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Goosebumps ripple across my skin, and warmth radiates outwards from my chest, like sunlight breaking through clouds, past years of tiptoeing, feeling invisible, and questioning if I was enough—not just for Hayden, but for anyone.
"I... I am?" I croak, tears stinging my eyes.
"Yes, you always have been." He brushes the side of my cheek. "But in case you forget..."
His hand sinks into his pocket, emerging with a gold chain wound around his fingers. An oval locket dangles at the end, adorned with a unique, intricate pattern that catches my eye fleetingly, before he loops it around my neck. His skin brushes against mine, sending a new wave of sensations as he secures the clamp into place.
On his retreat, he pauses, his lips only an inch away, so close I can feel his breath puffing from him on choppy waves. His eyes flicker between mine, left and right and back again, just as mine dart between his, until they trail low, down to my mouth, and pause, burning with fire, yet stifled with hesitation...
I wet my lips—
And his come crashing onto mine, claiming their first touch—
I wretch the memory from my mind, killing it there.
Draping my towel over the ledge of the tub, I walk across the steamy bathroom, naked, amidst the silence seeping through the other side of the door. Like the penthouse is fast asleep.
Alone, at last.
Approaching the sink, I avoid my reflection, as I crouch down and pull back the lowest drawer, revealing a gold chain. Intricate shapes etch into its oval locket, forming unique flowers and other dainty designs. It's beautiful, really, a reminder of my magical first kiss. After that night, I never took it off, not once.
Until I saw an actress wearing it three weeks later. Hand-in-hand with Hayden Kingston, son of billionaire Warren Kingston, plastered across the front page of a celebrity gossip site.
I was an idiot then for not throwing the necklace away. Guess I'm an even bigger one now.
I slam the drawer shut.
It's like those little devils said. Hayden deserves more credit. Maybe he's a genius, after all. A master of hearts, who excels at precisely one thing.
Stealing little pieces.
TWENTY-SEVEN
HAYDEN
Olivia means nothing to me. I deleted her from my contacts. I never answered that video call. And if our paths ever cross again, whether forty thousand feet in the sky or here on the ground, I won't give her a second glance. That's what I would tell Juliana...
If she ever speaks to me again.
I've endured nine days of radio silence. Nine whole days of locking herself in her room and ignoring my knocks, the papers I've slipped under her door, my text messages, phone calls, voicemails, even emails. Hell, I'm two days shy of sending a carrier pigeon. Anything to convince her to just talk with me or look me in the eye or not dash from the kitchen the second I enter.
But the thing is... even if I got her to listen to me, what would I say after all that? Demand why she cares so much? I'm not even ready to answer that question. She said it herself—there's nothing more between us. And it's me we're talking about here, so... why is this all such a big deal? And why am I willingly ghosting Olivia and every other girl who's hitting me up like normal?
I mean, seriously, ever since Juliana moved into my apartment, I've let my number one, number two, three, four, and five just float into the wind, without even intentionally playing hard to get. It's like my instincts are revolting on themselves, screaming one big fuck you to...
Rule #9: A playboy maintains multiple dating prospects at all times.
So, yes, if I want to avoid self-destruction, these are all incredibly urgent questions...
That I sweep to the furthest corners of my mind.
"Her presentation starts in five minutes." To my left, Elias checks his watch, leaning back in his chair that's positioned at the head of the conference room table. "If she's late, I'll have to give her spot to one of the others waiting outside."
"She'll be here."
I think.
If it weren't for her ghosting me, I'd have no doubts. This is her end of the fake dating arrangement—gaining an audience with the man who chooses Kingston Entertainment's sponsors for this year's DreamScape. And as of right now, mostly, that's Elias, who will listen to all the presentations for the Indie Creator Showcase today. But, when I texted her a couple days back about the presentation, she never replied.
