The Text

Chapter 37

"Hayden, what's going on?" I asked, feeling a bit more nervous, if that's possible.

"Uh..I kind of rent this hotel room. It's sort of like my apartment." He replied, nervously scratching the back of his neck.

"What?!? Since when?"

"A little over a month ago. My mom made some extra money and told me I could do whatever I wanted with it so I signed a contract and I now rent this room." He stated, gesturing to his...apartment?

"But, you have such a great home. Why rent this hotel room?" I asked, baffled.

"I don't know. It gets annoying and stressful being at home. I just needed a place to hide when I wanna run away."

"How much did your mom give you?"

"Enough to pay a years worth of rent, plus food service for a few months. It was a sh** load of money." He explained, taking a seat on the couch.

"Oh, wow. This is a little overwhelming." I sighed, sitting next to him.

"Tell me about it. I still havn't gotten used to the idea of being able to live alone."

"I wish I was able to do this, escape from my parents I mean."

"Well, you can, actually."

"What are you talking about? There's no possible way I could rent a hotel room. Not all of us have access to money like you do, Hayden."

"Iv'e been thinking a lot about this and I think I have an idea. A brilliant idea at that." He grinned, picking me up and putting me on his lap.

I had a leg on either side of his body, straddling him.

"Care to enlighten me on this said 'brilliant idea' of yours?" I asked, wanting to hear what's been consuming his thoughts.

"Uh..Well, um..I-I was thinking that maybe you could..you could move in here with me?"

I was speechless. How is a girl supposed to reply to something like that? It's mind-boggling to say the least. My boyfriend of only a few months just asked me to move in with him. There's only one explanation for the reason he thought this was even remotely a good idea. He's gone bonkers.

"Are you serious?" I asked, letting out a small chuckle.

"Yes. What's so funny about this?" He asked, seeming to be offended.

"Hayden, I'm under the control of my parents. C'mon, we both know that I can't leave. No matter what we say or think, leaving them is just a silly dream. A fantasy, to be frank. I can't believe you actually thought it was a good idea." I laughed, throwing my hands up in exasperation.

He was staring at me with an unreadable expression, running his hands through his hair.

"If you really wanted to leave and be free from those a**holes, you would at least try to get some control of your life. You're just giving up without even attempting to leave."

What in the he** is he trying to say? Does he actually think I don't wanna leave them?

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, struggling to control my anger towards him.

"You're afraid, Chloe. You say you want to leave, but when it comes the time to actually do it, you chicken out and don't even try. You have so much fear, and I don't think you will ever gain the courage to stand up for your dreams and leave them."

I hate that he's right, I am so da** afraid. But I have a reason to be. When my parents find me, it'll not just be the end of my life, but also Haydens and I can't be the reason any of that happens. I know I've said that I'm gonna take my life in my own hands, but honestly, I only said that because I didn't think it could happen. Now that it's a possibility, I can't live up to my words.