25. Hayden
HAYDEN
Sunlight streams through the blinds, causing me to turn over. Awareness slowly comes into my brain. First, my fingers twitch, then my ankles bend. When I move my leg, I realize I’m still wearing the outfit I wore to work last night.
Work.
Hinging at the waist, I bolt upright.
Work. I don’t have a job!
Everything that happened yesterday rushes back to me, from the ill-fated boat trip that caused me to lose Bennett’s bet to Nina’s phone call to my fight with Río.
We both said terribly cutting words to each other. More like yelled. Why did he come to my room anyway? He said he didn’t like how we left things. Wonder how he feels about our fight last night.
My breathing accelerates as the weight of the massive fallout settles into my bones.
I grab a paper bag and take several breaths into it.
Okay, Hayden, stop it. I have a paycheck through the end of the European Leg of the tour, thanks to Nina, and I can’t afford to waste another minute thinking about UC’s entitled drummer. Perhaps a shower will help me get down to brass tacks.
On heavy legs, I put my suitcase on the floor and open it.
Picking out leggings and a tunic top, I walk into the bathroom.
As the shower heats up, I make a mental note of all the things I need to do.
First is book a flight home. Visit Mila.
Hit up my network to see if they know of any jobs.
My personal life—or absence of it—has to take a backseat to these pressing matters.
I wash my hair, grateful the water washes away the never-ending tears. I use a loofa to scrub my body, and try not to remember how Río touched each body part and made it feel more alive than ever. So what? Memories only fuel my determination to make something of my life, despite UC.
Despite Río.
I get out of the shower and put on lotion.
I must be feeling better, as I’m not crying every second anymore.
My zinger last night comes back to me. “It’s no wonder your parents didn't give you the time of day growing up.” Crap.
That was a low blow, even if I was reeling out of control.
Heat raises up in my body. He didn’t deserve that.
In the main part of the room, I wrangle with my opposing feelings. Guilt over saying that to Río and determination to find another job. I’ll probably never see Río again after this display, so I might as well focus on my job hunt.
First order of business is determining exactly what I want to do.
PR is fine, but being blackballed kinda quashes it.
Something with photography would be good.
Maybe a photojournalist? One option. I write my idea on the hotel’s stationery, and supplement it with other ideas as they come to me.
None of which include people I know who could help me get an interview.
I post on my college career board, praying for someone to respond.
A knock sounds. Since I ordered room service earlier, I grab the tip I had laid out and answer. “Hello. Please put it right there.” I motion toward the chair, the only place in here that can serve as a dining room.
The table rattles as it is wheeled by me. The server removes the domes to show my cheeseburger and fries. I deserve some bad calories and carbs!
“Thanks. Here you go.” I hold out the tip.
The server stands taller and removes the hotel blazer. “I don’t think so.”
“Río?” Oh no, not again. My hands return to my hips. “We said everything we had to say last night.”
“Maybe you did, but I didn’t.”
My gaze darts around the room, looking for something to shoo him away. When I don’t find anything, I say, “You’re like a bad penny. Why won’t you disappear?”
“Because I had a night to sleep on what you said, and what I said. Hayden, we need to talk.”
“I’m done talking with you.” An apology over what I said lodges in my throat. I raise my chin.
“Well, I’m not done talking with you. Sit.” He points toward the chair. “Eat your cheeseburger and listen.”
“I’ve lost my appetite.”
“No one orders this sort of food and then loses their desire to eat it. Sit.” He points again.
There’s no use in arguing, and I am hungry. Damn if I will offer him a bite, though. “Fine.” I settle into the chair.
Río watches my every move. When I don’t touch the burger right away, he drums on his leg, his ankle bouncing.
“Fine,” I repeat, and pick up the cheeseburger.
“While you eat, I will talk. Got it?”
My cheeks stuffed with the delicious—if not messy—cheeseburger, I nod.
“Good. I spent the night in my suite upstairs. I already had breakfast. I lied about the hotel being sold out.”
Using the straw, I slurp my vanilla shake. “Why am I not surprised?”
“I’ll let your comment slide. Now listen up, Hayden Vaughn. I want you to hear this loud and clear.”
I wipe my mouth on my napkin. “This ought to be good.”
He resumes the pacing he was doing last night. Runs his fingers through his hair. Without rancor, I notice he’s wearing the dark green shirt he picked up in Rome. Bully for him.
We remain at a stalemate. Him pacing and me eating. At least the burger’s tasty.
“Here’s the thing,” Río finally says. “Your shampoo smells nice.”
