Chapter 363

+25 BONUS

"If you'd been this smooth earlier," Lena blurted, "Jace wouldn't have run off."

I felt a momentary lapse of reason. Mentioning an ex in front of your current boyfriend? A major faux pas. I stiffened, but I knew Lena wasn't trying to hurt me; she wasn't clueless. A mischievous wink confirmed it—she was testing Hayden, gauging his reaction to Jace. Classic Lena, always pushing boundaries.

Most men would flinch at the mention of an ex, especially in front of their girlfriend. But I wondered, how far would she take this? What if she pushed too hard, and Hayden left?

I glanced at him. His expression remained unchanged. No annoyance, no comment, nothing.

Lena pressed on. "Right, Hayden? Don't you think?"

I wanted the earth to swallow me whole.

But Hayden simply replied, "Kiki only gets clingy with me."

Sweetness permeated the air. With a perfect, effortless response, Hayden had aced the moment.

Lena clicked her tongue. "You might look like a total science geek, but who knew you had such a romantic side?"

"Quantum reactions in chemistry are always unique," Hayden said casually. "It depends on how the particles combine."

Of course, Hayden would turn love into a science lesson. He was essentially saying his romantic side only existed because of me. Classic.

"No wonder Kiki fell for you," Lena said with a thumbs-up.

My heart swelled. Meeting Hayden truly was one of the best things that ever happened to me.

"Kiki, you know, you should probably thank Tanya," Lena teased, giving me a playful wink.

I understood her implication. "You're right. If it weren't for her drama, I never would've met Hayden."

I leaned my head against Hayden's shoulder.

"Good thing I didn't eat much, or this PDA would've made me sick," Lena joked.

"We're just giving you a free lesson. Pay attention," I retorted.

We were still laughing as we reached the hospital's main entrance. But just as we were about to enter, I spotted Wayne.

He was heading toward another entrance. For a second, I almost called out to him, but before I could, he turned and walked directly toward the patient rooms. It felt strange, like we were complete strangers now. A heavy feeling settled in, highlighting how much my connection with the Johnston family was fading.

Lena stayed while Hayden and I retrieved my test results. Thankfully, everything was normal. My random fever was simply stress-related—go figure.

Lena had to return to work, so Hayden and I went to check on Yuna. She seemed down, likely because her surgery was postponed.

Instead of offering encouragement, I casually changed the subject. "Hey, there's a concert coming up. Wanna go?"

Her eyes darted to Hayden. "Can I?" With her heart condition, many things were off-limits.

"I swear I'll keep it chill," Yuna said, holding up her hand in a promise.

Hayden nodded. "We will go with you."

"Yes!" Yuna squealed, wrapping her arms around me.

Her excitement made me slightly anxious. If she was this hyped now, what would she be like at the actual concert? I regretted suggesting it.

I shot a look at Hayden. He walked over and playfully tapped Yuna's head. "If you're already this pumped, how are you going to survive the concert? Maybe you should—"

"I won't overdo it, promise!" Yuna interrupted, raising her hand again. She even shook my arm for emphasis.

I realized I'd opened Pandora's box and decided to say nothing more. Fortunately, my phone buzzed—it was Ron.

I answered and listened, glancing at Hayden as Ron spoke.