It had been a couple of weeks since the tea room. Hailey and Rodrigo barely saw each other, with the fact that Rodrigo couldn't get the nerve to go over to Hailey's house. Every time he got closer to the door he chickened out and rode off with his bike. Shawn and Sebastian had noticed his antics and would personally wait outside for him, hoping that would draw him closer to seeing Hailey. But that just made him come less. He didn't want the confrontation.
However the only person to not notice this was Hailey herself. She was too caught up in her own world of being a Mastra. She had took Rodrigo's job and now lead the symphony. There were times when she felt horrible for taking his job. Knowing that now he was out of work and did not have a money supply. But she could never find him anyway to talk about it. If they saw each it was for a split second and Rodrigo would run away. Hailey couldn't stop him and soon stopped even trying. If he didn't want to see her then she didn't want to see him.
But they both knew that was not true. More than anything did Hailey and Rodrigo want to be wrapped in each others arms, lay in bed together, and most of all, just hug each other. But that would not happen. Or maybe it would.
As it was happening now.
And maybe more than them seeing each other would change.
Hailey wore the least suggestive dress she could find. She did not want to put herself on Rodrigo. Making him frizzled was the last thing she wanted to do. This was not a date. Just two friends going out for coffee. That was all this was. Sure, maybe Hailey wanted more. But that was not in her control. Rodrigo was the one who called her, on someone else's phone. He sounded nervous and terrified on the other end of the line. She would have asked him what was wrong if he let her. But instead, he keep on asking her the same question over and over again.
"Will you meet me for coffee at 8:30 am on Sunday? At the small place called 'Bueno'?"
Over and over again. When Hailey finally said yes the call had ending and she didn't get the chance to ask why he sounded the way he did. Maybe that didn't matter, maybe he was just stressed and nothing was actually wrong. But Hailey knew Rodrigo better than that. Something was wrong. And she wanted to know what that thing was.
Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Although Rodrigo would not admit it to himself, what he was doing would ruin his life. But it was worth it to keep Hailey happy. And to him, that was all that mattered.
He was waiting at the coffee shop for Hailey. He needed to be before she got there. That was how the plan was to work. He would just have to look her in the eye and squeeze her hands. It was plain and simple. Yet it felt so hard and hateful. Would Hailey hate him for what he was doing? Would she regret everything they had?
His thoughts were interrupted when the lady in question walked through the door.