I Hate You More

by Alexandra Moody

She smiled brightly up at me, and the skin around her eyes crinkled with genuine happiness. When she smiled like that, her beauty was devastating, and I forgot how I hated her.

I always thought of my brother as a sun and Chase as the thundercloud that followed it everywhere it went. But, when Chase smiled, he transformed into a star of his own that shone far brighter than I ever realized.

“I think you’re always going to drive me crazy, Ally,” he murmured. “But I think I’m starting to like it.” He pulled his hand back.

He gave me a sad smile. “I didn’t have a choice, Ally, because if I didn’t hate you, I would love you, and loving you would only break my heart.”

“And I do love you. I love you because the things that have happened between us were real, because we are what happens when things don’t go to plan.” He closed the distance between us once more until our bodies were but a breath apart. “And because I miss every damn thing about you, including every little thing I thought I hated. You are the most stubborn, most annoying pain in the ass I’ve ever known, but you’re my pain in the ass, and I’m not letting you throw us away.”