Page 79 of Hate It with You

With the click of the front door, I get lost in the world that’s written before me. For the first time in a year, the words on the page don’t blur.

I’m halfway through the day when I reach the fourth book. I read every note Alex has made in pure awe. I was expecting a few funny comments here and there, but practically every page of these books is annotated in some way.

Flipping through the books, I continue to read more of his notes.

By far my favorite line of the entire book.

This guy is such a loser. She needs to be with the other guy already.

My car is 100x faster than this one.

Say the word, and I’ll happily do this to you.

I’m practically giggling and kicking my feet as I read through his comments. The added notes make it feel like I’m reading these books, my favorite books, for the first time again. It isn’t until I get around 75 percent of this novel that I notice a pattern in his highlighting.

At first, I thought he was only highlighting random things here and there that he wanted to add commentary on. Picking up a few of the other books, I flip through the pages, checking my theory.

Each commentary line is highlighted in yellow, though there’s only one word or phrase he’s highlighted in pink. He’s saved that color for this specific phrase, though nothing is ever written in the margins. Only the highlight is marked in the book.

Grabbing the last of the books, I confirm my suspicions as I flip through the pages. I slide out of the reading chair and onto the floor, opening each of the books up and laying them out in front of me.

Staring at the books, I read what he’s highlighted in pink.

Love.

I love you.

Love. Love. Love.

My heart swells at the sight. In a small way, Alex has shown me his true feelings. The last time I was with him, I had covered his mouth, too afraid of hearing the three words come from him at that moment. Too afraid of what it would mean for us, for me.

But looking at the pages of the books that lay before me, it isn’t fear that takes over me.

Instead, I’m filled with a sense of joy, of comfort, of love.

I’m not sure when he’ll be ready to try to tell me again, or when I’ll be ready to hear it. But I know one thing for certain: I’ve fallen deeply in love with Alex Kane.

35

BETH

It’s been a few weeks since Alex gave me the annotated books, and he’s checked in on me every day since. Eventually, he convinced me to call Benny, so I did.

Ben was upset as I thought he’d be, itching to visit me, though I insisted he didn’t. I haven’t received any notes. No rocks have been thrown, there’s no reason for him to visit, or to worry. Though he insisted he come down soon, I’m hoping he stays in California for a while. The thought of burdening him with this still upsets me.

Not long after I got back to my daily routine of taking care of my bookshop, a box showed up at my doorstep. Nervous, I opened the box unsure of what to expect, but relief washed over me when I saw it full of books. All of the books that were damaged in the attack were sitting in the box, ordered brand new.

I knew it must’ve been from Alex, though he still won’t admit he ordered them for me.

The rain pours down outside, lightly tapping my living room window as I prepare to head downstairs for the night. Finally getting back into a normal routine, I’ve decided I’m ready for training again. Or at least, a workout session.

While Alex has visited, cooked me dinner, and held me while I fall asleep in his arms, he’s seemed hesitant to push for anything further. A hesitation that I appreciate given my newfound feelings for him. Though the lack of escalation between us has left me feeling pent-up lately, and I’m looking to blow off some steam.

Heading downstairs, I enter Alex’s gym through the back room. It’s so late that my bookstore has already been closed for about an hour, and no one is in the gym except for Jake, Alex, and Leo.

My eyes land on Alex immediately. Sitting down on a bench near the ring, I watch as Alex moves with grace and precision, hitting the mitts that Leo holds. Alex’s back muscles flex and move under the lighting, creating deliciously dark shadows across his back. His feet are quick, the muscles in his calves flexing, making the tattoos on his legs seem as though they are dancing to the beat of his boxing gloves.

He told me the moment his hands were healed, he’d be back in the ring. I didn’t doubt him for a second.