That thought entered my mind and wouldn’t go away. It just made me recall the conversation that we had and how her face seemed to be filled with worry. Unfortunately, I knew that I was the cause of her distress. Even though, she’s supposed to be focusing on recovering, she’s still so worried about me.


    "I’m just going to leave it the way it is. It’s probably best to show her smile as it is…" I replied.


    "You’re probably right," Hayden agreed.


    "I think her smile is a bit sad because she’s always so worried…" I said softly.


    "About you?" Hayden asked softly.


    "Huh?" I made a surprised sound. I didn’t realized that I had said that out loud.


    "I guess she’s worried about you," Hayden said, sounding worried too.


    "Umm…yeah…" I said hesitantly.


    We were silent for a moment as we continued to look at the painting. If only time would stop, then perhaps, I’ll be able to keep her with me for a while longer…


    "Well then, I’ll leave you to work on it," Hayden said.


    Just when I thought that he was going to leave the room, I heard a small creaking sound from my bed. Looking around, I saw that Hayden had made himself at home on my bed instead of leaving.


    "Don’t just randomly crawl into my bed!" I cried out.


    "Why not? You always end up in mine…" Hayden said with a teasingugh.


    That’s because you always carry me there…


    Is this what he meant when he told me that he’ll leave me to concentrate on the painting? How am I supposed to focus when he’sying there on my bed and staring at me?


    "That’s…not true. Can you just leave?" I said, not bothering to hide my annoyance.


    "No…your bed isfortable. I’ll be here for a while…" Hayden said stubbornly.


    "Don’t you have any work to do?" I asked.


    "Oh right. We need to get you an outfit for the g…" Hayden saidzily.


    Hayden was extremely good at changing the subject of the discussion when the current topic didn’t suit him. I just sighed loudly as I gave up on trying to get rid of him. I knew that I wouldn’t be sessful anyways.


    Turning my back on him, I turned to face the painting and tried my best to continue working on it. I could feel his eyes on my back the whole time and it made me feel so nervous.


    "Are you going to join the art exhibition with your friends?" Hayden asked suddenly.


    Oh right, he was listening in on the conversation…while we were…


    The exhibition didn’tpletely slip my mind, but I honestly didn’t feel like I wanted to participate anymore. There was just too many things going on and I wasn’t confident that I could paint anything disy-worthy. Hayden probably doesn’t know this but there are also costs involved in joining an exhibition even though the hosts may cover the event costs; artists still have their own costs.


    "About that…I don’t think I’ll join in after all," I replied without turning to face him.


    "Oh…why not?" Hayden asked, for a moment I thought that he sounded a little disappointed.


    "I just don’t feel like it…I guess…" I replied. It was true, I didn’t feel like it anymore…


    "When is it?" Hayden asked.


    Based on the text that Jenny sentter that day, the exhibition was scheduled for around three months from now. That didn’t leave me a lot of time to produce any work, unfortunately.


    "In around three months…" I replied.


    I wasn’t sure what my life would be like in three months, but I wouldn’t be having conversations like these with Hayden anymore. By that time, our contract would be long over and so would my life living here with him.


    Silence filled the room as we probably both realized that the exhibition wasn’t something that we should discuss any further. After all, it wouldn’t happen in the timeframe where our lives ovepped.


    …


    The next day, I got decently dressed and applied some make up before I heard a few loud knocks on my bedroom door. Hayden wanted me to join him for work again today and to avoid his harsh 15-minute prep time, I had woken up extra early to sort myself out before then.


    I smiled a little to myself, now that I knew that I made it right on time. Feeling a little proud of my achievement, I walked towards the door and opened it. Hayden was already dressed in a smart grey suit, and he greeted me with a bright smile.


    "Wow…someone’s ready to go," Hayden said before pulling me out the door.


    "Why are you in such a hurry?" I asked, curiously.


    It wasn’t that he was in such a hurry, but it seemed like he was in a very good mood as well.


    "I only have one meeting today and old man won’t be there in the office. Let’s skip out and go somewhere fun together, ok?" Hayden said before winking at me.


    I guess that wasn’t really a question.


    "Aha…" I replied vaguely.


    So, he’s in a good mood because he can drag me off to some random ce again today. Before I could say anything more, Hayden grabbed my hand and began dragging me out of the penthouse.


    It was a perfect day with perfect weather and light traffic. We arrived at Hayden’s office in almost no time at all. I sat on the sofa in Hayden’s office while I waited for him to go off to his meeting. Maybe I should take a nap while I wait for him to return from his meeting.


    "It’s time for the meeting. Let’s go," Hayden said as he got up from his seat behind his worktable.


    "Umm…I have to go to?" I asked, a little stunned.


    It never crossed my mind that I had to attend the meeting with him. I mean, I had no idea what the meeting was about, and I didn’t want to get involved in any of his businesses. I had assumed that he would just let me wait here for him.


    --To be continued…