Page 7 of I Could Never
He walked over and opened the refrigerator. He rubbed the scruff on his chin and soon closed the door. There was nothing to see in there.
“It’s empty,” I said. “I didn’t have a chance to go shopping or order groceries.”
He looked over at the clock and scratched his chest. “It’s kind of late anyway. I don’t have to eat anything tonight. I’ll just suck it up until tomorrow.”
Tension lingered in the air as we stared at each other. The recessed lighting over him caused a glow in his hazel eyes. Josh was strikingly handsome. There was no way to argue that. His hair alone deserved its own modeling agent. His nose was straight, his lips full, and his chin perfectly angular. Despite his looks, I’d always thought him to be ugly on the inside.
As I took him in, I noticed Josh’s eyes had fallen below my neck—and stayed there.
What’s happening?
Is he checking me out?
Can’t be.
The guy can’t stand me.
Before I could ponder that any further, he charged toward me, his hand smacking the top of my chest without warning. Then, I felt the pinch of his fingers against my skin.
“What the fuck?” I screamed, my heart beating out of control.
“Got it.” His shoulders rose and fell as he unraveled his fist and opened his long fingers to reveal something unidentifiable in the palm of his hand. “You had a nasty spider crawling on you.”
I looked closer, and indeed it was a crushed spider that looked like a daddy long legs.
“Jesus…” I panted. “I didn’t know what the hell happened. For a second there, I thought you smacked me for no reason.”
He frowned. “Well, that’s pretty fucked up.”
I looked down at his red handprint on my skin. My traitorous nipples went hard at the sight, which was so twisted I wouldn’t even try to analyze it.
I cleared my throat. “I hate spiders. I would’ve freaked out if I’d known it was crawling on me. So thank you.” Brushing my fingertips along the spot, which still burned a little, I added, “Although, I’m surprised you didn’t just leave it there for your own pleasure.”
He arched a brow, seeming less than amused. “Why would I get pleasure out of that?”
First and foremost, because I had proof he didn’t like me. And I’d never understood why. I hadn’t done anything to deserve it. I’d also never had the opportunity toask himwhy he felt that way. This had been a long day for both of us, so maybe I should’ve stopped myself, but I didn’t.
“Why do I think you’d derive pleasure from seeing a spider on me?” I asked, still rubbing the spot he’d smacked. “Because we both know you don’t like me. And based on that, I have to say…I’m surprised you’re okay with this living arrangement.”
His eyes narrowed. “Who said I don’t like you?”
“Actually…youdid.” I swallowed, my heartbeat accelerating.
His jaw tightened. “I never said that.”
“Not to my face.”
“Explain.”
I’d held it inside forsolong. Never even told Brad that I knew—because I was too ashamed and didn’t want to start a war between him and his oldest friend. I loved Bradthatmuch.
I decided to just spit it out. “I accidentally saw a text you sent Brad when he and I first started dating.”
Josh’s Adam’s apple moved. “Okay…”
“His phone was on the counter while he was in the shower. He’d sent you a photo of us. You responded and said…” I paused, cringing at the memory. “That there was something about my face that bothered you.”
He blinked and looked away for a moment. “Well, obviously you weren’t meant to see that.”