Chapter 4

"Carter, if we ever break up, let's just make it clean. Let's not make it ugly."

His hand stopped moving the towel.

"Sloane, what are you talking about?"

"Nothing. You know I'm always a step behind. I'm just worried that by the time you're ready to marry someone else, I'll still be completely in the dark."

I laughed, but tears slipped down my cheeks.

Carter pulled me onto his lap, wrapping his arms tightly around me.

"What's wrong, babe? Why are you suddenly crying?"

The word "babe" instantly triggered the memory of last night. I winced and tried to pull away, but his grip only tightened.

"Babe, have I been neglecting you lately? Did I do something to upset you?"

Hearing him call me "babe" over and over felt like nails on a chalkboard.

"Can you stop calling me that? It’s honestly making me sick."

I looked him dead in the eye when I said it.

Taking advantage of his stunned silence, I slipped off his lap and stood up.

The sheer physical repulsion made me want to get as far away from him as possible.

The doorbell rang. I couldn't open the door fast enough.

As soon as the lock clicked, a girl threw her arms around me. She smelled of a very familiar, sweet perfume.

She pulled back, revealing a bright, pretty face.

"Hey! You must be Sloane!"

"Hailey, stop messing around," Carter’s voice boomed from behind me.

Hailey’s eyes immediately darted past me to Carter. She practically lunged at him, and he caught her effortlessly.

"Can you be a little more professional?" Carter chided, though his voice was soft.

"I'm just bringing some youthful energy to the team!" she giggled.

"Oh, please. Hailey always treats you differently, Carter. Usually..."

One of the club guys behind her started to tease them, but another guy quickly covered his mouth.

"I'll go check on the water," I said.

Without waiting for a response, I walked into the kitchen.

The electric kettle was boiling, rumbling loudly as it reached its peak.

I had filled it too much. Just before the boiling water could spill over, I hit the switch to turn it off. Water that's fully boiling always burns.

The noisy laughter from the living room drifted into the kitchen. I expressionlessly poured the hot water into a teapot and walked back out.

"Carter, I’m wearing the perfume you gave me today. Does it smell good?"