Page 19 of Blinded By Love

“What are you playing?” I ask Hayden.

His lips lift in my smirk. “Sit down and you’ll see.”

“Come on, girl. Play. It will be fun,” some random guy says from behind me.

I lick my bottom lip and look at Natalia. “Do you want me to come with you?” I ask her.

She furrows her eyebrows and shakes her head. “No. If you want to play, stay. Hayden will take care of you while I try to find Max.” She squeezes my hand before looking at Hayden. “One scratch or bump on her and I’m coming for you.”

“She’ll be fine,” Hayden says and he looks back at me again, staring at me as if I definitely won’t be fine.

Natalia lets go of my hand and leaves the room after saying sorry to everyone. I sit down in the only empty spot next to a girl with long pink hair and the same kind of piercing that Hayden has on his eyebrow.

“Okay so for the new people here or people who have never played. This is like seven minutes in heaven,” one guy explains and grabs the bottle from the middle of the circle. “Basically one person will go in the closet with a blindfold around them. While they are in the closet waiting, we will spin the bottle and whoever it lands on will go in the closet with you for seven minutes.”

I’ve never played seven minutes in heaven before. I don’t know whether to be scared or anxious or both.

I look away from the guy and my eyes go to Hayden again who is looking at me.

I hate the heated look he’s giving me like he knows something I don’t.

“New girl. You’re first.” I look at the guy with the bottle. I want to argue but then that will show Hayden I’m backing down. I want to show him I’m not the same girl from the alley. I’m stronger. I don’t cry over stupid things like not being loved anymore. I get up and fix my shirt. “Who had the blindfold?” the guy asks, looking around.

“I don’t know, Jennifer had it last,” the girl with pink hair says.

“I have one,” Hayden says as he takes a white bandana from his pocket. “Make sure to give it back.” Hayden sits up and he motions me to walk towards him. I walk across the circle until I’m in front of him. He stands up and turns me around, touching my waist softly before trailing his hand up to fix my hair. His touch feels cold, giving me goosebumps on my skin. Butterflies erupt in my stomach but I ignore them. “Why are you here?” he whispers in my ear softly and I can’t help but blush as his hot breath skims down my neck.

“I want to play,” I say softly.

“No, you want to challenge me. I’m going to give you a warning, princess.” Hayden’s lips graze my ear and I hold my breath, waiting for his next words. “I don’t take challenges lightly.”

Hayden covers my eyes with the bandana.

The bandana smells like him, seductive and dark. I can’t help but want to bring the fabric to my nose and inhale his scent.

He still has the same woodsy scent from when we were teenagers but it’s more mature if that’s even possible, more manly.

Hayden pushes me away from him and I feel someone bring me to the closet.

I stand in the dark, feeling like an idiot but I try to keep my mind blank.

I hear talking from outside the door but it’s muffled since the bandana is covering my ears.

My heart is beating hard against my chest and I try to calm down and keep my breathing controlled. I place my bag on the ground because I feel like it’s weighing me down.

After what feels like forever, because I’m impatient, the closet door opens. I don’t move, instead I close my eyes behind the bandana, getting antsy and anxious.

Did I make the wrong decision by playing this stupid game?

Will I regret this?

Probably.

The door closes and when the person walks closer to me, I feel a hard chest graze mine. I shiver and back away on instinct but he follows me. Walking me back until my back is against the wall. I feel his arms surrounding me as he places his hands on the wall by my head.

There’s no talking between us, you can just hear how heavy we’re breathing.

When he leans closer, I smell a familiar scent but I ignore it because then I’m going to start overthinking.

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