Chapter 410 William and Hayden (11)
Lifted abruptly into the air, Hayden's eyes snapped open in shock.
When the familiar handsome face came into view, and his scent filled her senses, she sighed in relief. Yet instinctively, she tried to struggle, calling out with annoyance, "What are you doing? Put me down!"
William looked down at her, silent.
He rounded a corner and saw a sofa not far ahead. William strode toward it.
"Hey, William, I said put me down! Are you listening?" Hayden grew irritated as the man above her remained indifferent. Ignoring the pain in her body, she began to struggle energetically in his embrace...
"Ow!"
But after just a couple of struggles, a sharp pain from her behind made her gasp, instantly calming her down.
William's brows knitted slightly, observing the woman in his arms cringing in pain again. He gently placed her on the sofa, then knelt on one knee in front of her and removed the broken high heel from her foot.
The broken heel was probably the cause of her fall.
"William, don't touch me!" As his hand held her ankle, Hayden regained her composure and struggled once more.
"Where did you hurt yourself? Do you need to go to the hospital?" he asked indifferently, ignoring her protests and anger.
—Do you need to go to the hospital?
His simple words felt like a warm current rising in some corner of her heart.
"What do I have to do with you? I don't need you to interfere," she said, maintaining her surface resistance to William.
"It seems like you took a nasty fall. Let's get you checked out at the hospital," he suggested, slipping his hand under her knees and around her lower back to lift her once again in a horizontal carry.
His movements were so fast that by the time Hayden realized what was happening, she was already swept off her feet again.
"William, put me down, I..." she struggled, still in mid-sentence, when she felt another pang of pain on her backside.
Watching the defiant woman in his arms, William's lips curled into a mysterious smile before he abruptly stopped and set her down.
"Ah!"
At that moment, Hayden was wearing one high heel while the other foot was bare. Caught off guard by being put down unevenly and still in pain, her heeled foot twisted, and she let out a startled cry as she started to fall sideways.
Fortunately, William hadn't completely let go of her and quickly pulled her back into his embrace.
"William, did you do that on purpose?" Once steady in William's arms, Hayden looked up at him, her eyes blazing with anger.
She stood within the circle of his arms, their bodies pressing together, even their breaths intertwining as she looked up to speak.
But Hayden was too consumed by rage to notice.
Facing the furious woman in his arms, William asked with amusement in his eyes, "What do you mean I did it on purpose?"
"Purposely dropping me, wanting to see me fall again, enjoying my embarrassment," she shot back, glaring at him.
Seeing her stubborn and fierce demeanor, William smiled. "If you think I did it on purpose, then I apologize. So, can we head to the hospital now? Shall I carry you, or will you walk on your own?"
"Don't bother with your fake kindness; I'll walk myself!" Hayden declared, prying his hands from her waist and turning to walk away.
However, after only a few steps, she stopped awkwardly and then turned back to search for her shoe, whose heel had nearly snapped off.
It was obvious that the shoe was no longer wearable.
Now, with one foot in a seven- or eight-centimeter heel and the other bare, combined with the almost bone-shattering pain from her fall, she walked with a mix of discomfort and embarrassment.
Watching her struggle, William's lips twisted into a smile, and he offered, "Let me be the 'bad guy' once more."
With that, he stepped forward and effortlessly hooped his arms around Hayden, lifting her sideways.
Being carried for the third time, Hayden's body seemed to have adapted and offered no resistance.
She opened her mouth to speak, but just as the words were about to leave her lips, William lowered his gaze to meet hers.
In that moment of eye contact, Hayden's gaze and heart seemed to plunge into William's profound and clear eyes, and she became completely absorbed and forgot what she wanted to say.
Except for her father, Finn, being held by a man was a sensation Hayden had never experienced.
As she looked at William's lean yet muscular frame, she realized how powerfully built he was. His arms were strong, his chest warm, and as he held her close, a sense of peace and security she hadn't felt in ages enveloped her.
He carried her like this out of the lecture hall toward the parking lot.
"William."
Just as they were nearing the parking lot, a familiar voice called out from behind, making William slightly furrow his brows and stop in his tracks.
"Hayden, it's you!" Michelle, leaning on crutches, hurried over. When she saw who William was carrying, she was surprised.
"Hayden?!" Jasper followed, his astonishment even more evident as he saw who was in William's arms. "What are you doing here?"
Hayden glanced at Michelle and then turned to Jasper, replying icyly, "Why can't I be here?"
"No!" Jasper laughed, shaking his head. "I mean, how come you are here and with William?"
—William.
Hayden looked up at the man above her, then at Jasper and Michelle, and it didn't take long for her to piece things together.
Jasper must be William's good friend, and Michelle was the one Jasper had hit while drunk driving.
"Hayden is my roommate, and she knows William through me. He's been giving me a ride and taking care of me for the past few days," Michelle interjected before Hayden could respond.
"So, you're Michelle's roommate. Does that make you my little sister at school now?" Jasper asked excitedly upon hearing Michelle's introduction.
Hayden scoffed lightly at Jasper, "To be called my senior, you'd have to be worthy of it."
"Whoa!" Jasper raised an eyebrow. "True to The Smith family's Miss, the high princess with her nose in the air, no matter where she goes."
—Miss, high princess.
Michelle listened, taken aback once more. She had been roommates with Hayden for nearly half a year, yet she never knew the true extent of Hayden's family background.
As for Jasper's drunk driving offense, he'd been released after only three days in custody.
"Everyone's acquainted, I take it?" Glancing at Hayden in his arms, William flashed a smile and asked.
It appeared that Jasper and Hayden shared quite a history.
And that was perfect!
"Yep!" Jasper nodded with a playful chuckle. "More than acquainted. I watched her grow up in her diapers."
"Jasper, repeat that. Who did you watch grow up in diapers?" Suddenly, Hayden's face fell, and she turned a stern gaze to Jasper.
Jasper laughed it off, not the slightest bit offended, and quickly backed down, saying, "Watching myself, just myself. That good enough?"
"William, Hayden, since we all know each other, how about we all have dinner tonight? Jasper and I had already made plans," Michelle interjected, standing nearby with a timely suggestion.
"Hayden took a fall. I'm taking her to the hospital. You guys go ahead," William said, turning with Hayden in his arms and heading to his car.
"Hey, William," Jasper quickly grabbed his arm. " My car hasn't been returned yet. Give us a ride."
"I'm headed to the hospital. You can take a taxi," William paused for a moment.
