I watched him, his face all flushed, a couple of beads of sweat on his nose. I couldn’t help but
smile.
He turned away, clearly trying to recover, so I focused back on the road, deciding not to push my
luck.
The whole “hard” thing had left us both too stunned to speak.
After a few awkward minutes, I remembered what he said about spending time together and
decided to break the silence. “So, where do you wanna go?”
“Do you have ns this afternoon?” Hayden asked.
“Nope!” I answered way too fast, sounding like I was way too excited or something.
Hayden’s serious look melted into a smile. “Cool. I’ve got somewhere I wanna take you.”
I decided to stay quiet this time, trying to y it cool.
“I’ll set the navigation. Just follow it,” he said, like I’d already agreed.
We ended up on the outskirts of town, in this remote area with nothing but overgrown grass and a
shimmering in the distance.
“What are we doing here? Thinking of clearing somend and starting a farm?” I joked.
Hayden looked around and, to my surprise, said, “Yeah.
Iughed. “You should probably stick to ying with your wires and making that million–dor
sry.”
He just smirked and started walking. I followed him, but after a few steps, something small and fast
darted through the grass. I let out a scream, “Ah-!”
Hayden turned around instantly, rushing back toward me.
Before I knew it, I wasunching myself at him, arms around his neck, legs wrapped around his
waist.
Back in school, I could barely clear the high jump, but this was a perfect 10. Itched onto him like
a ko, no way I was letting go.
Hayden caught me, his hands supporting my waist. “What happened?” he asked.
Material ? N?velDrama.Org.
“A snake! There’s a snake!” I yelped, my voice shaking.
I wasn’t even sure if I’d actually seen a snake, but that’s what my gut was telling me.
And seriously, what else could be slithering around in this wild, overgrown field?
I was terrified of those creepy things. I mean, even a caterpir could send me running.
Hayden held me steady and started walking away from the grassy area. “My bad.”
He didn’t say what exactly he was apologizing for, but he kept carrying me until we reached the
lakeside.
+ was still in shock, clinging to him like my life depended on it, until he asked, “Wanna dip your toes
in the
water?”
That’s when I realized I was practically strangling him, my arms wrapped around his neck so tight
they’d
t
left red marks.
I quickly let go and slid down from him, my face burning with embarrassment. “Sorry,” I mumbled,
then hurried over to the edge of theke, trying to pretend I wasn’t totally mortified.
Hayden followed me closely. “Yuna said you wanted a paradise like hers.”
“Yeah, with mountains and water, a little garden with flowers…” I trailed off, suddenly realizing what
he meant. I spun around to look at the barrennd behind us. “Hayden, don’t tell me you’re nning
to-”
Before I could finish, he nodded. “When we get married, I’ll turn this into your own hidden
paradise.”
I stared at him,pletely stunned. I never imagined he’d be thinking so far ahead.
“Do you want it?” Hayden asked.
“Yes!” I blurted out, not even thinking.
Hayden’s face broke into a smile. “Alright.”
He turned back to the empty field, like he was already picturing how to build our home there.
Our home?
The thought hit me like a truck, and I froze.
Wait… did he just propose to me?
And did I just… ept?
“Hayden, you’re pretty sneaky,” I said.
He just smiled and kept walking.
I tried to catch up, but he suddenly broke into a run.
The faster he ran, the more determined I was to catch him. But before I knew it, he stopped short,
and as I reached him, ready to smack his arm, he scooped me up.
The next thing I knew, the world spun around me.
“Honey,” Hayden whispered, his hands steady on my waist as he twirled us in circles. His soft, low
voice sent a shiver down my spine, his words echoing in my ear.