Chapter 31

I need some help deciding something. Do you like seeing Hailey at the academy and would like me to write more of that (option 1) or would you like me to skip ahead a few weeks to a storyline that I've been meaning to write for a while now that is more focused on Hailey and Jay again (option 2)? I would appreciate some feedback! Thank you for reading!

Boxing was on the agenda for Thursday's physical training. This time, I didn't partner up with Aidan and went with a female recruit who was similar to me in height and weight instead. I had never boxed before, but quickly took a liking to it, and the first half of the day flew by.

After showering, I changed into my uniform and got ready for lunch. Mei was brushing her hair next to me while I was packing up my things.

"How did you like boxing, Mei?" I asked her.

She glanced over at me and smiled widely. "It's not really my thing. I see how it's a useful skill, but I definitely won't take it up as a hobby anytime soon," she replied and twisted her hair up into her usual bun. "I was really glad that Claire partnered up with me again. She's so good at everything physical!"

"Yeah. The way she raced through that obstacle track the other day was extremely impressive," I noted. "She seems to enjoy mentoring you from what I have seen."

"I hope so, I can learn so much from her," Mei sighed, smiling

"And how do you find the academy in general?" I asked, gauging the expression on her face.

Compared to the first day I had met her, she had become much calmer and quieter. She was still a happy and bubbly person that liked to smile at all times, but she lacked the enormous amount of energy she'd exuded at first.

"I knew that joining the academy would be very challenging for me, but I prepared for that and I love it!" she beamed and stored her toiletries away in her locker. "How about you?"

"I'm really enjoying it too. I was just wondering because you've become quieter throughout the week, so I wondered why that was," I explained and sat down on the bench between the lockers.

"Oh." Mei closed her locker and sat down too. "I thought you might notice that. Before I started the academy, I made myself the promise that I would go in full force and meet and make friends with as many people as I could. In the past, I've often kept to myself too much, and I didn't want to do that at the academy. But I noticed quickly that I couldn't keep it up permanently. Right now, I'm trying to find a good middle ground."

That explained the change I had witnessed.

"I understand, and I'm glad that's the reason. Starting somewhere new is always a good opportunity to reinvent oneself, but it has to be sustainable. I like you either way," I reassured her and playfully punched her shoulder.

"You're pretty dope too!" she grinned and scooted closer on the bench to give me a hug.

"Dope?" I chuckled.

"Yeah! You know, cool, fly, groovy!"

"I know, I know," I laughed. "Come on. Let's get some food."

We got up and left the locker room.

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking, how old are you?" I wondered as we walked through the entrance of the cafeteria.

"I'll be 22 in January, you?"

I remembered what it was like when a higher number on the birthday cake was still a reason to be excited. "Much older," I sighed with a grin and waved to Aidan who sat at a table a few feet away, waiting for us to join him.

In class after lunch, I sat between the two of them as we learned the police ten-code.

Aidan and Mei were quickly becoming good friends of mine and as I listened to the instructor teach, I was overcome by a sudden wave of elation. When I was Mei's age, I had given up on my dream of becoming a cop, and it had taken a decade but now I was finally in the right place and on the right path. I was finally where I wanted to be, and that realisation and relief sank in deeper into my consciousness every day.

I glanced at Aidan. He felt my eyes on him and looked over. When our eyes met, the corners of my mouth quirked up. He didn't know why I was smiling, but he returned the sentiment anyway and grinned back at me.

Jay was picking me up after class, and I saw his car parked a few feet down the street when I exited the building with Aidan. Mei walked past us, excitedly chatting with her mentor Claire and waved goodbye to the two of us.

"Are you nervous about the first test tomorrow?" Aidan asked.

"No, I've been learning every night. I just have to add today's material to my study guide, and I'm good to go. You?" I replied, looking up at him.

"Seems like you're better prepared than me. I'll have to do a lot of cramming tonight." Aidan ran his hand through his blonde hair. "I only moved into my new apartment last Sunday and have been unpacking all week after school. I don't really have a good space where I can learn yet," he explained.

"I'll email you my study guide," I decided and got my phone out.

"Thank you! That would save me a lot of hours of work tonight," Aidan gushed.

I sent off the email, and his phone buzzed. "There you go. Good luck with your studying. I'll see you tomorrow," I said nonchalantly, and he bent down to hug me goodbye. He smelled like a pine forest.

