"We could just go out the back door."
"I don't know. I can't leave my friends."
The blonde girl pouted and grabbed Jay's arm, "We can be quick."
He chuckled and glanced back down the hallway to the bar where his friends were sitting, "Thanks for the offer, but I still have to pass. Is there someone I can get for you?"
"Yeah, you," she took a step closer to him and slid her hands over his chest, "Please. I'll be a good girl."
"Okay," Jay groaned and pulled away.
Before the girl could do anything else, Hailey came down the hall and snapped, "Hey."
The girl raised an eyebrow, "Hello?"
"Get your hands off my boyfriend," Hailey said.
The girl looked at Jay in disgust: "You have a girlfriend and were flirting with me?"
"Not what was happening," Jay sighed.
Hailey crossed her arms to say, "Are you going to let go of him now?"
The girl rolled her eyes with a huff then stalked down the hall back to the bar.
"Thanks," Jay cleared his throat.
"Were you actually flirting with her?" Hailey asked.
"Maybe at first, but then she tried pulling me out of here and that's not what I'm looking for tonight," Jay explained.
Hailey laughed, "And what are you looking for tonight, big guy?"
Jay lightly shoved her arm before leading her back to their friends at the table. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
Hailey smiled as she settled into her seat next to him, "Maybe I do."
"Mhmm." Jay hummed and grabbed his beer.
The truth was he was looking for her. He was into the blonde flirting with him in the dark of the bar, but it wasn't until Hailey came to set things straight that something turned in his stomach.
Working with her over the past two years led to developing feelings he hadn't expected to happen. He'd fully intended on keeping his guard up regarding any girls. The therapist Hailey recommended he go to even suggested he try and lone it for a while after Camilla until he felt more secure. And yet as he did begin to heal from, well, everything, he also began to notice Hailey in a different light.
She was incredibly smart and funny and had the bluest eyes he'd ever seen. She supported him through some of the darkest moments of his life as of late and hadn't even flinched in an effort to leave him alone. If anything, this past year alone proved Hailey was good for him. Plus, he realized through her relationship with Adam that he actually did want to spend all his time with her and, in hand, have her spend her own time with him.
It was only when he realized that he enjoyed looking at her as much as he enjoyed talking to her that he started considering a future with her that didn't only involve work.
"You know," Kevin interrupted his thoughts, "Maybe you could actually get a girlfriend, Jay, that'd stop this craziness of having Upton pretend to be yours whenever you get into a situation like that."
"Or, or," Adam held up a finger while he finished his whiskey before saying, "You two actually date each other."
"What? No," Jay tried to laugh, "No, we work together."
Hailey blushed and quickly nodded, "Agreed. And-"
"Calm down, it was just a joke," Adam chuckled.
"Or was it," Kim breathed out and winked.
"We're not doing this," Jay stood up, "Anyone need another drink?"
"If you don't mind," Hailey answered.
"Course he doesn't," Kevin mumbled causing Kim and Adam to laugh.
Jay rolled his eyes, "Very funny. Yeah, I'll grab you a beer. Those idiots can buy their own."
"No, I'll just go with you," Hailey sighed as she stood then turned to glare at the others, "And pay for my own."
She followed Jay to the bar where, despite what she'd said, he ordered her beer and paid for it too.
"Thanks," she said quietly.
"You're welcome," he replied and took a sip of his quickly. Neither moved from their spot against the bar, so he let out a breath then slid onto a stool. "Ignore them," he said and shrugged, "They're all talk. They're also severely lacking in their own relationships, so they can shove it. They're just jealous that we're good friends and willing to step up for each other in those awkward moments."
Hailey smiled and settled into the seat next to him. "That is a good point."
"I mean," Jay took another swig of his beer then gestured around the small pub, "We can probably take any one of these people home. I'm attractive; you're…" He looked at her and his lips tipped up before he continued to say, "Beautiful."
Hailey's cheeks flushed, so she distracted herself by sipping her beer.
"But…yeah," Jay cleared his throat, "We can do this. We can meet new people. You want to do that?"
Hailey paused and raised an eyebrow, "What?"
"Let's take someone home," Jay repeated.
