Hatred With Benefits

E I G H T Y - F I V E

EMERSON.

"Why did you ask me to come home?" I ask Elias the minute I walk inside the house and he turns

around to meet me with a smile, "You're here. "

"That doesn't exactly answer my question. " I tell him and he chuckles before he gestures to the seat

across from him. With a sigh, I walk to the seat and drop to it, keeping my eyes on him.

"There's someone who wants to talk to you. " He informs me, and when I lift my brows in silent

questioning, he angles his head to a direction and I twist my head to see Dad approaching us.

"Him?" I mouth when I drop my gaze back to Elias and he blinks once as a form of assurance before

he grabs the laptop in front of him when Dad stops at the table.

"I'll leave you two. " Elias says, throwing me a wink before he moves out of the room, and I watch him

disappear through the corner before I shift my gaze back to the man who takes his seat across from

me.

I don't say a word and neither does he as he lifts his hand to the table. I begin to tap my feet against

the floor with my fingers drumming against my other thigh before he finally breaks the silence.

"Did it hurt?" He questions and I raise a confused brow, "Uh?"

"When I blamed you for your mother's death. Did it hurt?" He explains, and I take a swallow at those

words, the movement of my leg and hand immediately stopping before I say. "Why are you suddenly

asking me that?"

"I just want to know. "He responds and I look down to my thigh as I speak. "Didn't you say it so I could

hurt?"

"Did you believe them to be true?" He questions further and I say, "I did. For a very long time I did, but

then some people kept telling me it was destined to happen, and although at times I wish it wasn't

destined that way; I believed those people's words. "

"That's better. Believing them would have done no good. " He mumbles, and I furrow my brows,

wondering where he's going with all these, and why he's suddenly interested in talking about them to

me.

"When I told you to leave Matt's daughter; did it hurt?" He asks another, lifting his head to meet my

eyes and I look away from him as I mumble, "It did hurt. "

"Hurt enough to make you hate me?" He surprises me by asking and I drop my gaze back to him

before I hum, "That enough. "

"You love her that much?" He raises a brow and I shake my head, a smile crossing my lips at the

thought of Eva. "I love her that much. "

"Yet you listened to me and left her?" He asks and I shake my head once again. "I didn't leave Eva

because you wanted me to. I left her because I thought I had to. "

"Do you consider yourself without a father?" He inquires, changing the topic once again and I lean back

in my seat at that question, my breathing coming out heavy as I stare at the man in front of me, who

doesn't blink as he awaits my answer.

"Do you think yourself lesser of one son?" I retort and he chuckles lightly, "I did. I've always. Since that

incident, you were no longer my son. "

I lace my fingers through each other and drop my head to keep myself together. I know that, and I've

known that for years, but somehow, he manages to make it hurt just as much every single time he

reminds me of that one truth.

"That answers your question. " I mutter without raising my head, and there is a pass of a heartbeat

before his voice comes again. "But I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have treated you like that. "

I lift my gaze. "What?"

He smiles. For the very first time in years, my father smiles at me. And it's not one of those smiles

where I know there's something terrible that awaits me behind it, it's one of those calm smiles that

makes me feel a bit lighter. It's warm and it's genuine.

"Do you want to know something interesting?" He asks and I nod, unable to give a word and he

proceeds to say, "Jane loved you so much. " I swallow at the mention of my mother; the very first time

I'll be hearing her name from him ever since she died.

"On every trip, she'd always talk about you and how much you reminded her of so many good things

about her younger self. I used to think you were her most favoured kid, " he chuckles then takes a

pause before he continues again, "Your mother might have been too busy to be around you all the

time, but she always had you in her heart. I'm sure she still does. "

"Why are you telling me all these?"

"Because I finally realized what a horrible father I've been. I do love your mother, Emerson. I loved her

so much. More than I can even begin to explain, and I still do. My love for her made me blame you for

so long, so long till I didn't realize what I was doing was wrong. Till I didn't realize I was hurting you. I

should have been there for you after she died, but instead, I kept you away and I'm sorry for that,

Emerson. "

My eyes widen just barely at his last words. Sorry? Is Mason Ford, the man who sits in front of me, my

father, saying sorry to me?

"Why?" I mutter, my voice coming out low and I clear my throat for a louder one. "Why are you saying

all these now?"

"Because someone told me it's never too late to start. "

"Start?" I repeat and he nods. "To try and keep you close, instead of pushing you away. "

I don't say a word after that. I'm too surprised to say anything. Where are all these coming from? Why

the sudden change of heart? Are you getting played, Emerson? This feels too good to be true.

"I'm sorry for all the pain I caused you, Emerson. " His voice pulls me out of my thoughts, reminding me

that he's still sitting across from me with his eyes on me and speaking to me. "You never deserved any Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

of those, and I'm sorry if I made you feel that way. "

"Dad—" I call out, but no words follow and he smiles as he speaks again, "Matt and I talked. He beat

me to it before I could make a decision. "

"What did you talk about?" I ask him and he sighs, just staring at me for a while before he finally opens

his mouth. "That you and his daughter deserve the happiness you give each other. " Dad's words once

again amaze me, as if I don't have a hard time believing the previous ones.

