Chapter 219

I stared at him, my mind drifting to his father—the Mr. Patterson I knew as a child. With Hayden acting so strangely, I blurted out, “So, Hayden, is this flirting? Does it mean you actually like me?”

He didn't flinch. “Why else? For fun?”

Straightforward. No shame. Pure confidence.

“Okay, but are you hiding something? Like… have we known each other longer than I think?” Ever since learning about his father, I'd felt there was more to the story.

His eyes flickered. “When you were little, I used to give you piggyback rides. And… you kissed me.”

Of course, he'd casually drop that bombshell. If I were still the naive girl I once was, I'd be blushing furiously.

“Oh yeah?” I retorted. “And where exactly did I kiss you?”

Hayden moved closer, the small space between us vanishing. My heart skipped a beat—or two—but I didn't move. He looked down, easily a head taller, his breath warm on my skin. “How about I show you now?”

I froze. Speechless.

In that moment, it hit me—Hayden wasn't just a quiet flirt; he was a master, feigning innocence while dropping lines guaranteed to fluster anyone. And the worst part? He was incredibly good at it.

My face betrayed me, flushing before I could stop it. I couldn't meet his eyes.

“In your dreams,” I mumbled, and before he could respond, I turned and fled.

Behind me, I heard Hayden chuckle softly, confirming his teasing. Then, a strange memory surfaced—childhood dreams of being on a boy's back, teasing him, calling him "Haddy."

Walt. Could those dreams have been real?

It seemed crazy, but the feeling persisted. I was too young to remember clearly, and my parents—the only ones who might know—were gone. Hayden was the only one who could fill in the blanks. He'd been older, so if it happened, he'd remember.

But I couldn't just ask him. Not like this.

I was still running when Hayden easily caught up. “The lights are all set for testing. Are you free tonight?”

I knew he wanted me to see the lighting effects, but my heart was still racing from his teasing. So I decided to tease him back. “Nope, busy.”

“When will you be free, then?”

“I’m not sure—” I was about to continue playing when my phone buzzed. It was Steve.

Remembering my request, I waved to Hayden and stepped away to answer. “Steve?”

“Where are you?” Steve asked casually.

“Out and about,” I said, getting to the point. “Did you find out anything about what I asked?”

“Huh?” Steve sounded confused, and I almost rolled my eyes, thinking he'd flaked. But then he said, “Oh, you mean your boss’s identity? Yeah, I’ve got something.”

I snorted. He was messing with me. “I know I can count on you,” I said, playing along.

“Of course. If you want the details, meet me at Luxe Emporium tonight at seven,” Steve said.

My eyes flicked to Hayden. Ugh. Meeting Steve meant missing the lighting test with Hayden. And even though I'd told Hayden I was busy to tease him, I really wanted to see those lights.

After a moment, I tried, “Can’t you just tell me now, over the phone?”

“If you wanna know, come meet me,” Steve cut in, hanging up before I could reply.