SKYE
I almost shit my pants.
Like, seriously.
“Hayden, it’s just me,” I squealed as he stood there glaring, face completely devoid of emotion, and gun pointed at my head.
“Fuck, Skye! What the hell are you doing here?” he panted, breathing heavily as he slowly lowered his weapon.
All I could think about was the fact he could’ve shot me.
He would’ve shot me.
“I came to help you… you know. Clean out everything,” I explained, waving my arms around the closet as I stepped out of Cassidy’s Louboutins. It was a shame they didn’t fit. They looked so fabulous on.
“Well you damn near gave me a heart attack.”
“Gave you a heart attack? I was the one with a gun pointed at my head.”
“Well you snuck in! I thought someone was here stealing her stuff,” he sighed exasperated.
Taking a second to look at Hayden I realized how tired he looked. The man had aged twenty years in two months. His hair was graying at his temples, his eyes were ringed with dark black bags, and his face looked gaunt. It was almost like he’d stopped living. He definitely wasn’t looking after himself, that much was obvious. Not to mention when I’d let myself in earlier, I’d found him passed out on the couch, snoring like a freight train, an empty tumbler on the coffee table.
“Trust me, if some of it fit, I would’ve,” I admitted, trying to lighten the mood.
“How’d you even get in here?”
“I used my key. I knocked first, but when you didn’t answer I assumed you were at work and since I had the day off, I thought I might as well get started. I know you wanted to get it cleaned out this weekend so it could go on the market.”
“Yeah. But I didn’t hear you…”
“How could you have? You were freaking snoring like a bear two months into hibernation. You were out cold, Hayden.”
“I was?”
“And it was already after ten so I figured you needed it so I left you to sleep. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
“I can’t believe I slept like that. It’s been…”
“It’s been?” I encouraged.
“A while. Let’s just say it’s been a while since I got more than an hour or two in a row.”
“Well just think how good it could’ve been if you were in an actual bed?” I taunted needing to keep this light. Sorting through Cassidy’s clothes was one thing, being hit by every emotion known to man while I did it was something I wasn’t up for right now.
“I need coffee,” Hayden grumbled. All I could think was that he needed a hell of a lot more than a cup of coffee. He needed a month’s worth of sleep and a long hot shower. “Want one?” he asked.
Ignoring my half-finished latte, I nodded as I carried a bunch of shoes out and set them down on the floor before following Hayden into the kitchen and plopping myself down on a stool at the bench.
“Thanks,” he mumbled gruffly.
“For what?” I asked.
“For doing this. I wasn’t sure… I didn’t know how…”
Reaching across the counter, I rested my hand on his. Hayden needed to know he wasn’t in this alone. He needed to know it wasn’t his fault, but I didn’t like my chances in getting him to hear that, so for now, making sure he knew I was on his side was all I could offer him.
“I don’t know what the right answer is either. The way I’m trying to get through this is to focus on what feels right and going with that.”
