Page 72 of After Hours Lectures
He stirred and his eyes opened. Once he saw me sitting up, he rose onto his elbow and reached out to place his hand on my arm. “Hey, are you okay?”
I slumped back as I tried to catch my breath. “Had a nightmare.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” He brushed his fingers along my wet cheek. “You’re crying.”
Taking a deep breath, I said, “I need to tell you about Jonah.”
21
Tyler
I satat the small desk in my room, trying to concentrate on an assignment for my music class, but the memory of Hayden admitting he loved me was too much of a distraction. It had started as a joke on my part, but knowing how he felt had given me the courage to confess that I loved him too.
When we met at Chrome, neither of us had any expectations beyond one night together. Yet even then, there had been a connection I couldn’t deny, and as we continued to spend more time together, it had only grown. I hated that our relationship had to be a secret, but I wondered if it’d helped us build a stronger foundation without outside influences.
After learning more about his past, my heart hurt for Hayden. While my relationship with Ford hadn’t been as serious as the one he’d shared with Jonah, I knew how painful it could be to be involved with someone who didn’t know if they would ever be ready to go public. And I couldn’t even imagine how hard it would be to lose a boyfriend the way he had.
Because we both had been in secret relationships before, I knew we were looking forward to the day when we didn’t have to hide anymore. It was why his wanting to go on a date meant so much to me. He wasn’t ashamed to be seen together; instead, he was willing to take a risk to prove that what we had was real.
The only problem was having to wait another day before I got to see him again.
* * *
The afternoon dragged on.My fraternity was hosting a party later, which would be a nice distraction from me sitting around missing Hayden, but it would be several more hours until people started to show up.
Around six, I headed downstairs for dinner. There were a lot of things I’d miss about fraternity life after graduation, such as the friendships I had made and the satisfaction that came from the community service projects we had completed. But if I were being honest, the meals prepared by a chef three times a day was high on that list as well.
I grabbed a beer from the fridge before nabbing a plate of lasagna and joining Fallon and a few other frat brothers at the table.
“Haven’t seen you around much,” David commented around a bite of garlic bread.
I’d hoped my absence had gone unnoticed, but for three years, I’d been a consistent presence around the house, so, of course, not staying home every night was bound to garner some attention. However, since Hayden and I were trying to fly under the radar, and I didn’t want to say too much, I just responded, “Yeah, I’ve had a lot going on.”
Fallon smirked. “Are you sticking around for the party tonight?”
“That’s the plan.” I held up my beer. “And pre-gaming is about to start.”
“Hell, yeah.” Wilson tapped his bottle against mine. “Classes have kicked my ass this semester. I either need to get drunk or laid. Maybe both.”
While the others joined in, discussing who they wanted to hook up with later, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, hoping it was Hayden, but I saw it was from Chase instead.
Hey! Aron just called me. Vaughn Evans wants to talk to you about a job opportunity with the band. Is it cool if I give him your number?
Flirting With Fire wanted to talk to me about a job? “No fucking way,” I gasped, drawing everyone’s eyes to me.
Fallon tilted his head and asked, “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, but hold on.” I typed out my response to Chase:
Are you serious? Of course it’s cool
Dad #2: Figured you’d say that. I’ll pass along your number. You better call us later to tell us all about it
Me: Thanks! I will
A grin spread across my face as I placed my phone on the table.
“So, what’s got you so excited?” Fallon asked.
