The Secrets We Keep

The Twenty-Eighth Chapter

Hayden

"Do you want to come in, are you too mad at me?" I ask as Nathan walks me to my front door. I dig through my bag to get my house keys and open the door for us. 

Nathan sighs and scratches the back of his neck as I wait for him to come in before closing and locking the door. "How do you know I'm mad at you?"

"The nonexistent conversation on the drive here," I answer as I throw my keys in the bowl on the round table. Next to it is a note scribbled in rushed handwriting. 

Hayden, don't be alarmed when you come home and no one's here. I've left to go visit the church's women's group and Damien's gone to have supper with your dad at the station. If you need me, call me on your cell. There's leftover pizza in the fridge if you're hungry. 

Love you lots like jelly tots!

P.S. Just because you're alone, doesn't mean you can invite your 'new boyfriend' over. I don't really have a problem with Nathan but your father will throw a fit. 

"Can you blame me for being mad? Hayden, do you have any idea how worried I was- what?" He asks in confusion once I've finished reading my mother's note. He tries to maintain his serious expression but my grin must be infectious because his lips tip up. "Why are you smiling like that?" 

I hand him the note and jump up onto the table while he reads it. His brow furrows but before he can say anything I say, "Technically, I didn't invite you over. You drove me home," I say and reach for his hands. "So stop being mad at me and let's make use of this empty house."

He comes to stand between my legs but instead of giving me one of his mind-altering kisses (kisses that he hasn't given me since we started going steady), he tips my head up so that he can look at my neck. 

"I want to kill Johnson," he says, smoothing his fingers over my neck. "Does it hurt?" 

"Not really," I lie and thread my fingers through the band of his shorts to draw him closer. "I don't want to talk about this anymore," I say and tilt my head up to be in line with his mouth. 

He gives me one gentle peck before twisting away. "I don't want to get you in trouble," he says, his eyes going back to my mom's note. 

"Think of it as keeping me out of trouble," I say and he rolls his eyes. "Please, Nathan, I really don't want to be alone right now." 

My sudden change in tone has him crushing me to him and I wrap my arms around his waist just as tightly as I bury my head in his chest. 

"Ok, I'll stay." 

-

My father would murder me if he ever found out that not only had I let a boy into my room but that we were also lying on my bed together. It's totally innocent of course. We're both fully clothed on top of my duvet as we watch Netflix on my laptop. 

"Hm, now I know why everyone was obsessed with getting a boyfriend," I say sleepily as Nathan spoons my back. "This is nice."

I can feel him laugh into my hair. "You're not so bad yourself," he says. 

"You don't think I'm too much trouble? I mean we've only been dating a few days and already I've caused you a lot of headaches," I say, only half-joking. 

Nathan leans over me to hit the space bar, and then he moves my laptop to the side so that he can turn me around. He sits us both up and then tugs me into his lap. 

I wrap my hands loosely around his shoulders as he looks at me. "Hayden, it's not that I don't understand why you're doing what you're doing. Finding Amelia's body fucked all of us up. You, me, Christopher, and your brother. But have you thought that, instead of accusing every slightly suspicious person of murder, maybe you should get some help?"