Hailey glanced around then leaned forward to whisper, "Together?"
Jay blushed bright and tried laughing her off, "No. No. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying we should separately take home a date. I'll grab a girl, you take a guy, and we'll…you know…"
Hailey tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled, "You're sure you want to?"
"Yeah, yeah," Jay nodded, "Do you? I mean, we really don't do much besides work. What's wrong with trying to find another person to hang out with?"
Hailey hummed and looked around, "I guess nothing. And it's just one night, right? I haven't had a one-night stand in years."
Jay rubbed the back of his neck, "Cool, so-"
Hailey leaned over the bar to wave down the bartender, "Two tequila shots."
"You got it," he nodded and smiled.
"Why the tequila?" Jay asked.
"I don't know about you, but I definitely prefer some liquid courage before I randomly sleep with someone off the streets," Hailey smirked.
"All right, let's do this," Jay laughed, "We'll show them that we're not a thing."
"Exactly," Hailey smiled and squeezed his arm. She accepted the two glasses and slid a ten dollar bill across the table. "Okay," she took a deep breath as Jay grabbed one of them, "Here's to having fun with other people."
Jay internally winced, but still managed a smile as he said, "Here's to that."
They both drank the tequila while holding eye contact with the other. All Jay could do was wish Hailey was the one he'd take home at the end of this. Maybe he could play along with this game he sort of created and somehow twist it in an hour so they end up together. He's not asking to sleep with her - he just wants her time alone in the quiet of his apartment maybe with his lips on hers, but nothing further than that.
After setting her empty glass on the table, Hailey looked around, "So, are you into blondes?"
Jay coughed, "What?"
Hailey laughed, "There's a handful of blondes here. Do you want one of them or do you prefer brunettes?"
"Oh, I don't know," Jay chuckled quietly, "I just like girls."
Hailey's head tipped back as she laughed harder, "Oh my god."
Jay smiled, "Well, do you have a preference?"
"Um," Hailey grabbed her beer bottle, "I mean…all girls like tall, dark, and handsome, right?"
"Do I count as that?" Jay smirked.
Hailey rolled her eyes, but chose not to answer and just take a drink.
"Thought so," Jay chuckled. He breathed in then glanced around, "So…are we doing this?"
Hailey hummed and nodded behind him, "There's a cute blonde girl over there with a glass of whiskey. Your type, right?"
Jay looked over his shoulder quickly and easily spotted the girl talking to her friend. He smiled slightly because she was pretty cute; she wasn't Hailey cute, but she was cute.
"All right, now you pick one out for me," Hailey said with a hit to his arm.
Jay chuckled and glanced around the room until his smirk widened, "How's Ruzek sound?"
"Jay," Hailey sighed, "No."
"I know, I know," he laughed. He hummed softly then made eye contact with the bartender and nodded at him. "Hey, uh, how's this guy?"
Hailey tried following his gaze and asked, "Who?"
"Can I help you?" the bartender asked as he walked over.
"Yeah," Jay stood, "What's your name?"
"Jay," Hailey hissed.
The bartender raised an eyebrow, but answered, "Tarik. Everything okay?"
"This is Hailey," Jay said and squeezed her shoulder before stepping away, "Nice to meet you." He turned leaving Hailey's jaw dropped as he did as she asked and walked over to the blonde in the corner.
As he talked to her - Courtney - he kept an eye trained on Hailey at all times. There were many more good-looking guys in the bar, but he chose to pair her with the smaller, shorter, blonde guy - the opposite of tall, dark, and handsome. He was pretty proud of himself.
Courtney, on the other hand, looked pretty similar to Hailey. Her blonde hair was in ringlets down her back and she laughed at everything he said to the point Jay almost wanted to take her home, but he couldn't find it in himself to look her in her brown eyes and ask her, so he decided to call it after nearly an hour like he'd originally planned. She did manage to get his number, though, and say she'd call him - yet something about her told Jay she might not have completely meant it.
However, when she walked away, Hailey was still talking to Tarik. She was actually laughing and smiling and Jay felt a twist on his stomach when he realized she wasn't faking it. He gripped his now empty beer bottle while settling in the seat next to Kevin.
