Chapter 02: Declared Enemies

ELLIE

I woke up around eight, much earlier than planned. I really hated waking up before ten on a Sunday. The thought reminded me of the conversation with the jerk last night. The bastard had the nerve to invite me to have sex after two minutes of conversation. Unbelievable! All that beauty accompanied by character would be asking too much, Ellie. It's a shame...

I got up and sent a message to Anna, asking if she was still sleeping. She responded shortly after, inviting me to have breakfast. I remembered that Will must be running with the jerk. I really didn't want to bump into him. I got up, took a shower, and put on something for the end of winter cold.

Anna lived only a few blocks away, which allowed me to walk and visit her whenever possible. She had only been married for two years and chose the apartment with Will. I was extremely happy to have my best friend living nearby.

She opened the door as soon as I knocked, wearing a sweatshirt set.

"Is it cold as fuck outside, right?" she asked, taking my coat. After hanging it up, she came back to hug me.

"You have no idea."

"Will is crazy to run during winter mornings."

"But you still married him."

"What's a little bit of craziness compared to that chiseled abs?" She winked.

"You're right, as always."

"I'll get the hot chocolate. Do you want cookies or something else?"

"Cake?"

"Yes. Chocolate? Will made a delicious one yesterday morning."

"Please! Besides the chiseled abs, the man can cook! God! Who do I need to make a deal with to get one of those?" I collapsed on the couch, crossing one leg over the other. She laughed from the joint kitchen while preparing a tray. "This apartment looks more beautiful every time I come here."

"Thank you. Here," she said, placing the tray between us on the couch. "Now, tell me why you ran out last night. We tried to pry it out of Ethan, but he said nothing happened, and I saw how you looked at him before leaving."

"He just thought it was a good idea to invite me to have sex after two minutes of conversation."

"He said he wanted to have sex with you?" Her eyes widened.

"What it seemed like to me was that he had nothing better to do and thought I was available."

"Or he thought you were hot and really wanted to have sex with you. You didn't even consider it for a second?"

"What? Of course not." I really hadn't thought about it, even though he was one of the most attractive men I had ever met.

"You know... the man is..."

"A complete jerk!"

"Very hot."

"Anna!"

"He is. But I know that's not what you're looking for."

"I'm not looking for anything. I just know what I don't want."

"I know. I know. But it's hard to believe that you didn't even consider it for a second."

"No. Not even for a second. He was a complete jerk, he doesn't know anything about me."

"Don't you find him attractive?" Hell, she was making me think of him, something I was trying to avoid at all costs, but the image was very clear in my mind.

"What the hell! Why are you asking me this when I'm saying he acted like a cad?"

"If he had made the invitation after getting to know you better, would you have thought about accepting?"

"That's out of the question."

"Got it. You find him very attractive."

"This is ridiculous! Let's change the subject."

I turned the corner and almost would have turned back if Will hadn't spotted me as soon as I took a step. They were coming back from a run, dressed in heavy sweatshirts and beanies. Shit. Be polite, it's simple.

"Looks like my wife's already up," Will said, stopping in front of me on the sidewalk before hugging me, making me stretch. "Good morning, El!"

"Good morning! We had breakfast together. Your cake was delicious."

"I'm glad you liked it. I'll make one, especially for you. I think I taught Ethan a lesson at least."

"What? I'm fine," Ethan said behind Will. I ignored his presence for as long as I could, but I was forced to look at him and force a smile.

"Good morning!"

"Good morning, Ellie."

"Well, I have to go. I'll see you later, Will."

"Of course, El."

I continued walking, leaving them behind. But I only managed to take a few more steps before I heard him call my name. I stopped and turned around. Just looking at his perfect face made me angry. He was tall in a way that made me have to lift my face, and that made me even more irritated.

"What do you want?"

"I almost believed everything was okay a minute ago. Have you ever thought about acting?" He was wearing a black beanie that highlighted his square chin.

"Do you have something to tell me? Or are you just trying to annoy me?"

"Wow! Are you always so receptive?" His hands sank into his pockets.

"Just with jerks."

"You're pretty stressed for a scientist."

"Say what you want."

"It seems like you may have had a bad first impression of me."

"Really? Why do you think that?"

"Smartass. What I mean is that I didn't mean to offend you with the invitation yesterday. Quite the opposite."

"You didn't offend me."

"That's not how it seemed." He raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Bennett told me it was a terrible idea... but accidentally, I overheard your friend saying that you needed to have sex. So..."

"Were you eavesdropping?"

"I was walking in and asked for permission right away. You said you weren't offended, but you're mad at me."

"What you did tells me what kind of guy you are, it has nothing to do with me."

"What kind of guy am I?"

"The kind I want to stay away from. Let's make a deal... I'll treat you politely because you're Bennett's brother, and because of that, we'll probably run into each other. But that's it. Goodbye." I turned around, but he kept talking.

"Have you never had sex with someone you just met? Because I think you're overreacting."

"Forget it. You're just being even more of a jerk." He continued to follow me.

"It was just an invitation for sex. You're the one being crazy."

"Forget it. Can't you hear me?" I turned to him again.

"I was just trying to apologize."

"For what? Do you think you did something wrong?"

"No, as I said, I didn't mean to offend you."

"You didn't offend me, so stop apologizing since you don't feel guilty."

"You're still angry, and I don't know why. I want to avoid conflicts since I just got back." Should have thought of that yesterday, jerk.

"There won't be any conflict on my part."

"Great."

"Great. Goodbye!" I walked away, leaving him behind.