Chapter 368

“Boba tea’s here. Let’s go inside,” Hayden said, balancing the fruit in his hands. He didn’t ask about Wade, but I knew he’d probably seen everything. I wasn’t in the mood to explain, so I followed him inside.

Yuna’s face lit up as I entered. “Keira! I waited for you to get here before drinking mine!”

Hayden set the fruit down in the kitchen. I glanced at him before going to Yuna.

“I’ve got everything ready!” she exclaimed, gesturing to the drinks on the table, her eyes sparkling. But I couldn’t even think about drinking. “You can have mine,” I said, my heart heavy.

“Really?” Yuna’s eyes widened, and she laughed. “I’m not that greedy.” Even so, she began dividing the drinks. “Why’d it take you so long? Hayden was worried. He went looking for you as soon as he put away the groceries.”

“I ran into a friend,” I said, a half-truth.

“You have so many friends. I hope I can make more someday,” Yuna said, sliding a boba toward me.

“You will, Yuna. You have such a great personality,” I said, forcing a smile as I took a sip.

She was already sipping hers. “This flavor is so good! There are so many I want to try…”

“Keira?” She waved her hand in front of my face. “Are you okay? You seem out of it.”

Before I could answer, she called out, “Hayden, come check on Keira!”

Hayden appeared with a plate of cherries and strawberries. “What’s wrong?” he asked, placing his cool hand on my forehead. His hand was still damp from washing the fruit, and the touch was calming. “I’m fine,” I said, pulling him to sit beside me.

Ignoring Yuna, I leaned into Hayden’s shoulder. “I went to see Narelle—Wade’s advisor.” I didn’t need to explain further; Hayden already knew the story.

“Did something happen?” he asked softly.

I nestled closer, letting his calm energy soothe me. “Narelle is about to be dismissed. Wade is distraught, and I feel terrible too.” No one deserves to be abandoned, but clinging to hope for Narelle no longer seemed realistic.

Hayden remained silent, rubbing his cheek against my head in quiet support.

“We all need to be okay,” I whispered, gripping his arm tighter. I glanced at Yuna. She sat quietly, her boba tea forgotten. I reached for her hand, and she took it, squeezing gently.

“Keira, what’s wrong with Narelle?” Yuna asked.

“She’s been ill for a while. She hasn’t woken up,” Hayden answered softly, trying not to overwhelm her.

But Yuna was sharper than that.

“Is she in a coma?” Yuna asked, her voice serious.

Hayden quietly murmured, “Mm.”

Yuna scooted closer, holding both our hands. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

Her sudden shift in mood caused Hayden and me to exchange a glance. She was usually so playful; seeing her like this worried us both. I sat up, ready to hear what she had to say.