Chapter 96 : A Mid- Conversation
HAYDEN’S POV:
It had been two days since everything went to hell in that kitchen, and somehow, I’d managed to convince myself it didn’t matter or I didn’t care.
I took another drag, the smoke burning slightly as it settled in my lungs before I exhaled slowly, watching it curl into the dim air of the dorm room. The place was loud with music playing low in the background, voices overlapping, laughter cutting through every few seconds but none of it really registered.
I leaned back against the couch, my arm draped loosely around Ariana’s shoulders as she sat tucked against my side.
She was saying something. I could feel it in the way her body shifted slightly against me, the way her voice carried just enough to indicate she was talking directly to me.
I wasn’t listening.
“…Hayden?”
“Hm?” I responded absently, not bothering to turn my head.
“I asked if you’re coming to the game this weekend.”
“Yeah. Sure.” The answer came automatically.
She went quiet for a second, like she could tell I wasn’t actually present, but she didn’t push it. She just relaxed back into me again, her hand resting lightly on my chest like that was enough.
It should’ve been enough. That was the whole point, wasn’t it? It was simple, easy, and had no complications.
I took another drag.
Across the room, a couple of the guys were mid-conversation, their voices louder now, cutting through everything else.
“….I’m telling you, it’s confirmed,” one of them said.
“Confirmed what?” someone else asked.
“That Stephen’s leaving.”
My body stilled.
It wasn’t obvious at first. I didn’t move, didn’t react in any way that would draw attention, but something in my chest tightened sharply, like my lungs had forgotten how to work properly.
“…What?” another voice cut in.
“Yeah. Westbridge picked him up with a full transfer. He is gone in like… three days or something.”
Three days. The words hit harder than they should have. No. That wasn’t right and it didn’t make sense.
I frowned slightly, finally turning my head toward them. “What are you talking about?”
The conversation paused for a second as their attention shifted to me.
“Stephen,” one of them repeated. “Didn’t you know? Scouts came after the game. He accepted.”
Accepted? I stared at him, the word echoing in my head in a way that felt… off.
“No,” I said flatly. “He didn’t.”
They exchanged a look. “Uh… yeah, he did,” another guy said, a little more hesitant now. “Coach already knows. It’s happening.”
A strange, hollow feeling settled in my chest.
I didn’t like it. I didn’t like it at all.
“That’s… sudden,” someone else added.
“Not really. I mean, it’s Stephen. Guy’s been headed somewhere big for a while.”
“Still. I didn’t expect him to just leave like that.”
The word stuck because suddenly, it wasn’t just a word anymore. It was real.
I did a quick, unintentional calculation in my head.
Two days had already passed which meant…
“He’s leaving in one day,” I said, more to myself than anyone else.
No one responded, but they didn’t need to. I could feel it now, sharp and undeniable. That tightness in my chest wasn’t going away. It was getting worse.
Beside me, Ariana shifted slightly. “Hayden?”
I barely heard her. My mind was already somewhere else.
Stephen is standing in the kitchen. The look on his face after I shoved him back. The way his voice had gone quiet, controlled.
“Right.”
The way he had just… let it go.
Something twisted hard in my chest.
No….Don't let it go. He had walked away and now he was actually leaving.
A slow, sinking realization settled in.
I’d thought we had time. Time to ignore it and pretend it didn’t matter. Time to not deal with whatever the hell that was between us but we didn’t.
We never did.
“Shit.”
The word slipped out under my breath before I could stop it.
Ariana pulled back slightly, her brows knitting together as she looked up at me. “What?”
I didn’t answer.
Because suddenly, everything felt too loud. The room, the people, the smoke—it all pressed in on me in a way that made it hard to think straight.
Stephen was leaving and not just for a game or a few days.
He was leaving and the last thing I had said to him….
“You don’t love me, Stephen. So stop acting like we’re dating.”
My jaw tightened.
The last thing he had done…He kissed me.
And I…I shoved him away like it meant nothing, like it meant nothing.
A sharp, uncomfortable feeling settled low in my chest.
Regret. Real, heavy regret.
I scrubbed a hand over my face, exhaling sharply. “I need some air.”
Ariana’s grip on me tightened slightly. “Wait….”
I gently but firmly moved her arm off me, standing up before she could say anything else.
“Hayden,” she tried again, more insistent this time. “What’s going on?”
I looked at her and for the first time in the last two days, I actually paid attention. She wasn’t the problem. She had never been the problem but she wasn’t…..She wasn’t Stephen.
And that was the problem.
A quiet realization settled in, clear and unavoidable. “I can’t do this,” I said.
Her expression shifted instantly. “What?”
I shook my head slightly, like I was trying to organize the thoughts that were finally making sense. “This,” I repeated, gesturing vaguely between us. “Whatever this is.”
Confusion flickered across her face. “Hayden, what are you talking about?”
“I thought…” I exhaled, frustrated with myself more than anything. “I thought it would be easier and simpler.”
“And?” she pressed.
“It’s not.” Silence stretched between us for a second.
Her expression hardened slightly, like she was bracing herself. “So what? You’re just… ending it?”
I hesitated for half a second. Then I nodded.
“Yeah.”
The word felt heavy, but not wrong.
Her lips parted slightly, like she was about to argue, but then she stopped.
“Is this about him?” she asked quietly.
I didn’t answer. Something in my expression must’ve given it away because she let out a short, humorless laugh, shaking her head.
“Wow,” she muttered. “Okay.”
Guilt flickered briefly, but it didn’t stick because this….this mattered more.
“I’m sorry,” I said, and for once, I actually meant it.
She nodded once, like she didn’t trust herself to say anything else, and that was enough.
I didn’t wait. I turned and walked out.
The hallway felt cooler, quieter, but my chest was still tight, my thoughts moving too fast to keep up with.
Stephen was leaving tomorrow and if I didn’t do something…If I didn’t fix this…I was going to lose him. For real this time.
“Shit,” I muttered again, running a hand through my hair as I quickened my pace.
I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t know what I was going to say.
But for the first time in two days, I knew exactly what I needed to do.
I need to find him before it is too late.