I’d managed to sneak into my room the night before without anyone noticing, which was good since my puffy eyes and tear-stained face would have been enough to cause alarm. When Fallon knocked on my door earlier this morning, I’d told him I had overslept and would meet him in class.
I wanted to avoid him asking me any more questions because I was barely hanging on and knew as soon as I told him about Hayden, it would break me. Actually, that wasn’t true; I was already completely shattered.
Fallon frowned. “Not sure I buy that. Just know if you need to talk, I’m here.”
Another round of tears blurred my vision, but I blinked them back. “I appreciate it. I’ll catch you later.”
“Later.” He squeezed my shoulder before heading in the opposite direction toward his next class.
Like most Mondays, I made my way to The Daily Grind to kill some time before my Music Industry Analysis class. I ordered my drink and found an open table near the window. My stomach rolled as I thought about Hayden and Dean Watson. There were plenty of innocent reasons the dean might want to speak to a faculty member, but I couldn’t ignore the timing of his visit.
Unable to push past the overwhelming sense of dread consuming me, I pulled out my phone and typed a message:
I’m freaking out. What’s going on?
Several minutes went by as I gripped the phone so tight my knuckles turned white and watched the screen, waiting for a reply.
The more time that passed without an answer, the more I feared Hayden would continue to ignore me as he had in class. Maybe it was his way of completely cutting ties, and the thought of that shredded whatever was left of my heart.
I wanted to fight for him … for us, yet when I thought about what he had said when he’d broken things off with me, it appeared he had already given up on us. He made it sound like me taking the job with Flirting with Fire was a forgone conclusion, and things wouldn’t have lasted anyway. He didn’t realize that I would have done anything to make sure we could be together.
Eventually, it was time for me to go to class. Since we had a test, I was forced to silence my phone for the following two hours. As soon as I hit submit on the online assessment, I snatched my bag and hurried outside.
I sighed in relief when I saw Hayden had texted me back.
Everything is fine. You don’t need to worry
His response did nothing to ease my fears.
Me: That’s it? You’ve got to give me more than that
HF: There’s not much to say. Someone told Dean Watson they saw me with a student but didn’t give him proof. He said there won’t be an investigation but that could change if he gets more information
Me: Thank god. So we’re good? I told you we didn’t need to break up
If there wasn’t going to be an investigation, then we just needed to be more careful until graduation.
HF: Nothing has changed. You’ll still be gone for six months after graduation
Me: I told you I hadn’t accepted the job yet
HF: There’s only one choice and you know it
A heavy breath passed my lips. I needed to speak to him in person so we could work things out.
I rushed across campus and went straight to his office, only to find the door locked and no lights on inside. Frustrated with the entire situation, I sent another text:
We need to talk. Can I come over tonight?
It didn’t take him long to respond:
That’s not a good idea. It will only make things harder. Besides Dean Watson said he’s going to be watching me and I’m sure Ford will be doing the same with you
The mention of Ford’s name had me seeing red. Amid my heartbreak and the stress of what had happened that morning, I hadn’t had time to dwell on my feelings about my ex’s role in everything.
But that was about to change.
* * *