"What?" The word falls from my mouth before I can control it, and utter shock laces through it at the

thought of my dad and Matt Carson talking.

"I made my decision when you came to me that night. I was going to let you have the one thing you got

to keep. "

"Why didn't you say that?"

"Maybe I was looking to see how far you would truly go, or maybe I just wanted to hold back a bit. Matt,

however, made that decision quicker when he was willing to leave everything for his daughter's

happiness. " He smiles, as if he's living through that moment in his head again, and I say, "He was

going to leave the company?"

"Without a doubt. "

"Why didn't you take it?" I ask him and he lifts a shoulder, "I got bored of being the bad guy in this story.

A little good doesn't seem to hurt. " And that's it? They both managed to get on the same page? But at

the cost of what? The only thing that ever truly mattered to the both of us.

"Emerson?" He calls my name and I meet his eyes. "I almost lost her. "

"What?" He mumbles and I say, "Eva. I almost lost her. She was this close to throwing everything away.

Why did it have to come to that? Why did it have to happen? What if we had truly lost?"

"Because some battles, you don't win without a fight. And when you manage to make it through despite

how tough the fight was, that's when you know it's all worth it. I'm sorry that we made you almost lose

each other, but you should know now that her father and I are no longer a problem. "

When I don't say a word, he moves from his seat and my eyes follow as he strides closer to me. He

stays by my side, seeming to be having an inner battle before he finally lifts his hand and drops it on

my shoulder. My eyes go to the touch before it moves to his face and he welcomes me with a smile,

"I'm sorry. "

"And if I say I don't forgive you?" I lift a brow and he drops his hand. "It's alright to feel that way. I don't

forgive myself that easily either, but I'm willing to earn it. "

"What if I don't ever want to forgive you? What if you snatched too much than I was willing to give, and

there's no fixing how things are between us?" I ask and his voice is soft as he answers, "I'll never stop

trying. It's all about the effort, isn't it?"

"Have you always been like this?" I narrow my eyes and he looks confused for a moment before

realization dawns on him and he says, "There are a lot of things we don't know about each other, isn't

there? We can start by learning those. "

Silence swims around us and I don't take my eyes off him until he makes the sound of a gasp as he

looks down at his wrist. "I have an appointment. I need to leave now. "

I hum in response and he slaps my shoulder, giving me another warm smile before he begins to make

his way out of the room, and just before his frame disappears completely, I call out his name.

He turns back to me with lifted brows and I say, "It was nice to hear you speak of her. "

He nods, and seems to think about his next words for a while before he let them out. "This time; do you

think we can leave together? I think she'll very much love that. "

"Are you finally letting go?" I ask him, knowing that he had never gone to mom's grave ever since the

funeral. At first, I didn't understand. But then, I did. Going back there is like saying goodbye, and that's

something he doesn't want to do.

"No, " he voices out, catching my attention once again. "I'm finally embracing it. She'll always be here,

and it's time I make peace with that. "

When I hum, he says, "I should be on my way now. " And I watch as he turns around before he walks

out of the room.

"I told you he isn't always such a cold bástard. " I flinch a bit at Elias's voice before I turn my head to

him. "Why didn't you tell me this over the phone?"

"I didn't want to ruin the surprise. " He says, "Though there's one last surprise. There's something else

he wants to do; I told him not to do it, but he seems pretty determined about it. "

"What's it?" I ask and he smirks. "It won't be a surprise if I tell you now brother, will it?"

"Smart. " I remark and he laughs, causing me to follow through, before the sounds die down and Eli

speaks in a much fluffier tone. "How do you feel?"

I take a second before I answer. "Stunned. Shocked that the Mason Ford is having a change of heart,

but I'll take it. "

"I meant about her. " He says and my heart drops at the reference. "We're hanging by a thread, but

we'll survive. I see a little light out there. " I smile before I raise my head to him, "And you? Will you be

returning to New York now that all is done?"

"Why? Eager to have me out of here so soon, brother?" He jokes and I shake my head as I move to my

feet. "If it were up to me, I don't want you to leave. "

"Easy there, Em. I might just think you love me. " He winks and I say, "I do love you. I've always done

and something tells me that'll never change. "

He smiles and spreads his arms, "Come on. You won't get this often. "

I let out a laugh before I move into his arms and wrap my arms around his back, dropping my head

onto his shoulder as I close my eyes to his embrace.

"Thank you, Eli. For being here. For always been here. " I whisper and he strokes my back, "I always

got your back no matter what, little brother. Always remember that. "

And I tighten my hold after those words, knowing there are no truer words.

"Am I permitted to join in or is that a brother's thing too?" We break apart at the whining voice of Hanna

and she's standing a few steps away with her glare on the both of us, before she averts her gaze to

Elias. "I'm jealous. He never hugged me that way. Not even once. "

"Oh, pouting baby. Come on in. " Elias says and she giggles as she moves in tiny towards us before

she wraps both hands around us.

