Page 13 of Now Streaming

“I’m sorry if I, um, slept. On you. That was rude of me.”

Hayden wanted to laugh. She clearly hated the idea of leaning on him, of subconsciously trusting him while she slept, and Hayden enjoyed every moment of her awkwardness even as he kept his face neutral, knowing it would drive her nuts.

“Don’t worry about it.”

They were interrupted when the rideshare pulled up, and after Hayden confirmed the plate and driver with the app, he loaded their bags into the trunk and helped open the door for Min. There was still surprise in her eyes, but she slid in, and he followed, closing the door. They fell into silence, both staring out their windows to watch the city pass by.

“You two in town for the convention?” the driver asked, glancing at them in his rearview mirror.

Hayden ignored him, hating small talk, but he sensed Min turn to catch the driver’s eye in his mirror, a polite smile on her face.

“Is it that obvious?”

“Well, you’re in less of a costume than my last ride, but it seemed to be an easy guess.”

Min laughed at that, and Hayden felt the sound washing over him even as the driver sat up straighter. He clearly enjoyed it as well. This car ride couldn’t end fast enough.

“You two traveling… together?”

He was being so obvious Hayden almost snorted, but held it back, keeping his gaze out the window, pretending to ignore them, not wanting to engage, and leaving it to Min to figure out what to say. He felt the heat of her eyes on him briefly.

“Nope, just carpooling.”

The guy perked up, clearly ready to lay some groundwork and Hayden found himself interested to hear what he’s going to try, ignoring the burning in his gut. Probably just a reaction to the turkey sandwich he’d had on the train.

“So what are you most looking forward to at the convention?”

They talked idly for the next ten minutes, Min polite and engaged in the conversation, but Hayden relaxed when he heard nothing more than that in her voice.

Finally, they were dropped off in front of the Wayward Hotel, Hayden once again holding open the door and grabbing their bags from the trunk. They walked into the lobby together, and Hayden immediately scanned the room, checking for fans or anyone who might recognize him. Conventions like this were always dangerous and stressful, his voice too recognizable, too many people around him that could blow his cover at any moment. Thankfully, the lobby was mostly empty this late. He glanced at Min, who was holding something in her hand. A card. Hayden raised an eyebrow at her blush.

“He gave me his card. In case I needed a ride during the convention.”

Hayden just shook his head. “You gotta be more careful with that smile of yours.”

“I’m sure he’s just trying to hustle. Make extra cash.”

“That’s not all he’s trying to make.”

She was a vivid pink now, clearly uncomfortable talking about this, and she turned away from him to head to the check-in desk just as a guy walked by, not paying attention to anything but his phone. The guy bumped into her, knocking her off balance, and Hayden’s hands instinctively caught her at her waist before she stumbled too far. He glared after the guy, but he was already gone and out the door.

Min threw a startled look at him over her shoulder and quickly stepped away. His hands flexed on her waist a moment before he let go, and with a skeptical glance his way, she moved up to the front desk to check in.

Their registration went smoothly, and soon they were both alone in the elevator. Hayden pressed twenty-two for himself, then looked at Min.

“Floor?”

Her mouth was flat. “Twenty-two.”

He shook his head—of course—then stepped back, giving her space as the elevator started moving. Hayden glanced at Min, taking in the hard set of her jaw and how firmly she was not looking at him. And being him, he couldn’t help but poke the bear.

“Boy, does this bring me back.”

She glared at him, and he did his best not to grin at her, watching anger flush through her skin. Hayden still hated how their first meeting went down, how it all went so wrong so fast because of him and his anxiety and paranoia. But he couldn’t help but admit he loved knowing she was thinking about him.

“You’re such an asshole.”

At that, Hayden sobered. She was right, he was an asshole, and he was finding that he didn’t like that she had seen that side of him.

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