Page 153 of Hayden's Stalker

“At least I have something to look forward to this evening. Let’s go. The faster we go, the faster we can come back,” I assure her before I give in to my desire.

Tati leads the way out of our suite toward Harrison and Heather’s suite, a short way down the hotel corridor. We’re greeted at the door by a smiling Harrison.

“Hey, guys. Come on in.”

He stands aside as we say hello, and he allows us to walk past him into the suite. Seb and Lita are the only ones missing now that we’ve arrived. Heather is sitting on Harrison’s lap in an armchair, and Gabriel and Ariana are sitting on a two-seater sofa together. He has his arm around her, and she’s leaning into him as they smile at me. Meanwhile, April is sitting on another two-seater sofa opposite them, with an empty space next to her.

I have little doubt that Heather will have somehow maneuvered this intentionally, so I’d end up sitting next to April. So I choose to ignore the empty space and sit in an armchair on my own instead as I greet my friends with a smile on my face,pleased to see them. Heather looks at me, and I smile innocently back at her.

She turns her gaze to Tati and asks, “Are you going to join us, Tati?”

Tati frowns in response, and I’m honestly not sure what she’ll say. I’m beginning to regret saying yes to this lunch already. Any time we’re around my friends, things are a little bit awkward. Add in my impending date with April, along with Tati being a fan of hers, and I think this is a bad idea.

“Yeah, sure,” Tati says casually, but her body is stiff as she walks over to sit next to April.

“It’s good to see you again, Tati,” April says politely.

“Yeah, you too. Did you have a good trip here?”

“I did. Sleeping in one of the bunks is definitely a downgrade from my tour bus, though,” she says with a smile back at Tati.

“What’s your tour bus like?” Tati asks.

It’s fascinating to watch her interact with my friend. She has the same tone as every fan who’s ever asked me this question and looks just as eagerly interested to hear the answer as they do. My heart fills with my love for her and for some reason, her being a fan of April always makes me love her that little bit more. I think because it’s a connection to music and music is a core part of my very being.

“Basically, the same as Harrison’s, but I get to sleep in the good room,” April jokes.

“I bet. I got to see you on theMystical Sunrisetour, and your performance was amazing,” Tati gushes.

“Oh, that’s cool. You didn’t come to theEasy Septembertour?”

Tati shakes her head and sighs. “No, I didn’t. I was so bummed. I had tickets, but I was on a contract, so my sister-in-law took my ticket and showed me pics when I got home.”

“That’s a shame.” April wrinkles her nose and then smiles at Tati. “I’m impressed by your dedication to your work, though. It sounds pretty intense, from what Heather has told me.”

Tati shrugs her shoulders. “I didn’t really have a choice. Once I’m on a contract, I can’t take time off until it’s complete. I knew when I bought the tickets that there was a chance I might not get to go, but I knew for sure that I wouldn’t get to go if I didn’t buy tickets!”

April laughs at Tati’s comment, and both women look over at Heather when she speaks to April with a cheeky grin on her face. “Are you looking forward to your date tonight?”

I’m incredibly uncomfortable with this change of topic. Heather already convinced us to go on a date, so she doesn’t need to push the issue this hard. Then again, if Tati’s right and this is all some scheme for her to figure out if I’m in a relationship with Tati or not, then it makes sense for her to try and push me into revealing that.

Tati looks back at April, who shrugs her shoulders before she looks over at me and smiles. “We’ll have fun, right?”

“You two would make such a cute couple,” Ariana says with a smile at both of us.

Heat rushes to my cheeks as she says it because I’m pretty sure Ariana is sharing her honest opinion. I can’t stop myself from looking over at Tati to check her reaction to this. Her face is completely blank, and she has a pleasant smile on her face. She’s far better at this than I am, that’s for sure.

“They really would,” Heather agrees with Ariana. “I just think Hayden deserves someone better than Blake fucking Stirling. You’re both single, so I think it’s a match made in heaven!”

I have no idea what to say to that. I want to shut this shit down, but I don’t know the best way to go about it. I’ve known Heather for a long, long time, but Tati’s pretty set on us keeping our relationship a secret. I don’t want to say anything that mightgive Heather any clue. Right now, it feels like anything I say or do speaks volumes.

“Stop pressuring them, angel,” Harrison laughs. “They’ve agreed to go on a date. You don’t have to start designing a wedding gown for April.”

“Oooh, can I design your wedding gown, April?” Heather exclaims with a grin.

“It’s just a date, Heather. Not an engagement party.” April rolls her eyes at her.

“I just meant in general. Whenever you do get married. I want to design your gown.”

---