*A/N: this chapter contains content that may be triggering to some readers. Please read at your own risk!!*

A party tonight sounded like a good way to finally unwind and relax. All I wanted was to hang out with Avrey, enjoy a couple drinks and laugh a bit.

Was that so wrong to want?

I shiver in the chilly night air, waiting for Hayden to show up. I sniffle, wiping my wet nose with the back of my hand. I swallow a hiccup, trying not to cry anymore.

I was so tired of this.

Why me?

I don't understand why it had to be me. And at this point? I'd do anything to make it all end and just...let go.

Squealing tires made me look up, blinking into the night. Headlights blinded me, but once the door swung open, I felt an instant wave of relief wash over me when Hayden stepped out.

He was running towards me, slowing down once he got close enough to the table. Then his eyes look me over and he pauses.

He takes a slow step towards me, his hands raising a bit. I wince—an uncontrollable reaction—which makes him completely stop.

I swallow, turning my body towards him. I stand up from the bench and look at the floor, shame washing over me.

But Hayden was quick to gently cup my cheek and guide my eyes to his. He gave me a sad, small smile and wrapped his arms around my body.

And even though my body ached, I melted into his touch.

I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling the tears burning behind them as I fisted his shirt, holding onto him for dear life.

"Come on, baby," he quietly says. "Let's get you out of here."

"Can we-can we just go somewhere alone. Not your place. Just..."

I feel him nod, gently rubbing my back. "Yes, of course. Whatever you want."

Once he gently guided me into the car, we drove in silence to the nearest motel. Hayden was kind enough to pay for the room for us for the night, even though we didn't have anything with us.

I just needed to be away from everything.

And once I walked into the dimly lit room, I felt mentally and physically exhausted. Drained.

Tired of fighting.

I was so tired, I didn't even notice when Hayden left and came back, holding up a blue hoodie towards me. I look at him, Hayden just giving me a small, kind smile.

"I don't have much," he chuckles. "But I have this you can wear, once you shower."

Instead of taking it, I walk towards him and wrap my arms around him. I close my eyes, taking comfort in his embrace. And once he wrapped his arms around me, I felt myself falling into him.

"I'm so tired, Hayden."

"You wanna lie down, first?"

I shake my head. "No. I mean, I'm tired."

I feel Hayden stiffen, then pull back to look at me. He presses his forehead against mine, breathing deep.

"I'm here, Lina." He kisses my nose. "I'm right here. If you're tired, I'll fight for you."

That make my heart skip a beat.

I look at him, dumbfounded. Is he crazy? This, him and I, were just supposed to be a hookup. It's not supposed to get as deep as it has, and now he's...being super sweet.

Making my heart beat far too fast, bringing my hopes up.

"Hayden." I warn.

"I mean it. I'm here for you, Lina."

I sigh, turning away from him. My head was throbbing, my body ached. I didn't have the energy to fight him tonight. Because caving in and letting him just catch me sounded so, so good.

I look at the mirror across the room, taking steps towards it. I flinch, seeing just how terrible I looked. My hair is a knotted mess, all over. Dried blood on my bottom lip. Eyes puffy and red. I looked like a truck ran me over.

As I pushed my hands through my hair, the flashes of Roy grabbing my hair and pulling me backwards swarm my mind. I close my eyes, bringing my hands to my eyes.

"What did he do, Lina?"

I open my eyes, meeting Hayden's in the mirror. He must think the worst. I mean, I look like absolute garbage, dressed in a skimpy tank top and spandex. I look away from him, shaking my head.

"What he does best," I scoff. "Got drunk and beat the crap out of me."

"Did he touch you?"

I snort. "He tried." I sigh. "Once he thought he hit me enough so I wouldn't fight back. But it just made me fight harder."

"And?"

I meet his gaze in the mirror again. "Then I broke his stupid whiskey bottle over his head and ran away. Called you."

"Why did he..." Hayden shakes his head.

I wish I knew how to answer him. All I know is when I came down the stairs to get some water, Roy was there, even though he was supposed to be at a dinner with my mom. He scared me, then started yelling at me for disrespecting him, telling me I needed to learn discipline.

Then he hit me.

And he hit me. And when I tried to run, he pulled the shit out of my hair and threw me against the wall. When I collapsed on the floor, he grabbed my head and hit it against the floor again. That's when he tried to climb on top of me. But once my vision cleared enough, I saw the bottle and took the chance.

But do I ever know why he does it? No.

"Some people are just," I shrug. "Evil. I'm gonna shower real quick, okay?"

Hayden nods, so I disappear into the bathroom. I turn on the water and strip, hesitantly stepping into the shower—only cause it didn't look properly kept up and made me not want to shower.

I ignore it, though, and step in. I let the hot water envelop my body, soothing the achey feeling I had. Washing my hair proved to be difficult, since it was knotted up. But once I did so and washed my body, I stepped out.

I grabbed a towel and dried my body. I smiled at the folded hoodie Hayden left me on the counter. I slip it over my head, opening the door. I toss the towel on the sink and walk out, eyes stopping on the mirror again.

My hair. So tangled, such a nuisance. Such an easy target to grab hold of.

Not any more.

I start pulling open every drawer of the room, ignoring Hayden's questions. Finally, a pair of red scissors sat in one of them. I grabbed it, marching back towards the mirror.

