Chapter 132
Was Hayden actually stunned by how I looked?
I’d always seen him as this guy with an unshakable inner strength, like nothing superficial could get to him. But I guess even the toughest guys have a weak spot when it comes to beauty.
Maybe there was some truth to that saying, “Men are creatures of sight.”
Seeing that I had Hayden’s full attention, I decided to push it a little further. I tossed my wavy hair back, all flirty–like, and noticed his gaze deepening. His face even seemed to grow colder.
The sudden shift in his expression was hard to read, and I wasn’t about to waste time trying to figure it out. I got straight to the point. “Are you going to agree to it or not?”
“Agree to what?” he asked, his eyes already shifting away from me.
I smiled..
Wasn’t he the one who hung up on me last night, saying we’d talk when I sobered up? And now he’s acting like he didn’t know what I meant?
I could tell he wasn’t being serious–just teasing me.
“To be my boyfriend, temporarily,” I repeated what I’d asked him the night before.
Hayden didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stared off into the distance. I followed his gaze and saw the Ferris wheel slowly reaching its peak.
Remembering what Gavin had said about Jace planning to propose, I couldn’t help but wonder if that’s where he planned to do it.
I squinted, trying to spot anything unusual about the Ferris wheel, but Hayden interrupted my thoughts.” What do you mean by ‘temporarily‘?”
“I mean, just pretend to be my boyfriend for a while, until Jace Johnston’s crazy phase blows over. After that, we’ll go our separate ways, like it never happened,” I explained, feeling a bit like a jerk as the words left my mouth.
I swallowed hard, trying to soften it. “We wouldn’t really be dating. Just pretending, so Jace thinks we’re together.”
“And why should I agree to that?” Hayden asked, locking eyes with me.
But I couldn’t meet his gaze. I felt too embarrassed to look at him directly. If it weren’t for Lena pushing me last night, or Jace spiraling out of control, I’d never have considered something like this.
A breeze picked up, blowing my loose hair across my face.
I raised my hand to tuck it back and replied, “Because you’re the most suitable person for the job. And also…”
J hesitated. I wanted to tell him that he had feelings for me, that he’d even thought about marrying me. But saying that would change everything. Hayden might think I was just manipulating him, using his feelings to get what I wanted.
+25 BONUS
Chapter 132
So, I couldn’t say it.
“And also… what?” Hayden pressed when I didn’t finish.
I forced a guilty smile. “It’s nothing.”
“But I also like you and mentioned wanting to marry you, right?” He bluntly said the very thing I was avoiding.
He saw right through me. There was no point in hiding it anymore, so I turned to him and asked, “Yes, so will you do it?”
Hayden looked at me in silence, and my heart started to pound, nervousness creeping in.
Several seconds ticked by, and he still didn’t say anything. My face started to heat up.
Was this his way of rejecting me?
I fiddled with my hair again, trying to ease the awkwardness. “If you don’t want to, just forget I said anything.”
As I began to turn away, Hayden blocked my path with his hand. “I can agree, but if I’m going to do this, I want it to be real.”
I looked up, meeting his eyes. He gazed at me with a steady determination. “Keira, I don’t want to just pretend to be your boyfriend. I want to be your actual boyfriend. If it doesn’t work out, fine, we’ll break But I’m not here to play a role in your little act.”
- up.
Hayden was strong, handsome, and had this way of talking that made it clear he wasn’t messing around.
A man like that wasn’t someone I could toy with. I had only wanted him to play a role, but he was insisting on making it real. That was definitely not part of the plan.
Chapter 133
