Still Beating

Chapter Twenty-Six

It's a rare kind of Saturday. I don't have a work shift and I made the final round of edits to an essay the day before, so I also don't have any pressing assignments. But perhaps the thing that makes today especially rare is that Michelle is sitting at our—well, Hayden's—kitchen table this morning.

"I didn't realize you could cook this well," Niall says as he pours more syrup onto his plate. It's an off brand of the 'fake' table stuff; not the pure maple syrup our friends up north have.

"They're just pancakes." But still, I'm pleased by the compliment. I'm not a great cook by any means, but I have a few tried-and-true recipes in my arsenal, and this is one of them.

I place the final few flapjacks onto a serving plate and bring it to the table. I insisted that the others start eating without me because pancakes taste the best fresh off the griddle.

"Hey, don't sell yourself short," Michelle says. "These are from scratch. Much better than any boxed mix I've tried."

I place a pad of butter on a pancake and watch it melt.

"It's a Martha Stewart recipe. Super basic. The trick is to let the batter sit for ten minutes before cooking. That's what makes them so fluffy."

"Ah. Send me the recipe, will you?" Michelle says.

Niall laughs. "Well, I used to like these pancakes."

"Be quiet, Niall. I can cook!"

"Yeah, and I'm a popstar," Niall says. "You're quiet over there, Hayden. Do you like Sienna's pancakes too?"

"I've eaten four. So, you tell me if I like them."

Hayden makes eye contact, and my chest gets hot. Hayden has given me a compliment, but Niall's right. He has been quiet over there.

"What's on everyone's agenda today?" I ask. I need to change the subject. Niall and Michelle smirked and looked between Hayden and I. Maybe they think I don't notice these things, but I do. They're as subtle as a foghorn.

"Not much," Niall says.

Hayden just nods.

"Let's go shopping, Sienna. I'm redecorating my apartment back home and there's a few stores in the area I'd like to check out."

"Yeah, let's do it."

"What time do you think you'll be back?"

I turn to Hayden. His eyes are wide.

"I mean, it's already close to noon. Make a day out of it," he suggests.

Michelle and I exchange glances.

"Sure, we can see how we feel," she says.

"And if you girls want to go out for dinner, I'm happy to treat."

I chew slowly on my last bite of pancake.

"Thanks for the offer, but..."

"We'll gladly accept!" Michelle interrupts.

Niall and I laugh at her eagerness but Hayden has zoned out. His eyes are cast downward, focused on his empty plate.

When Michelle and Niall are at the sink with the dishes, I stay seated beside Hayden.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah." Hayden blinks. "Yeah, I'm good. Go and have fun today. I'll be okay here."

"Okay. Call me if you need anything."

Two hours into shopping with Michelle, it's become crystal clear to me that she has an impeccable eye for design. I wouldn't have guessed, because she doesn't seem fashion forward, at least not in the way she dresses.