I held the open scissors to my hair, ready to cut. Wanting to cut. But my hands were too shaky. My eyes too full of tears.

"Let me," I hear beside me.

Hayden's hand presses over mine, waiting for me to let go of them. I blink, finally pulling them away from me and placing it in his hands. Hayden carefully takes my hair and places it behind me, feeling him trying to make it straight.

"I can't promise anything fancy," he jokes. "But I'll try. How much do you want me to cut?"

"Enough so no one can use it as a weapon against me."

Hayden nods, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. He looks at me in the mirror, making my stomach flip. He nods, reassuring me. And I can't help but smile.

At my smile, he finally moves his gaze from me to my hair, grabbing some. And I feel his fingers hold its place, then hear the scissors go through my hair. He smiles as he continues on.

More and more that he cuts, the more liberated I feel.

And at the sight of Hayden behind me, his eyes so focused and trained on the task at hand, it makes my heart swell in a completely new way.

A fierce, strong way.

One that actually scares me, but excites me.

I can't pin it, exactly. But it makes my stomach swarm, my cheeks flush. And all I can do is continue to watch him until I feel him cut away the last long piece of my hair.

"Um," he chuckles. "I'm not sure it's exactly a straight line, but..."

I grin, pushing my hair in front of me. Before, my hair flowed freely and wildly down my body, ending towards the middle of my back. Now? It sits barely grazing my shoulders, bouncing to life.

I wrinkle my nose, pushing my hand through it. "It's different, that's for sure."

Hayden smiles at me through the mirror, setting the scissors down and gently wrapping his arms around my waist.

"You look beautiful."

I turn in his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Now you're just saying things. But thank you."

"No, I'm serious," he grins. "You looked beautiful before. But now? You look sexy." He twirls my short hair around his finger. "I'm really digging this look."

"Oh yeah?"

He nods. "Hell yes."

I snort, shaking my head. Only Hayden can make me feel this way after what happened—like I'm wanted. Like I'm worthy.

"Thank you." I say, voice small.

Hayden smiles, lifting me from the floor and walking us over to the bed. He sets me down, cupping my cheek gently.

"You don't have to thank me, Lina. Seriously."

I felt a deep emotion swirl within me, making my eyes swell with tears. "But I do." I shrug. "So thank you."

Hayden just smiles. "Can I hold you?"

"Please." I breathe.

At that, he shuts off the light and crawls into the small bed, right behind me. Then he wraps his arms around me, bringing me close to his chest. I sigh in comfort, feeling the warmth from his body.

I turn my head, catching a glimpse of Hayden in the dim glow of the street lights from outside the window. His green eyes are already watching me, giving me a soft, kind smile that made my heart double its beat.

I turn in his arms, pressing one hand against his cheek. "What in the hell did I do to deserve you?"

He kisses my palm, placing his hand over mine. "I think I'm the one who's supposed to be asking that."

I shake my head, pressing my forehead against his. My eyes flutter shut, trying to get my heart to slow down to a normal pace. But as he moved his hand to my face, using his thumb to stroke my jaw line slowly and tenderly, it was useless.

His actions were just making my heart beat faster.

I scoot impossibly closer to him, slipping my hand into his hair, guiding his lips down to mine. And when our mouths collided, I felt completely at peace, but set on fire at the same time.

His kisses were soft. Careful. And even the simplest, most innocent kiss from him had my senses on high alert, ready for more.

I tried to deepen the kiss, running my tongue along his lip. But with a groan, he pulled back.

"Lina," his voice was gruff, my name coming off as a warning. "Don't start something you can't finish."

I grin. "But I fully intend to finish, baby."

He groans, shutting his eyes. "Saying no to you is becoming increasingly difficult."

"So stop saying no so much."

He opens his eyes, giving me a smile. "I'm not saying no. I'm just saying not right now." When I roll my eyes, he chuckles deeply. "I care too much about you to push for more after the night you had."

"Even if I want it?"

Hayden laughs, then kisses my forehead. "I just want you to get a good nights rest, baby."

I sigh, exaggeratedly loud. "Fine."

Hayden smirks. "Good girl."

I glare at him, which makes him snort, tightening his arms around me. And even I can't help but smile against his chest, letting him stroke my back gently as I finally let the exhaustion claim me, and I fall into a deep sleep, comfortable and safe in Hayden's arms.

A/N

Hi everyone! I'm not sure what the heck happened within the last couple days, but What's Mine has blown up.

Literally, I logged on to over a hundred notifications in a couple days, along with the story gaining 5k+ reads within those days. Literally what?! I don't even know what happened, but I just wanted to say thank you.

This story is so special to me. Every character owns a piece of my heart, and all I want to do is deliver the best possible story out there without rushing. So all the love I'm getting?? It's surreal. I feel like it's so undeserved, but I'm so, so grateful!

Thank you for deciding to give little ole me and my story a chance 🧡 and thank you for sticking with me! Hayden and Lina's story makes me happy, and I just wish to convey that to you all.

So thank you <3 from the bottom of my heart. I wouldn't be here without you guys, so thank you for making my writer journey worth it 🧡

much love to you all <3
Until the next update <3
— bri 🧡