Chapter 21 :Chaotic Parties
LILIAN’S POV
Something was wrong.
The party was still loud, still glittering and chaotic in the way celebration parties are supposed to be. Halo pulsed with music and neon lights and everyone was still riding the high of my win.people kept hugging me, shouting congratulations in my ear, asking for pictures,It should have been perfect.
But Hayden had been gone too long.
He had leaned down earlier, brushing his thumb against my waist as he said he would be right back that he needed a quick bathroom break. I hadn’t thought twice about it.
Now I did.
I excused myself from the group of cheer girls and started weaving through the crowd, scanning faces. I saw the football guys, freshmen and Marcus laughing too loudly at something near the bar.
But there was no Hayden.
My stomach tightened.
I headed toward the hallway that led to the restrooms. It was dimmer there, quieter, the music reduced to a dull thud through the walls and then the door flew open.
Hayden stepped out like he had seen a ghost. He looked scared. His eyes were wide for a second before he spotted me. His jaw tightened instantly, like he was forcing everything back under control.
“Hey,” I said softly, moving toward him. “What happened?”
He didn’t answer right away. He just looked past me, over my shoulder like he was checking if someone had followed him.
“Hayden?” I touched his arm.
He flinched. That scared me more than anything.
“I have to leave,” he said.
“What?” I blinked. “Wait, why? The party just started”
His voice was tight, strained. “I can’t stay here.”
“Did someone say something? Did something happen?” I searched his face. His hair was slightly messy, like he had run his hands through it too many times. His breathing was still uneven.
He shook his head. “It’s nothing.”
“It’s nothing,” I whispered. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
His eyes softened at that, just for a second. Then they hardened again. “Lilian. Please.”
He wasn’t asking me to understand. He was asking me not to push. I swallowed my questions. “Okay,” I said gently. “Then I’ll take you home.”
He looked at me while “You don’t have to.”
I shook my head in disapproval. “I want to.”
He hesitated as he might argue, but he didn’t. He just nodded once. I didn’t even tell anyone I was leaving. I grabbed my bag, laced my fingers with his, and led him out of the club before anyone could stop us.
Outside, the cool night air hit us immediately and he exhaled as he’d been underwater. We got into my car and drove off.
The drive back to his dorm was quiet. He stared out the window the entire time, his jaw tight, fingers flexing against his thigh. I kept glancing over at him, trying to piece together what could have shaken him this badly.
Hayden doesn't look like the kind of guy who would be scared easily. What had happened in that bathroom?
“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked softly as we pulled up outside his building.
He shook his head “No.”
He didn't say in a harsh tone. He just sounded tired. I nodded and parked the car when we arrived. We got out and walked towards the dorms. Inside, the dorm hallways were mostly empty. It was weekend nights meaning most people were still out. Our footsteps echoed faintly as we walked to his room.
When he unlocked the door, I stepped in first. His dorm was two bedroom suite with a living room which he shared with his brother Stephen. We moved to his own personal room which was dim, only lit by the streetlights filtering through the blinds. It felt calmer here.
He shut the door behind us and leaned against it for a second, eyes closing.
“Hey,” I said quietly.
He opened his eyes. The distance was gone now and whatever wall he had built in the hallway was cracking.
I walked toward him slowly. “You don’t have to tell me,” I said. “But you don’t have to shut me out either.”
Something in his expression shifted. He crossed the room in two steps and pulled me into him, like he needed to feel something solid.
I wrapped my arms around his waist instantly. “It’s okay,” I murmured against his chest.
His hands slid up my back, gripping tighter. “I hate feeling like this,” he admitted quietly.
“Like what?”
“Like I'm out of control.”
I pulled back slightly to look at him. “You’re not.”
He gave me a look that said he didn’t believe that. My fingers brushed along his jaw, soft. “You’re here with me and that’s totally under control.”
His eyes dropped to my mouth. I could feel the air getting still. It wasn’t sudden or rushed. It was like the tension that had followed him from that bathroom finally needed somewhere to go.
He kissed me first, not the playful public kind he’d given me earlier. This one was slow like he was asking a question.
I answered by deepening it.
His hands slid to my waist, pulling me closer. The tension in his shoulders began to ease as the kiss grew warmer, more certain. I felt his breath hitch when my fingers ran through his hair. “Lilian…” he murmured against my lips, like he was warning himself to take it slow and stop but he didn’t stop.
I didn’t want him to.
We moved toward the bed without breaking the kiss completely, laughing softly when we nearly stumbled.
The fear I had seen in his eyes earlier wasn’t there anymore. It was replaced by pure lust. He brushed his thumb along my cheek before kissing me again, slower this time.
I let my hands explore the familiar lines of him, feeling the way he responded, the way his breathing changed when I pulled him closer.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” He asked, his eyes staring at me like he couldn't wait to devour me and I was ready to be devoured. I wanted this.
I nodded. “Yes, Hayden. I want you.” And with those words from my mouth, all hell broke loose.