Chapter Six: Unfolded
Beatrice had began her walk back home at nearly three in the morning and she found it incredulous how fast time flies. To think, the last time she had taken a walk this early was with Hayes and now, the mystery boy had yet to be solved. She hadn't heard from him (nor of him) since the prior day and honestly, she didn't have the time to start searching.
Hayes, on the other hand, had gotten sick of the taunting in the car ride and hopped out of the limo, in which caused Nash to have a fit, but in the end, he ended up walking the same streets as before. When clouds had made a special appearance around ten minutes later, he had begun to regret his silly decision of leaving a car with friends and a heater for a lonely, cold walk.
Little did he know, Beatrice was on the other side of the building walking the same direction as he to reach her home.
Bea skipped with her book pressed under her frail arm and her lilac strands bouncing on her plump cheeks with the clouds giving little to no light for her to actually see who she was about to bump into. So, with much force and so little time, Hayes was on the floor with his head aching and Beatrice was leaning against a wall with a sore hip.
Hayes swore under his breath and lifted his body off the floor, hesitantly extending his hand over to the yet-to-be-dicovered mistress.
Beatrice accepted his hand with courtesy, a smile yet to be leaving her joyous face. Her smile faded once her pair of blue eyes met his, "Grier."
Hayes' frown turned up into a smile, showing his incredulous dimples and his amazingly white teeth. "What a surprise seeing you here."
"I'd like to say the same thing," she muttered, bringing her hand to the newly formed bruise on her hipbone.
Hayes shifted from his left foot to his right, putting all his weight on one side. His hands plunged into the depths of his jean pockets and his once perfect hair was messy and placed sloppily on his pale, yet tanned, face. "What are you doing so late at night?"
"Actually, it's three in the morning," she corrected, becoming uncomfortable with the situation she was put into. All day she had imagined reuniting with Hayes and the two would be happy and become, perhaps, friends, but now that the time has come, she wanted so badly to step out of the awkwardness and go home to rest.
Hayes chuckled under his breath, a mixture of awkwardness and anger making it hard for Beatrice to laugh along with him. "That didn't answer my question."
Beatrice rolled her eyes, but a smug smile played at her lips. No matter how much she wanted to just leave the boy standing alone, this question always had a way to make her heart beat fast and a smile to appear without meaning. "I was watching the stars on the hill over there," she used her thumb to point to the spot where she had made hers.
Hayes' eyebrows pulled together and his forehead began to crinkle, "now why would you do that?"
"I find comfort in the stars," she spoke, a hint of disgust lingering in the air. By now, she was fed up of him and his beer-stenched mouth.
Hayes smiled, but it was one of those smiles where you don't show your teeth or your dimples. It was just a small tug at the lips and Beatrice wasn't sure where he was going with it. "You find comfort in the stars, right?"
"That's what I just said."
The clouds remained hovering above and the sun didn't shine over the streets of Los Angeles, but more people began to wake and the streets began to flood. Hayes panicked and grabbed Beatrice by the arm, pulling her to the nearest building.
The store sold mattresses and bed frames, but there was only a co-worker inside. Hurriedly, Hayes dragged her inside and sat her down on a mattress further by the door.
"What is your problem?" Beatrice shrieked, standing up quickly as she wiped at her bum, "is this your way of getting some chicks because let me tell you, it's not working!"
"No! No no no no," Hayes rejected, his eyes beginning to plead for him, "I can explain I really can."
Beatrice crossed her arms and tapped her foot, "I'm waiting for an explanation."
Hayes knew it wasn't the time. Not now and probably not for a while. Who knew what would happen; she could use him for fame, date him to travel across the media, and maybe she'd use his money to buy herself a star. "Well, you see," Hayes dragged, the pressure sitting on his shoulders.
Beatrice rolled her eyes and turned her back, "this is ridiculous. I don't have time to waste, Hayes. I have a life and I'm not sure what yours is, but this is not what it should be."
The worker at the front watched timidly, his strong elbow leaning on the counter with his gum smacking obnoxiously in his mouth. His face was bored and from what Beatrice could see, the way he was standing made it seem like he couldn't see Hayes. When the male finally realized he had been seen, he stood straight, bulked out his chest, and walked bravely to the pair. "Is there a problem?" His eyes connected with Hayes' and it wasn't long before a shriek escaped his mouth.
"You too? Why is everyone so damn weird?" Beatrice screamed, pulling at her lilac locks.
"That's Hayes Grier! The Hayes Grier! I'm a huge fan, oh my god." The male was close to tears and it worried Hayes if he'd have to be the one to give mouth-to-mouth.
"How do you know him?" She questioned, pressing a hand to her throbbing head.
The male employee ran to the front desk, but quickly returned with a floppy magazine in one hand and the other pressed on his beating heart. He handed the book over to Beatrice and she took it with ease, examining the front cover.
She set her book down slowly on the dusty mattress as she examined Hayes' face that plastered the front cover. The picture was from the previous month (before he had even discovered the walking mystery he liked to call Beatrice) and he was stumbling drunk along the curbs of Los Angeles. "So you're famous and a drunkie?"
"I'm not a drunkie - what even is a drunkie? No I'm no- yes I'm famous and no, I'm not a drunkie." Hayes reasoned, regretting his quick decision of keeping the well kept secret from her.
"Can we have some privacy?" Beatrice asked the employee who had yet to move his eyes from the celebrity. He nodded hesitantly and moved in front of the doors, locking them, but staying there so he can see the blue-eyed mess. "Why didn't you tell me you were famous?"
Hayes struggled with his answer as he pulled at his dark locks. "I don't know you, Bea. I didn't know how you'd react."
"Well," she picked the book up off the mattress, "now you do. Don't worry, you don't know me; this won't be hard. Goodbye, Benjamin."
"Bea, please."
"It's Beatrice," she snapped, quickly walking out of the building, "only friends can call me Bea."
She ran out of the building and bolted home. If it wasn't for the billions of fans standing outside of the building and the thousands of flashing lights, Hayes would've been hot on her tail.
Beatrice finally knew why he was acting so weird. Maybe now, she didn't want to know anymore.
I think I'm gonna try to update on Wednesdays and I hope you guys still read/enjoy the book. Hopefully this book will reach 5k by the end of the week! Comment what you thought about Beatrice's reaction to the secret!
