I turned to look at Hayden, and he was staring right back at me. With just the two of us alone in that


    quiet room, the air felt thick.


    It was crazy, though. We’d stayed in the same hotel room before without any issues.


    But now, in this two–bedroom apartment, it was like the walls were closing in, and the space


    between us was shrinking, making it hard to even breathe.


    After a few moments of this intense staring contest, Hayden finally broke the silence. “Maybe I


    should just crash on the couch.”


    I blinked,pletely thrown.


    “Only your real boyfriend should be sleeping in your room. I… the couch is fine,” Hayden added,


    sounding like he was trying to convince himself as much as me. His words hit me, making me feel


    like I was somehow being unfair to him.


    I knew what he was up to–he wasying on the pressure, subtly hinting that he wanted to be more


    than just a friend.


    Guess it’s true what they say: honest guys can be the most cunning.


    But I wasn’t going to fall for it. I just shrugged and said, “Suit yourself,” before hurrying into my


    parents‘


    room.


    Even after I crawled into bed, sleep didn’te easy. The tension from earlier in the hallway still


    had me on edge.


    If Hayden hadn’t shown up when he did, even though I was ready to defend myself, who knows how


    things might’ve turned out. It could’ve been bad–really bad.


    Honestly, it was pure luck that Hayden came looking for me when he did.


    Thinking about him, I couldn’t help but nce at the door. But it was closed, so I couldn’t see a


    thing. Was he really going to sleep on the couch instead of my room?


    I heard his footsteps outside–probably washing up or something–but I knew he wasn’t asleep yet.


    The sound of his footsteps took me back to when I was little, lying in bed and listening to my


    parents moving around outside. I’d always drift off to that sound, feeling safe and secure,


    I never thought much of it before, but now I realized howforting it was to hear someone else in


    the apartment.


    I kept listening, nning to wait until Hayden fell asleep before sneaking out to check on him. But


    as I listened, my eyelids got heavier and heavier.


    I woke up in the middle of the night, needing to use the bathroom. As I opened the door, I


    remembered I’d crashed in my parents‘ room.


    Then I remembered Hayden was still in the apartment, so on my way out, I nced


    There he was, stretched out on the tiny thing, his legs hanging


    He wasn’t dumb, though–he’d pulled up a chair to prop his feet on. But what really made me stop in


    my tracks was the sight of him covered with my pink nket.


    Seriously, double standards much?


    He refused to sleep in my room because he was not my real boyfriend, yet there he was, all snug


    with my pink nket?


    But looking at him like that, knowing he was dealing with this ufortable setup just to make sure


    I was safe, I felt this weird, warm feeling in my chest.


    Honestly, for the past few nights that I’d been staying here, I’d wake up after using the bathroom


    and find it impossible to fall back asleep. The emptiness of the apartment was suffocating, and the


    loneliness felt almost pathetic.


    It was like the world had just abandoned me–like no one cared, no one loved me. Even if I cried


    myself to sleep, there’d be no one tofort me.


    But now, with Hayden in the apartment, here for me, ready to protect me if anything happened, I


    slept better than I had in a long time. When I finally woke up, it was already past nine.


    Lying in my parents‘ bed, I thought about Hayden and listened for any sounds outside.


    It waspletely quiet–nothing at all.


    No need to ask; he must have left already. He was still deep into the amusement park project, and I


    realized I’d totally forgotten to ask himst night how it was going, or if there were any issues.


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


    I opened the door and stepped out, only to find the couch empty, everything neatly tidied up, like


    Hayden hadn’t even been there.


    I stared at the empty space for a moment before heading to the bathroom. Out of habit, I nced at


    the mirror and froze when I saw a note stuck to it.


    [Breakfast is on the table. The lighting setup is going smoothly. We’ll finish on time or maybe even


    two days early.]


    Suddenly, my eyes welled up with tears.