Page 29 of Love to Hate You
Carter sets the knife down and leans against the counter before folding his arms against his chest. “You’d rather throw the brownies out than let me have any?” Anger, and something that sounds a lot like hurt, tinge his voice.
“Not, of course not,” I blurt. My shirt is drenched. It’s plastered against my back. I shift from one foot to the other.
He tilts his head, his gaze pinning me uncomfortably in place. “Then why’d you do it?”
“Because…” At a loss for words, I stare at him helplessly as my mind spins out of control. I’m in such deep shit. I’m practically drowning in it.
Carter arches a brow. After a few beats of silence, he drawls, “Because why?”
“Because,” I repeat, “Noah ate some, and now he doesn’t feel good.” I clear my throat and forge ahead with the half-truth. “Maybe there was something wrong with them.” Inspiration strikes, and I straighten to my full height. “Maybe he has food poisoning, you know? Like salmonella or something like that.”
No. That’s way too specific. I need to keep it vague. I’m not good at this whole lying thing. I’d make a terrible criminal. The truth sits on the tip of my tongue. Any moment, it’s going to burst free and put me out of my misery.
“What?” Noah shouts from the other room. “You think I have salmonella?”
“I don’t know,” I mutter. Talk about a tangled web of lies and deceit. Every time I open my mouth, it only gets worse. “Who knows. It’s possible, right?”
“I don’t think so,” Ashley chimes in. “From everything I’ve learned in my nutrition classes, you have to consume raw eggs or chicken to contract salmonella.”
I glare at Ashley from the kitchen. She’s not helping the situation. Leave it to her to throw up unintentional roadblocks to my lies.
Noah bends over, rocking back and forth. “Oh God. I really don’t feel well.” He bolts off the couch and into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.
Carter and I step further into the living room and stare at the closed bathroom door. Noah moans. A second later an explosion echoes off the walls. I bite my lip, hoping he at least made it to the toilet.
Ashley hops off the couch and grabs her purse. “I don’t think Noah’s going to make it to the movie. Tell him that if he feels better, he can meet up with us at the theater.”
Even though this is all my fault, I can’t help but frown at Ashley. “Aren’t you going to stay and take care of your boyfriend?”
“I wish I could, but I have plans that can’t be broken.” She glances at the bathroom and shrugs. “Plus, I don’t think Noah would want me to miss the movie. I’ve been dying to see it for weeks.” She turns on her heel and heads to the front door, leaving without even saying goodbye.
I’m just about to say something scathing when Noah lets out another groan.
“Call my mom, Daisy,” he moans. “I think I’m dying!”
I glance at Carter and find him watching me with narrowed eyes. I can almost see the gears turning in his head.
“What the hell did you do?” he growls, wincing as Noah whimpers.
To avoid fessing up, I run for my phone.