Hate at First Sight Read Free

later.
    “Hey, Sis. Haven’t seen you for what feels like forever!”
    “Missed you too,” Megan said, hugging her brother. “Hi, Dad.”
    “I almost gave up hope of ever seeing you again,” Mr. Brawley said, smiling.
    “It was just a matter of time.”
    “Why don’t we go inside and have some tea?” Owen suggested. “And, Megs, I thought you would help us with the guests that are going to stay here.”
    She frowned, and I chuckled, watching the waterfalls of emotions crossing her face.
    “What?” Owen asked, shifting his gaze from his sister to me.
    “Nothing,” she and I said in unison.
    “Clever minds think alike,” I added.
    Megan’s eyes flashed angrily, and their color became darker, reminding me of a fine whiskey that could send fire through your veins. Uh, what a great start of a new day, I thought, fascinated by the grace that could be seen in Megan’s every move.
     
    They say that men always choose wives like their mothers or sisters. Owen’s fiancée, Mary, was one of those ladies who had plans for everything. I was sure she had already chosen the names for their future kids, the colors of the walls for their future house and God knew what else. Apart from that, she was a well-mannered girl, with pearls in her ears and skirts that never went higher than her knees. She and Owen had been best friends since childhood, until one day they realized that they couldn’t live without each other. Well, at least that was what Owen said. He was crazy about her, and it was the only thing that actually mattered. My friend didn’t give a damn about what others might think about them as a couple. He always said that soul mates didn’t need anyone’s approval. And Mary was his soul mate. A little out-of-date, but still nice and a good-natured one.
    Somewhere deep down in my heart I was jealous about what the two of them shared. It was a rare combination of love and understanding that personally I saw only between my parents. And I always asked myself if I was capable of devoting myself to anyone. My mom said that I needed to meet the right person to sacrifice my freedom. Well, maybe she was right after all. None of those women I dated was able to make me stay with her longer than a few days. Some extremely annoying ones never made it to two hours.
     
    Megan’s melodious voice brought me back to reality.
    “How many people are going to stay here?” she asked her brother.
    “A few friends of mine, and Mary’s parents.”
    “I thought they were going to stay at their old house.”
    “No, it’s being repaired at the moment. By the way, I want you to meet them and Mary at the airport. I have a surprise for her, but I need more time to get things ready.”
    “Sure, no problem. I’ll take your car, if you don’t mind.”
    “Actually…” I said, pausing to get everyone’s attention, “I could take Megan to the airport.”
    “Great idea, Aiden.” My friend nodded, making some notes on a piece of paper.
    “Absolutely not!”
    Here we go, just exactly what I expected to hear from Megan.
    “Why not, Dear?” Mrs. Brawley asked. “You could use Aiden’s help. Besides, the way to the airport won’t seem that long if you have company.”
    I almost choked on my tea. “Your mom has a point, Megs,” I said, winking at the girl.
    “My name is Megan.” She shot me a murderous look. “And I don’t need company to jazz my ride.”
    I was about to give up, when Mr. Brawley came to my rescue. “Oh, dear, I forgot about the cake for tomorrow! And my car has some engine problem, so I will need Owen’s.”
    “You’ve got to be kidding me…” Megan stared at her father.
    “Sorry, Honey.” He smiled apologetically.
    “Great.” She looked at me again and left the room, saying on the way, “I hope you know the difference between the accelerator and a brake pedal.”
    Owen and I laughed, sharing a glance. “Try not to scare the hell out of her,” he said. “My sister is not a speed