we decided to have them over to my house for a movie night. i was scared to have them over again, for many reasons.

first, they didn't know about my boyfriend, who had moved in with me. his name was hayden—tall with brown, fluffy hair, veins in his hands that made my heart beat a bit faster than it should, and the most beautiful laugh and smile. he was a sweet person i hoped to never let go of, except for the bad parts of him. that's a story for another day though; all good things are happening now.

second, i hadn't seen them in years, but i knew nick was bringing his boyfriend over too. his name was vinnie. from what i'd heard, he was really nice, and they had been dating for a while now.

i watched as matt's car pulled up. it looked like nick and chris still didn't know how to drive yet. funny. i saw chris and matt get out of the car, but nick arrived with vinnie in a different car. they must be doing something together after.

i walked out, and the moment my eyes met nick and matt's, we ran to each other. vinnie and chris snickered a bit while they watched us collide into one big hug.

'i missed you guys so much,' i said, closing my eyes and falling into the embrace.

'same here, y/n. same here,' matt said.

we let go of each other and walked inside. nick introduced me to vinnie—his brown, highlighted hair and smile greeting me warmly. i liked vinnie already.

we walked into my house and sat down on the couches, my blankets and snacks already set out. we chose a movie and rolled the beginning credits.

chris was on my left, and matt next to him. nick and vinnie, who were holding hands and cuddling, were on the couch next to me.

everything felt like it used to, and for once, i didn't feel like anything wrong was going to happen—until i heard him.

'y/n? who are these guys?' hayden said from behind me.

'oh, sorry! i forgot to tell you they were coming over. these are my high school friends: matt, chris, nick, and nick's boyfriend, who i just met, vinnie.' i said quickly, wanting to get this over and done with.

a heavy silence hung in the air as hayden looked at me, his eyes so dark, i felt like i could fall into them forever.

'is that okay?' i asked eventually.

my heart pounded in my chest, waiting for his response.

finally, he smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. 'yeah, it's fine,' he said, his voice calm but with an edge i was all too familiar with. 'i just wasn't expecting company.'

i let out a quiet sigh of relief, and we all watched as he walked over to the table and sat down, looking at his phone.

matt shot me a questioning look, but i ignored it and focused on the screen, hugging my blankets tighter. i wasn't going to let hayden ruin this, not tonight.

please, not tonight.