I Hate That I Love You

Chapter 7

I hop out of the shower and try to make myself look semi good. Yes, I know that it is well into the evening and that I am not going anywhere. I just don't want to look like a slob in front of Dylan. I blow dry my hair and let it fall into its natural curls. I throw on a maroon over sized sweater, black pajama shorts, and some black fuzzy socks with kittens on them. Satisfied with the way I look, I head down stairs. On my way out the back door Crystal winks at me and tells me good luck. I stick my tongue out at her and walk out the door.

As I make my way towards their door, my nerves start to get the best of me and I turn around. However, I am met with the watchful eyes of Crystal who is telling me to turn back around. I get to their door and turn around to still find Crystal's eyes on me. I take a deep breath and knock softly. Dylan answers the door. He looks surprised to see me.

"Hey, can you talk?" He nods his head and steps outside. We walk over to the couch that was set up under some trees with lights in them. I don't say anything for a long time. I was trying to come up with the right thing to say. He just stares at me expectantly. He coughs uncomfortably. I shake my head and decide to wing it. "Okay, so... I want to apologize for the way I treated you when we were younger... It was really stupid of me and I shouldn't have done that to you..." I look at him and he is looking down at his hands. I look back down. "I don't know why I couldn't have just been your friend. I just had to make a big deal out of it... and--"

"A big deal out of what?" My head shoots up in surprise. Did he not remember? Oh my god. "Holland, answer me. Did I do something to piss you off. Why were you so mean to me? What did I do?" He was starting to get frustrated now. He really didn't remember. I run my hand through my hair.

"Wow. You really don't remember." He raises his eye brows at me.

"Wow what?! What don't I remember?!" I run my hands over my face in anxiety.

"Oh my god, this is so embarrassing. I can't believe this right now..."

"What the heck, Holland, just tell me! I'm not even mad anymore. I just want to know why you did what you did. It's the past now so just tell me. Seriously, I don't know what the big deal is about just tell--"

"I had a crush on you, okay?!" He sat there with his mouth open and eyes wide. "That's why I was so mean to you. I had a crush on you." I waited for him to react. He just sat there. I watched as his mouth turned up into a smirk.

"You want to hug me... You want to kiss me... You think I'm sexyy..." he started to chant the same song he did back in elementary. Did he remember this whole time? I smack his arm and he rubs it as though he is in serious pain.

"Were playing dumb the whole time?" He laughs at me.

"I just wanted to get you to say it out loud." I scoff at him and cross my arms.

"Well I don't like you now, so I guess you can stop celebrating." This is definitely false. But he doesn't know that. I smirk as his fades.

"You're lying," he says as he crosses his arms. I freeze for a second thinking that he caught me in my lie. "Who wouldn't want a piece of this?" He gestures down at his body and winks at me. I roll my eyes and shake my head. When I look up into his eyes, I begin to melt. He looks so serious now as he stares into my eyes. We stared for what felt like forever until his phone rang. He takes it out. "Sorry, its my girlfriend, Britt. I gotta take this," he answers it and walks away. He sounds happy when he talks to her. I start to feel awkward because I can hear their conversation so I get up and walk back into the house.

"How did it go?" Crystal asks with a smile.

"Well," I start as I sit down next to her. " I apologized and he pretended that he didn't remember I had a crush on him just so I would repeat it out loud. Then I lied by saying I didn't like him like that anymore, and then he got a call from his girlfriend so I came inside. So I think we are good."