Chereads / HATE LIKE YOU LOVE / Chapter 2 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - Chapter 2

Jeff is hot!

At Maureen and Taylor's apartment, Taylor walked into Maureen's room to tidy up. She picked up the littered clothes on the floor and walked towards her closet; she sighed at the sight of the mess she made. She stared at her newly acquired bags and shoes; they made the closet elegant, although it was in disarray. She folded the clothes and hung them according to their types; she saw a sweatshirt that had their college logo imprinted on it. She caressed the cloth, and a plethora of memories flooded her. She remembered when she first met Maureen: she was drunk and making a fuss with a cabbie; it was late that night, and the street was dark. The cab driver kept asking her to come down if she wouldn't say where exactly she was going but she insisted she knew and the driver should keep going. The taxi driver, who had driven her around town for over two hours, was tired and needed her to give him an exact location. After arguing back and forth about his payment, he realized Maureen had no pennies on her, so he dragged her out of the cab and left her on the dark street. It was around 1 a.m. Taylor, who recently left her fashion school, witnessed the drunk dragging her out and ran to her aid. After asking her multiple questions about who she was and where she was headed, she noticed the shirt and realized they attended the same college. She tried asking her about her hostel, friends, or any contacts, but Maureen was too drunk to speak; she was only spluttering and couldn't articulate well. Taylor searched her for a phone or ID card, but there was only a pack of cigarettes and a gin bottle on her. With no option left, she hauled a taxi and took her to her hostel, where she spent the entire day sleeping.

Maureen walked into the closet and snapped Taylor out of her reverie. "Girl, there's a man asking of you by the door," she looked askance at her. "A man? "Not a delivery boy?" Taylor was surprised as well. "A man's BMW is parked right in front of this house," she emphasized. Taylor rolled her eyes hearing the name of the car, "that's Jeff," she said dismissively and walked out of the room. "Who's Jeff? And why is he so hot? "The doorway is all lit up," Maureen whined. "He's Josh's friend, okay?" "Hm! Interesting, and he drives a flaming-red BMW sports car. "When did you become like this?" Taylor was disgusted. She couldn't understand the change in Maureen's attitude; she was never materialistic, had many flaws, but was always content. But recently, after Jude got her a job at an entertainment company, her lifestyle changed; she turned a shopaholic, and her recent games of changing men like shoes befuddle her. "Is he going to spend all day by the door?" She dragged her hands and launched herself towards the door. Taylor snatched her hands and gave her a bad eye before receiving Jeff warmly into the house and offering him a drink while Maureen exchanged pleasantries with him and excused herself.

Jeff stared at Taylor as they both sat by the dining table having some tea. "You've been ignoring my calls, Tee," he said with a piercing look. Taylor remained silent. "What's wrong? "You don't like the announcement I made," he asked again, searching for answers. But Taylor was dissatisfied with the conversation. Jeff was her childhood friend and has been into her all the way. He was there for her when her step mom kicked her out of the house and was Josh's best friend, who was the youngest of her step brothers and was also the nicest. Josh's family and hers were family friends, but recently she felt detached from the life she had lived all along. The luxury, elegance, and lavish life wore her out, especially when her step mom removed her name from the register and claimed she was a bastard. None of her four brothers stood up for her except Josh. He was the only one who questioned his mother and threatened her with the law, but all his efforts were futile since his mother had it all planned even before their father's death. Then, there was Jeff, who wanted her to be his woman. Jeff was a hotshot model in his late twenties, 6 feet tall with a strong build and a charming look. He had informed his friend, Josh, about Taylor, but he was only advised to keep trying to woo her. "We haven't defined what this is between us, and you announced me to your family as your girlfriend?" Taylor asked, disappointed. "You want me to back out?" What we have is labeled... I need you to open yourself to me and let me be your man forever. "I'm not ashamed to tell the world about us; I don't even care what your brother thinks; all I want is you," he said sternly. "Look, there's a party coming up next weekend; it's a mask party; I want you to come." Maureen walked in on them, clearing her throat and smiling cornily. It was evident she had been eavesdropping on them. "Erm, sorry to interrupt, but please, I need a picture with you," she said, smiling broadly at Jeff. "Really?" Taylor said it in between her teeth. Maureen glanced at her and sneered, "about that party this weekend," she placed her hand on his shoulder coyly and bit her lower lips slightly, "We'll be there!" She said assuredly. Taylor sighed and rubbed her forehead impulsively, saying, "Jeff, how about we talk later tonight?" She asked, ignoring her nosy friend. Jeff took the cue and rose to his feet; he gave Taylor a quick hug, took a couple of selfies with Maureen, and dashed out. Maureen rushed to the window as she heard his car's engine revving before zooming off. "Girl! What the heck? You're playing hard to get? "That dude is hot, I can still feel the heat," she said, fanning herself dramatically. "We are definitely going to that party; we're turning up massively; we're going to slay them all, babe; have them drooling; and gosh, maybe you could get laid; there's a lot of tension around you; you need to loosen up, Tee," she said, smacking her lips while looking at the lower part of her body. Taylor ignored her. "Take out the trash bag and do the dishes, lazy ass," she said while walking away. Maureen relaxed into the sofa with a grin as she scrolled through her phone. "Let's do some Instagram flaunting, whoa!" Jeff is HOT!"