Hayden
Once they reached the front door, Daisy turned to look at him.
"No making fun of my dorm," she said, giving him a teasing, pointed look.
She unlocked the door and opened it, allowing him to go in first. The dorm was small, and the bed sat in the corner. On the wall beside her bed, a huge picture frame held all twelve Taylor Swift album covers. Beside that, a poster of human anatomy, like something you'd find in a doctor's office.
In the kitchen area, a very busy calendar hung on the fridge. Different color-coded appointments and reminders covered the pages. Her bedding was purple and floral.
Hayden stepped in and felt like he was seeing straight into Daisy's soul. The space was so thoroughly her that it made his chest tight.
His eyes landed on the Taylor Swift album covers first.
"No making fun, huh?" he said, smiling. "I wasn't planning on it. Though I'm noticing a theme with the organization thing."
He moved closer to the color-coded calendar, shaking his head in amused disbelief.
"You really do live by a system. It's kind of incredible, actually."
He looked back at her.
"Your room is perfect. Just like you. Everything in its place, thought out." He gestured toward himself. "I'm probably messing up your whole system just by being here."
She smiled at him and shook her head.
"You just called me perfect," she said, a small smile playing on her lips.
Heat rose to his cheeks. He hadn't meant to say that out loud, no matter how true it may have been. "I did, didn't I?" He said with a chuckle.
She nodded, reaching over to take his hand.
She led him to the small futon opposite her bed and sat down, curling her legs underneath her. She waited for him to sit before she spoke.
"What's your favorite memory?" she asked, looking at him with that same soft smile.
Hayden went quiet for a long moment, then answered.
"Honestly? The good ones are hard to find. Most of my childhood memories have... complications attached to them now."
He took her hand, looking down at it. His fingers play with hers nervously.
"But there's this one. I was maybe ten, and my dad took me to my first college football game. Just the two of us. He bought me a foam finger and terrible nachos, and we screamed ourselves hoarse cheering. On the drive home, he told me I could be better than any player on that field if I wanted it enough. That he'd be there for every game."
The smile faded.
"He kept that promise for a while. Until he didn't."
He looked at her, expression softening.
"But if you'd asked me this question a week ago versus now? My answer would be different. Because Saturday night, when I looked up in those stands and saw you there, that's replacing a lot of old memories. And tonight, you asking me in here, letting me see your world... this might be my new favorite. Just sitting here with you, talking about things that matter."
He touched one of the butterfly clips in her braid.
"You're giving me new memories to hold onto, Daisy. Better ones."
She reached up and took his hand in hers, bringing his hand to her lap. "You deserve good memories. If I can help you have that, then I'm happy to do so. Plus..." She smirked. "You don't make awful company."
Hayden laughed, grabbing her arms and pulling her chest-to-chest against him on the futon. She squealed when he grabbed her, smiling down at him.
"Not awful company, huh?" He said, his hands resting on her back.
Daisy nodded, leaning down to kiss him softly. She pulled back and looked at him again. "Okay, okay. You're my favorite company." She said, smiling at him.
He took her face carefully in his hands and pulled her down to his lips again, kissing her with a sense of urgency.
Daisy settled against him on the futon, her head resting on his chest. His heartbeat sped up and he pressed his lips to the top of her head.
He held her in silence for a few minutes, then spoke. "What about your favorite memory?"
Daisy smiled softly, propping herself up on her elbow to look at him.
"My mom... she used to come in my room early in the morning, like four o'clock." She glanced at him, her smile slightly sad, but mostly fond. "She'd wake me up, and we would have cereal together and just talk. Every morning like clockwork."
Hayden watched her face carefully, then his features softened. Her smile gave away what her words didn't. "What happened?"
Daisy's lips pressed into a tight line for a moment, then she let out a breath. "She got sick when I was nine. Died when I was thirteen."
"When she got sick, we saw so many different doctors. She went through a ton of different clinical trials and medications and treatments, but nothing helped; Only slowed down the inevitable." She shrugged once. "That's why I'm choosing to be a doctor. I just wanted to help her, and I couldn't. So, I want to help everyone else. Give them the chance that my mom didn't get. To give kids more early morning moments with their mom."
Hayden ran his fingers up and down her arm and back, comforting her. She gave him an appreciative smile.
