Love At First Hate (Love At Firsts Book 2)(67)

“Do I have any say in this?”

“Nope, go on; go get your cute little ass in one of your hot ass outfits, and we’ll get going.”

“Ugh, fine. Just for the record, I really don’t want to go out or socialize so if you’re going to moan at me once we get there because I don’t want to dance, tough luck because I warned you.”

“Fair enough, I’m sure I’ll get you on the dance floor after a couple of drinks.”

“You wanna bet?” I scoff.

“Alright, I’ll make it my mission to get you to dance.” She smirks at me.

“You know firsthand how stubborn I am. I’m not going to give in that easily.”

“I know you’re not, but I have a secret weapon.” She winks at me and goes upstairs to get changed. I take the pint of ice cream with me and go to the guest room to get ready. I really don’t want to go, but I don’t want to spoil Haven’s fun. I know she enjoys going to the Vault, and with everything that’s been going on, we haven’t gone there in a long time.

I sort through my clothes and pick up black jeans and a black V-neck shirt. I really don’t feel like dressing up tonight. I style my hair with some gel, making sure there are no stray strands sticking in the wrong direction. Even though I’m not dressing up, I’m not playing with my hair game. It has to be perfect at all times. It’s been that way since one of my so-called university friends thought it would be a good idea to shave me in my sleep when I was drunk. I didn’t let him live it down. He had natural platinum blond hair, and I put orange hair dye in his shampoo. It took him two months to get rid of the color entirely. After that, he knew not to mess with my hair.

Picking up my glasses, I ditch my contact lenses and put my black converse on. Even without making an effort, it looks like I’ve planned my entire outfit. If only Nate was there to have some fun at the club and some other type of fun after the club.

Fuck, I miss Nate. I don’t know why I’ve been putting myself through the heartache. I’m the one who’s been refusing to pick up the phone when Nate keeps trying to call me. It’s my own stupid way of protecting myself, and I’ve been doing things backward.

“Are you ready?” Haven asks, poking her head through the door.

“Yeah.” I smile at her.

“That’s better. Looking hot as usual, and that’s the first time I’ve seen you with short sleeves.”

“I know. I don’t even want to bother making an effort tonight.” I shrug and grab my wallet.

“Yet it looks like you’ve spent hours on yourself. It’s unfair. Men have it easy.” She frowns.

“We do, not for heartache, though.”

“Oh stop it, you mopey ass!” She links her arm with mine, and we walk to the door.

“Wait, I need my phone.”

“Here.” She hands it to me.

“What did you do?” I raise my eyebrow at her.

“Nothing, why?” She looks at me confused.

“Because you had it with you when I know I left it on the coffee table.”

“I took it with me in case he would call again because I knew you wouldn’t pick up.” She shrugs and opens the front door and lets me out.

“Did he?”

“No, sorry.” She sighs and shoos Bernard away from the door before locking it.

“Maybe he got fed up with me not picking up.” I kick myself mentally. I should have picked up sooner.

“Maybe, let’s not dwell on it. You can call him tomorrow when you’ve had some fun. You really need to let loose.”

“You’re the boss.” I open the passenger door for her and close it when she’s in before getting behind the wheel.

“Hell yes, I am!” She fist bumps the air as I start driving.

“What did I get myself into?” I grunt dramatically and drive to the Vault. A part of me can’t wait to have a couple of drinks, and the other part just wants to chill on the couch, eat a bunch of junk food, and wallow in self-pity.

“A hell of a lot of fun.” She dances in her seat as we make our way to the club. At least she’s happy.





Matt: Hey, it’s Haven. Matt is a mess. He misses you, but he’s too stubborn to actually pick up the phone and talk to you. We’ll be at the Vault for a couple of hours. Come over if you want to see him. Please do, he really misses you!

I suppose it’s better than nothing to get a text from Haven saying where they are going to be so I can actually join them. I’ve been trying to recover from the repeated beatings I was getting so I wouldn’t scare people by walking down the street, but f*ck it. I need to see Matt. It’s been too long, and even though I still haven’t fully come to terms with what’s been going on, I have to see him. I miss him and miss being with him.

Me: I’ll be there in an hour or so. Thanks, love, for telling me where you’ll be.

Shoving the little belongings I have here in a bag, I make sure everything is off before walking out of the door and locking up. Frank brought back my car the other day. He came over with Olivia and brought pizza and beer. It felt good to actually have some real food. There’s only so much you can do with canned food and pasta. I was getting bored of eating the same thing over and over, but I guess it was better than nothing.