HAYDEN
The hallway feels longer than it should. My pulse is still hammering from Juliet's call. She told me she had fallen, that it hurt bad, and that she needed me right now. I took the stairs two at a time, nearly tripped on the landing, and now I'm shoving her bedroom door open so hard it bangs against the stopper.
"Juliet—?"
The words die in my throat.
She's not on the floor bleeding. She's sitting in the middle of the rug, surrounded by a bright scatter of Uno cards, three open boxes of my favourite snacks and a stack of other game boxes.
She looks up at me with those big, innocent eyes and a smile that's trying very hard to be mischievous but lands somewhere closer to fragile.
I stare.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Her smile wobbles. "Surprise?"
I drag a hand down my face.
