18.

☆☆SUMMER’S POV☆☆

I shoved Hayden off me with both palms, not violently—just enough to get him off me. Enough to say stop without actually saying it. Enough to say I want you gone while still wanting you to stay.

The door creaked. I barely had time to breathe before Jake stepped in. He froze by the door, eyes wide in disbelief. And I swear, the temperature in my room dropped ten degrees. Chills, man! Literal chills.

His gaze locked on Hayden like he was a disease. Like he had caught us in something unspeakable. And maybe he had. There were no greetings, no nothing—just a stare so sharp it could slice glass.

Hayden, the unbothered menace, straightened his shirt with casual arrogance. Then came the smile. That slow, smug that said, Jake-you-wouldn’t-understand. It made my stomach twist and my brain scream.

“Hey, little brother.”

Jake’s hands curled into fists. “What are you doing here?”

“Helping,” Hayden said simply, brushing imaginary lint off his pants.

He had never been here before—not once since we were kids. So why now? I could see the questions swirling around in Jake’s head.

“Why are you here? What for?”

“Summer fainted. I caught her before her pretty little head hit the floor.” Hayden said it like he’d saved a kitten from drowning.

Jake’s eyes whipped to me.

“You fainted?” he asked. “I knew something was wrong. What happened to you?”

“I’m fine. I just needed some…food.”

I motioned to the tray on the desk, and didn’t explain further. Not with both brothers here. Not with the way Hayden was watching me, like he already knew every word I was about to say.

He knew I wasn’t going to talk about us—the real reason he was in my room, and what we were about to do before Jake interrupted.

“You could’ve called me,” Jake muttered, stepping fully into the room.

“I didn’t exactly plan to collapse,” I said. “It just… happened.”

“I was already there,” Hayden added smoothly. “Timing is everything.”

Jake’s jaw flexed. “Why the fuck are you really here? Why are you in this room and in her bed?”

He looked like he was about to throw hands. His fists tightened. His breathing got sharp. Hayden just stood there, calm, taller, unshaken. Jake wouldn’t stand a chance if it came to blows. And we all knew it.

I stepped between them.

“Hayden was only here to see my dad,” I said, “He was just about to leave.”

Jake didn’t move. His eyes didn’t leave Hayden’s face. I had a feeling he didn’t believe me. 

“Jake?” I called, but he didn’t answer.

“Get the fuck out of here,” he growled.

“Don’t worry,” Hayden said, backing away, hands up like some fake peace offering. “I’m leaving.”

His eyes flicked to me—held me there—then to Jake. He paused at the door, voice low and almost sincere. “She hasn’t eaten yet. Make sure she does. She’s fragile.”

I flinched. Jake’s nostrils flared again, but he said nothing. Hayden slipped out the door like a storm cloud—silent, but heavy.

I counted.

One.

Two.

Three.

Then—crack! The door flew open. Jake followed him out and slammed it behind him. I skidded toward the door and opened it slowly, watching them from there. They stood in the hallway, five feet apart.

“Stay away from Summer,” Jake said, quiet but vicious.

Hayden stopped in his tracks.

“I never go where I’m not wanted,” he replied.

Jake’s voice dropped lower. “That’s a lie. I know you.”

Hayden laughed softly. “You don’t know me.”

“Oh, I do,” Jake said. “Better than you think, apparently. You want to spoil her, to use her like you use other girls. But you don’t even know how much she resents you, do you? You’re just looking for a way to ruin her like you ruin everyone else.”

Hayden didn’t reply. But something in his posture shifted. He turned and stepped closer to Jake, his demeanor changing. Jake remained rooted to the floor. I could tell it took everything in him not to move an inch, even though Hayden stood like a giant in front of him.

“Be careful what you say to me, little brother,” Hayden’s voice dropped to a deadly whisper.

“Ask Dad,” Jake shot back. “Ask him why he sent you to Europe. It’s your fault he’s like this. You broke him. You broke Mom. And you broke me.”

There was a heavy silence. 

“I don’t want you near Summer. Now get out.”

Hayden's eyes bored into Jake, his jaw tightening. Then he looked up, and caught me watching. He sighed, and I saw his gaze softening. I shifted out of his view quickly and shut the door quietly. My heart slammed against my chest.

Then I heard just the heavy echo of his footsteps walking away. Jake returned to my room  a few seconds later, his face unreadable. Controlled. The calm before the punch.

“You were listening,” he said.

I sat on the bed, fingers tightening around the hem of my blanket.

“You were yelling.”

“I wasn’t yelling.”

I raised an eyebrow.

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck like he could press the anger out of himself. He began pacing like he was trying to keep his rage from spilling. Thinking. Or maybe just trying to cool the inferno under his skin.

“I trust you,” he said flatly. “I really do. But him? Him, I don’t trust.”

“What is it, Jake?” I asked. “Say it.”

“You don’t know him.”

“Maybe you don’t know him either. Not anymore.”

His eyes met mine—intense. Like he wanted to rip the thoughts from my brain and examine them for damage.

“What do you mean? I do know him,” he said. “So do you. You’ve known him since you moved here. You’ve seen what he does to girls. Especially girls like you.”

“Girls like me?” I repeated, swallowing hard.

“Soft. Kind. Loyal.” His eyes locked on mine. “The type of girl who’d see a monster bleeding and still try to help him, even if he’d consume her in the end.”

I looked away.

“Summer, is something going on between you and Hayden?”

I forgot how to breathe.

“There’s nothing going on between me and Hayden. Why would you even think that way?”

“Then why was he here? To gloat? To flirt? To what—torment me? He’s never been here before, and you know it. Or are you two.. friends now? Behind my back?”

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. And something flickered in Jake’s tone. Something like… fear.

“Summer?" he said. "Are you in love with my brother?”