Page 73 of The Stalker

“Hayden, what the fuck?” Blake exploded, seeming finally able to speak.

Jesse was already on his way toward them.

“Was there something about what I said that was unclear?” Hayden asked in the same coolly measured voice he had been using.

“You don’t mean this,” Blake said. “You’re my boyfriend.”

“You mean he’s your ex-boyfriend, as of about fifteen seconds ago, don’t you?” Heather smirked at him.

“It’s time to go,” Jesse said to Blake as he reached him.

“Don’t do this,” Blake said quietly, actually sounding sad.

“It’s already done. It has been for a while, which I would happily have told you in private rather than in front of basically every person in my life. So, thank you for not giving me the opportunity to do that. At least I won’t have to have a conversation with everyone about what happened, I guess. Give me that pass now, please,” Hayden said.

Blake didn’t move, so Jesse lifted the pass off his neck and handed it to Hayden. He grabbed him by the arm and began moving Blake toward the door. Tatiana thought that Blake might say something more, but he went silently, and when they’d left the room, everyone was still looking at them.

Hayden looked around the room and announced, “Hey, everyone. I’m sorry about that. In case you all missed it, I’m single now, and I’d rather not talk about it any more than that. Let’s all have a good night, okay?”

There were murmurs and nods before finally the room resumed into hushed chatter, and Tatiana heard Hayden and Blake’s names in several conversations as he turned back to Heather and April.

“Am I psychic now?” April said, obviously trying to withhold a smile.

“Why?” Heather asked.

“I was just a few weeks too early thinking that Hayden had broken up with Blake.”

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