I meet Elias's eyes and shake my head before we press our hands to her sides, with the smile

remaining glued to my face.

~

I slowly climb up the ladder and I press one hand to the last stair then raise the other hand to place

gentle knocks against her window. When there's no response, I do it again until Eva appears at the

other end. I throw her a small smile and gesture for her to open up, then I hold my heart and hope she

doesn't leave like she usually does.

Her eyes move down before she strides away from my sight and my heart drops as I watch her leave.

I'm about to turn back when she appears again, and my heart takes a leap as she draws the curtains

completely and opens the window.

"Hey. " I smile at her and she takes a step back, letting me inside. Immediately I step foot inside the

room; my eyes run across every corner, remembering the last time I was there.

"What are you doing here?" I turn my head to Eva and she's walking back to her bed.

"Why did you leave?" I ask her when she takes a seat on the edge, and she raises her head to me, her

face deprived of a smile as she speaks, "I didn't have any reason to stay. "

"Being with me isn't a reason good enough?" I lift a brow as I pace closer to her and she breaks her

gaze away from me to grab the book by her side. When she doesn't give a response for a long time, I

sigh as I finally stop in front of her, "Are you alright? With what happened?"

She meets my eyes again, and tilts her head a bit, "Are you?"

"What?" I say, confused and she drops the book to raise to her feet. She averts her eyes to the floor as

she speaks, "I mean I came onto you like that and I— it feels wrong. I'm sorry if I made you

uncomfortable. I had you in a difficult place. "

I shake my head as I take one stride to fill her space, and I press a hand to her cheek, lifting her gaze

to mine. "No, don't say that. You'd never make me uncomfortable, Eva. I did it because I wanted to. "

"I prodded you into it. " She persists and I let myself be distracted by her lips for one second before I

look into her eyes again, "And I went along because it's what I wanted. It was under the wrong

circumstances, but it was everything I wanted. God knows I wanted to do so much more, Eva. Besides;

I'm yours and you can do with me whatever you want, anytime you want. "

She turns her head at that and I chuckle before I say, "Let me take you somewhere tomorrow. "

A grin spreads to my face when she doesn't decline instantly, but instead, asks, "Where?"

"You'll see. Will you come with me?" I ask softly, stroking her cheek and she nods once. "Okay. "

"You're beautiful. " I whisper to her and I watch her gaze dart to my lips. I edge my face closer till our

lips are almost touching before I angle my head to the side and mumble into her ear, "Can I stay with

you tonight?"

When I pull back, Eva says, "Why? You should go back to your place. "

"No, I want to stay with you tonight. Please, let me. I've missed having you in my sleep. Haven't you?" I

ask her, pushing her hair from her forehead and she swallows before she raises her hand to cover

mine.

"I'll change my clothes. " She says, once again avoiding the question, but giving in to what I ask of her

and I watch as she moves out of my arms and walks to the other side of the room.

She removes her clothes, leaving her in her underwear and my eyes widen when she throws a shirt

over her head— one of my shirts. My heart flutters at the sight of her adjusting the shirt on her, and

God, how long has she been in one of those? I've missed seeing her in them so fucking much.

She gathers her hair to the side as she turns back to me, "What?"

"Nothing. I– I just didn't think you had any of my stuff with you. " I tell her and she looks down at her

body, "I took it with me this morning because my top was torn. " She clarifies and I hum. That explains

why my shirt was missing earlier.

"Are you coming?" She motions to the bed as she walks to it and I nod with a smile before getting rid of

my pants and my shirt. I remain in my boxers, and for a second, I don't move. I stand still and watch as

Eva prepares herself for bed and the sight is heartwarming, knowing this isn't intoxication. This is just

her. And not under the influence of anything.

I stroll onto the bed, and climb on it before I turn to lay on my side so my face is turned to her and she's

staring at me.

"How are you doing with Aliya?" I ask her and she says, "Not so well. I haven't seen her since the day I

stormed away, but we'll figure it out. "

"What happened between you two to have turned out that way?" I ask again and she remains silent,

seeming to think about her words before she settles with, "Nothing of worry. Let's head to sleep now. "

I hum and I start to lift my hand, but before I can wrap my arm around her, she turns to lie on her back

with her hands on her stomach, and I start to retract my hand but give into the risk and wrap my arm

around her waist, turning her to her view.

I don't say a word when she meets my eyes, and merely tightens my hold, using the grip to bring her

closer to me and slowly close the space between us. She doesn't move for a second, and then she

surprises me by burying her face in my chest, her hands dropping to my back.

I smile and press my lips to her forehead. "Goodnight, baby. "

I don't receive a response, but that's alright. This much is enough, this much is more than enough;

she's letting me in her bed again, and her hands are wrapped around me– this much is more than I ask

for.

And as she tries to find her spot on my chest, I know the battle is no longer between us and our

parents. The battle is now between me and her heart. It's now with her trusting me again to give me

what she once gave me.

~

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sweethearts, are you preparing to say goodbye to Eva and Emerson? We're

nearing the final moments of their story now (^^)