I walked into the kitchen still surprised. Hayden and my dad were chatting amongst themselves, and this time it was about football as they both exchanged tactics. I took a seat beside Hayden, staring at them as they talked to each other like we were long-time best friends.
My mom saw the look on my face and laughed, dishing out the food onto our plates before taking a seat beside my dad.
“Okay, what’s up with you two?” I yelled. “I mean, just a minute ago, you didn’t want him here, and now you are all buddies with each other.” I asked, looking at my dad and Hayden.
My dad rolled his eyes while Hayden just laughed. “Honey, you were the one who asked us to talk and get to know each other.” My dad stated, tapping Hayden’s shoulder lightly. “Aside from that, Hayden is a nice boy with a promising future.” My dad complimented me, looking warmly at Hayden.
“Mom, I think something is wrong with dad.” I whined, glancing at my mom, who had a smile on her face.
“Oh, sweetie, I told you your dad was harmless.” She smiled at me. “And we all know how easy it is to like Hayden.”
I think Hayden just snatched my parents right from under my nose.
“Thanks, Mrs. Adams.” Hayden smiled, turning on his charm. “I must say, Mrs. Adams, you are a marvellous cook,” he says, pointing to the plate of food in front of him. “The food is delicious.”
My mom blushed, clearly enchanted by Hayden’s charm. “Thanks, Hayden, and enough with Mrs. Adams. You are family now; it’s either you call me Victoria or mom.” I groaned, almost smacking my head against the table.
Hayden laughed, his hand locked against mine from under the table, and I smiled. “Okay, Mom.”
The conversation flowed around the dining room as we ate the delicious food in front of us. Hayden still held my hand, but this time both our hands rested on my laps while he talked to my dad and mom. There was no funny business or foreplay, which was good.
I watched as Hayden interacted with my dad, and I felt immense joy knowing my dad had finally accepted Hayden. I thought he was going to need more convincing after today’s dinner, but I guess not. I don’t know what their conversation was or what Hayden had said to him, but I’m sure it must have left a positive impression on my dad for him to feel relaxed.
My thought was interrupted by Asher, who had asked Hayden a question so suddenly.
“Hayden, are you my sister’s boyfriend?” Asher asked loudly, watching Hayden with an expectant look.
Hayden smiled, giving a slight nod. “Yes, big man, I hope you have no problem with that.”
Asher shrugged his small shoulders. “No,” he answered, bouncing on his seat. “I like you.”
“Thanks, big man; that means a lot to me.”
“Just don’t hurt Bree; she is my big sister, and I don’t want to see her ever get hurt.” Asher whispered softly but loudly enough for us to hear.
I was beyond touched by his words; my eyes were blurry, and I had to stop myself from crying. My little boy was growing.
Hayden gave my hand a little squeeze before answering Asher. “I promise, Asher.” There was sincerity in his voice. “Your sister is important to me; I will be damned if I let anything happen to her.”
“Okay.” Asher responded with a grin on his face, and he went back to eating his food.
I looked over at my parents; my dad had a proud look on his face, and my mom seemed shocked and touched.
Dinner went better than I had expected. After we finished eating, Hayden and I helped tidy up while my mom and dad went up to get Asher ready for bed.
“My dad really likes you; what’s the secret?” I nudged his shoulder as we did the dishes. He was cleaning, and I was washing.
“What can I say, babe? I’m a lovable person.” He shrugged, a smile playing around his lips.
“You have no plans of telling me, do you?”
“No, it’s between me and your dad.” I pout, carrying on with the dishes.
After tidying up, Hayden stayed for an hour. We had spent the time in my room, and the door opened. We didn’t do anything but stay in each other’s embrace for a while before he had to leave. He texted me the minute he got home to let me know he had arrived safely. We chatted for hours, not really bothered about getting a night’s rest since tomorrow was Saturday.
We had finally managed to call it a night at around 3:30 a. m. in the morning. My eyes slowly drifted close, falling asleep with a smile on my face.
****
I ran down the stairs of Sofie’s house. Maddie was introducing Dylan and Daniel to Josephine. Hayden wasn’t here yet, but he texted me to let me know he was close by. I had asked him to get us snacks on his way here, which had him running late.
I reached the last stairs, walking to the living room, to find them all sprawled in circles, chatting amongst themselves. Daniel was trying to flirt with Josephine but was falling woefully. I shook my head at this, moving to the door when I heard the bell ring.
I swung it open to find Hayden standing at the entrance with lots of bags in his hands. He learned to capture my lips with a lip, and I moaned into the kiss, wrapping my arms around his neck. Hayden pulled away, smiling down at me.
I laughed, taking a few bags from him, and we both made our way into the living room. He did his usual bro-handshake with the boys and waved at the girls, to which they gladly responded. I looked at Josephine, who had a drool at the side of her lips. I wasn’t surprised or mad. I know Hayden had that kind of effect on girls.
” Josephine.” I called out to her, bringing her out of whatever trance she was in. She looked at me sheepishly, cleaning the drool off her lips. “Meet Hayden. Hayden, this is Josephine, Oliver’s cousin. ” I introduced.
Hayden struck his hand out for a handshake, and she hurriedly took his hand. I dropped the bags in the middle of the circle, taking a seat with Hayden beside me. He pulled me closer to him, wrapping a blanket around us.
“What are we doing first?” Maddie asked, resting her head on Dylan’s shoulder as he softly caressed her shoulder.
“How about we watch a movie first, then we can think of what to do later?” Oliver suggested it, and the rest of the group agreed.
Sofie took the remote, turned on the TV, and tuned it to Netflix. We all pondered over which movie to watch before settling for an action-comedy movie. The lights were dimmed, and we cuddled up against one another; even Josephine cuddled close to Daniel. No one was feeling left out.
The movie ran for about an hour and a half; we didn’t feel like watching any movies for now since we decided to play a little bit of a game.
“I wish we had a bottle of alcohol right now.” Maddie sighed dreamily.
“I second that, Maddie.” Josephine muttered, putting a little bit of space between her and Daniel.
“My dad keeps a bottle of alcohol in the cabinet, so we have something to spice up the games.” Sofie chipped in.
“Could, I will go get it.” Daniel got up from the circle, going into the kitchen. He came back into the living room with a bottle of vodka and red disposable cups. He opened the bottle, pouring in a considerable amount of drink into the cups before passing it around to everyone, making sure we each had a cup in our hands.
“Let the game begin.” Oliver yelled, and we cheered him on, raising the cup of vodka in the form of a cheer.
“What game are we playing?” I asked, taking a sip of my alcohol.
“Please don’t say truth, dare, or never have I.” Hayden groans out, chunging his drinks one full go before filling them up again.
“I have cards with me,” Dylan asked.
Soon we were all gathered around, drinks in our hands, to play some games before choosing a movie to watch. Dylan brought out a card, and we started playing, though I had no clue what was going on.
We played for a couple of hours, switching from one game to another. Right now we were playing a drinking game, swapping stories, and having a great time. Maddie, Josephine, and Daniel were doing shots, already showing signs of being drunk. Dylan, Hayden, and Oliver weren’t too far behind, sipping drinks straight from the bottle. Sofie and I seemed to be the only sobers in the group.
Hayden had his hand around my shoulders as we continued to play. He would occasionally squeeze or rub my shoulders, smiling down at me. His eyes would glitter with love and admiration any time he looked at me. I looked around the room at all my friends, watching them have a good time. A smile graced my face as I watched how happy and free they were right now. I wanted nothing more than for us to remain like this even after we leave for college, get a career, or get married. We will always remain together and close, with nothing pulling us apart.
If only I had known that was just wishful thinking.