Chapter 231

The phone, which had been ringing incessantly, suddenly fell silent. For a second, the only sounds were the stove's sizzle and the frantic beat of our hearts. We were so close our breaths mingled, and I glimpsed something intense in Hayden's eyes. I knew this was building to something significant.

Knock, knock!

A knock shattered the moment, followed by Mrs. Lowrey's voice. "Hayden, my water's barely trickling. Can you take a look?"

Hayden jumped, giving me a chance to dash to the couch, practically diving onto it. A moment later, he walked to the door. "Sure, I'll check it out."

"Thank you," she said, peering inside and spotting me. She offered a polite smile. "Keira, mind if I borrow your boyfriend for a bit?"

I let 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 away.

I sighed in relief, sipping my watermelon juice before retreating to my room. A good half hour passed before Hayden returned.

Funny how time works; the earlier awkwardness 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 replaced it."

Remembering rumors of the building's demolition, I said, "You heard they're demolishing this place, right?"

"Yeah."

"And you're moving out soon anyway, since you're renting," I added, recalling his plans to leave.

"What about you?" Hayden asked. "Where are you going?"

"Not sure yet," I said, remaining silent about my intention to buy a place.

He looked at me a moment longer, but didn't press.

Dinner was incredible, as usual. I had this odd feeling that if Hayden ever left my life, I'd probably never enjoy food again.

Afterward, we headed to the amusement park.

"Demi's not coming?" I asked, noticing it was just the two of us.

"No need," Hayden said.

I laughed. "Wow, you're really just cutting her off like that?"

He didn't answer, simply walking on, leading me deeper into the park. The lights flickered on around us.

"Lighting looks perfect now, but we'll need to check the overall effect later," I said.

"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, genuinely impressed.

"I told you I would." He said it casually, yet there was something heavier in his voice, something unspoken. This wasn't the first time he'd dropped cryptic comments.

I tilted my head, studying him. "You're pretty good at this, you know?"

"At what?" His expression was unreadable.

I was about to speak when a familiar figure caught my eye. I froze, my steps faltering as I stared at the silhouette bathed in 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 nearby.