Bye-Bye Jerk, Hello Mr. Right
Hello 358

Chapter 358

+25 BONUS

"I'll have two orders of pasta. One without tomato sauce, sub black pepper sauce. A mango juice, plain water, and a blueberry mousse-light on the cream."

Nate placed the order with such ease, and it was clearly meant for two.

One of those dishes? Tailored exactly to Lena's tastes. She was all about black pepper sauce, but hated tomatoes. A detail only someone close to her would know. Lena never made a fuss about food in public, but she'd never touch anything with tomatoes. Nate hadn't seen her in years, and they'd only recently made things official. Yet here he was, already tuned into her preferences. It was sweet how much attention he was putting into this relationship.

I used to joke that watching them was like watching two clueless people stumble into love, but clearly, they were way more serious than I gave them credit for.

"We should order," Hayden squeezed my hand gently, bringing me back to reality.

I nodded, realizing now wasn't the time to interrupt Lena and Nate. They were probably squeezing in a quick meal near the hospital, fitting it into their busy schedules. If I went over, I'd just be crashing their moment.

Hayden led me to the counter, picking out dishes that wouldn't be too harsh on my sore throat. Light, soothing foods to help me feel better.

"No dessert for now. Your throat's already hurting, and sweets could make it worse," Hayden said, his concern obvious. His level of care easily matched Nate's.

I glanced over at Nate and Lena, sitting quietly as they ate. No conversation, just awkward silence. I couldn't resist teasing Hayden, "But what if I really want dessert?"

Relationships need a little playfulness, right? Being doted on is part of the fun of being in love.

Looking at Lena's overly quiet, stiff romance, it reminded me of all the boring, flavorless food I'd been eating lately-no spice, no excitement.

"If you insist, you can have a little," Hayden smirked. "Just not too much."

I turned to look at Hayden. When he noticed me staring without saying anything, he assumed I was still upset. "Be good," he coaxed, "Once you're feeling better, you can have as much as you want." "Hayden," I said softly, "I was just kidding."

I mean, come on, I'm sick. Asking for sweets right now would just be setting myself up for more misery. That's something a teenage girl might do, but I was past that phase.

He froze for a second, then smiled, tapping my nose lightly. "You little troublemaker."

To my surprise, when the food arrived, so did dessert.

"You can have a little bit," Hayden said, his eyes flicking briefly to Lena and Nate before adding softly," Whatever anyone else gets, you'll have too. Even what others don't get-you'll still have." Hayden always came off so serious, with that sharp, no-nonsense vibe. But the way he spoke right now?

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+25 BONUS

Chapter 358

His words were like a feather, brushing against my heart.

I took a small bite of the dessert, then grinned at him. "It's so sweet."

But the sweetness wasn't from the dessert-it was all him.

"Did you notice them?" I asked, glancing over at Lena and Nate. "They've barely said a word. They look more like strangers awkwardly sharing a table than a couple on a date." Hayden smiled faintly. "You can ask Lena about it later."

I huffed, watching Lena. "She's too passive. It's weird-when she's with me, she's this fierce, unstoppable force. But the second she's around the guy she likes, she turns into this shy little kitten. It's like she becomes someone else." "Everyone's got different sides to them," Hayden said, handing me my fruit juice and nodding for me to take a sip.

I looked at him, the guy who always had my back. "Yeah, just like you."

On the outside, he seemed all tough and strict. But when it was just the two of us, he was the kindest, most patient person I knew-always knowing exactly what I needed, even before I did. "I've gotta give her a nudge," I said, grabbing my phone.