Page 59 of Hayden's Stalker

I don’t think I’ve ever said anything more true. Everything in my life is still fucked, but I feel calm and happy, which is nice.

“That’s me. Tatiana Swanson: Professional Hug-Giver. Did you not know about my side business giving hugs?”

“Whatever your rate is, you should double it,” I joke.

“Noted. What I’m hearing is that I get to drive your car for twice as long on the way home,” she teases me.

“A bargain, I assure you,” I laugh.

“Do you know how much you could charge someone to drive this for an hour?” She raises her eyebrows at me. “Many hundreds of dollars.”

I didn’t realize that getting to drive my car was worth that much, and if that’s the case, maybe I need more value from her.

“I think I need another hug,” I wink at her.

“Anytime you want one, my arms are open,” she says seriously.

I stare at her, completely aware that we’re in very dangerous territory right now. I want her more than I’ve ever wanted someone before, and I know I can’t have her. It’s not even a sex thing. I wanther. I want hugs like that and for them to be guilt-free.

I know I can’t tell her any of the things I’m thinking, so I simply say, “Good to know.”

She looks at me, and I watch her as her expression changes from one of desire to become clear and blank. I hate watching her close herself off from me. She turns away from me and gets out of the car, so I shake off the feeling and do the same.

“Ready to see your fancy bus?” she asks in her coolly professional tone.

I walk around the car to stand next to her and smile down at her, excited for her to see what I had them do for her. “Yes. I can’t wait for you to see it, too.”

“Why?” She frowns at me, looking confused.

“You’ll see,” I tease her.

We enter the office and are introduced to someone called Owen from the tour bus company. He leads us to a bank of tour buses, and I immediately see the familiar cover ofGames We Playplastered on their side. I can’t help but smile at the sight of my friends’ faces, and a thrill of excitement at the upcoming tour runs through me.

“This one is yours,” Owen says with a smile.

“I probably could’ve guessed,” I chuckle as I read the wordsGAMES WE PLAY TOUR 2021at the top of the bus and turn to grin at Tatiana. “Hey, Tati, we match!”

She laughs her musical laugh and asks, “Is tripling a thing?”

I wrinkle my nose and shake my head at the concept. “Nah. Besides, I prefer to just be twinning with you,” I tell her honestly because it’s more special that it’s just us.

Owen opens the door to the bus and hands me a tablet before saying, “I’ll let you look through. This will control most things on the bus, but if you have any questions, I’ll be happy to answer them.”

I take the tablet and look down at it as I climb onto the bus. It seems pretty standard, though it appears to have custom software.

I turn back as I reach the driver’s seat when Tati asks, “Can we close this door, please?”

“Uh, sure.” I move into the main living area to give them room as Owen climbs onto the bus and closes the door behind himself before sitting in the driver’s seat.

“Sorry, it’s a security thing,” Tati says.

I look at the bus, and everything seems to be as per the plans I adjusted. There’s a long sofa along the side of the bus to the left, with a kitchenette that has a sink and microwave sitting at the opposite end of the sofa.

Tati’s room to my right means that there’s only a small walkway between the sofa and the enclosed room, but it’s a small price to pay for her comfort. I’m glad that I was able to organize this to ensure that she has a private space for herself on the bus.

“Whoa,” she says from behind me.

“Right?” I turn to grin at her and see her staring in awe at the bus behind me. “So, this door closes to give us privacy from the driver.”

---