Page 30 of Hayden's Stalker

“Something like that,” Lita agrees with a smile at me.

We finish eating and clear the table before returning to the living room to sit on the sofa. I take a seat before I realize that Tatiana is over by the entrance of the room and not next to me.

I prefer it when she’s nearby, so I catch her eye and ask, “Do you want to sit down, Tati?”

“No, I’m fine here for now. Especially while Jesse’s not here. I can’t relax.”

Jesse appears behind her on cue and says, “It’s a good thing I’m here, then. Here are the car keys.”

“Thanks,” she says as she takes the keys off him and slips them into the pocket of her dress.

I’m disappointed when Tatiana doesn’t come to sit next to me even though Jesse is back. It’s dumb. I’m not in any danger here, but I like her being close to me. It’s just the safety thing, of course, not at all because she’s gorgeous.

“So, are you guys getting any sleep?” I ask my friends with a grin.

“What is this ‘sleep’ you speak of?” Lita asks as she gives a big fake yawn.

I laugh and wink at her. “I hope Sebastian’s taking some of the overnight shifts.”

“Hey, she’s the one with the boobs,” he points out before he stares down at Lita with such a look of pure love on his face that it makes me smile.

She smiles back up at him, and they’re so happy together that I’m surprised by the pang of envy I get. I love them both, and I’m happy for them, but I want that feeling, and I haven’t had it in a long, long time.

This is highlighted for me when Sebastian asks, “Is Blake meeting us there?”

“He is,” I confirm.

There’s no excitement at the thought, though. Blake is hot as fuck, and the sex is good, but I know it’s not ‘that.’ I’ve known itfor a long time. If he was the person he is when we’re together…I don’t know…maybe it could become ‘that.’

“Hey, Tatiana?” Sebastian calls out.

She looks over at us, curiosity in her beautiful blue eyes, as she answers, “Yes?”

“I will take that demonstration, after all. You can show me on Blake at Club Delirium, thanks.” Sebastian smirks at her.

I frown because this reminds me that my friends all hate my boyfriend. Given how I’ve been feeling tonight, this further reminds me that it’s not ‘that’ with Blake.

“Not funny, Sebastian.” I shake my head.

“I thought it was,” he laughs.

Lita gives me a chagrined smile and says, “Me, too. Sorry, Hayden.”

It stings that even Lita finds this funny because she’s pretty level-headed.

“He’s my boyfriend, guys. Could you maybe not wish him bodily harm?”

“She’d only hurt him a little,” Sebastian says in a clearly amused tone.

My jaw tightens, and I glare at him. A thousand comments run through my head, and I know that none of them will be beneficial to say, so I hold my tongue.

Lita looks between us, then sighs. “I’m sorry, Hayden. I try to give everyone a fair chance, but Blake is consistently a complete dick to everyone.”

I don’t say anything immediately, trying to tone down the annoyed reaction I instinctively want to give. I know it’s not Lita’s fault that Blake is a dick to them. He’s done nothing to endear himself to them, and it hurts that he doesn’t want to make any effort with my friends. If anything, he seems to want to do the exact opposite and piss them off as much as he can.

I eventually bite out into the tense silence, “I’m aware you guys don’t like him. I don’t need the reminder.”

I’m grateful for the distraction when Heather and Ariana walk into the room. Heather is tall, blonde, and one of my oldest friends, who I’ve known since I was a teenager. Ariana is short with long, brown hair and we met her at a charity event we played at just before our first tour five years ago.

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