The Great War

Chapter 2

I unpacked all my my bags until they were empty and the room actually looked like someone lives in it. It took me much longer than I thought but I definitely needed a shower. I grabbed my things and went to the bathroom that Jackson showed me earlier. As soon as I left the room I could smell and hear food being cooked downstairs. It did smell nice. I was kinda hoping that it wouldn't but apparently the rich handsome man can also cook. I went to the bathroom and took a shower. There were plenty of towels in the cupboard so I just took one. After I was done I realised that I forgot to bring new underwear to the bathroom. I always forget something. I walked out of the bathroom, keeping the towel tightly wrapped around my body. I held the rest of my clothes in my other hand and made my way back to my room. But of course just in that second Hayden came up the stairs. He stopped before he could reach the top of the stairs and looked me up and down. His eyes seemed to be burning through the towel. I was suddenly very self-conscious of my body and all the exposed skin.

"Stop staring at me pervert." I said while walking into my room and closing the door behind me.

That was weird. I leaned against my door closing my eyes for a second. Why did I like that he was staring at me? But I also kinda hates how he was staring at me. Ugh. Why does he have to be here? I thought I would only live with Jackson and things wouldn't be so complicated. I don't even know this Hayden guy. Why can I not get him out of my head? I stepped away from the door shaking my head. I need to stop this.

I went to my drawer and pulled out some underwear. I put on a matching pj set, that consisted of grey shorts and a bralette top that matched the pants with some white lace on top. Because it was quite chilly I put on a black sweater over it and some fuzzy socks. When I was ready I went downstairs to check on the food. I walked into the kitchen and saw Hayden storing something in a pot. He wasn't wearing the suit from earlier. He was in some grey sweatpants and a black shirt. It should be illegal for someone to look this good in such simple clothes. He noticed me first and I quickly looked away. I walked over to Jackson who was setting the table.

"Hey. Can I help?" I offered.

"No. I'm almost done anyway. Just take a seat." he said as he placed the plates down.

So I did. as he said and took a seat at the head of the table. Jackson gave me a weird look that I couldn't quite read.

"Maybe not there. That's Hayde-" Jackson was interrupted by Hayden himself.

"It's fine. She can sit there." he didn't look at me.

"You sure? You never le-" Jackson started but was interrupted once again.

"I said it's fine. Let's just eat. Dinner's ready."

Hayden walked over with the pot in hand and placed it in the middle of the table. His arms looked so strong you could tell how well trained his body was. I quickly looked down at my empty plate to stop myself from having anymore of these stupid thoughts. Jackson sat down to my left and Hayden to my right. When we all started eating, Jackson was the first to talk.

"Could you get settled in a bit?" he asked me.

"Yeah. I already unpacked all my bags. The room's nice. Thanks again for letting me stay here." I looked between Jackson and Hayden because I kinda had to thank them both.

"No problem. It's great to have you here. When do you start college again?" Jackson asked.

"Not until next semester. So after New Years. But I already started looking for a job. I have some interviews tomorrow." I said poking the actually incredibly delicious food.

"I'm sure you'll find something." Jackson said.

"What about you guys? I haven't heard much of what you do. What kind of company are you working at?" I asked.

"Oh Hayden is the CEO actually. It's basically importing electronic OEM gadgets and selling them to bigger companies who use them in their products or sell them again. It's actually pretty cool. Hayden started the entire thing basically single-handedly after college and it just kept getting bigger and bigger. And now he's even up for the rising entrepreneur award." Jackson said.

"It's really not that big of a deal." Hayden throws in.

He hasn't looked at me once. He just seemed to be poking in his food.

"You seem pretty young to win such a big award. Aren't these business awards always for old people that have done this for many many years?" I ask.

"Actually no. I'm 26. The youngest person to ever win this award was 24." Hayden explained.

That actually made sense since Jackson is 25. I just turned 19. I don't know why that bothers me now.

"Still seems like a pretty big deal to me." I said.

He was now looking at me. Oh god help me. His eyes. They were so blue. When I looked at them it was almost as if I could see into his soul but I also couldn't read him at all. He was this beautiful mystery. I couldn't take my eyes off him. But at the sound of Jackson's voice we both looked down at our plates.

"It is a big deal. I've been telling him for months how incredible it is but he just won't listen. Always so stubborn."

"How did you guys meet?" I asked trying to change the topic.

"Oh that's actually a pretty boring story. When I moved here to start college I couldn't afford any place on my own so I put up a note that I'm looking for a roommate and put my number. The first person that called was Hayden. So we've been best friends ever since." Jackson said.

"That's not entirely true. At first we couldn't stand each other at all. Do you remember how we were at each others throat almost daily. I even almost moved out after only 2 weeks." Hayden said.

"Oh yes I remember." Jackson seemed amused by the memory. "I could not stand you. But that day when we fought again over the dishes and beat the shit out of each other after and sat on the kitchen floor just laughing about it."

"Yes. That's when we became best friends." Hayden said.

Men. A mystery.

I just shook my head smiling at my food. Jackson and Hayden were just doing the same swelling in the memory. We finished eating dinner in silence. I helped Jackson with the dishes since Hayden cooked and seemed quite tired. Jackson washed while I dried.

"He's a good guy. He can just seem a bit difficult sometimes." Jackson said. "I just want you guys to get along. I was worried that you might not like him."

"Jackson. It's okay. I like him just fine." I answered.

"I'm just glad you're here. I know we haven't been that close these last few years but I love you. And I'm sorry that I wasn't there more often when everything with mom happened. I just want you to like it here."

I put down the plate I just dried and hugged him from the side. His hands were still in the sink. He rested his head on top of mine.

"I love you too Jackson. Don't worry so much." I hugged him for another second before going back to drying.

After we finished the dishes Jackson asked if I wanted to watch a movie but I was so tired that I passed. We said our goodnight's before I went upstairs and he went to his own room downstairs. When I walked up the stairs I noticed that the door to Hayden's office was open a bit. I couldn't help my curiosity and tiptoed closer to it. I looked through the open crack. Hayden was standing over his desk with some papers in his hand. His face was pulled into a frown. The office was beautiful. The desk was made of dark oak wood as well as the large bookshelves on the wall. What caught my attention most was that he wasn't wearing a shirt. He was only in his sweatpants now. Really low hanging sweatpants. He looked like some kind of god. His muscles were so well defined. His arms were even bigger that I thought. He looked large and strong. He put the papers down on the desk, which snapped me out of my thoughts. I quickly turned around and walked to my room closing the door behind me. I could have sworn he looked in my direction before I turned around. I hope he didn't see me. That would be so embarrassing. I really need to get a grip on this. It's only my first day here and I'm already making a fool out of myself. Get a grip Kaya!

I slipped into bed charging my phone and turning of the lights. Tomorrow I have some interviews. I really hope something works out. I definitely need a job. As I close my eyes blue eyes look back at me in my mind and I drift of to sleep.