I dreaded stepping foot into this place again.

Italy was such a great escape—I didn't have to worry about my mom, about Roy, about nothing. In Italy, it was just Lina and what Lina wanted.

I think I got used to it too quick.

Cause as Brooks gets out of the car, wrestling both our luggages from the trunk, I just stare at the house with...distaste.

I grip the handle of my luggage, dragging my feet behind Brooks. With the door unlocked, Brooks lets us in, mom popping up from her seat in the living room.

"There are my babies." She coos as she wraps her arms around Brooks.

When she comes to hug me, I give a forced smile, allowing her to wrap her arms around my neck. After a few seconds of me not returning the gesture, she steps back.

"Look at you two! You're so tan. How was it?"

I shrug as I shut the door, edging closer to the stairs. "Fun. Lots of beach time, so."

"Yeah. It wasn't too crazy down there. I kept my eye on her."

Roy chuckles, making my skin crawl. "Well, someone ought to, or who knows what kind of trouble she'd get in to."

He smirks at me from across the room and I have to resist the urge to barf right then and there. I reach into my pocket, looking at my mom.

"I know it's small, but," I shrug. "I thought I'd bring you back something."

I place it in her hands. Like I said, it was small. I didn't intend to bring my mom something back, but when I saw the little keychain dangling from the souvenir shack, I thought why the hell not.

It's just a silver keychain, saying I heart Italy. It was cute, and I did love Italy.

And maybe, just maybe, my mom would be able to experience that some day.

"Aw," mom smiles at me. "Thank you, Lina Bear."

I wrinkle my nose. "You guys and these stupid nicknames," I shake my head. "I'm gonna go unpack."

I don't wait for a protest, I just start climbing the stairs. Mom says something about ordering pizza, but I'm not really in the mood.

Maybe it's the distaste I have for being home right now, but I didn't really feel hungry. I was just exhausted, and I could feel a headache forming. I felt drained and I didn't want to do anything.

I unlocked the door to my room, pushing my luggage inside. I set it on the floor, unzipping it. Most of the clothes were dirty, so I just tossed them into the bin. Then I sat on my bed, closing my eyes.

I wonder what Hayden's doing. Is he as tired as I am? Is his mom okay, happy he's back home? Is he thinking about me right now, too?

Soft knocking pulled my thoughts. I hop up and walk to the door, pulling it back to see Brooks.

"Hey," he smiles. "You okay?"

I let him in, crossing the room back to my bed, sitting cross-legged on it. He sat across from me. "Of course, why?"

He shrugs. "You seem a bit off."

I wave him off. "I'm fine. Just, like, jet-lag I think. Plus my head is hurting and I'm not feeling the best."

Brooks lifts his hand, instinctively flinching back. His brows furrow, but I just look down at my lap. He brings his hand to my forehead, pressing on it gently.

"You don't feel super warm. Maybe it's just from the flight?"

I shrug as he pulls his hand away. "Probably. I think I just need a nap. That was a really long flight," I sigh.

"Yeah, I think I might take one, too. I'm beat."

I nod, looking at him. If I'm being honest, the past few days, he gets this distant look in his eyes and I'm not exactly sure why.

"Are you okay?"

"Me? Always." He flashes his signature grin. "Just worried about you."

"You don't need to worry so much, big brother," I smile at him. "I take care of myself, I'm a big girl."

He chuckles. "Thank you for rubbing in the fact you've never really needed me."

"I've always needed you, Brooks."

He holds my gaze for a moment, then smiles. "Same for you, Lina." He gets up and sighs. "Get some rest. I'll save you some pizza for later."

I nod. "Thank you."

As he exits my room, I make sure to follow behind him and lock the door. Once it's locked, I crawl into bed, not caring of the germs I'm full of. I'm way too tired to shower.

I close my eyes, letting the darkness envelop me, surrounding me until something stirs me, making my eyes open.

I look around, looking at the door. Still locked, still closed. I saw no shadow under my door, so I relax. But then I hear another thud, making me turn to the side.

Another thud. I get up, walking to the window. I push open the curtain, squinting my eyes until I saw the cause of the problem.

I open my window. "Are you nuts?"

Even in the dark, I can see Hayden smirk. "I'm trying to make a statement here."

"And what's that?"