"Tell me more about her." He said after a beat. She looked at him, shock crossing her features. He watched the corners of her eyes glisten with unshed tears and she looked genuinely shocked that he'd asked. He didn't push her on it when she stayed quiet; He knew all too well how hard it was to speak about these types of things out loud. His gaze stayed gentle.
"My mom loved everyone," she started, taking his hand in hers as she spoke. "And I mean, everyone. She didn't know a stranger..."
Daisy spoke about her mom for a few minutes, telling him her favorite memories of her. The early mornings. The way her mom hummed along to Taylor Swift while cooking; That explained the significance of Taylor. The way she always had time to listen.
After a few minutes, she raised her head to look at him, her chin resting on his arm.
"Tell me what happened with your dad. Why doesn't he come?"
He tensed up underneath her, and she nestled against him, running her fingers through his hair. His shoulders loosened slightly.
"My mom left when I was twelve," he said. "No explanation, no goodbye. Just gone one morning. And my dad, he tried at first. Worked two jobs to keep us afloat, came to my games when he could. But I was angry. So angry at her for leaving, at him for not being enough to make her stay, at the whole world."
"I started acting out. Stupid stuff at first. Talking back, skipping school. Then it escalated. Shoplifting. Graffiti. Got arrested twice before I even got to high school. Each time, I could see him getting more disappointed, more exhausted."
"Freshman year of college, I came home for Thanksgiving. We got into it about my grades, about football being the only thing keeping me from throwing my life away completely. And I said some things... I told him maybe if he'd been a better father, Mom wouldn't have left. That he'd failed both of us."
He swallowed.
"He told me to get out. Said if I wanted to destroy my life, I could do it without dragging him down too. That was two years ago. I've tried calling, texting, but I'm getting nothing. He's done with me."
"The worst part is, he was right. I was destroying everything. Still am, probably. Failed half my classes, almost lost my scholarship, pushed away anyone who tried to help."
He looked at her, vulnerable and raw.
"Until you."
She listened, anger flickering across her features for a moment. Anger he knew wasn't directed at him, but at his parents and everyone else around him who let him slip through the cracks. He was angry, too. He'd just never had someone be angry with him, only at him.
When he finished, she reached up, caressing his cheek and looking up at him.
"You aren't what everyone says you are," she said softly, shaking her head. "You're more than that. I see it."
She leaned up, pecking him on the lips softly.
"You're sweet. Kind. You listen."
She smiled, kissing his shoulder once.
"Promise me something?"
Hayden's voice was barely above a whisper. "Anything. I'll promise you anything, Daisy." He reached up, carefully holding her face, his thumb caressing her jaw.
She smiled, leaning into his touch.
"Whenever you're feeling down on yourself, you come to me." She said, eyes serious.
Hayden's breath caught.
"Daisy," his voice cracked. "You have no idea what you're offering. I'm... There are going to be bad days. Days when I'm convinced I'm not worth any of this. Where I'll want to push you away because it feels safer than letting you see how broken I am."
She watched him, her gaze so kind it actually broke his heart.
"But yeah." He said, nodding. "I promise. When I'm drowning in my own head, when I feel like I'm back to being that angry kid nobody wanted, I'll come to you. Instead of shutting down, instead of isolating, I'll let you in."
He kissed her softly, then whispered against her lips.
"Thank you. For giving me somewhere to go. Someone to come to. For being the person who sees me and doesn't run."
She settled against him, sinking into his arms.
"Good. Because you deserve someone who pulls you out of the trenches." She said softly.
Her hand rested on his chest, tracing mindless patterns with her fingers.
"I won't run. I promise." She whispered. His chest tightened at her words. His instinct screamed at him not to believe her. Everyone runs. Even the ones who say they won't. But this was Daisy. The most gentle, stubborn woman he'd ever met.
Hayden tightened his arms around her, and Daisy closed her eyes. Soon, her breathing evened out. Hayden stayed awake for a little while longer, planting lingering kisses to the top of her head every now and again. He let himself get used to this feeling. Her head on his chest, his arms wrapped around her. He'd spent his entire life just trying to find a place he'd belong and coming up short. But in Daisy's tiny dorm room, he finally found it. The sense of belonging; And the thought of losing that terrified him to his core.