Page 155 of Redemption
“Yeah, Hayes. You can.”
______________________
Langston to the Group:Where are you guys? Let’s hang out.
Langston to the Group:You guys. Pick up the phone.
Langston to the Group:Are you ignoring me?
Hayes to the Group:Sorry. I have to work tonight.
MJ to the Group:I have homework. Sorry, L.
I’m sitting on the bench seat of Hayes’s truck. His arm is around me, and my head is on his shoulder.
I feel bad lying to Langston, but hopefully, it’s the last time. Hayes and I agreed that we shouldn’t tell him over a text. So when we get back tonight, we will go to his apartment and lay it all out for him.
He’ll be happy for us—I truly believe that.
“Where are we going?” I ask, not for the first time.
Hayes turns his head, kissing the top of my hair. “You’ll see. We are almost there. Be patient.”
I look up at him, raising an eyebrow, and he chuckles. “Okay, be as patient as you can.”
“Fine. I’ll try.”
We drive for another hour, and I close my eyes. He hums along with the radio, and I take comfort in the sound.
I wish this were the world we lived in—a world where worries, fights, and the future seem a million miles away—but soon enough, we will return to reality. And I’m terrified it will break us.
Hayes turns on his signal light, and I open my eyes in time to see him merge onto an exit. We are heading into the downtown area of a city, and I sit up straight, trying to figure out where we are. Hayes still doesn’t say anything as he takes turn after turn, leading us to our destination.
“Close your eyes,” he says at last, and I’m hesitant to obey.
“Mallorie Jade,” he scolds, and I give him a bright smile before doing as he asks. “Are they really closed?”
Scoffing, I say, “I wouldn’t lie to you.”
He snorts. “Fine, but keep them closed until I say.”
I salute him, and he snorts again.
The truck starts to slow, and I’m tempted to open my eyes. But I resist the urge and squirm in my seat.
Hayes kills the engine, and I hear his door open. Then he’s taking my hand and guiding me out of the truck.
“If you let me fall, I’ll be mad.”
“I’ll never let you fall, baby.” His voice is in my ear, sending delicious shivers down my back.
I love this man so much it hurts. I’d give him all of me if only he would just ask.
He closes the door, then his arm is on my back, guiding me as we walk. We don’t walk long until he’s holding my arm and pulling me to a stop.
“When you open your eyes, don’t say anything. I want to say something to you first, and I need you to listen.” Nodding, I chew on my lip, nervous now. “Okay. You can open them now.”
My brows wrinkle when I open my eyes. We are standing in front of a football stadium, and of all the places I thought we would go, this is not it.
