, Carson. That's how you win in life. " He throws

me a wink and I cackle as I say, "How cute of you to speak smartly, Ford. "

"I've been waiting on you to realize that. " He counters as he lifts his head from the bed to press his lips

to my chin before he falls back to it.

The ghost of a smile appears on his face as he stares at me with eyes that conceal more than they

reveal and I wet my lips under his intense gaze, feeling the beats of his heart against my palms.

Once upon a time, I detested the very sight of Emerson Ford, and any interaction with him always lead

to something nasty between the two of us. Months ago, our usual interaction of bite and back exploded

into something else– something none of us could control and I had my first intimacy with a man I

considered my enemy in the small space of his car. Months ago, I thought that was the end of it, but I

had something else coming when he turned out to be my housemate. Months ago, we realized there

was no controlling the fire that burned between us. Sure, we couldn't stand each other, but we also

couldn't keep our hands off each other and the more we gave into that fire; the intenser it grows.

Through the times that I've spent with him, no matter how intimate they may seem– there was always

that line drawn between us. A line that kept us back when we realize it gets too much, and a line that

sets the boundaries, keeping us to the rules that we made for each other.

Days ago, this man asked for us to take the step that crosses that line. The step that brings everything

that shouldn't be between us, and the step that gives us more of each other. I have never confided in

someone outside my close circle the way I confide in Emerson Ford, and I've never wanted a man the

way I want Emerson Ford. It's so fucking easy with me and I adored myself for that– I fuck, and I leave.

I don't get attached and I easily get bored with being with the same guy repeatedly, but it's so different

with Emerson. With him, I just crave more: more of his touch, more of his gaze, more of his body...

Just. More. Of. Him. It's always so easy to lose myself in the man that I consider the most infuriating

person on the planet, and that intrigues me as much as it terrifies me, but one thing has always been

sure– I never figured out the line between hating Emerson Ford and wanting him since that bond grew

between us.

And now as I lay in his arms yet again with his eyes on me, I wonder if I should give in to that urge and

find out just what MORE with Emerson Ford would bring. And just where MORE with each other would

lead us.

And that's the only reasonable explanation for why I open my mouth and say, "A month. More of each

other; let's try it. "