Chapter 2

How could a perfectly healthy guy suddenly collapse onto the floor?

Hayden frowned, slumped against the corner with one hand clutching his chest.

I rushed over, hauled him up, and walked him to the couch.

"I don't know why, but my chest's been hurting lately… Sherry, what the hell are you doing?!"

Before he could even react, I shot my hand out and ruffled his hair.

He twisted his neck wildly, trying to shake me off, but my hand held on like a vise. No matter how much he squirmed, I didn't budge an inch.

"Sherry, are you insane? Get your hands off me!"

Too late. I'd already turned his hair into a total mess—it looked exactly like a bird's nest.

He struggled upright and pried my hand off. But in the blink of an eye, I cupped his cheeks with both hands and squished his mouth into a perfect O.

"Sherry… Wright—"

I completely ignored the murderous glare he shot me. "Feel any better now?"

Hayden hadn't even noticed, but somewhere between the bickering and batting my hands away, his chest pain had actually eased up.

"Next time your heart hurts, just come find me. I'll pet you."

Hayden looked utterly shocked. "You know what's going on?"

"It's a quirk of the other Hayden. It probably rubbed off on you."

Truth be told, I didn't know much either. My best guess was that Sunny Hayden suffered from touch starvation or something like it, and whenever his body started aching, a little physical contact from me set him right. That was exactly why I'd been sharing an apartment with him all this time.

But this was Dark Hayden's first episode, and he looked about ready to grind his teeth into dust.

"Hey, don't be embarrassed. Just remember to come to me if something happens."

I wanted to tease him a little more, so I raised my hand again, quick as lightning. But he dodged fast, and my fingertips only grazed his cheek.

It felt pretty hot.

"Hayden, do you have a fever?"

I reached out to check his forehead, but he spun on his heel and made a quick exit.

"I hope I do! I'll burn myself to death by tomorrow!"

…

"Sherry! Time to get up!" Hayden called out. "It's windy today. How about I drive you to campus?"

I was still groggy from sleep as those innocent puppy eyes blinked at me. That settled it—Hayden had switched back to his sunny side.

This version of Hayden was incredibly thoughtful. By the time I dragged myself out of bed, he'd already made sandwiches and carefully set the egg-free one right in front of me.

"Did I… ever tell you I don't eat eggs?" I asked, a little confused.

I hadn't actually known Hayden very long, but he seemed to know all kinds of details about me—from my food allergies to my daily habits. It felt like we'd been close for years.

"You must've mentioned it. You probably just forgot," Hayden said, totally unfazed as he pushed a side dish toward me.

"Oh, by the way, I saw on social media that you had Brock, Julian, and Noah over for poker yesterday? Are you guys playing again today? Count me in."

My knee-jerk reaction was to say yes, but then I remembered that Dark Hayden would most likely take over at night. I had to bite the bullet and turn him down.

Hayden tilted his head, curious. "Why? Do you not like them?"

Before I could answer, he added, "That's fine. I've got some other friends I've known since we were kids. Want me to introduce you? As long as you like them—"

I quickly cut him off, "No need!"

I still had to live under the same roof with Hayden for a while, and I was genuinely terrified that Dark Hayden would come looking for payback in the middle of the night.

Desperate, I blurted out the first excuse that popped into my head, saying, "Actually, the reason I'm not hanging out with them is that I already have a boyfriend."

The second the words left my mouth, I regretted them.

For the next few days, Hayden went into overdrive, obsessively grilling me about who this new boyfriend was.

"Sherry, you're acting weird," he said one evening the second I walked through the door, pointing a suspicious finger at my canvas tote bag.

"If you're in a relationship, why are you still spending every single day buried in the library? It doesn't add up."

I had to hand it to Hayden's detective skills. He could actually smell the library on my bag!

"That's because he's out of Ashvale right now. When he gets back this weekend, I'll take you to meet him."

Having stalled Hayden for the moment, I immediately called my younger cousin, Ethan Keaton, who went to college in Kingsley City.

"Ethan, I need emergency backup, fast!"