HATE ME TONIGHT, LOVE ME TOMORROW
An Enemies-to-Lovers Romance
Chapter One: The Man I Couldn't Stand
If there was one man I wished would disappear from the face of the earth, it was Adrian Cole.
Twenty-five years old, ridiculously handsome, annoyingly wealthy, and blessed with the kind of confidence that made me want to throw something at his head.
Unfortunately, he was also my new business partner.
“You're late,” he said without looking up from his laptop.
I checked my watch. “I'm three minutes early.”
“Three minutes early for someone else. For you, that's late.”
I dropped my handbag on the table. “And for you, being irritating is apparently a full-time job.”
He finally looked at me, his lips curling into that infuriating smile.
“Good morning to you too, sweetheart.”
“Call me sweetheart again, and I'll pour this coffee on your expensive shirt.”
He leaned back in his chair. “You'd have to come closer.”
I hated him.
At least, that was what I kept telling myself.
For three months, we fought over everything—business decisions, meeting schedules, even the temperature of the office air conditioner. Yet somehow, every argument ended with him looking at me as if I were the most fascinating woman he'd ever met.
And lately, I'd begun noticing things I had no business noticing.
The way his sleeves rolled up his forearms.
The way his voice softened when he spoke to elderly clients.
The way his eyes followed me whenever I entered a room.
It was becoming a problem.
A very handsome problem.
Chapter Two: The Jealousy Game
The trouble began at our company's anniversary party.
I wore a black, fitted dress and heels I'd spent weeks saving for. When I entered the ballroom, conversations seemed to pause for a moment.
Adrian was standing beside the bar.
His eyes found mine immediately.
For once, he had nothing clever to say.
I smiled sweetly. “Have you forgotten how to speak?”
He recovered quickly. “I'm deciding whether to compliment you or ask everyone here to stop staring.”
“Why? Afraid someone might steal your precious business partner?”
His jaw tightened when another man approached and asked me to dance.
I accepted.
Halfway through the song, I noticed Adrian watching us from across the room. He looked irritated enough to start a war.
When the dance ended, he appeared beside me.
“Having fun?”
“Immensely.”
“Your new friend seems very interested in you.”
I tilted my head. “Are you jealous, Adrian?”
“Don't flatter yourself.”
“Then stop looking at him as though you're planning his funeral.”
He stepped closer, lowering his voice.
“You really enjoy making me jealous, don't you?”
I smiled. “You really enjoy pretending you care.”
For a moment, his expression changed.
“I don't pretend about everything.”
Before I could ask what he meant, he walked away.
And for the first time, I wondered whether our hatred had been hiding something else all along.
Chapter Three: The Storm
Two weeks later, we were stranded at a countryside hotel after a business conference. A violent storm had flooded the road back to the city.
The hotel had only one room available.
One room.
One bed.
And Adrian Cole standing beside the window, looking far too pleased with himself.
“Don't even think about it,” I warned.
“I haven't said anything.”
“Your face has.”
He laughed. “Relax. I'll take the bed. You can have the sofa.”
I blinked. “Who are you, and what have you done with Adrian?”
“Don't get emotional. It's frightening.”
I threw a pillow at him.
He caught it, laughing, and for a little while we were simply two people enjoying each other's company.
Then the lights flickered.
The room fell quiet.
“Can I ask you something?” he said.
I nodded cautiously.
“Why do you hate me so much?”
I looked down at my hands. “Because you act as though nobody else matters.”
His smile disappeared.
“And you always assume the worst about me,” he replied. “You never give me a chance to explain myself.”
I swallowed.
“Maybe we're both guilty.”
He moved closer, stopping with enough space between us for me to step away.
“I've wanted to kiss you since the day you threatened me with that coffee.”
I stared at him.
“You're joking.”
“I'm not.”
My heart was beating so loudly that I was certain he could hear it.
“Adrian…”
“Tell me to leave you alone, and I will.”
I should have told him to go.
Instead, I reached for his hand.
“Maybe I'm tired of fighting with you.”
His fingers closed gently around mine.
“Then let me kiss you.”
I looked into his eyes.
“Yes.”
His lips met mine in a tender, hesitant kiss. When I kissed him back, he smiled against my lips, and I couldn't help laughing.
“What?” I whispered.
“Nothing. I'm just enjoying the fact that you finally stopped arguing with me.”
“Don't ruin this.”
“Wouldn't dream of it.”
I kissed him again.
This time, neither of us was pretending.
Chapter Four: Behind the Closed Door
The kiss changed everything.
Adrian brushed a strand of hair away from my face, his expression suddenly serious.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked.
I smiled softly. “I've never been more sure of anything.”
I pulled him closer and kissed him again. His arms wrapped around me, and the last of the anger I'd carried for months seemed to dissolve between us.
We paused only to exchange quiet laughter and whispered confessions about all the moments we'd mistaken attraction for irritation.
When he asked if I wanted him to stay close, I answered by taking his hand and leading him toward the bed.
He kissed my forehead, then my cheek, before finding my lips again.
“Still hate me?” he murmured.
“More than ever.”
He chuckled. “That's unfortunate.”
“Why?”
“Because I'm falling in love with you.”
My smile faded.
He wasn't teasing.
I touched his face. “Say that again.”
“I love you.”
I kissed him before he could say another word.
That night, we chose to be together, discovering a tenderness neither of us had expected beneath all those arguments. The storm continued outside, but inside the room, the world felt wonderfully far away.
Later, beneath the sheets, I rested my head against his chest while he traced gentle circles across my hand.
“Tomorrow,” I murmured, “we're going back to being enemies.”
He kissed the top of my head.
“Of course.”
“And you're still annoying.”
“Obviously.”
I lifted my face to look at him. “And if you ever call me sweetheart in the office again, I'll deny everything that happened tonight.”
He grinned.
“Goodnight, sweetheart.”
I smacked his chest with a pillow, and he burst out laughing.
For the first time, I didn't hate the sound.
I loved it.
Chapter Five: The Morning After
The following morning, Adrian brought me breakfast in bed.
I stared at the tray.
“Are you trying to bribe me?”
“I'm trying to feed the woman I love.”
“That's disgustingly romantic.”
“Would you prefer I insult you?”
“Actually, that would make me feel more comfortable.”
He laughed and sat beside me.
Then his expression grew serious.
“I don't want last night to be something we pretend never happened.”
I set the tray aside.
“Neither do I.”
“Then let's stop fighting just to hide how we feel.”
I took his hand.
“Agreed. But I reserve the right to argue when you're being stupid.”
“Fair enough.”
He kissed me, and i smiled against his lips.
I had spent months convinced Adrian Cole was my worst enemy.
I was beginning to suspect he might become my greatest love.
And that was far more terrifying.
To be continued…
Would you choose love with your greatest enemy, even if it meant risking your heart?