4.

☆☆SUMMER’S POV☆☆

(A week later)

Jake’s house was packed. Kids from our high school spilled out onto the lawn, red cups in hand, music vibrating through the floorboards like a heartbeat.

I wasn’t in the mood for it, but Jake said we needed this—his way of forcing me to forget that stupid pool scene after rejecting the 20 bucks I gave him.

And since we were going to college, Jake said we needed to party. I saw Hayden before he saw me. Or maybe he did see me and just didn’t care. I learned his girlfriend’s name was Sophie. Jake said they met at the airport a week ago.

Hayden stood by the kitchen island with his arm around her—blonde, tall, and obviously fake laughing at something he said. I never found Hayden funny.

Then it happened.

She slapped him.

The smack echoed over the music, cutting the tension like a glass shattering. Everyone turned. Hayden said something, calm and low, and she stormed out with a dramatic hair flip.

Hayden said something calm and low. She stormed out with a hair flip. His eyes locked on mine for a split second. My heart hammered in my chest, but I tried not to feel anything. Then Hayden disappeared into the crowd.

Jake handed me a drink. “Dude. Did you see that?”

I nodded, pretending it didn’t affect me. “Yeah. Karma’s got good aim.”

Jake laughed. “Hayden told me he doesn't actually like her. He was hiding from her the other night I was at your place. I figured it would be nice to bring her to him instead. It was so funny. You should have seen his face the entire way back home.”

Hayden never liked her? I didn't realise a smile tugging at the edges of my lips. I wondered what happened between him and his girlfriend, though.

……….

An hour later, I needed to pee. Like, really, really bad. Some horny teenagers were making out, naked in Jake’s room. Almost blinded my eyes. Of course, I groaned and slammed the door shut. 

That was when Jake asked me to use Hayden’s because the guest’s bathroom was occupied. Hayden’s door was cracked open.

I hesitated. Then I walked in.

His room looked exactly like him. Messy in a calculated way. Hoodie on the floor. Open sketchbook on the desk. Half-empty water bottle beside the bed. 

I quickly used the bathroom. On my way out, I heard his voice.

“Hey, Stranger.”  

He was drunk as hell.

:::::::::::::::::

And that was the party where everything changed. That night, I kissed Hayden Dylan—my longtime enemy, my best friend’s brother. And damn, it was a good kiss.

Hayden and I started to see each other in secret after that night. He would steal kisses when no one was watching. For the first time in my life, I hid something from Jake.

🌸🌸🌸🌸

(Two weeks later)

“If I taste one more fucking beer tonight, I'll throw a fit,” I yelled at Jake, who kept handing me a cup of beer, which he knew I didn’t fancy.

“Just a little, Summer,” he begged, bringing the beer closer to me. “This one has a sweet taste, I promise.”

It's another Saturday night and Jake was throwing a party in honor of what exactly? In honor of absolute fucking nothing. 

I rolled my eyes heavenward, stood up from the sofa, and made my way through the crowd as the sound of music filled my ears.

Just then I saw Hayden across the room, in the kitchen, leaning against the counter, talking to a few girls. As usual.

Hayden still picked up girls. We weren’t dating. We were just… I don’t know what it was, but he actually has been driving me crazy for the past few weeks. 

His gaze flickered toward me, then he quickly turned away.  I know I'd hated Hayden all my life, even over three weeks ago, I hated him, but now…now, it was different. 

I couldn’t count how many times I’d told myself to walk away, to stop falling for him, but everytime he smiled or stared at me with those ocean-blue eyes, I got lost and wondered why I even tried to resist his charm.

The girls surrounding Hayden scowl when they saw me pass by. 

“What a loser!” one sneered.

“How is she even friends with Jake?” another hissed.

“Did you see the way she looked at us?”

“What a bitch!”

Their eyes burned into me. A shiver ran down my spine. I just wanted to get away. The music swirled around me and slowly faded.

It felt as if I was stuck in slow motion as I remembered Hayden's expression when he saw me just now— emotionless.

I went to Jake’s room to use the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, a tear rolled down my cheek. Why did I even come to Jake’s stupid parties? I sniffled, holding back more tears.

Just as I was leaving, my heart jumped. Hayden stood in the doorway, white t-shirt, faded jeans, watching me.

“Why are you out here, Stranger?” Hayden's voice was low, the teasing tone sending jolts of electricity through me.

“I've told you to stop calling me a stranger. We've known each other since we were kids,” I said, a bit annoyed. 

He chuckled, pushed off the door, stepped close. Too close.

“I hardly recognized you when I got back. Hence, the name,” he whispered.

Like he knew exactly what he was doing.

I remembered how he’d been avoiding me for two days. Then he shows up here, acting like nothing’s wrong. It hurt.

“Fuck off, Hayden,” I muttered, anger burning in me.

“And if I don’t?” he shot back, pinning me to the wall, face inches from mine. “What will you do if I don’t?”

My breaths were shallow. Heart pounding. Eyes flicked from his eyes to his lips, back to his eyes.

“I’ll tell everyone about us,” I said, voice shaking. “What we’ve been doing since you came back. I’ll tell them all.”

“Do you know how much I missed you these two days? My dad made me help Jake plan this party,” Hayden said, lips trailing down my neck.

No way I could tell anyone about us. I didn’t want this to end. My breath caught, trying to hold in everything.

Suddenly, his hands cupped my face, tilted my chin up. I had no choice but to look into those dreamy eyes.

“Did you miss me, Summer?” he whispered, breath hot on my skin.

I swallowed hard, fighting the overwhelming urge to say yes. I wanted to tell Hayden how much I'd lost sleep just thinking about him, but of course, I knew it'd do me no good, so instead, I told him a big fat “NO.”

I pulled away. My pulse raced as his fingers slid down my arms, making every hair stand up. His lips hovered dangerously close to mine. Too close.

“I miss you enough for the both of us,” he said, then pressed his lips to mine.

I wanted to say no, to stop this before it went any further, but instead I found myself pulling him closer and wanting more. Our kiss deepened and my heart fluttered. 

Just then, I heard someone's voice in the room.

“Summer? Where are you?”

My eyes snapped open in shock. “Fuck!” A gasp escaped my lips as I pulled away from Hayden. “It's Jake.”