💘 HIS RELUCTANT MATE 💘 (Hate To Love You)

CHAPTER ONE >>> _JARVIS'S POV_ WASHINGTON, SWANN STREET ~ JARVIS'S PLACE Winter had settled over Washington like an icy blanket, and the morning air was sharp enough to bite. I pushed open my window and instantly regretted it as the cold rushed in. Still, a smile tugged at my lips as I took in the start of a new day. My messy hair framed my face, strands sticking to my cheeks as I leaned against the window frame. I stretched with a contented hum—until my phone dinged from the bed. My eyes widened. I slammed the window shut and bolted across the room, diving onto the bed. Excitement turned to disappointment in an instant. "A freaking w******p group message?" I groaned, tossing my phone aside. My smile vanished. "Why is my acceptance letter not here yet?" "Finley College resumed a week ago, and I’m still stuck here! Today’s the last day for admissions," I muttered, jumping to my feet. "If I don’t get in, I swear I’ll throw myself into the nearest garbage truck." I stomped toward my small bookshelf, fingers brushing over the familiar spines. I was obsessed with literature—completely obsessed. That’s why I was so determined to study English and Literature at Finley. But it wasn’t just about the course. My favourite author—Nikki Ronald—was in his final year there. I pulled a worn purple book from the shelf and hugged it to my chest before pressing a kiss to the cover with a dreamy sigh. 'Wet Kisses' by Nikki Ronald. I’d read it more times than I could count, and it still hadn’t lost its magic. Flipping to my favourite scene, I walked into the bathroom, stuck the book to the wall, and grabbed my toothbrush. Brushing my teeth turned into a full-on dance session. I swayed my hips, twirled around—completely lost in the world of my book. Then my phone chimed again. My heart skipped. "My acceptance letter!" Toothbrush still in my mouth, I dashed back to the bedroom and grabbed my phone—only to groan. "Another w******p message?! I swear my browser is messing with me!" Still brushing, I stormed into the kitchen. The smell of eggs and bacon filled the air. At the stove stood Aunt Caroline—my only family - since I lost my parents. We weren’t rich, but we lived comfortably. "Did the letter finally come?" Caroline asked, turning to me. "Morning, Aunt!" I hugged her, then pulled away. "Tell me you finally got it," she said hopefully. I sighed, pulling the toothbrush from my mouth. "I need to check at the internet café. My browser’s glitching." "Maybe it’s just delayed?" she said, gently running her hand through my hair. "Definitely a malfunction," I muttered. "I’m taking a quick bath, then I’m out." Fifteen minutes later, I stepped out bundled in thick layers—skin-tight jeans, three sweaters, a pullover, and a beanie pulled down over my ears. "Bye, Aunt!" I called, heading for the door. "Wait!" Caroline rushed out with a plate of waffles. I grinned as she shoved one into my mouth. "Call me!" she reminded. "Sure!" I mumbled through a mouthful before stepping into the cold. ******************************* ROGER INTERNET CAFÉ I had been sitting at the computer for five minutes, just staring at the login page of my student portal. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and whispered a silent prayer. My fingers trembled as I typed in my details. I scrolled down—then froze. My heart pounded. I quickly scrolled back up. My acceptance letter. It had been sitting there for five whole days. "YES!!! JARVIS DOBREV, YOU MADE IT!!!" I screamed, jumping in my seat. From the next computer, another girl shrieked just as loudly. "YES!!!" We turned to each other. "Finley too?" I asked. "You too?" she beamed at the same time. "YES!" we both shouted in unison. We squealed and hugged tightly—completely ignoring the café staff’s annoyed glares. It was official. We were going to Finley College. "Yayyy!" We hugged again, jumping in place until the café operators finally kicked us out for making too much noise. "I'm Dorothy Williams, by the way," the girl said as we stepped outside. "I lost my parents last year, and now I live with my uncle—he works at a bank. I’m studying Computer Science at Finley ‘cause I’m totally in love with computers!" she gushed. I blinked at her. I didn’t need a psychic to tell me—Dorothy was definitely a talker. "Well… I’m Jarvis Dobrev. I lost my parents when I was a baby. I live with my aunt—she works at a supermarket. I’m going to be studying—" "English!" Dorothy interrupted. "How did you know?" I asked, surprised. She grinned and nodded toward my cross bag. "I saw a copy of Wet Kisses in there." Right. The cover was peeking out. "You’re obviously a Nikki Ronald fan," she added. "I’m not obsessed or anything, but I read Wet Kisses, and it’s a total bae! Ares and Nina are everything." "You can’t love them more than I do," I said simply. "I won’t argue with that. You’re clearly a die-hard fan," she laughed. My eyes lit up as a woman passed by holding a fluffy white cat. "You like cats?" Dorothy asked. "I love them! You’re so observant," I replied, still staring at the cat. Dorothy suddenly pointed at a coffee shop across the street. "Wait here, I’ll get us some hot coffee!" she said, stepping off the curb. But a car sped by, and she quickly jumped back—too late. She fell to the ground, scraping her knees despite the jeans. "Dorothy!" I rushed over, eyes widening at the sight of the blood. "I’m fine," she said, trying to smile. "No, you’re not." I shook my head and helped her up. I didn’t notice Wet Kisses slipping from my bag and falling to the ground. Then a voice spoke beside us. "Gawd, I’m so sorry," said a deep, velvety voice. We both turned. A ridiculously handsome guy stood there, looking genuinely apologetic. I swallowed hard. Something about his presence made it hard to breathe. And oddly, he stared back like he felt the same. "You okay?" he asked, snapping me out of it. "I’m good," Dorothy replied before I could say anything. "Nikki, is she okay?" Two more guys got out of the car. One of them—Nikki, apparently—stood straighter and examined Dorothy’s knees. "She’s scraped up a bit," Nikki said. Dorothy leaned toward me and whispered, "Gawd, why are they all so handsome?" "I knew this would happen. That’s why I told Jayden to let me drive," Nikki muttered. "We all know Wolfie only listens to himself," the one called Gabby said with a shrug. I narrowed my eyes. "Wait… you guys weren’t the ones driving?" As if on cue, another guy stepped out. He leaned casually against the car, a cigarette between his fingers, exhaling smoke like he owned the whole world. My irritation flared instantly. "Motherf—" I cut myself off and marched toward him. "This won’t end well," I heard one of the guys said behind me.