Enemies to Lovers is by far my favorite trope, especially in Romance. Because it’s a trope built on respect.

Insta-attraction wears off. You hop in bed with someone you barely know and there are secrets and terrible things they could be hiding.

But enemies?

You already know their dark side. You know what’s wrong with them. You know the worst things they’ve done because they did them to you and you did it right back. And maybe you wanted to kill each other, but death didn’t take.

Over time, maybe, if you’re lucky, you learn to see the good they can do. How kind they can be. How forgiving. How gentle. You reach a point where you don’t want to fight.

And then one day they make you laugh when everything else is going wrong. It’s a stupid remark. Something personal that no one else knows about. But they were there, living those dark moments with you, so they get it. And they can laugh about it. And… yes… you’re glad you aren’t back there. The present is better.

From then on there are little smiles. Little touches. Secret glances. Looks across the room that you know how to interpret because you two have your own private language built on pain, hate, and forgiveness. It’s hard for you to understand how everyone else sees them as cold and emotionless when the mere lift of an eyebrow or a well-placed sigh means more than than a thousand words. This person who was your enemy, they are eloquent and sarcastic and funny and they understand.

You never ask for more. But one day your back is against the wall. The fights don’t stop, only the opponent has changed.

That’s when your old enemy steps in, not to destroy you, but to fight with you. Beside you. Protecting you and supporting you. A nod. A smile. And you’ve gone from enemies, to friends, to more.

Later, when the dust has settled and the blood has been washed away, it’s just you two. Again. Always. From beginning to end it seems. You two standing together. You two fighting together. You two reaching for each other for safety and comfort.

In time, no one will believe you were ever enemies. You complement each other so well. Fit so perfectly. Always move in sync. And there are no secrets here because you’ve been part of each other’s lives so long. You understand exactly who you are with, and you choose to love them every day because of who they are.

Ready for real enemies to lovers? CHANGE OF MOMENTUM comes out April 2020 and you will get the infamous Rowena Lee falling in love with the one and only Hollis Silar… if they don’t kill each other first.