Hayden leaned in, pressing his forehead against mine, his voice low and husky. "But I missed you... missed you so much. I want you."He grabbed my hand, guiding it down to his hardening body.I yanked my hand back, tucking it behind me like I'd just touched something burning. His soft chuckle made me blush harder. "You don't want me?" he asked."No," I lied, trying to sound convincing. "I'm tired. I want to sleep." I pushed him away lightly, fumbling through my bag for the keys.Of course, I couldn't find them. My fingers were shaking, and I could feel Hayden's eyes on me the whole time. He reached over casually, pulling the keys out."Such a nervous little kitten," he murmured, his breath hot against my ear.My face went full-on tomato. Why did he always get to me like this?He unlocked the door, but before I could dart inside, he tugged me back. "You're really not gonna let me in?""N-No, no," I stammered, avoiding his eyes, but of course, he slipped in anyway."Hayden!" I s
After Hayden left, I took a quick shower, then flopped onto my bed and grabbed my phone.Lena had sent me a message with a picture of Yuna, fast asleep, along with a little note:[Yuna is safe.]Of course she knew I'd be freaking out until I knew for sure.I shot back a quick reply: [Thanks for looking out for her.]Almost immediately, Lena's video call lit up my screen. Girl had definitely been waiting for me to respond.I grinned, figuring she was dying to spill all the details about her finally making it official with her long-time crush. I swiped to answer, and there she was—lounging in her chair, practically glowing. Like, I could feel her happiness through the screen.I clicked my tongue playfully. "Whoa, someone's got that post-love confession glow. You're shining, girl."Lena chuckled. "You're being so extra right now."I didn't bother with small talk. I was still thinking about how she kept Nate on edge for so long. "You know exactly how to play a guy, don't you?""D
"Private details are off-limits for sharing," Lena joked, thinking I was teasing her.But I got serious. "Have you made it clear to that admirer of yours that you're not interested?""Of course. I turned him down right away.""Well, it doesn't seem like he got the memo. He's still sending you food and flowers. And..." I hesitated, "he's been spying on you."Lena's face shifted. I told her about running into the guy outside her office, catching him eavesdropping.Recalling when a blind date had almost turned into a stalker situation for me, I felt the need to warn her. "Lena, you gotta be careful. Guys like that can escalate. Watch your back—at work, when you're leaving, even when you're driving."She didn't respond right away. Instead, she stood up from her chair and walked out of her office."Where are you going? Did you even hear what I said?" I asked, feeling a little uneasy.She went straight to the nurses' station, where one of the nurses was resting her head on the counte
He didn't flinch. Just stood there, staring."Do you know me?" I asked, not even bothering with a smile."No."I gave him a once-over. He wasn't exactly the kind of guy you'd notice right away, but the more I looked, the more attractive he seemed. Today, he'd swapped the hoodie for a light blue T-shirt, looking clean and laid-back. Casual, but in a way that worked for him."So, we just keep bumping into each other for fun, huh?" I shot back, not buying his "no" for a second."We don't know each other," he said. "But you look a lot like someone I know."I couldn't help it—I laughed. Really? That line was so old, it could've been my grandma's.Seeing the mockery in my smile, he blushed. "I'm serious. I can show you."Before I could say anything, he pulled out his phone and swiped a few times. When he held it up, my breath caught. Staring back at me was a girl with a bright smile, her hair in a perfect bun. She looked like me—like, freakishly close. The only real difference was a
If they unplugged the oxygen machine, she'd be gone forever."You should go be with her, you know, for her last moments," I whispered."I know, I'm going," Wade looked up at me. "Sorry for bothering you.""I still hope for a miracle."He didn't say anything else. Just turned and walked away, leaving me staring after him, feeling something... different. Not like last night."What are you staring at? I've been calling your phone, but you didn't pick up," Hayden said as he walked over, grabbing the flowers from my hands.I wasn't sure how to bring up Wade to Hayden, especially since I hadn't mentioned running into Wade last night. And Wade's story was so complicated.But mostly, I felt this weird sadness settle in me—Wade's words echoing in my head: 'She might not make it much longer.'"Hey, what do you think it means when two people who aren't even related look a lot alike?" I asked."People are made of genes. With so many people in the world, it's normal for some to have simila
And it seemed like they'd been watching for a while.Which meant they'd seen all the little affectionate moments between Hayden and me. Great.I wasn't sure if I was imagining things, but their expressions didn't seem all that pleasant.Since we'd run right into them, avoiding a greeting wasn't an option.Hayden and I walked over, saying hello to Lindey, Matthew, and Wayne.Lindey was the first to smile. "Rea, Hayden, what are you two doing here?"I glanced at Hayden. "We're visiting a friend."I left it vague, not mentioning Yuna. Hayden was big on protecting his sister's privacy, and I knew if Matthew or Lindey found out she was in the hospital, they'd want to visit. Explaining that to Yuna would get complicated fast. Best to keep it under wraps.Then I turned to Matthew. He was leaning on Lindey, looking pale and clearly not doing well."What happened to Matthew?""He's—" Lindey started, but Matthew cut her off. "Just high blood pressure, nothing serious."Lindey gave him
My face stiffened at Yuna's question, but Hayden lightly knocked her on the forehead. "What are you, a census taker?"Yuna pouted. "I was just asking."I turned to Hayden. "All the tests are done. Why don't you take her to get something to eat? I need to check on something."Of course, Yuna, ever curious, asked immediately, "What are you checking on?"But Hayden understood right away, smoothly guiding her away. "You didn't used to talk this much. Did being here turn you into a chatterbox?""I'm just afraid I won't get the chance to talk this much later," Yuna said softly, her words hitting us both like a punch to the gut. Hayden went silent, and my heart twisted painfully.So, Yuna was scared—scared she might not make it through the surgery."Don't be ridiculous," Hayden said gently, tapping her head again.Yuna clung to his arm, and they slowly walked away until they disappeared from view. Only when I couldn't see them anymore did I turn back to go find Matthew."Rea!" Lindey
Brad's sentence cut off with a scream as I tossed my coffee right in his smug face.He shot up, dripping, wiping at his soaked shirt. "What the hell, Keira? Are you out of your mind?!"I held up my now-empty cup. "Next time you pull crap like that, I'll crack this over your head—and then hand you over to the cops. Enjoy that chat."Brad stood there, a mess in his white T-shirt, coffee dripping from his hair in sad little clumps. Honestly, two words: total loser.Still, he wasn't done being obnoxious. "You think this is gonna scare me? You've got it all wro—"I didn't stick around for the rest. I turned on my heel and walked right out of the café.Wayne caught up to me. "Who was that guy?""Tanya's brother," I muttered, pulling a wet wipe from my bag to clean the coffee off my fingers. "He's been annoying me for a while.""Does he pull this often?""A few times," I said, tossing the used wipe into a trash can.Wayne didn't press any further, and honestly, I didn't feel like ge