"I wanted to see you. Isn't this the shit they do in all the movies when you want to sneak into someone's room?"

I laugh lightly. "You're loud. Not exactly sneaking."

"Let me be the judge of that," he moves closer to the house. "Pop off that screen, baby. I'm coming up."

My stomach fluttered. I wasn't about to deny his company, so I pushed the screen on my window until it popped off. I had to quickly reach for it before it slid off the roof, tossing it beside my bed.

Hayden climbs a tree, using it to gain access to the roof. Then he crouches and walks over to my window. Once he does, he smiles at me.

"First time sneaking me in," he grunts as he squeezes through the window and into the room. "Won't be the last."

My room felt smaller with him in it, like his presence demanded all the attention it could get. I press my hands on my hips.

"Sure about that?"

"Oh yeah," he smirks. "I know it."

I roll my eyes as he looks around my room. I suddenly felt self conscious about my decor and things I had thrown around my room—especially how many bras and panties I had laying around.

Hayden walks a few steps, bends down and picks up a pair of red, lacy underwear. Then he grins at me.

"When do I get to rip this off you?"

Breathe, Lina.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" I say, snatching them from him and throwing them behind me.

"Actually, I would." His eyes search me, then he steps towards me, pushing my hair behind my ears. "What's the matter?"

I blink. "What makes you think somethings the matter?"

"You look pale, Lina. Skin looks a little clammy. You feeling alright?"

"I was just trying to sleep," I deflect.

"Were you able to?"

I don't answer. Hayden lets go of a breath, kicking off his shoes. He shrugs off his jacket and grabs my hand, tugging me towards the bed.

I fight the smile trying to worm its way on my face as he pulls me towards his body. I lift my eyes to his, him wrapping his arms around my body.

"Something didn't happen, did it?"

I smile gently. "No. It didn't."

"Good," he nods. "Then what's wrong, huh? You don't look like your normal self."

I feel my stomach go crazy with butterflies. Hayden West knows what my normal self looks like? What the heck is that?

I'm tempted to question him a bit further, ask him what that entails. But I don't. I just rest my head against his chest, breathing in his masculine, woodsy scent.

"I was getting used to not having to worry about every little thing there. Not locking my door. Not checking to see if someone was waiting for me in my room. Not having someone sneak cheap shots, or insult my body every day. It was nice to just be," I exhale. "Just being was really fucking nice."

Hayden's hand was rubbing my back gently, in a soothing manner. I close my eyes, taking a deep breath, allowing his touch to comfort me.

"Plus, I think I caught something on the plane. I feel kinda shitty."

At that, Hayden laughs. And I can't help but laugh with him. I bury my face against his chest, laughing. Like, it's not even funny anymore at this point. But just continuing to laugh because we're laughing is making us laugh harder.

"What the hell," Hayden gasps as he rubs his eyes.

I clear my throat, looking up at him. He's still smiling, looking at me. He shakes his head, pressing one hand to my cheek.

"You have a beautiful laugh, you know that?"

I blush. "So do you. Maybe if you would stop pretending to hate the world so much and actually let people hear it, they'd agree."

"Fuck people."

I snort. "Spoken like a true angsty teen."

He shakes his head. "You're annoying."

I gasp, dropping my jaw. "So are you."

He grins, dipping his head down. I freeze for a second as his lips touch mine, but quickly melt into it, into him.

It wasn't like it was a heated, needy kiss. It was a kiss I hadn't ever really experienced before. One that was soft, sweet, and compassionate. One that was slow as he caressed my lips, my tongue, expressing a deeper sense of emotion than I wasn't ready for.

One that had my head spinning and my toes curling. It was sweet and simple, but it left me wanting more.

"Rest, Lina," Hayden's voice was gruff, like it affected him just as much as it did me. "And sleep. I'm here now."

As much as I wanted more—and shit, did I want more—I was also exhausted. My body was drained and I was just tired. So I, more or less, willingly laid my head back on his chest and shut my eyes, allowing myself to finally fall into the slumber that was calling my name.

As long as Hayden was holding me.

A/N

I went one way with this chapter...but I thought cute and soft was much better. It goes with Hayden and Lina's bond and them seeing each other when no one else does 😮‍💨

Thanks for reading, lovelies! Don't forget to vote, comment, etc!! <3