Bye-Bye Jerk, Hello Mr. Right by Rosie Steppe

Chapter 140

I turned to look at Hayden, and he was staring right back at me. With just the two of us alone in that quiet room, the air felt thick.

It was crazy, though. We'd stayed in the same hotel room before without any issues.

But now, in this two-bedroom apartment, it was like the walls were closing in, and the space between us was shrinking, making it hard to even breathe.

After a few moments of this intense staring contest, Hayden finally broke the silence. "Maybe I should just crash on the couch."

I blinked, completely thrown.

"Only your real boyfriend should be sleeping in your room. I... the couch is fine," Hayden added, sounding like he was trying to convince himself as much as me. His words hit me, making me feel like I was somehow being unfair to him.

I knew what he was up to-he was laying on the pressure, subtly hinting that he wanted to be more than just a friend.

Guess it's true what they say: honest guys can be the most cunning.

But I wasn't going to fall for it. I just shrugged and said, "Suit yourself," before hurrying into my parents'

room.

crawled into bed, sleep didn't come easy. The tension from earlier in the

though I was ready to defend myself, who knows

it was pure luck that Hayden came looking for me

closed, so I

or something-but I knew he

in bed and listening to my parents moving around outside. I'd always

I realized how comforting it

planning to wait until Hayden fell asleep before sneaking out to check on him. But as

middle of the night, needing to use the bathroom. As I opened the door, I remembered

I remembered Hayden was still in the apartment, so on my way out,

stretched out on the tiny

Chapter 140

+25 BONUS

wasn't dumb, though-he'd pulled up a chair to prop his feet on. But what really made me stop in

sleep in my room because he was not my real boyfriend, yet there

setup just to make sure I

here, I'd wake up after using the bathroom and find it impossible to fall back asleep. The emptiness of the apartment was suffocating, and the loneliness felt

no one loved me. Even if

ready to protect me if anything happened, I slept better than I had