Chapter 120
When I woke up that morning, the dream was still fresh in my mind.
It was the second time Hayden had appeared in my dreams, and I couldn’t help but wonder–had we met before?
I tried to shake it off, but I kept thinking about that dream of the boy carrying me on his back, the one with the mole on his shoulder. Hayden just happens to have a mole in the exact same spot.
And then there was yesterday–he called me Kiki. I’m sure I heard it right, no mistake about it.
I was lost in thought when Demi’s voice snapped me back to reality. “Keira, when did you sneak back?”
It was rare for Demi, the queen of sleep, to be up before her alarm.
I knew what she was getting at and shot her a glare. “What do you mean, ‘sneak back‘?”
“Hehe,” Demi giggled mischievously, “I thought maybe you spent the night with Mr. Hart.”
“What are you thinking?” I cut her off. “Why is your mind always in the gutter?”
“Come on, you’re both adults and single. Isn’t it normal for men and women to… you know?” Demi’s logic was tough to argue with.
“But it’s not like you can just fall in love with anyone, right? What would that even be?” I shot back.
Demi hugged her pillow and scooted closer to the edge of my bed. “Keira, you know what? I’d love to see Mr. Hart, that serious guy, loosen up a bit.”
“Hmm?” I wasn’t quite sure what she meant.
“I mean, I want to see how that serious, straight–laced guy acts when he’s all lovey–dovey with someone,” Demi explained, making me laugh.
“If you really want to see that, you’d have to experience it yourself. Someone else’s story wouldn’t do you any good,” I said as I sat up in bed.
Demi sat up too, following my lead. “Well, you could always tell me all about it afterward.”
I rolled my eyes at her. “Why not just record a video for you while I’m at it?”
“Yes, please!” she shot back without missing a beat.
I threw my pillow at her, but she quickly caught it and propped it under her chin. “So, did something happen between you and Mr. Hart last night?”
Her question immediately brought back the memory of Hayden leaning in close to help me find that document–and the moment he grabbed my wrist when I was draping a blanket over him…
“You two did have something going on, didn’t you?” Demi caught onto my silence and immediately jumped onto my bed, practically buzzing with gossip.
“No, stop jumping to conclusions,” I said, trying to get out of bed.
Demi grabbed my arm. “Come on, just tell me!”
+25 BONUS
Chapter 120
“There’s nothing to tell. And quit trying to pair me up with Hayden. It’s not going to happen–I don’t even like his type,” I shot back, hoping that’d put an end to it.
I slipped out of bed and headed for the bathroom.
Behind me, Demi let out a dramatic sigh. “Yeah, I guess after being with Mr. Johnston for so long, it’s hard to move on to someone new, huh?”
I smirked but didn’t say anything.
After washing up, Demi and I were about to head to breakfast when we bumped into Hayden just as we stepped out the door.
He was dressed in camouflage pants and a black T–shirt, looking as tough as ever.
For some reason, a little bit of sweat started to form behind my ears.
“Mr. Hart, how come you didn’t head to work early today?” Demi blurted out before thinking.
Hayden glanced at me. “Didn’t feel like it.”
Demi was caught off guard for a sec but quickly recovered with a nervous laugh. “Well, in that case, why don’t we all grab breakfast together and head out after?”
Hayden didn’t respond, and the second–hand embarrassment was real. You know how it is–if you’re not embarrassed, it’s only awkward for everyone else. And Demi? She was totally that person. She just looped her arm through mine. “Keira, after breakfast, don’t just drop Mr. Hart and me off at the amusement park. You can stick around and help us out.”
I let out a small laugh. “You’re paying me for that, right?”
