It's That 'I Hate You' Kind of Love

Chapter Twenty Six

**When you see ITIHYKOL that stand for It's That I Hate You Kind of Love**

Key Points of Chapter 25

(1) Carson almost kissed Charlotte, but they were interrupted. (2) Emily tells her that she was spying on Charlotte, but not to yell at Carson for breaking his promise. (3) Emily tells Char that Jay used to be more fun before she came and that Emily sensed her (human) mate. (4) Emily explains that Char will feel a fire-like pain if she stays away from Carson for too long and that the bond had grown stronger because of their week apart. Char dreads this. (5) Char meets several teen pack members including Carson's cousins. (6) Char unpacks with the werewolf girls and she figures out that Carson's cousin, Georgia, is in love with Jay (7) Alex explains to Char why he loves Kate (a teen werewolf) when she is not his mate (8) Charlotte realizes that werewolves really can love.

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"Hey Alex!" I called brightly, tramping down the stairs and into the main room lightened by the morning sun filtering through clean windows. I plopped unceremoniously on the comfortable mahogany-colored couch beside him and peered over at the red book he was reading. A scaled maroon dragon glared at me with snakelike-orange slits. Eldest by Christopher Paolini it read in shining gold script.

His tussled brown-haired head whipped up at the jostle of the couch and he blinked at me wearily behind his slightly-foggy glasses. As if he was suddenly awoken in the dead of night, it took a long moment before his eyes lit up in recognition. He seemed to force himself from the fantasy world described within the smooth pages, and sent me a hesitant smile. "H-hi."

It was odd to hear him hesitant when he had spoken with so much feeling last night. By the others' accounts, this was the normal, anti-social Alex behavior.

"You finished Eragon already?" I said, still unable to slide the playful grin off my face. The glee in my smile must have greatly contrasted against the dark, raccoon-like circles resting under my tired brown eyes.

Alex's narrow eyebrows scrunched together in confusion by my contradicting expression, but he just nodded and mumbled how he had stayed up until the early morning hours to finish it.

"It is a really good book," I said absentmindedly, while keeping my ears trained on the last room down the hall upstairs. I could hear the distant pitter-patter of the shower and I nearly giggled in excitement.

"'Morning Char," Emily chirped as she exited the kitchen. A mischievous smile painted itself on her innocent face as she sat on the other side of Alex. "Lovely day isn't it?"

I grinned back, ignoring Alex's cutely quizzical look darting between us. "Just the loveliest."

Emily stifled a giggle with pursed lips and nibbled on her slightly burned bagel pasted with cream cheese. When she caught me looking, she silently offered me the other half and I took it gratefully. Emily winked at me as I chewed on a big bite in my right cheek.

"Thanks," I said cheerfully after I had finished swallowing. From the second floor the distant creak of a floorboard could be heard. I shot Emily a meaningful glance. She giggled again.

Alex gazed between our smirks suspiciously. His brown eyes were beginning to burn with curiosity and imagination. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," We sang in a sing-song way, and coincidentally took a bite of our breakfasts at the same time.

I resisted the urge to laugh out loud again-finally I was getting a little revenge on that stupid dog!

The polished front door opened and the three of us glanced over the top of the cushy couch. Bethany entered, chatting on the white iPhone balanced between her ear and lavender t-shirt clad shoulder. Her pale arm was wrapped tightly around the brown paper-bag of groceries threatening to crash to the hardwood.