Chapter 164
Holding hands, hugging, and kissing–each came with a price. That was the deal I made with Pete, that creep, during our first meeting at the coffee shop.
So when Hayden mentioned “charging” for a kiss, he definitely knew about that.
That night, after he gave Pete a serious beating. I had a feeling there was more to the story–something Hayden never bothered to fill me in on.
Honestly, I had no idea what to even say to him at this point.
But instead of kissing me, Hayden just grabbed my hand and pulled me, dragging me out of the crowd as we bolted–sprinting through the bustling streets.
It was the first time I’d ever run through a place that packed. People stared in confusion, not sure why we were running, but still stepping aside like we were parting the sea or something.
So there we were, in the middle of the busy street, the crowd parting for us as Hayden led the way. He held my hand tight, glancing back every now and then. The whole thing felt surreal, like some scene straight out of a movie.
The wind whipped my hair in all directions as I watched Hayden pull me along. For a second, it felt like we were running away together–like we were eloping or something.
We kept running until I could barely catch my breath. That’s when Hayden finally slowed down, coming to a stop.
Both of us stood there, panting, trying to catch our breath. His hand was still wrapped tightly around mine. My heart was racing like crazy.
Yeah, some of it was from the running, but most of it? That was all Hayden, and this unexpected rush he’d given me.
We didn’t say a word. We just stood there, breathing hard, waiting for our breath to even out.
But Hayden still hadn’t let go of my hand. I watched his Adam’s apple move as he swallowed. Without thinking, I did the same.
The air between us was thick with unspoken feelings.
My heart pounded even faster. In the midst of the tension, I swallowed hard again, and finally, I broke the silence. “Um… why did you make me run?”
“What, were you gonna kiss me for the crowd if we didn’t?”
My face went bright red. I had no snappy comeback, so I just yanked my hand, trying to pull free, but of course, he didn’t let go. Frustrated, I stomped on his foot.
He winced, finally letting go, and I made a quick escape.
Behind me, I could hear him chuckling, which only made my face heat up even more.
Hayden trailed after me until my embarrassment started to cool off. He stopped in front of a tart stand.
Chapter 164
+25 BONUS
“I’m getting this one,” he said.
I had been the one to offer to treat him, so I couldn’t exactly back out now, could I?
I stopped and stared at the lineup of tarts in front of us. There were tiny ones, huge ones, chocolate, fruit-
so many choices it was almost overwhelming. My mouth started watering just looking at them.
I loved tarts, but I played it cool. “Which one do you want?” I asked Hayden.
“What about you?”
I scanned the options and pointed to a bunch of different fruit tarts. “One of each of these.”
Then I glanced back at him. “And you?”
He pointed to the cheese tarts. “Those.”
with our picks settled, I paid.
Hayden didn’t fight me over the bill, which was a relief. I’d said I’d treat him, and if he insisted on paying, it would’ve thrown off the whole vibe. Plus, eating the tarts wouldn’t be nearly as fun if I felt like I owed him.
“Is yours good?” Hayden asked, right as I was mid–bite a strawberry tart.
I glanced at his untouched cheese tart. “Why, do you want mine now?”
“Yeah, it looks really good,” he said, and I had to fight the urge to roll my eyes.
If it looked so good, why didn’t he just get the same thing to begin with? And now he wanted mine?
“Yours is probably delicious too,” I said, trying to talk him down like you would with a little kid.
loved my fruit tarts, and there was zero chance I was giving them up.
