Childhood Friends... but not really

They were never friends. At least, that's what they claim. Ever since their parents decided to spend every free moment together, Damien Calloway and she have been locked in a war of pranks, biting comments, and endless verbal sparring. From a painted doll face to a sabotaged soccer ball—neither has ever given the other an inch. College changed nothing. They avoid each other whenever possible. And when they can't, sparks fly—though not the romantic kind. Until that one party. When Damien watches her kiss someone else, something happens he never expected. Suddenly, the sight feels wrong. An unfamiliar tug in his chest refuses to be pushed away with sarcasm or a snide remark. The more he tries to ignore it, the clearer it becomes that hate and love are sometimes only a single step apart. But how do you admit feelings for someone you're supposedly unable to stand since childhood? Between verbal jabs, unresolved misunderstandings, and a past full of chaos, both must figure out whether years of rivalry can give birth to exactly the kind of love neither of them ever saw coming.

Updated September 23, 2026