Haylie walked back into her apartment and collapsed onto her couch, thoughts flooding her mind. What if Liz was right? What if Red had some ulterior motive for being with her? If so what could it be? If he was just using her, she was going to find out. She took a deep breath, gathered herself and made her way into the bedroom to change into some more comfortable clothes. When she opened her door, she was greeted by the sight of Red sitting on her bed, still wearing his fedora and sunglasses.
Haylie gasped, "Red! I thought we discussed these surprise visits. I can't handle the shock," she vented as she made her way to the closet. She quickly threw on shorts and a tank top and came back out to stare daggers at Red.
"Are you feeling better?" he asked, his tone serious as he sat there looking at her.
Haylie softened slightly, "I'm fine now. I went back to work and the case was closed. We went out of drinks," she answered, still standing against the wall.
Red nodded, his normal grin returning across his lips, "Is that why your cheeks are flushed?" Haylie shook her head, "That could be because of any number of things like the fact that Liz knows about us and she confronted me, the drinks, the fact that you scared me or the accusations she made that you don't care for me at all and I'm just useful to you for the time being," she ranted, she hadn't planned to say all that she did but she couldn't hold it in.
Red furrowed his brow and stood making quick strides to be in front of her, "Do you think I'm using you to gain an advantage in some dealings of my own?" he asked with an even tone but because of how close he stood to her she could see the hurt in his eyes.
Haylie shook her head, "I don't see what purpose you could have regarding me and the thought never crossed my mind until Liz said something tonight. She said she didn't want to rat us out that she only wanted to warn me that you aren't genuine," she explained.
Red brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and then rested his hand on her cheek, "Liz is going through a lot right now. I know you have no reason to believe me because I am a criminal and everything about me is a lie but I have nothing but affection for you," he said softly.
Haylie took a deep breath, swallowing hard, "I'm sorry I let her get into my head. I know she has a lot on her mind with the betrayal of her husband and what you've done to her life but it just made sense for a minute there, you know?"
Red smiled, laughing softly, "I said it just a moment ago, I'm a criminal. Now, I had big plans for you this evening but after the day you've had I think it would be more beneficial if I just laid next to you," he said as he took her hand and led her to the bed.
Haylie laid down, Red joining her and holding her close to him. She placed her head on his chest, "Can we just stay like this and not go out there to the world we exist in?" she said, her tone sad.
Red kissed her forehead, "If only we could. But you have an important career to get to and I have some business that I can not ignore. But for tonight, we lay here in peace and block out the rest of the world," he stated, as he wrapped his arms around her tighter and held her close as she fell asleep.
A/N: That's it for this week y'all. Red and Haylie have really made big strides in their relationship but will Haylie really ever be able to shake what Liz said? We shall see what happens next week... R & R :)