Chapter 83 : There's Somethings In His Expression
HAYDEN’S POV:
For a second, neither of us moves.
The air in the restroom feels too thick, like it’s pressing in on my lungs, making it harder to breathe. Stephen is still looking at me like he’s trying to solve something—like I’m a problem he doesn’t have the answer to.
Maybe I am.
“Say something,” he finally mutters, voice rough.
I don’t because if I do, I might say the wrong thing or worse—the right one.
His jaw tightens. “Yeah. That’s what I thought.”
He pushes off the wall, brushing past me toward the door.
I won't stop him this time.
The door swings shut behind him, and just like that, I’m alone again.
The music hits me the second I step back into the party, it is loud and overwhelming, but it doesn’t drown anything out. If anything, it makes everything louder inside my head.
I run a hand through my hair, exhaling sharply, trying to get a grip.
That was a mistake.
Everything about that was a mistake. Except… it didn’t feel like one.
“Hayden!”
I don’t even have to turn around to know it’s Lilian.
I close my eyes for half a second before I face her.
She is smiling when she walks up to me, like nothing’s wrong, like everything is exactly how it should be. Her arms slide around my neck easily, naturally, like they’ve done a hundred times before.
“Where did you disappear to?” she asks, tilting her head. “I’ve been looking for you.”
“Was busy,” I said shortly.
She studies my face for a second, her smile fading just a little. “You okay?”
“No..” It slips out before I can stop it.
Her brows knit together. “No?”
I shake my head, stepping back just enough to put space between us. “I’m not.”
There’s a flicker of something in her eyes now—confusion, maybe concern.
“Okay…” she says slowly. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Not really but I know I have to.
I glance around briefly, catching glimpses of people watching us. It was not obvious, but enough. This place thrives on attention, on drama and something about this already feels like it’s going to turn into exactly that.
“Lilian…”
“Babe!”
The voice cuts me off and we both turn.
A guy I vaguely recognize from one of her classes walks up, already grinning like he’s way too comfortable.
His hand lands on her waist, not casually but possessively as shit.
My eyes drop to it immediately.
Lilian doesn’t move it.
“Where have you been?” he continues, leaning in closer to her. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
Something in my chest goes cold.
Lilian laughs, actually laughs, and places her hand on his chest. “Relax, I told you I’d find you.”
I stare at her. “You told him that?” I ask, my voice quieter than it should be.
She freezes for half a second.
Then she turns to me, her expression shifting into something that looks almost… defensive.
“Hayden, it’s not…”
“Not what?” I cut in.
The guy looks between us, clearly catching on now. “Uh… should I….”
“Yeah,” I say flatly, not even sparing him a glance. “You should.”
He hesitates, looking at Lilian and that is what does it because she doesn’t immediately tell him to leave or step away.
She just… stands there.
“Lilian,” I say, my patience snapping. “Tell him to go.”
She exhales, annoyed now. “Don’t start.”
I blink at her. “Don’t start?”
“It’s a party, Hayden,” she says, like I’m the unreasonable one. “People talk and flirt. It’s not that serious.”
A bitter laugh escapes me before I can stop it. “Not that serious,” I repeat.
The irony is almost funny.
“Yeah,” she says, crossing her arms slightly. “So can you not make a scene?”
A scene? Right.
I glance around again, noticing more people watching now, pretending not to, but definitely paying attention, and suddenly, it clicks.
This isn’t about me embarrassing her.
She already crossed that line.
“You’re right,” I say quietly.
She pauses, thrown off by the shift in my tone. “I am?”
“Yeah.”
I nod slowly, looking at her, really looking at her.
The way she stands, confident, unapologetic. By the way, she doesn’t seem to think she’s done anything wrong, and maybe, to her… she hasn’t. Maybe this is just who she is and maybe I’m just now realizing… I don’t want this.
“I’m done,” I say.
She frowns. “Done with what?”
“With this,” I gesture between us. “With you.”
There was silence and for a second, I didn’t think it registered.
Then it does. Her eyes widened slightly. “Wait…what?”
“I’m breaking up with you, Lilian.”
That gets attention, more than before.
I can feel it, the shift in the room, the way conversations dip just enough for people to listen.
“Are you serious right now?” she asks, her voice rising.
“Yeah,” I say simply.
“At a party?” she scoffs, incredulous. “You’re doing this here?”
I shrug slightly. “You didn’t seem to mind crossing lines here.”
Her face flushes with anger and embarrassment. “That’s not the same thing!”
“It is to me.”
She shakes her head, stepping closer. “You’re overreacting.”
“No,” I say calmly. “I’m not reacting enough, if anything.”
That hits.
I can see it in the way her expression falters for just a second.
“You’re really going to throw this away over nothing?” she demands.
“It’s nothing.”
“It was just flirting!”
“Exactly.”
Her mouth opens, then closes because she knows. She knows that’s the problem.
I run a hand over my face, suddenly exhausted. “I don’t want to be with someone who thinks that’s okay.”
“And what?” she shoots back. “You’ve been perfect?”
The question lands heavier than she probably intended.
Because no. I haven’t, not even close.
My jaw tightens slightly, but I don’t look away. “No,” I admit. “I haven’t.”
Her expression shifts, like she wasn’t expecting that.
“But at least I know when something is messed up,” I add. “And this is.”
The silence stretches again.
She swallows, her confidence cracking just a little. “So that’s it?”
“Yeah.”
Her laugh is sharper now, but there’s no humor in it. “Wow.”
I don’t respond.
Because there’s nothing left to say.
She shakes her head, stepping back. “You’re unbelievable.”
She turns abruptly, pushing through the crowd, disappearing into it just like she did earlier.
I stand there for a moment, the noise of the party crashing back in around me, louder than ever.
But somehow, it feels different now.
My gaze drifts across the room without thinking and of course… It lands on him.
I don’t know how long he’s been standing there, how much he saw, how much he heard.
But there’s something in his expression now.
I exhaled slowly. Yeah. This night is far from over.