Tommy: [What are you talking about? Weren't you the one who always called him a "snake"? I've got proof – I took a screenshot.]Sonny: [That's not me in the screenshot! My coworker sent that. I scolded him for it.]Tommy: [Hold on, there should only be three of us in this chat. Is Hayden also here?]After the message, they quickly checked to see who the new person was in the chat. It was an account named "W", showing a profile picture of snowy scenery.Sonny: [Doesn't seem like Hayden. Could it be a woman?]Tommy: [It's someone Simeon added. Maybe it's his girlfriend?]Sonny: [Did he start dating and not tell us? What about our pact to stay single? And why just us in this chat? Trying to hide his girl from Hayden?]Tommy: [Typical Simeon, always having beef with Hayden. I've got that screenshot. Pay up, or I'm spilling the beans!]Simeon: [What's wrong with you guys? That's Hayden's girl, Wyn!]Tommy: [What?!]Sonny: [Seriously?!]Tommy: [Wyn? The chubby-faced girl from our
Before Wyneth could reply, Simeon jumped in: [She didn't come to the hospital by herself; she was with Hayden.]Tommy: [Hayden? So it wasn't just a chance meeting. It's through Hayden that you reconnected with Wyn?]Sonny: [Wyn, it's not cool that you didn't keep in touch. We've missed you.]Seeing these messages, Wyneth felt warm inside. She had believed that after so many years, if these guys ever mentioned the name "Wyn", they might wonder, 'Who's Wyn?' But to her surprise, they not only remembered her but also missed her.Simeon: [Come on, she's just a girl and can do no wrong. Accept it and let it be. Besides, she's more than just a close friend like Hayden. We watched her grow up, even if briefly. She's like a little sister to all of us.]Tommy: [You're right, she's our little sis. But Wyn, when we said you weren't cool, we just meant we missed you a lot.]Sonny: [Yeah, we're just worried about you, not trying to be mean.]Seeing their reactions, Wyneth chuckled. When they
Wyneth checked the message fifteen minutes after it arrived. 'A patient? I thought Simo had someone covering for him? Why is he seeing patients now? Did something happen to Hayden?' Worried, Wyneth quickly clicked on Simeon's profile to message him directly.Wyneth: [I thought you had backup today? Why the patient visit?] She waited, but Simeon did not reply. A few minutes later, she typed out another message: [Hey Simo, grabbed lunch yet?]Holding her phone tightly, Wyneth's face grew more worried. 'Am I just overreacting? Even if I'm upset with Hayden, he's been through a lot with his health issues.' As she pondered this, her phone vibrated with a new message from Simeon.[Hello, I'm Dr. Beard's assistant. He's in emergency surgery right now. Are you his girlfriend? I'll have him reach out once he's finished.]'Emergency surgery?' Wyneth left her salad untouched, grabbed her purse, and quickly headed out, worrying about Hayden. As she was driving to the hospital, she texted him.
She was serious, but her coworker just laughed, growing even more excited. "I think you've got it all wrong. There are so many women around him, but he's single. That means he's not into any of them. This could be our chance.""Really?""Absolutely. Why not give it a shot? Just ask for his number. If he shares it, great. If not, no big deal. You in? Don't say I didn't try to hook you up."As the two continued their conversation, they walked by Wyneth. After rounding the corner, Wyneth, feeling relieved, pushed open the hospital room door. Unbeknownst to her, the two nurses stopped shortly afterward, looking puzzled."Hey, didn't we just walk by someone who looked really familiar?""Who do you mean?""The woman we passed while we were chatting."They quickly retraced their steps but did not see Wyneth."Do you think we made a mistake?""No way. She totally looked like that famous actress, Wyneth Walford.""Wyneth Walford?""Yeah. I heard she and Hayden Hamilton go way back."
Hayden kept staring at her, now playing with her fingers. Speechless, Wyneth watched as he lifted her hand to his lips, first brushing against it, then giving it a light kiss.Finally, she snapped. "Enough, Hayden."She tried to pull her hand away, but he held on, even pulling her hand to his chest, letting her feel his heartbeat. Wyneth's face turned red. The gesture was simple but felt flirtatious. 'What's gotten into him?' she wondered."Let go," she said through gritted teeth.Hayden chuckled softly. "I won't let go. Now that I've got you, I won't."Seeing the look on Hayden's face, Wyneth bit her lip and decided to just let him be. 'Why am I even resisting? The moment I heard about Simo's surgery, I rushed to the hospital, not even knowing who the patient was. My actions have already shown how I feel. So, why am I pushing him away? It can't be healthy to constantly fight against my own feelings, can it?'Once Simeon finished his surgery, a nurse told him someone was looking
'Oh, great.' Simeon felt he had made things worse.Hayden looked clearly irritated. "Get out."Simeon chuckled awkwardly. "Alright, alright, I'm leaving. You two chat." With that, he quickly opened the door and left the room.After Simeon left, the room fell eerily quiet. Finally, Wyneth turned to Hayden. "So he wanted to 'work with you' on this?"Hayden responded, trying not to show any emotion, "I had no idea he was like that." Wyneth did not say anything. He added, "If you're not a fan of his, we can avoid him from now on."Raising an eyebrow, Wyneth asked, "He came up with this scheme for you, and you're saying you didn't realize he could do something like that?""It might look like he was helping me out, but I don't play games like that," Hayden said as he took her hand. "I wouldn't pull something like this."Raising an eyebrow, Wyneth replied, "Really? You sure about that?"Hayden simply nodded. "Yes.""Oh?" Wyneth's curiosity piqued. "So that pain you mentioned earlier
"Really?" Hayden's face darkened. "But you called someone else's nickname."Feeling cornered, Wyneth tried to make sense of his reaction. She figured it was not about the nickname but the fact she had a special connection with someone else. If Hayden had not overheard, maybe he would not have been so bothered. Given the tension between them, the idea of giving Hayden a nickname now seemed unthinkable. Absorbed in these thoughts, Wyneth's face clouded with uncertainty."Yeah, I used a nickname for someone else. So what?"Hayden's expression changed immediately. "Are you upset with me?" Nervously, he reached out, taking her hand. "I won't mention it again, okay?"Wyneth was not sure how to react. She had put on a stern face to test his reaction, and, to her surprise, he reacted just as she had hoped. 'He sure backed down fast,' she thought. She felt a laugh bubbling up but managed to keep it in. "Really? You promise not to bring it up?""Mhm, I promise.""And if you go back on that
Hayden had barely drifted off when Wyneth's phone buzzed with a message from Simeon.Simeon: [How's Hayden holding up?]Wyneth: [You're his doc, right? You tell me.]Simeon: [He looked too drained to even speak earlier. But with you here, he seems fine. Think I got his diagnosis wrong? Maybe more tests?]Wyneth hesitated, thinking, 'He's this weak, and more tests?'Wyneth: [Dr. Beard, is this your usual patient care?]Simeon: [My other patients don't perk up like he does, even when they're sick.]Wyneth thought with a sigh, 'Same old Simo, always cracking jokes.'Simeon: [On another note, I can tell Hayden has strong feelings for you. I genuinely want to help him. Just ensure he rests. He needs recovery.]Wyneth realized the gravity of the situation and replied: [I understand. I'll make sure of it.]She put her phone in her pocket and glanced at Hayden, who was asleep but still holding her hand tightly. This made texting difficult. Feeling hungry and a bit drained, she tried