Balance (Off Balance 1)

Hesitating, I bit my lip. I haven’t had pizza in so long.

“Come on,” he coaxed, and grabbed my books, then laced his fingers through mine. “My treat.”

I must’ve stayed in the library longer than planned. A murky fog sat low in the parking lot as we walked hand-in-hand. I didn’t typically hold hands with someone I wasn’t dating, but Hayden was different. Much to my surprise, he’d become a really good friend. I expected to be close to my team girls more than anything, and I wasn’t.

“Which car is yours?”

I pointed to the black SUV with the almost illegal tint and twenty-two inch rims. It was the SUV Alfred had driven when we first came to Cape Coral earlier this year.

“That’s your ride?” His brows angled, skepticism in his tone.

God, I just wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. To say Hayden was flabbergasted over my top of the line Escalade was an understatement. It was the Platinum edition and aside from being slightly embarrassed, I really did love it. No one’s first car was this nice unless the family had money. But back home, this kind of thing was normal, and the kids I grew up with had even nicer cars. Avery had a sleek BMW that I voiced to my dad wanting on numerous occasions.

“Yes.”

“When did you get that car?”

“Umm, well, I’ve had this car for a while now actually. I just happened to get the keys to it last night.”

“Last night?” he questioned me.

I bit my lip. “Today’s my birthday.”

Hayden stopped in his tracks, jaw dropped and his face lit up. “Today’s your birthday and you didn’t tell anyone?” He slammed into me and gave me the tightest bear hug possible. I laughed when he picked me up and spun me around, wishing me a happy birthday.

He put me down and said, “When did you get your license? I can’t believe you didn’t tell anyone.”

“I skipped tutoring and Alfred took me this morning.”

“Dude, your car is sick. I’m buying dinner, but you’re driving.”

Relieved over his opinion, my shoulders relaxed. “I’m okay with that.”

Hopping into the car, I pushed the button to start the engine as Hayden looked over his shoulder at the two rows behind him.

“Why do you have such a big car? And how come I’ve never seen it at the gym?”

I sighed before diving into it.

“My dad insists a bigger car is safer to drive, but he’s wrong. He just worries about a small car crushing me to death, so he got me a Tonka tank. He’s not the type you argue with and usually what he says goes. End of story. Plus, Alfred used to drop me off, which is why you probably never saw it,” my voice trailed off.

“Hey,” Hayden said softly, pulling my chin up to meet his steady gaze. “Don’t feel embarrassed or ashamed of anything you have. I think it’s pretty cool. Gotta be honest, I’m a little shocked to see you drive something so big as small as you are. It’s a badass truck, but I’d never make you feel uncomfortable over it. I swear.”

His thumb gently grazed my jaw, and I felt his touch all the way to my stomach. I nodded, accepting his genuine words.

“So what does your dad do?”

“He’s a real estate developer.”

“Oh, that’s right. You mentioned it at Kova’s barbecue. I forgot.” I turned onto a busy street and he asked, “Do you live in a gigantic house?”

“Well, it’s average sized...for the island.”

“What’s averaged sized?”

I bit my lip. “It’s a little over nine thousand square feet. There are seven bedrooms, all the boring formal rooms, two kitchens, a guesthouse, movie theater, wine cellar, gym, sauna room, and a game room. We have a three car garage and live off a private road, which I actually like.”

His eyes grew wide. “And it’s on the beach?”