Page 18 of Hate You to Love You

Curiosity gets the better of me and I turn around again. Budget Hugh Grant is smiling. No, he’s grinning. In a moment of panic, I shuffle past Dad, telling him that I’ll meet him and Mum at the checkout once they’ve finished. I turn into another aisle and try to keep my head down.

I find myself in the horror section, hoping that budget Hugh Grant has enough manners not to follow. Remembering his arrogance during our last interaction, though, my hopes aren’t high. I pick up the nearest DVD I can and hold it up in front of my face, pretending to read the blurb. I’m two sentences in when I hear footsteps ahead of me.

‘It is you!’ he says happily.

‘No, it’s not.’ I cringe as I lower the DVD ever so slightly to look at him. He’s wearing a plain white T-shirt and a blue linen blazer.

‘Well, who is it then?’ he says cheekily. ‘I’m Elliot, by the way.’

I drop the DVD from my face and give him a strained smile. ‘And I’m uninterested.’

‘Really? Because I can guarantee I’m a lot more interesting than…’ He turns his head sideways to read the title on the DVD. ‘Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan.’

‘Are you planning to snatch this from me too?’ I huff.

‘Still not over the book thing, then?’

‘I’m over it,’ I tell him. I’m not over it.

‘So, you do remember me,’ he teases.

‘Fine,’ I grumble. ‘I do remember you. But that’s only because it’s hard to forget such a frustrating first impression. What are you even doing here?’

‘Well, I certainly remember you.’ Elliot gives me his most audacious smile.

My cheeks flush.

‘There’s a dumpling place I like to go to at Burwood Chinatown and as I was walking past, I thought that was you that I spotted through the window. Seemed like the universe was giving me a chance to apologise about what happened at the Gleebooks. So I wanted to say was that I’m sorry about the book. It wasn’t anything personal.’

I start to walk away. ‘It was personal to me,’ I mumble over my shoulder.

He follows, sidestepping down the aisle to get in front of me, blocking my path.

‘What do you think you’re doing?’ I protest.

‘If you’re over it, why can’t you look me in the eye?’

He crosses his arms and leans up against the shelf, clearly refusing to give up until he gets a rise out of me. So I let out an annoyed breath and say, ‘Fine. You want to know the real reason? It’s because of the way you spoke about romantic comedies. I never expect people to love the genre as much as I do, but I get tired of all the snarky comments. No one looks down on science fiction or fantasy like they do rom-coms.’

Elliot shrugs. ‘They’re just a little cheesy. I’m not looking for mindless entertainment when it comes to books or movies.’

‘First of all, what’s wrong with cheesy? What’s wrong with a little bit of fun? Isn’t love something we all want? Don’t we all deserve a happily ever after?’

The grin slowly vanishes from Elliot’s face and he uncrosses his arms, dropping them to his side. My chest rises rapidly with each quick breath I take. I hadn’t realised how fired up he’d made me. A beat of silence passes over us and, as it does, I find myself looking directly into his eyes. He’s staring back at me inquisitively, almost like he’s studying me.

‘Huh,’ he says. ‘Well, look, I’m open to being proven wrong.’

‘Sure you are.’

‘No, I’m serious,’ he assures me. ‘I mean it. Give me a romantic comedy recommendation and I’ll watch it. I’ll buy the DVD right now.’

I frown, hesitant. ‘No, you won’t.’

‘Try me.’

I take a quick look around the store to see if Mum or Dad have reached the checkout. When I can’t spot them, I turn back to Elliot. ‘When Harry Met Sally. It’s one of the most epic love stories I’ve ever seen play out on screen. It really captures what it’s like to fall in love with someone over several years.’

‘Sold,’ he says cheerily, then takes out his phone and holds it out to me. ‘Here, put your number in.’