Bye-Bye Jerk, Hello Mr. Right

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, completely 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 was laying 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’t come 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 glance 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 how comforting it was to hear someone else in the apartment.

I kept listening, planning 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 glanced

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 blanket.

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 blanket?

But looking at him like that, knowing he was dealing with this uncomfortable 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 to comfort 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. NôvelDrama.Org holds text © rights.

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

It was completely 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 him last night how it was going, or if there were any issues.

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 glanced 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.