We went our separate ways, and Aidan headed over to his car in the parking lot, and I walked to Jay's truck. An excited, giddy feeling developed in my stomach when I opened the door and climbed into the passenger seat.

Jay turned his phone off, and I watched my beloved smile form on his face.

"Hey," I grinned and threw my backpack onto the back seat before leaning over to him.

I laced my fingers behind his neck and pulled him closer until our noses touched. Closing my eyes and savouring the moment, I brushed my lips against his, barely letting them touch at first. I pulled back for a moment as he cupped my cheek with his hand, then closed the distance again and pressed my lips onto his.

What started off as a simple hello kiss, developed into something deeper, more passionate.

When we pulled apart, we exchanged a long, enamoured look between us, giving the moment between us time to simmer out slowly.

"Was that Aidan?" Jay asked eventually, pointing towards the entrance of the academy.

"Yeah, that was him."

"Has he asked you out yet?" Jay inquired in a casual tone.

My brows snapped together. "No. Why would you think that?"

"I saw your interaction, and I'd say it's pretty clear that he's into you," Jay shrugged. "Does he know about me?"

I tried to remember if Jay had come up in a conversation with Aidan at any point. "No, I don't think he does," I admitted. "But I haven't omitted that information on purpose, I promise!" I added quickly. "We just haven't really talked about our private lives that much."

The corner of Jay's mouth quirked up, and he jutted his chin out in response.

"I'll find a way to weasel your name into a conversation tomorrow, okay?" I promised and stroked my hand over his forearm.

He stared back at me with an amused smirk, then looked at the time. "Are we still going to your restaurant for dinner?"

My mum had been begging me to introduce Jay to her ever since I had told her about him. I didn't want it to be an uptight or formal introduction, so I had decided to just casually drop by the restaurant with Jay and have them meet like that. That way, I could also fill her in on how my training at the academy was going because she'd asked about that a few times too.

I nodded, and Jay started the motor.

He found a parking spot a block away from the restaurant. As I got out of the car, I realised that I was on edge. I sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Jay met up with me on the pavement and took my hand as we walked.

"Could it be that I'm more nervous about this than you?" I asked anxiously.

"Why are you nervous? Technically, I've already met them," he wondered.

I shrugged and shook my head. "I don't know. I'm excited for you to meet my mum, I'm just not sure about my dad."

He draped his arm over my shoulder and placed a kiss on my hair. "Don't worry. I can't promise that I'll like your father after what I've heard about him, but I can hide my true attitude and be friendly nonetheless."

"You're not the one I'm worried about," I murmured as we turned the corner and approached the entrance of the restaurant.

Inside, we were greeted by a short and chubby waiter. "Hailey! Good to see you!"

"Hey, Martin. I'm glad to see that you're back at work and doing better," I noticed.

"Yeah, thank you. I had food poisoning," he explained. "Not from here though!" he added quickly and laughed awkwardly, shooting a nervous glance at Jay. "Anyway," he cleared his throat. "Are you here for dinner?"

"Yeah. Could you let my mum know that we're here, please?"

Martin nodded and hurried off towards the kitchen while I led Jay to a table close to the kitchen door and sat down next to him.

"This is a really nice restaurant," Jay observed. "I didn't really have time to take in the decor when I bolted through here three weeks ago."

I smiled in response and enjoyed watching him look around.

The door to the kitchen swung open, and my mother approached us. "Honey! What a lovely surprise," she rejoiced in her soft, melodious voice.

We got up from the table, and I gave her a kiss on the cheek after which she turned to Jay with a warm smile on her beautiful face.

"I'm so happy that I finally get to meet you, Jay!" she crooned and took his hand into both of hers.

"You too, Mrs Upton," Jay replied politely.

"Oh, please! Call me Daphne," she requested and took a seat across from us. "The first time I met you at the hospital, you two made me believe you didn't know each other," she remarked.

"Yes," Jay sighed, "I'm sorry about that, Daphne. It was a very confusing and chaotic night, and I had only met Hailey a few nights before. We thought it would be best if I stayed on the sidelines for the time being," he tried to explain.

"That's alright." My mum waved it off. "It was a very hectic night. I'm just glad that everything worked out, and Hailey finally has a boyfriend again. I was beginning to give up hope."

"Mum!" I protested.

"What, honey? It's true. You've put all of your energy into your work here, and it's been a long while since you've brought someone to meet us," she insisted.

I couldn't argue with that and was thankful when she changed the topic. "Have you two ordered yet? What kind of food do you like, Jay?" she asked and began going through the menu with him.