With deliberation, I place my shake onto the tray. “Excuse me?”
“Yeah. I like the citrus.”
When I unpacked, I noticed I was missing my shampoo and used the one the hotel provided. “Guess I know where my bottle went.”
He nods. “And if you want it back, you’re going to have to go to my room to get it.”
I slurp the remnants of my shake. “I’ll buy another bottle when I’m at home.”
He moves to the wall and uses it as a drum. “That’s not what I want. Damnit, Hayden, I’m sorry for what I said last night about your parents. That was uncalled for.”
I hold his gaze. Then give in—an inch. “What I said was bad, too.”
The words don’t land the way I want them to.
I exhale. “I shouldn’t have said that either.”
The air feels somewhat lighter. Not fixed. Not even close. But different.
He stares into my eyes. “The truth is, Babysitter, you’ve gotten under my skin. You understand me.”
Despite our apologies, I huff a laugh. “I didn’t understand too much about yesterday and the boat.” I eat a fry. “Why did you get drunk?”
“Jump right to the heart of the matter, why don’t you?”
My eyebrow raises.
He leaves the wall behind and sits on the bed. His shoulders rise, then fall. “Yesterday, when you were in the shower, I got a phone call.”
He gets calls all the time. “And?”
“It was from my mother.” He clears his throat. “My biological mother.”
“Oh.” The woman to whom I gave his phone number when I didn’t realize they weren’t on speaking terms. I cross my leg.
The silence elongates.
“What did she say?”
He looks away from me. “She asked me for five grand.”
My heart sinks. “That’s awful. Did she say why she needed the money?”
“Something about eviction. I really wasn’t paying attention.”
I get to my feet and join him on the bed. A safe distance away from him, of course. “She called, and that’s what made you spiral on the boat?”
He nods.
The little boy inside of him was crushed yet again. He only wants recognition for his achievements, not an open hand wanting money. Funny thing, though. If they were on good terms, he would’ve sent her the money in a heartbeat.
“I’m sorry.”
He turns toward me. “Me, too. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you right away. I’m sorry I let her get inside my head. I’m sorry I acted like a fool, got drunk, and fell off the boat.”
Now his actions make sense. Still. “I wish you had told me she called. We might have been able to get to the bottom of it, rather than the bottom of the river.”
He half-chuckles. “That was kinda stupid of me.”
“No argument here.”
“Although, a cute mermaid hauled my ass out of the river.” He nudges my shoulder.
One mystery solved. At least there was a reason for his drinking, instead of he simply felt like it. “You were pretty wasted. Getting you up the ladder was no easy feat.”
“Sorry I didn’t help you up.”
“I managed.”
He sighs. “Hayden, you can’t leave. I’m so much better with you here. I love how you laugh at something silly. You get me.” He beats on the bed. “I’m falling in love with you.”
My breath stills. I’ve never heard these words from a man before, even if they are couched in a qualifier. Still, the truth requires my response. “I can’t stay. Nina fired me.”
“Because of the label. Luke told us.”
I nod. “Yeah. They wanted a pound of flesh, and they got mine.”
Río’s hands encircle my waist. “I’d like to get a piece of yours again.”
We’re at a tipping point. I can pull away, and never experience the unbelievable highs of being with the drummer again. Or, I can give in this one last time.
“Río, I don’t think that’s smart.”
“When was I ever accused to being smart?”
This self-depreciating statement is my undoing. As a kid, he was a pawn in his parents’ divorce, then moved on to being a Guy Friday for his father’s new family. The only way he got any sort of recognition was to act out.
I rub my lips together. “I think you’re smart.”
He utters a mirthless laugh. “Got you snowed, huh, Babysitter?”
“I’m no longer your babysitter,” I correct him. “Nina—”
His hands move to cover mine. “Yeah, yeah, I know. But you’ll always be my personal babysitter. If you’ll have me?”
There it is. He wants me to accept him, warts and all. And I’m well acquainted with all his warts. Despite everything that’s happened, my heart yearns to be with him. It’s not rational—it’s not smart. Yet … undeniable.
“One last time. Only once. Then I’m on a flight home to North Carolina, and you’ll be jetting off to meet the band in Ireland.”
He pulls me against his chest, inhaling deeply. “You don’t smell like oranges.”
His scent has a definite citrus bent. “You do.”
“Only because of you.”
He separates from me, his gaze searching mine. With his palm, he pushes my hair away from my face. “You are so beautiful.”
“No need to lay it on so thick, drummer boy.” I’m fully aware of how I look, tearstained and all.