The One I Hate Childhood Rivals to Lovers

He is the last person she would ever ask for help. And the first one to come when she needs him. For as long as they can remember, they can't stand each other. Asher Callahan is her neighbor, her childhood rival, and the man who seems to have made it his personal mission to drive her to the brink of fury with every single word. Their families are close friends, they grew up together – and yet they've never been able to get along for more than five minutes. What she doesn't know: Asher has been secretly protecting her all these years. He's there when she walks home alone at night. He fixes things without her asking. He puts his jacket around her shoulders when she's cold. And every time she confronts him about it, he gives the same answer: "Don't flatter yourself." Until that one family celebration. Too many questions. Too many nosy relatives. Too much alcohol. When she wants to walk home alone in the middle of the night, Asher follows her. He picks up her high heels from the street, keeps her from stumbling, and gets her safely to her apartment door. Then she kisses him. And suddenly, all those years of fighting turn into something neither of them can ignore any longer. The next morning, she's lying asleep at his side. And Asher knows something has changed. Because maybe he was never her greatest enemy. Maybe he was the man who loved her most all along. The question is only: What happens when she remembers that night?

Updated September 6, 2026