Chapter 231 

The phone, which had been blowing up, went quiet all of a sudden. 

For a second, the only things we could hear were the sizzle from the stove and our own hearts racing. 

We were so close that our breaths mixed, and I caught a flash of something intense in Hayden’s eyes… 

I just knew this was leading up to something huge. 

Knock, knock! 

A knock on the door shattered the moment, followed by Mrs. Lowrey’s voice. “Hayden, my water’s barely trickling. Can you come take a look?” 

Hayden jumped back, and I used the chance to make a beeline for the couch, practically diving onto it. 

A second later, Hayden walked out of the kitchen and over to the door. “Sure, I’ll check it out.” 

“Thank you,” she said, peeking inside and spotting me. She gave me a polite smile. “Keira, mind if I borrow your boyfriend for a bit?” 

Hét out a small laugh. 

“He’s all yours,” I teased. “Just don’t forget to return him in one piece. 

She chuckled. “Will do,” she said, leading Hayden out the door. 

I sighed in relief, sipping my watermelon juice before retreating to my room. 

By the time Hayden came back to get me, a good half hour had 

passed. 

Funny how time works; the awkwardness from before had mostly faded. I tried to break the ice. “What was wrong with Mrs. Lowrey’s water?” 

“Faucet was clogged with lime scale. I just swapped it out for a new one.” 

I remembered the rumors about the building being torn down soon. “You heard they’re demolishing this place, right?” 

“Yeah.” 

“And you’re moving out soon anyway, since you’re just renting.” I added, remembering how he’d mentioned his plans to leave 

“What about you?” Hayden asked. “Where are you going?” 

“Not sure y 

yet,” I said, keeping quiet about my plan to buy a place. 

He looked at me for a moment longer, but didn’t push it. 

Dinner was incredible, as usual. I had this weird feeling that if Hayden ever disappeared from my life, I’d probably never enjoy food again. 

After we ate, we headed to the amusement park 

“Demi’s not coming?” I asked when I realized it was just the two of us. 

+25 BONUS 

Chapter 231 

“No need,” Hayden said. 

I laughed. “Wow, you’re really just cutting her off like that?” 

He didn’t answer, just kept walking, leading me deeper inside. The lights around us flickered on. 

I said, “Lighting looks perfect now, but we’ll need to check the overall effect later.” 

“Yeah,” he agreed. “Didn’t you say the Ferris wheel has the best view? We’ll head up there and check it out. 

“Hayden, I can’t believe you actually pulled this off on time,” I said, honestly impressed. 

“I told you I would.” He said it like it was no big deal, but there was something in his voice–something that felt heavier, like he was trying to say more. 

This wasn’t the first time he’d done this–dropped comments that felt like they had some hidden meaning. 

I tilted my head, studying him. “You’re pretty good at this, you know?” 

“At what?” His face was unreadable. 

I was about to say something when a familiar figure caught my eye. 

I froze, my steps faltering as I stared at the silhouette lit up by a thousand lights. I almost thought I was imagining it. 

“What’s up?” Hayden asked, following my gaze. 

And then he saw it too–Jace, standing not too far away.