Chapter 85

It was weird. I hadn't blinked when dealing with that complicated lighting at the amusement park, but now? I felt like I was drowning.

"Don't trust me?" Hayden asked.

"It's not that, I just..." My eyes drifted over him—his shirt was covered in grime, and the cuffs of his pants were soaked through.

Seeing him like that made guilt twist in my chest.

"I can handle it. Now hurry up," he said, reaching out to pat my head. "Be good."

A shiver ran down my spine.

Just recently, Wayne had done the same thing, but this was... different. Hayden's touch was warm, sweet, almost like something I'd been craving without realizing it.

I couldn't put my finger on it, but it was there—this strange mix of comfort and longing that made me feel like I was on the edge of something new.

His gaze was so soft, I had to look away. I practically sprinted out to get the supplies he needed. When I got back, he was already mopping up the water in the hallway.

The floor inside, which had been flooded just a