I opened my social media and noticed a new friend request. Normally, I don’t ept random adds


    unless they got my number, but I clicked on it out of habit. The name? Cedric Sawyer. Apparently,


    he’s a cop.


    I racked my brain, trying to ce him. Then it clicked–he was the officer from yesterday, the one


    who handled my parents‘ case. I didn’t catch his name at the time, but yeah, that had to be him.


    Plus, he’d asked for my number, so it made sense.


    I shrugged and hit ept. A notification popped up, saying we were now connected. I didn’t


    message him, though. If he had something to say, he’d reach out first.


    I flipped over to Lena’s profile and shot her a message: [Girl, you need to tone down the superhero


    vibe. Be yful, maybe even a little flirty. Let him feel like he’s gotta protect you or something. Right


    now, you’re making him feel like he’s the sidekick.]


    After sending it, I nced across the café at Lena, but she was totally absorbed in her drink. ssic


    Lena -always oblivious. I didn’t expect her to respond right away anyway. It was more of a note for


    her to think about next time.


    “Stop staring at your phone and eat,” Hayden nudged me, snapping me back to reality.


    “Okay, okay.” I mumbled and poked at my pasta. My throat was still sore, so I wasn’t really into it.


    But the juice? Absolute heaven. Sweet and warm, perfect for my throat. It would’ve been better


    cold, but Hayden insisted on warm since, you know, I was on my period.


    Even though I wasn’t really hungry, I sipped my juice and watched Hayden. He was totally zoned in


    on his food, eating fast but neat. For someone who looked so rough around the edges, his table


    manners were surprisingly on point. Not a crumb left behind.


    This wasn’t just a one–off thing. Ever since I met Hayden, he always cleaned his te like it was his


    life’s mission.


    I knew it was a habit. Growing up, my parents drilled the whole “no wasting food” thing into me too. I


    remembered it… didn’t always follow through, though. Maybe that’s the one rule I actually rebelled


    against.


    Watching Hayden scrape his te clean like always, I couldn’t resist teasing. “Hayden, you’re a little


    too od at this whole ‘clean your te‘ thing. Sure, at home, it’s practical–fewer dishes to wash. But


    here? People might think you’re too cheap to order seconds.”


    “It’s not about being cheap,” he said, reaching over and grabbing my half–finished te like it was


    no big deal. “It’s just unnecessary to waste food.”


    This wasn’t the first time he’d finished my leftovers, but we were in public now. “Hayden…”


    “Doesn’t matter. Wasting is still wrong,” he said, all serious.


    I couldn’t really argue with that, so I just watched him devour the rest of my pasta.


    It was kinda embarrassing seeing him finish my food like that, so I nudged him under the table with


    my foot. He froze mid–bite, his eyes locking on mine, turning all intense.


    He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and muttered, “Stop messing around.”


    I just smiled, sipping my juice like I was innocent, lightly biting down on the straw.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    “Don’tugh while you’re drinking,” he warned, eyeing me. “You’ll choke.”


    Naturally, I didn’t listen. Instead, I grinned wider. “Choking would be perfect. Then you could give


    me CPR.”


    “Ugh!” Hayden almost choked instead of me, which made me burst outughing.


    I was stillughing when I felt a shadow looming behind me. I jumped, almost spilling my juice.