With her help, he picked a dish, and I told her to get me the same. "I'll go place the order and see if George will come out to say hello too," she told us and got up.

When she'd left, I grabbed Jay's hand under the table and returned his smile.

My mother reappeared, followed by my dad. Jay got up and shook his hand.

"It's nice of you to stop by and nice to meet you, Jay, I'm George," my dad introduced himself to Jay, then turned to me. "You could have picked a less busy night to do this," he told me in a slightly irritated tone of voice.

I stared back at him but didn't reply.

"How do you like my restaurant?" my dad asked Jay, still standing next to the table instead of sitting down.

"It's a great place. I've been to Greece once, and the atmosphere in here reminds me a lot of the restaurants I visited there," Jay commented.

"Thank you very much," my dad said, pleased. "I'd better get back to the kitchen. You're needed there too, Daphne," he told my mum in a more serious tone before shaking Jay's hand again and leaving.

"He has a really bad headache today. It's because of his injury from the robbery. I'm sure Hailey has told you about it," my mum tried to explain my dad's terse presence.

I shifted my weight on my seat, feeling uncomfortable. My dad was in one of his moods. They weren't new, but since the robbery, they occurred more often again, and they worried me.

Martin brought our food out, and as the door swung open, I caught a glimpse of Elias working at the prepping area. Jay saw him too.

"Elias got his job back," I noticed as Martin placed the plates down on the table.

"Yes, I wasn't so sure about it, but your dad wanted to have him back," my mum filled me in.

She didn't seem happy with his decision.

"So, Jay, Hailey told me that you're a part of CPD's Intelligence Unit. What is that like?" my mum inquired, striking up a new conversation with Jay.

She was very interested in his job and his experiences in the police force, asking many questions. I guessed that a part of her great interest was founded in her motherly worry because I would be working the same job soon too.

We were only halfway through our dinner when the door to the kitchen opened again, and my dad stood in the entrance. "Daphne, you need to get back into the kitchen now. Customers have to wait for their dinner because you're out here chit-chatting," he bossed, his face serious and annoyed.

"You're right, George. I'm sorry. I'll be right there," my mother told him softly and got up.

"No, mum! You don't have to go. The restaurant isn't even at half capacity, and they can handle things without you in the kitchen," I objected.

"I'm a little surprised myself, but if your dad says so, then I'd better head back. I don't want to make him cross," she spoke softly with a forced smile on her face. "It was absolutely lovely to meet you, Jay. I hope to see you again soon," she said, patting him on the shoulder.

"You too, Daphne," Jay smiled, and we watched her walk back into the kitchen.

When the door had swung shut, Jay turned to me and studied my face.

I was silently fuming. "I hate how he orders her around, and she just obeys him," I hissed. "There was no reason to make her go back to work apart from the fact that he hates it when she gets a break while he works. He can't even let her meet her daughter's boyfriend in peace!" I exclaimed and dropped my fork onto my plate in frustration.

Jay reached up and ran his hand up and down my back soothingly.

Neither of us said anything for a few moments.

"Your mother is a very sweet person. I enjoyed meeting her even if it wasn't for very long," Jay tried to console me and lighten up the mood.

I gave him a quick smile but remained in a defeated mood while we finished our dinner.

"We'll have to meet up with her somewhere away from the restaurant and away from my dad sometime. You should see how happy and outgoing she is without him," I concluded as I climbed onto my bed later that night.

"Any time you want," Jay agreed quietly and lifted the covers so I could slide in next to him.

I scooted close to him and snuggled up against his chest.

"You never told me that you've been to Greece," I murmured.

"I was stationed in Germany for a little while, and when we got a few days off, Mouse and I flew to Greece for two nights," Jay recalled. "I'll have to go again sometime. Two nights definitely weren't enough."

"Maybe I'll take you one day," I pondered and tilted my head back to look at him.

"Yeah?" he grinned.

"Yeah," I decided, and he leaned down to give me an excited kiss.

I laid my head back onto his shoulder and got lost in thought as I traced my fingers across his chest. I tried to forget about dinner and imagined the next few days and months instead.

I envisioned what my graduation from the academy would be like, wondered who my first partner would be, and what kind of cases we would work.

My fingers skimmed across a raised spot of skin on Jay's side. I looked down to find the scar from his bullet wound under my fingertip.

Maybe would have a scar like that too one day. Maybe I would save a life one day. At the very least, I knew that I would make a difference as a cop.