Page 102 of Hate Me Like You Mean It

Watching the two of them made my chest feel tight enough to crack.

“Whatever.” Dominic pushed his glass aside, his baby cheeks turning a bit red. “As long as we don’t have to… kiss and stuff.”

My mother and Rosie, now huddled in a corner, looked ready to pass out from suppressing their laughter.

Neither Dom nor I seemed to notice.

My face had twisted into a grimace, and I was looking at him like he’d just licked a frog. “Ew! Who said anything aboutkissing?”

“Your mom and dad kiss all the time!” he retorted loudly while one of the accused, unable to breathe, stealthily made her exit from the kitchen. “It’s called learned behavior, so I’m just making sure you don’t want to!”

“Obviously, I don’t want to! Especially not with you!”

“Okay, well,fine, then. I was just making sure!”

My eyes narrowed at him. “Is that why you gave me the Valentine’s card?”

He pointed his bread knife at Rosie. “MOM MADE ME DO IT! I TOLD YOU A MILLIONS TIMES!”

Rosie tutted. “Dominic. Stop shouting.”

“A millionstimes? AndIbarely have a grasp on the English language?”

He shoved off the stool and grabbed his backpack, his face blotched an aggressive shade of scarlet. “I’ll wait on the porch. Don’t talk to me at school today.”

“When do I ever talk to you at school?”

“I’M JUST MAKING SURE.”

“Dominic, eat your breakfast first, please,” Rosie tried reasonably, placing two generously portioned plates on the bar.

“I’m not hungry.”

“You want to be better than Ronaldo when you’re his age? Sit down and eat,” she said.

“Iamgoing to marry him,” I told them both as Dom dumped his backpack, picked up his plate, and relocated to the stool farthest away from me. “By twenty-five at the latest.”

Dom made an annoyed sound and started shoveling scrambled eggs into his mouth like it was an eating contest and the timer had just started.

“Well, then, it’s settled,” Rosie said, wiping her hands on her apron. “If you don’t have a ring on your finger by twenty-five, the two of you will get married.”

“You don’t have to worry, Rosie. I know you think Dommy will end up alone because of his drooling problem and overall unlikability, and that’s obviously true, but Ronaldo is kind of rich, I think, and I have my trust fund, so your son will be taken care of. He can live with us and?—”

“I’M GONNA HAVE MORE MONEY THAN HIM!” Eggs. Everywhere. He’d spat them all over the place.

“Dominic!” Rosie snapped. “Consider that your last warning.”

“She started it!”

“As I was saying, he can live with us, and we’ll buy him some friends. Goats and pigs to start. They’ll get along since he already smells like a barn?—”

“You too, Alice. Enough. Eat your breakfast.” She turned around and started tidying up, managing to bite back her smile until we were too focused on eating to witness it slip.

The screen died for a moment before lighting up again.

“Look how pretty she is,” my mom’s voice cooed as the new scene came into focus. We looked to be the same age here as in the previous video. It must have been taken the same year.

I was grinning at the camera, showcasing my missing premolar as Rosie put the finishing touches on my hair.