At First Hate by K.A. Linde

Author:K.A. Linde [Linde, K.A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub

Even though class had been cancelled for the first time in thirty-four years for the hurricane, class was cancelled again only a few months later for an unpredictable blizzard. My lab was closed. Everything was completely shut down. The roads were impassable from all the snow, and more was scheduled to come down for the rest of today and tomorrow. I’d lived through a Massachusetts winter. I’d thought I understood snowfall. But it was nothing compared to what hit early February.

Misty had ditched the city before the worst of it hit, driving home to Connecticut to stay in her parents’ house. Derek didn’t like that I would be home alone and offered me his guest room. I felt dumb accepting, as it was just some snow, but I also didn’t want to be alone.

So, I packed a bag to ride out the storm, wondering all the time if I was making the right choice, and then headed across campus to his place. By the time I got there, snow was coming down in fat drifts, easily pushing me with the bitter, cold wind.

“It’s freezing out there,” I said, shivering.

“Wait, wait,” Derek said. “Don’t get undressed.”

“Well, I never thought I’d hear that out of your mouth.”

For a second, he was speechless. Then, that insufferable smirk returned. He took a step toward me, and all the air left the room. “I mean, we can stay in if you have other things on your mind.”

I coughed, flustered. “No. That’s not what I meant.”

He flipped a loose curl from under my beanie. “You sure?” he practically purred.

I wasn’t. Not at all. “Uh, positive.”

“My mind is successfully in the gutter. We should probably go back out before I let it wander too far.”

I swallowed at the heat in his voice. Then blinked. “Wait, back out?”

“Yeah. You have two choices: we could walk down to Cambridge Common or up to Danehy Park.”

“In this weather?”

His eyes lit up. “Precisely.”

He gestured behind me. I turned to see what he was getting at.

“You want to go sledding?”

“Perfect weather.”

“It’s a blizzard.”

“Come on, Mars. Live a little with me.”

I huffed. It was way too cold out there for this Southern girl. The weather channel had said to expect two feet of snow. But it wasn’t quite that bad yet. Maybe it’d be fun.

“Fine.”

I slid my hands back into my gloves, zipped up my coat, and pulled my hood back up. “You are going to owe me hot chocolate after this.”

“Done.”

Then, like a kid in a candy store, he hoisted up the sleds and dashed out of the house. Cambridge Common was closer than the park but had smaller hills. I’d never been sledding before in my entire life. So, I was all for the smaller hills, but Derek’s law school friends had headed up to the park, and so that was where we went.

By the time I was on top of the hill with nothing but a piece of plastic between me and the ground, I was deeply regretting my decision. “I don’t know if I can do this, Derek.

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