Her Gift

That's not your job anymore.

"Girls night bitches!" I shout out loud, giggling and stumbling though the hallway, using the wall to steady myself and make sure I don't trip... again. Stupid heels.

"Best night ever bitches!" I hear Georgie yell and then laugh with her when she loses her footing and drops to the ground.

"The floors not level." She chuckles trying to push herself back up. I'm too busy laughing at her on her hands and knees to help.

"Strike a pose." I sing, fumbling through my purse to find my phone and take a picture. Georgie lifts her arms up over her head and sticks her tongue out, long enough for me to take a very blurry shot of her.

"That's a keeper." I snort and then finally wobble over to help get her up.

We manage to get into the apartment with no more issues and both stagger in the direction of my bedroom, ready to pass out next to each other.

"It really was a great night G, thanks babe." I pat her head when we both collapse on the bed, not bothering to change or clean up. Too drunk to care about anything except sleep.

"You're welcome hot stuff." Was the last thing Georgie mumbled before dosing off, her light snores the perfect melody to help me drift to sleep.

............

I wake briefly when I hear Georgie get up and say she has to leave to make her train on time. After telling her to text me as soon as she was aboard and hearing the front door shut, I quickly do the same with my eyes.

"Sunshine, it's time to wake up now." I groan at the sound, my head pounding even before I open my eyes.

"I'm dead." I whisper moan and hear a deep chuckle above me.

The fact that Hayden was here hadn't registered yet; in my hungover state I had forgotten his departure and imagined this was like any other time I'd had too much to drink and he would always nurse me back to health the next day.

"I have my famous hangover cure foods with me." He bargained and it didn't take long for me to respond.

Sitting up I tenderly rub circles into my temple trying to alleviate the migraine and look at the man standing over my bed, more importantly, the containers of food he had with him.

"Chicken noodle soup, and when you've eaten all that you can have the chocolate chip cookies I made. You have to drink this glass of water and the tomato juice as well." He handed me the red liquid first and I thirstily drink the entire contents before grabbing the container of soup and dipping my spoon in for the first tasty mouthful.

Hayden's soups weren't just a great cure, they were delicious too.

I moan softly at the flavours helping to detox my body and make me feel better. "I love your noodle soup." I compliment, and take spoonful after spoonful until there's nothing left.

Hayden had taken a seat at my desk while I ate and I scrunch my face up, about to tell him to bring himself and those cookies closer when reality dawns on me.

I know when he notices the change in me, his eyes lower and he sighs deeply... sombrely. Our moment was over.

"What are you doing here?"

Hayden looks at me timidly, like he'd been caught out and didn't have an answer to give, but I stayed silent and waited for him to speak up first.

"Well..." he coughs, obviously wasting time as he had no reason to actually cough. Androids didn't exactly suffer from common colds. "Killian told me that you... uhm, that you went out last night. He mentioned you were particularly drunk coming home and I... well, I just wanted to make sure you felt alright."

Most of me wanted to internally melt at his caring nature, but something about his story didn't add up...

"How could Killian have heard me come back when he's floors away from me... You were spying on me, weren't you?" I accuse.

It was the only thing that made sense, no way could Killian have been able to hear us come in. We were no where near his apartment or even the corridor he lived on. Hayden must have been listening in for me. He could have done it from Killian's floor with no difficulty; Perks of having super hearing I guess.

If Hayden hadn't looked caught out before, he sure did now. Guilt glistened in his beautiful eyes; eyes I'd gotten lost in on many occasions.

"I'm sorry," he bites his lip and I make sure to keep my emotions in check, I wouldn't waver over a simple action. "I never should have been listening. I know I lost that right, but I wanted to make sure you got home safe. I can't help being protective over you." He tries to justify.

"But that's not your job anymore." I can hear the crack in my voice and know I need to get rid of him before he sees me cry. "I'm not your concern anymore and I'd like for you to go."

I watch him stand and walk slowly towards the bed. He places the container of cookies on the bedside table and starts to retreat to the door.

Turning around in the archway he looks at me with an emotion I can only describe as a mixture of deep love and sorrow. It hurts to stare so I focus on my duvet instead.

"I'll never stop caring about you sunshine... I'll never stop loving you."

I suck in a breath before the tears fall and the sobbing starts. I keep my eyes closed but can hear him hesitate in the doorway before walking out and then moments later the front door opens and closes.

Confusion, anger, misery, love, the intensity of each emotion takes control and tires me out enough that I can just lay back down and sleep the day away.

I leave the cookies untouched.