Chapter 78

When Hayden entered from the balcony, he found me asleep at my desk. The lamp's soft, warm glow illuminated my face, and I felt his gaze upon me. I sensed his presence but couldn't rouse myself.

After what seemed like an eternity, I heard his voice—low and gentle—"Kiki…"

Kiki?! Was he talking to me? He was. Before moving in with the Johnstons, my parents called me Kiki, not Rea. It had been ages since anyone used that name.

"Hey, I'm Kiki," I murmured.

In my dream, I saw a little girl with pigtails and a chubby face, calling to an older boy who remained mostly silent. Suddenly, I was that little girl, and Hayden was the boy. I was riding on his back.

"Haddy, you smell nice…" I said. "There's a little black bean on the back of your neck. I'll get it for you."

"Don't pinch it, Kiki. That hurts," the boy replied. "Kiki, I'm tired. Can we stop running?"

"Mommy, I like Haddy. I want to marry him…"

"Haha…"

"Mommy, Daddy, stop laughing! I want to marry Haddy!"

"You can't marry him. You're already engaged."

"I don't wanna marry that boy! He's a jerk, a jerk!"

I jolted awake, gasping. I couldn't believe it—I'd dreamt of Hayden and me as toddlers, perhaps two years old.

I lay there, my mind blank, staring into nothingness for a moment before sitting up. But as my feet touched the floor, something felt wrong. This wasn't my room.

Memories of the previous night flooded back, and I sprang to attention, looking at the bed. Hayden wasn't there. I checked my clothes—still on, still intact. Breathing a sigh of relief, I quietly headed for the door, noticing Hayden asleep on the couch.

Even in his sleep, he was neat and orderly, like a soldier. My first thought was, "Doesn't he get tired sleeping like that?" Honestly, his composure made me want to playfully disrupt it.

He remained asleep, so I watched him from a distance before quietly retrieving my laptop. I tiptoed from the room, making a swift escape. I couldn't believe I'd fallen asleep there; the thought was mortifying.

Luckily, I'd grabbed my room key last night. When I returned, Demi was still asleep—thank goodness, as she would have had a field day with this.

My phone showed it was just after five in the morning. I wasn't going back to sleep, so I opened my laptop to work on the issues Hayden had mentioned yesterday. To my surprise, he'd already fixed them all.

I stared at the screen, lost in thought, before washing my face and getting some water. Stepping onto the balcony, I enjoyed the early morning view. That's when I saw Hayden. Was he awake too? He'd been asleep when I left. Did I wake him with the door? Or had he been awake, pretending to sleep to avoid awkwardness?

I watched him from above, my thoughts swirling. I had to admit, Hayden was increasingly affecting me.

I texted Lena first thing: "If a guy and a girl sleep in the same room and nothing happens, what does that even mean?"