Dare you to hate me

• • •

"Cher," he said, knowing full well I hated when he called me that. "I dare you to hate me, I really do. But we both know I'll win." He said, his jaw clenched.

I wanted to back down, but my mother taught me better. "You will never win," I grit through my teeth. "I will make sure of it, and I'll continue to hate you until the day I die."

"Oh yeah?" He asks. "I'll have to hold you to that. You never were the one to back down out of a challenge. Just you wait Cherish Huntley." He walked away from me, gripping the door handle. He looked back at me, and damnit if I could decipher what was in his eyes. The door was closing but I didn't miss the words he said, fulfilling a promise and a warning, all in three words. "Just you wait."

• • •

Cherish Huntley is the daughter of a maid working for the royal family, making her one too. When Cherish's dad walked out of her life, she promised she would be strong and never back down.

Up until she was sixteen and swore to never have feelings for Archer King again.

Ah.. Archer King. Where do I even begin. Archer is a prince of the royal family. With his good looks and all, he manages to swoon every single lady down in the village. He's soon to have an arranged marriage, but when Cherish re-enters his life, he only has one girl on his mind.

They were friends when they were kids. It was just a bet at sixteen that broke them apart. Now that Archer won't stop bothering her, wanting to start off as friends again, Cherish can't help but remember the boy she fell in love with all those years ago. But then that bet replays in her mind and she shuts all thoughts of him out.

She's managed to ignore her feelings for Archer for eight years, but how much longer will she be able to ignore him?