“Mr. Hart will pay, right?” Demi then turned to Hayden. “Is that cool with you, Mr. Hart?”


    I half expected Hayden to shut her down, but then he just said, “If she’s up for it, sure.”


    I was floored.


    Demi pinched my arm, her eyes wide with excitement, totally picking up on the weird vibe.


    Was Hayden just messing around, trying to stir up more drama?


    Before Demi could start gossiping, I forced a smile and said, “I’m not exactly broke, so I’m gonna


    pass.”


    “Keira…”


    Hayden nced at me, not saying a word.


    As we dug into breakfast, my phone buzzed. It was Ms. Brown, thendlord of the apartment across


    from mine. Figuring she had some news, I picked up. “Morning, Ms. Brown…”


    “Keira, I hate to bother you this early,” she said, her tone polite.


    “No worries, what’s up?” I replied, taking a sip of my milk.


    “About that rental issue you mentioned, I spoke to the guy, but he wouldn’t budge. He even refused


    compensation, so the situation’s still tricky…” Ms. Brown’s words had this weird déjà vu, like I’d


    heard it all before.


    “Keira, don’t stress. I did a little digging on the guy–no criminal record, no shady stuff, and he’s


    pretty good–looking too. Actually, he used to-” Ms. Brown was cut off when Hayden suddenly called


    my name. “Can I have your fried egg?” Hayden pointed at the egg on my te.


    I blinked, totally thrown off, missing whatever Ms. Brown said next. I just muttered, “Sure,” and hung


    up, staring at Hayden.


    “If you don’t want to, it’s cool,” Hayden added, casually peeling a boiled egg.


    “Mr. Hart, you can have mine if you want. I’m not gonna eat it,” Demi piped up, ever eager to


    please.


    “No thanks. I’m over it,” Hayden dismissed her offer with a cold edge.


    I kept quiet, watching him pop the peeled egg into his mouth all at once. It looked like he was


    choking it down or something.


    I couldn’t shake the feeling he didn’t really want my egg in the first ce..


    So why did he even ask for it?


    Before I could even process what was going on, Hayden had already polished off his breakfast. He


    stood up, slung his bag over his shoulder, and said, “You guys finish up. I’m heading out.”


    Demi watched him walk away, then leaned in, whispering, “Keira, it’s not that he didn’t want to eat


    just any fried egg; he wanted to eat yours.”


    I rolled my eyes and said, “What, does my fried egg have some magical power or something?”


    Demi said, “He treats you differently. He likes you.”


    I nearly choked on my next bite. After a couple of coughing fits, I sipped my milk and asked, “Just


    because he wanted my fried egg?”


    “It’s not just that,” Demi insisted, “It’s his whole vibe around you–the way he looks at you… and…”


    She clicked her tongue a few times like she was trying to find the right words. “It’s hard to exin,


    but there’s something there. You two have chemistry.”


    I wasn’t clueless–I could feel it too.


    Ever since Hayden first mentioned marriage, I had this nagging feeling. But then he’d act so distant,


    and it made me second–guess everything. Still, over the past few days, especially sincest night, it


    felt like maybe he really did have feelings for me.


    “So what? I already told you, I don’t like him,” I said, just as I noticed someone standing near our


    table.


    I looked up, and there was Hayden, back again, staring straight at me with that intense gaze of his.


    This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    The awkwardness was off the charts. My fingers curled up, and I saw Demi tense up too. But she


    quickly forced augh, trying to break the tension. “Mr. Hart, what brings you back? We were just


    talking about Keira’s ex–fiancé. She was saying-”


    “I know,” Hayden cut her off, his eyes still locked on mine.