Love to Hate You

Chapter Nineteen

Jennie

"Oh, great. Just great. My ex Trixie is here." I swing around to Lisa, who is manning the shopping cart, and pick up a pillow from the shelf, holding it up next to my face.

It is early Saturday morning, and we are standing in our local Target store, looking to replace the frypan and cooking utensils that I destroyed in my pancake expedition. This is our first official outing together, no less.

"Where?" Lisa's head snaps around with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, and she lets go of the cart.

"Stop. Can't you be discreet!" I whisper-hiss. I should've known going anywhere with Lisa would end up in disaster.

"No, actually I can't," Lisa huffs. "And you look like an idiot standing there with a pillow on your face."

I drop the pillow then freak out. "Oh god, she is coming this way," I cry in a panicked voice. "Do something."

Lisa gives me a blank stare. "Like what?"

"I don't know genius!" I feel like a crazy person. I don't know why I let Trixie get to me, but she does.

Suddenly, Lisa pulls me in by the hips and kisses me firmly on the lips.

Both our eyes still open, wide, and horrified. Yet somehow the kiss is soft and warm -

Wait, am I curling my toes?

Four beats of lip-smacking contact pass until...

"Jennie?"

We break apart and look to Trixie, who is standing in front of us, shiny as a penny, in a neatly pressed red suit and a pair of Louboutins. There's no way this girl could ever do casual wear.

I grip Lisa's hand so tight that I hear her groan. "Oh, hi." I smile at Trixie, and I'm pretty sure that it doesn't reach my eyes, but I'm also pretty sure that she won't notice.

"Hey Jen." Trixie flashes me a smile, ignoring Lisa.  She had met her twice, yet they never really hit it off. It always made me laugh because when Lisa moved in, I was completely beside myself, thinking Trixie would fall in love with her.

I even had panicked dreams about it.

I must've thought about it a little too long because a giggle escapes me, and I cover my mouth. Trixie just winks and says, "You are looking beautiful, Jen."

Heat rises in my cheeks, and I clear my throat. My susceptibility to charm is well known to Trixie. Lisa, of course, makes a gagging noise.

My smile is tight. "We are just shopping for um..."

I look around to see where we are. "Linen."

Well, we are in the middle of the linen section on our way to kitchenware, but she doesn't need to know that.

"For our bed," Lisa chimes in, with a big smile.

I blink, unable to comprehend what I just heard.

"I thought you two hate each other?" Trixie asks, surprised.

I chuckle. "You know what they say, fine line between love and hate."

Lisa leans into Trixie. "She told me she has been in love with me for months. Apparently, it was love at first sight. Me, it took a bit longer. Slow burn but wow, what a burn."

She just has to add that bit, doesn't she?

I smile through clenched teeth, gently elbowing her. "Mmm... So in love."

"We sure are, pookieboo." Lisa squeezes my cheeks, a little too hard and a little too enthusiastically.

She is dead.

"Speaking of which, let's get this linen and head home. You know, it's been four hours since we got naked, and I'm just about to burst," Lisa says to me, loud enough to be heard on the Mir space station, and I see a couple of heads turn around.

I almost vomit in her mouth. She did not just say that.

Lisa grins, and it is strangely adorable yet completely infuriating.

"Oh, right." Trixie is looking a little flustered. I have never seen her rattled before, and I like it.

I can literally see her doing the math and work out that this must've happened before she broke up with me. Her ego-crushing like a tin can.

Okay, well played, Lisa Manoban. Well played.

Trixie flashes me one final Hollywood smile. "We should catch up, Jen. I've been meaning to talk to you."

Funny, how when you are suddenly not available, you become all the more attractive.

Once Trixie sashays out of earshot, I slap Lisa on the arm and go on the offensive to counter the weirdness I am feeling.

"God, why did you have to do that? You were so over the top!"

"Do what? Lie or kiss you?"

"Both!" I hiss. "I mean, first you manhandle me, and then you embellish to no end! Love at first sight, racing home to get it on like some horn-dog couple! Which you announced to the universe, by the way. Did you not see the horrified shoppers? It was too much!"

"You told me to do something, so I ran with it." Lisa is clearly amused. "Oh, and don't worry, the only thing I am racing home to do is to gargle a tub of bleach."

The woman has jokes.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry, so I just point. "To kitchenware."

What the hell just happened?

It turns out there is also a fine line between feeling nauseous and feeling turned on.

Lisa just kissed me. And it didn't feel as gross as I expected.

Not that I have thought about it.

Only once or twice in passing.

Actually, it didn't feel gross at all. Is that weird? And now, am I going to be wondering if it could happen again?

The devil is taking me straight to hell.

I think I better nip this in the bud. "Just so we are clear, I still hate you."

Lisa nods and is practically running through Target. She says over her shoulder, "Good. Let's get this torturous exercise over and done with."

Why am I smiling at this ridiculousness?

I pick up my speed and catch up to her.

"And I hate you more," Lisa says, careening around an aisle with the cart. She grabs the first frypan she sees and holds it up to me. "Don't get any ideas. That won't be happening again."

I have to look away to hide my smile, then compose myself and turn back around. I shake my head at her hideous selection. "Stop flattering yourself. I almost gagged."

For some reason, I seem to be really enjoying this, and I'm in no rush to end our visit to the department store.

~~~~~

A/N:

Hi Pokieboos 🥴🤭