"Dump her on someone else?" he chuckled.
Jay shook his head, "We just thought we'd meet new people, but I didn't think she'd actually like him."
Adam smirked, "She's looking pretty happy, man."
Jay shrugged, "Then she's happy. That is great."
Kim raised an eyebrow and asked, "You okay? Did your little adventure with that other girl end on a bad note?"
"Courtney?" Jay asked, "No, she was good. It's all good. We are great."
Kevin hid a laugh as he finished his beer then stood up to say, "I'll buy you another, okay?"
"I'm fine," Jay said, "Really."
"Still gonna buy another round," Kevin said and walked away with Adam by his side.
Kim leaned across the table to whisper, "You sure you're okay? She does look happy, but-"
"Hailey and I are just friends," Jay shook his head, "I'm good."
Kim smiled slightly and nodded before taking a sip of her whiskey.
Jay let out a breath and tried not looking at Hailey, but his eyes continued to glance over at her. Her conversation with the bartender seemed to be coming to an end, so he straightened up to wait for her return.
When she sat in the seat next to him, she breathily laughed and ran a hand through her hair.
"Good?" Kim asked with a smile.
Hailey nodded, "Yeah. He…" she glanced back to the bar where Tarik winked at her, "He's gonna take me to a diner after his shift in about ten minutes. He said they have the best hot fudge cream puffs."
"That sounds delicious," Kim moaned.
"So I did good?" Jay asked.
Hailey smiled, "Yeah, you did good."
Kevin and Adam returned to the table with their drinks eager to hear Hailey's side of the story: "What's the bartender like?" Adam asked.
Hailey laughed softly, "He's really nice. We're going out in a few for cream puffs."
"I like it," Kevin said and tapped his beer to hers, "Nice job."
"Thank you," she smiled then nudged Jay when she asked, "How was that girl?"
"Oh," he shrugged, "Good. Gave her my number."
"Great," Hailey squeezed his knee, "You deserve this. We both do."
He smiled slightly, "Thanks."
"So why the bartender?" Kim sipped her drink, "I wouldn't have pegged you for that type."
"Jay picked him out," Hailey laughed, "At first I was kinda pissed because he's really not my type either, but as we talked, I realized he was nice and he's funny. He was telling me about his brothers and…I don't know, he's worth a shot."
"Well, good luck," Kim smiled, "He is cute."
"Not my type," Kevin interrupted.
Hailey laughed again and shrugged, "You never know."
Jay tried to laugh with her, but it felt bitter on his lips. He hid it with his beer and stared off at the wall.
Adam cleared his throat, though, and raised an eyebrow when they made eye-contact.
He shook his head and finished his drink just as Tarik walked over.
"Ready?" he asked Hailey.
"Yes," she said as she happily stepped down from the barstool. "I'll see you all tomorrow. Have fun tonight. Jay," she paused and put a hand on his arm to say, "You too, have fun."
He stiffly smiled, "I will, thanks. And you be safe."
Hailey smiled back and nodded before following Tarik out of the bar.
"Guess that's our cue," Adam said while standing.
"You need a ride?" Kevin asked Kim.
"No, no, I'm good," she waved him off then walked over to Jay. "Watch the jealousy," she whispered.
"What?" he asked under his breath.
She shrugged, "I saw that, okay? It'll all work out."
Jay shook his head, "I don't know what you're talking about." He held the door open for everyone and said, "See you all tomorrow."
He barely waited for their hastened goodbyes before heading off to his truck.
"It'll all work out."
But how did he want it to work out?
He wanted Hailey in his passenger seat as he drove back to his apartment. He wanted her hand in his or even playing with the radio. He wanted to hear her laughing even if it was at him and some dumb thing he'd said. He wanted her to share her past with him and what she wanted in the future.
He just wanted her.
Shaking the thought from his head, Jay continued his drive back to his apartment in silence.
Hailey was on a date right now. She was fine.
Everything was fine.
A/N: Hi everyone! I am so excited to be back posting stories. It feels like forever since I've last done anything. This story's going to be a bit different than any I've done before, but I really do hope you'll like it. Let me know what you think :) See you next Monday!
