Chapter 6: Not the loudest thing on my head

HAYDEN’S POV

The next day started like a hangover without the courtesy of alcohol.

My head felt packed with cotton and rage, my jaw still sore from grinding my teeth all night. I barely remembered falling asleep. It was just the TV murmuring something stupid while Stephen and his stupid one-night stand moaned in his room, loud enough to make sure I heard it.

I showered fast, dressed faster, and got the hell out before he could say anything stupid.

The campus looked the same, but it didn’t feel like it. Every glance felt like daggers. Every laugh sounded like it might be about me. I kept my shoulders straight anyway. I wasn’t going to let anyone see me shrink.

That’s when I heard a familiar voice.

“Uh…..sorry!”

I collided with someone near the humanities building, coffee sloshing dangerously close to my shirt. I grabbed the cup instinctively, steadying it before it spilled.

“Watch where you’re…..” I stopped.

It was her.

One of the girls from yesterday. The whisperer who said something about fucking me.

She has dark curls pulled into a messy ponytail, an oversized sweater slipping off one shoulder, eyes too sharp to pretend she didn’t recognize me.

She looked me up and down, lips curving. “Wow, nice reflexes. I almost baptized you with caffeine.”

I scoffed despite myself. “Tragic. That shirt didn’t deserve to die.”

She laughed, like actually laughed. “You’re Hayden, right?”

There it was. The name and the label that came with it.

“Guess so,” I said, bracing myself.

Instead of backing away, she stuck out her hand. “Maya.”

I hesitated, then took it. Her grip was warm and confident.

“So,” she said casually, releasing me, “you’re not as scary as T*****r made you out to be.”

I snorted. “Let me guess. They also said I eat puppies for breakfast.”

She grinned. “Only on weekends.”

We started walking without really deciding to but we headed toward the quad.

“You heard what we said yesterday,” she added, not accusing. Just stating it.

“Hard not to,” I muttered. “You weren’t exactly whispering.”

She winced. “Fair. For what it’s worth… I don’t think you’re homophobic.”

I stopped walking. “You don’t?”

She shrugged. “I think you’re angry and kind of an idiot. But those aren’t crimes.”

A laugh escaped me before I could stop it. “Wow. You’re really selling this.”

“Hey,” she nudged my arm lightly. “I’m flirting. Don’t rush me.”

That caught me off guard.

“You are?”

She glanced at me sideways. “Are you rejecting me, or just slow?”

I raised my hands. “No, no. Just… surprised.”

“Good,” she said. “Surprise is better.”

We sat on the low stone wall near the quad.

Students passed by, some glancing our way, some whispering. Lilian didn’t seem to care. She crossed her legs and sipped her coffee like we were invisible.

“You know,” she said, “most guys would be trying really hard right now, like overexplaining and defending themselves.”

“Trust me,” I said. “I’m exhausted from defending myself.”

Her eyes softened. “Yeah. I figured.”

There was a pause but it was not awkward. Just… quiet.

“So,” she said lightly, “is it true?”

I groaned. “Which rumor?”

She smirked. “The one about you being ridiculously hot and sexy in person.”

I stared at her. “You’re unbelievable.”

“And you’re blushing,” she shot back.

I looked away, jaw tightening. “Don’t.”

She leaned closer but she wasn't touching. Just enough that I could smell her perfume—something warm, not sweet. “Don’t what?”

“Don’t make this weird.”

Her voice dropped, playful but sincere. “Hayden, everything is already weird. I’m just choosing fun.”

For a moment, I forgot everything. Then my phone buzzed.

I didn’t need to look to know who it was.

Lilian noticed anyway. “Bad timing?”

“Story of my life,” I muttered, silencing it.

She studied me for a second. “Roommate drama?”

“You could say that.”

“Ah,” she nodded knowingly. “The kind that makes you want to throw someone off a balcony.”

I laughed again. “You get it.”

She hopped off the wall. “Walk me to class?”

I stood. “Yeah. Sure.”

As we walked, her hand brushed mine, it was not accidental this time so I didn’t pull away.

At the building entrance, she stopped. “So… coffee sometimes? Somewhere less public?”

I met her gaze. “I’d like that.”

She smiled, slow and deliberate. “Good.”

Then she leaned in, not close enough to kiss, just enough to make my pulse jump. “And Hayden?”

“Yeah?”

“Next time someone whispers about you,” she said softly, “make sure they get the full story.”

She turned and disappeared inside, leaving me standing there like an idiot with a stupid smile on my face.

For the first time in days, my phone buzzed again and I didn’t feel like throwing it across campus.

I walked away lighter.

And for once, Stephen wasn’t the loudest thing in my head.