Strangely Comforting (boyxboy)

Chapter 3

My sudden release of Hayden's hand caused him to wake up from his light nap. He looked at me groggily, wondering why I had ripped my hand away so abruptly. Xander smirked before he broke his eyes away from mine and continued rapidly scribbling words down on a piece of paper.

I pushed back in my chair and grabbed my backpack. "Hey, I'm gonna get back to my dorm. I promised I'd help my roommate, Drey sort out his fight with his girlfriend."

Hayden glanced up at me and nodded before grabbing his books off of the table and slipping them into his bag. "I'll get going too. My mom's fiancé is getting back from his business trip today."

I eyed him. "How's he doing?" I asked as we walked side-by-side out of the library.

"Same old, leaves every week and doesn't get back until the weekend," Hayden answered, shrugging his shoulders. "My mom is just glad to have someone around that she can trust, you know. She had a difficult time after finding out my asshole of a father had been cheating on her."

"Yeah, it must've been hard for her," I said. "Hard for the both of you."

I looked over at Hayden who lightly smiled as he looked at the ground. "Could've been harder," he replied after a few seconds.

I rose my eyebrow. "How so?"

Hayden laughed before his eyes met mine and I felt my heart skip a beat. His shoulder bumped into my own and he said, "You were there for me when things got rough."

My chest pounded as I resisted the urge to grab him and pull him into a tight hug. "Of course," I replied.

We walked in comfortable silence for a few minutes until it was time to go our separate ways.

"Hope Drey sorts everything out with his girlfriend," Hayden said as he pulled his keys out of his pocket. "It's a shame that I couldn't."

I sighed. "You don't know that. I bet someone else is just waiting for an opportunity to receive some of your love," I joked and laughed.

"And where would I find someone like that?" Hayden asked, looking over at me.

"Right in front of you," I blurted and slapped a hand over my mouth. "I mean-"

"Nah, she already has a boyfriend," Hayden replied and my eyes widened.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Rachel Stewart," Hayden replied. "The girl standing at the bus stop right behind you. Isn't that who you were talking about when you said she's right in front of me?"

My chest relaxed as I breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, of course. Rachel Stewart was exactly who I was talking about. I didn't know she had a boyfriend, though."

Hayden's lips curled up in another smile. "Too bad. Guess I'll just stay single for a while now. Not sure I'm even ready for another relationship. They're painful, you know."

I know. But it's even more painful not to be in a relationship with someone you love.

"That's why you won't catch me in one anytime soon," I said and returned Hayden's smile. "But you know, your mom is probably waiting for you. Tell her I said hi when you get there."

"Will do," he replied and nodded at me. "I'll call you later."

"Alright. See you," I said and turned away to finish the walk back to my dorm. But of course, I couldn't tell him that I looked forward to his call.

When I got back to my room, Drey was sitting on his bed, hastily wiping his eyes. The guy was a wimp. As he noticed me walk in, he quickly grabbed his glasses and put them on. His light brown hair was strewn in every direction and his plaid shirt was disheveled.

"How bad was it?" I asked as I set my bag down and sat across from Drey on my own bed.

Drey sniffed, wiping the dripping snots that fled out of his nose and I almost gagged. "She said she's tired of me studying all the time instead of hanging out with her."

That was the thing. If I had to describe Drey in one word, it would be nerd. He took his studies too seriously and kept himself locked away all day, reviewing notes and then reading them again. It was a concept I never understood.

"Not to sound rude or anything, but I do see where she's coming from. I mean, you are dating, are you not?" I said.

"We are!" Drey sobbed.

"Then you should spend time with her," I said and rolled my eyes. "That's just the basics. Everyone knows that. It's okay to get out for a few hours everyday and put those damn books down."

"You think so?" he asked. "But wouldn't my studying be sacrificed?"

"Not necessarily. You won't lose your number one rank in the class just by hanging out with your girlfriend, you clueless idiot. No one will ever beat you," I explained and sat back in my bed with my back against the wall.

"Alright, I'll try. I'll try for her," Drey said and pulled out his phone from his pocket.

"There you go," I said and gave him a thumbs up as he dialed his girlfriend's number.

His eyes nervously darted around the room as he brought his phone to his ear, waiting for her to answer. After a few rings, she finally picked up.

"Hi my beautiful May," Drey said as I rolled my eyes again. How nauseating.

"I'm going to stop studying so much so that we can properly hang out from now on," he told her.

I didn't listen to the rest of the conversation because I grabbed a pair of headphones and shoved them in my ears.

~~~

An hour passed and I got up to go to the bathroom. As I was leaving the room, I heard my phone buzz and sped over to see who was calling.

Hayden was displayed on the screen and I quickly grabbed my phone as I swiped to answer.

"Hey Hayden," I said, sitting back on my bed. "What's up?"

"Jasper," he said. "My mom's making a whole shit ton of food right now to welcome Brian back home."

I figured that Brian was her fiancé as I had never heard his name before. "Lucky you," I said.

"Want in?" he asked.

"What?" I asked and sat up. "Are you inviting me over?"

"You and a few other guys," Hayden said and laughed. "We can't possibly eat all of this food ourselves. So come over and hang out for a bit."

I smiled before replying, "Okay, I'll be there soon."

"Bring Drey," he said. "He's probably feeling down right now."

"I'm not actually sure how he's feeling," I said and looked over at Drey. I hadn't listened to the rest of his conversation anyways. "But sure. I'll bring him."

"Great, see you soon then," Hayden said before hanging up.

That was another thing that I liked about him. He was always so kind. Hell, he didn't even really know Drey, yet invited him over as well.

"Get up," I told Drey. "And fix yourself. You look like a mess."

"Why?" Drey asked as he looked at me with questioning eyes. "Where are we going?"

"Hayden Walker's."

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