What game is she playing? She knows who I am, we’ve seen each other a few times, and she also knows I know that she was Hayden’s fuck buddy. I hate the thought of him with her, hell I hate that he was with anyone else.
I feel Hayden shift beside me.
"I mean, it must be strange," Jen continues, like she's discussing the weather. "Coming back here after everything. I don't know if I could do it. Walk back into a place where everyone knows what happened." She smiles again, and it’s aimed right at me. "Must take a certain kind of person."
"Jen." Hayden’s voice is quiet. Completely level. The kind of quiet that isn't calm at all but wears calm like a coat. "Walk away."
She blinks, her smile flickering. "I'm just?—"
"I know what you're doing." He doesn't raise his voice. Doesn't move. "And I'm only telling you once to walk away."
"Hayden, I was only?—"
"She's with me." The words are flat and final, with something underneath them that isn't quite a warning and isn't quite a threat, but lands somewhere between both. "Whatever you came over here to do, it's done. Walk away."
The smile disappears.
Jen looks at him for a moment, something crosses her face that might be hurt, or embarrassment, but it could be both. Then she turns and walks back the way she came without another word.
The four of us watch her go.
Mason exhales slowly. "Well," he says. "That was fun."
"Shut up, Mason," Miles says.
"I'm just saying?—"
"Shut up."
Hayden turns back to me. He looks at my face the way he does, checking to make sure I’m okay. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," I say. I actually am. Because whatever Jen thought she was going to do, it didn't land.
"She's not wrong though," I say quietly, so only he can hear. "People do know."
"People know a lie," he says. "That's different. You’re with me," he says again, softer this time. Just for me. "That's the only thing that matters out here."
The rest of the afternoon is fun, Mason eventually shares his food, and Miles wins an argument with Mason about something Cain made them do while training.
Mason has started doing impressions, terrible ones, Miles is his current subject, and I can’t stop laughing.
My phone starts ringing and I glance down. The screen says:St. Matthew's Hospital.
The laughter stops in my throat.
My hands move before my brain does, already pressing accept, already lifting the phone to my ear with fingers which have now started trembling.
"Hello?"
"Is this Olivia Banks?"
"Yes." My voice sounds strange. "Yes, that's me."
"This is Sister Doherty from St. Matthew's. I'm calling about your mother, Patricia Banks. She regained consciousness approximately forty minutes ago." I don't make a sound. "She's comfortable, and we wanted to let you know, so you can come in.”
My mouth opens. Nothing comes out.
"Miss Banks?"
