I Hate You, but I Love You!

Chapter 18: I've Never met Someone Like you

My brows furrowed and my heart skipped a beat. The idea of Brian even knowing a part of who I was filled me with unease. The very idea of my past coming to light made me want to vomit.

Nowadays, it was an automatic response: protect yourself and your past at whatever cost. Don't let anyone close enough to find out the truth. And the fact that Brian was pressing this so persistently caused a strange sense of courage to fill me. Perhaps it was an instinct to protect and bury what I had left behind and Brian was threatening this.

"Are you trying to get in my pants? Is that what it is?" I demanded crossly, my teeth gritting.

His humor faltered a little. He noticed that he hit a nerve with all this. "Chloe," he said softly, "I just want to get to know you. Why is that such a bad thing?"

He almost looked hurt at my query.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you that prying is rude?" I muttered, taking another sip of my water as an excuse to busy myself and relax.

I was feeling queasy and I wasn't sure I was all that hungry anymore. The fact that he kept pestering me about this made me feel anxious and on edge. The fact that a microscopic part of me had actually wanted to tell him made me feel anxious and on edge. I almost felt claustrophobic, sitting here with his curious and seductive eyes on me with no escape.

He cleared his throat and started fiddling his thumbs, looking around the almost empty diner. "You're very difficult, you know that?"

Despite the uncomfortable tension between us, a small smile appeared on my lips. "I've been told that once or twice." I let out a silent and thankful breath that we were changing the subject.

He chuckled. "I've seriously never met someone like you."

I raised an eyebrow, butterflies materializing in my belly again. "Like me?"

"Mh."

"What do you mean?" Why did he never give me straight answers? It was so goddamn annoying.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "You're just different than most college girls I know. Confusing."

I snorted and shook my head. "Alright, Brian." He frowned at my reaction, but I just shook my head again. "Why don't you tell me a little about yourself?" I asked randomly.

He tilted his head a bit and raised his eyebrows. A strange mixture of disbelief and curiosity was in his expression, but I ignored it and took another sip of my water. I heard him let out a deep breath. "But that's not fair."

I shrugged. "Life's not fair."

He grabbed for his water with a small smile on his lips. "True," he said before took a sip of his water, "But it does give you the needed insight to accept life's obstacles objectively. So let's play a game. I tell you something about me and you tell me something about you. It doesn't have to be extremely personal."

I frowned. He was so determined, so resolute in finding a way around obstacles one way or another. I couldn't remember meeting a single person who cared so much about getting to know me.

But I mean, I guess that could work, right? If we talked about our favourite movies or what kind of music we liked to listen to and all that. Nothing too in depth, nothing too Chloe Villa Mayor. Just enough information to get that intrigued look out of his eyes and reduce that determination.

I let out a breath. "Fine."

He smirked and murmured, "So difficult." He grabbed the salt from the end of the table and started sliding it back and forth between his hands, biding himself time to think of a question.