Chapter 172

“It’s me!”

A familiar voice echoed down the hallway. I grabbed the railing, stopping abruptly. All tension vanished instantly. A second later, I turned and saw Hayden, half-hidden in the shadows. The awkwardness from earlier lingered, thick and uncomfortable. Unsure what to say, I opted for annoyance—always a safe bet. “Do you even realize how creepy you look just standing there?”

He grunted. That single sound. God, it was infuriating. He had no idea how cold and dismissive that “mm” sounded, and it drove me crazy. I was about to snap again when he spoke, his voice low and soft. “It won’t happen again.”

That silenced me. I pulled out my keys, turning to unlock my door. Just as the key slid into the lock, his voice, low and quiet, came again. “I had the wrong idea tonight. It won’t happen again.”

Wait, what? I froze, glancing back, but he was already slipping into his half-open door. Our eyes met for a split second before he shut it. “Goodnight,” he said.

I opened my mouth, but before I could speak, it was too late. “What do you mean ‘again’?” I knew exactly what he meant. He wasn't ending our charade. But I couldn't keep this up; I didn't want to.

Regret slammed into me. Why had I ever asked Hayden to pretend to be my boyfriend? It wasn't that I worried about him getting attached. No, the problem was me. I didn't want to hurt him. He’d never had a girlfriend, and I’d used him as a prop. His first hug, first hand-hold, even his first kiss—all with me.

I felt terrible. Cursing under my breath, I stepped into my apartment, guilt gnawing at me. Sleep was out of the question. And when I finally did drift off, my dreams were filled with Hayden, looking lost. “Why’d you kiss me?” he’d ask, repeatedly. “That was my first kiss.”

I woke up suffocating in guilt, even though it was still ridiculously early—pitch black outside. I grabbed my phone. 4:30 a.m.

Hayden would already be awake. If timed right, he’d be on his morning run. This was my chance to avoid him. I jumped out of bed, threw on clothes, and bolted.

Driving through the empty streets as dawn broke, I felt like a total loser. Grown, living alone, yet I was sneaking around like a fugitive. I started leaving earlier and returning later, successfully dodging him day after day. But every night, without fail, a cold breakfast sat by my door. The guilt intensified with each passing day.

I considered texting Hayden many times, telling him to stop with the breakfast. But each time, I froze. What if he asked something I wasn't ready to answer? Instead, I ignored it, leaving the food untouched. I figured he'd get the hint.

Sure enough, by day three, the breakfast was gone. I breathed a sigh of relief, but a small part of me felt…empty. That annoyed me, and I muttered a few choice words.

They say when your love life's a mess, your career explodes, right? Turns out, that's true. Work was booming. I even landed a huge contract over the phone, needing only an in-person meeting to finalize the deal.

“Ms. Kay, is it true you’ve been arriving at six every morning?” Ron asked, smirking as he bumped into me in the break room.