A/N: Happy Monday! I have been so excited to share this one with you since I wrote it, so I can't wait to hear what you all think. I also want to say thank you to you all for sticking with me the past 15 weeks, I can't believe it's been this long! I appreciate you all!
Jay dropped Hailey off at her condo each morning on his way to work. He hated watching her leave each time, but she always waved and smiled and sometimes she'd drag her fingers along his arm before hopping out.
She was working on packing everything away so she could easily move. She'd also put a few things up for sale online. She no longer needed a big dining room table or two couches, bar stools and a single couch would suffice. If it upset her, she never said anything. She kept her emotions in check once Jay would pick her up each night.
Sometimes she had him grab some suitcases and boxes for her, but they planned on doing everything else on moving day with the others. Everyone had the day off and was going to help Hailey move from her condo and Jay's apartment into her new place. It hadn't even been a question for all of them despite her protests that she'd be fine. The night that was decided, though, she quietly admitted to Jay that she was glad she wasn't alone. He was glad too.
As much as the feeling of being put in the friend zone stung, Jay really did want to keep Hailey happy. He wasn't going to leave her high and dry over a kiss on the cheek - she deserved more than that. So with one glance to the clear sky on his way to pick up Hailey for the last time, he decided he was going to make their last night as roommates special. They'd started this whole adventure by being vulnerable with each other, so now was the perfect time to uphold one of his first promises to her.
Hailey was waiting at her front door for him, so that he hadn't even put the car in park before she was hurrying down the sidewalk toward him.
"Hey," he said as she quickly hopped in the truck, "You good?"
"Yeah, we just need to get home," she breathed. Closing the door, she glanced at him and gestured toward the street. "Drive."
"What the hell?" Jay asked as his smile faded, "What's going on?"
Hailey shook her head and again waved at the street. "We need to get home," she said.
Home.
The place they lived together…
For one more night.
Jay sighed, but knew she wasn't going to give in and just did as she asked. The second he was driving, Hailey visibly relaxed in her seat and began asking about his day as if they hadn't been texting for most of it.
Packing up her condo had distracted her mind, but it didn't make her forget she wasn't at work. With each passing day, she grew more and more antsy. Sure, there was therapy and painting and yoga, but it couldn't erase the need to go help others, and Jay took note of it: he knew she needed to go back, but was anxious all the same at the thought of her being back in the field.
Once parked at the apartment building, they both stepped from the truck and began walking through the parking lot. Hailey was in the middle of telling Jay about wanting to buy new sheets when the door opened and an Instacart worker walked out of the building. She immediately stopped talking and quickened her pace leaving Jay in the dust.
He laughed, though, and jogged to easily catch up to her. "What're you doing?" he asked.
"I have a surprise," she answered while holding the door for him.
"Really?"
"Yeah, as a thank you."
Hailey said nothing more as she led the way to the elevator and pressed the up button. She just smiled at him and leaned against the wall.
Laughing softly, he said, "You're trouble."
She shrugged and hurried out of the elevator the second the doors opened. Jay followed then noticed what seemed to have spurred on her running: a big brown paper bag sitting outside the apartment. She happily picked it up then stuck her key Jay had given her months before in the door.
"What's that?" he asked.
"My surprise," she said with another smile, "I'm making you dinner."
"You've made me dinner a lot these past couple weeks," Jay replied while walking in with her
"But never Greek food," Hailey corrected. She unpacked all the food she'd ordered onto the counters before smiling at it. With a nod to herself, she hurried over to her laptop and brought it back to the kitchen.
"You really don't have to do this," Jay said.
Hailey waved her hand and sat at the barstool. She opened up her email where she seemed to have sent several links to herself with different recipes. When Jay didn't walk away, she glanced over her shoulder at him and said, "Seriously, give me an hour or so. Go shower or watch TV or whatever. I'm good. This is my thank you for everything you've done the past few weeks."
Jay smiled slightly and stepped back. "Okay," he said softly, "I'll be in our-my-the room. I'll be in the room."
Hailey raised an eyebrow, but nodded and went back to her laptop.
Jay let out a breath then walked into the bedroom. He rubbed his face before pulling his work clothes off and slipping into a clean pair of jeans. Glancing out the door at Hailey now measuring ingredients into a bowl, he then knelt next to his bed and pulled his telescope out. He smiled at it before sitting on his mattress with it so he could clean it and get ready for the night.
An hour later, he had finished prepping the telescope and was sitting on the bed looking through his phone. While Hailey had said he could watch TV, part of him wanted to keep her dinner a surprise, so he stuck to the bedroom.
The bedroom that still had Hailey's clothes in the closet and her pillow on the bed.
It really was their bedroom, but saying that didn't seem right especially since she was going to be leaving in less than twenty-four hours, so for now, it was the bedroom. He debated calling it his bedroom, but it was still more theirs than his and he'd already agreed not to call it theirs, so the bedroom worked the best.
In part, he wondered if his life was going to get easier after Hailey left. There wouldn't have to be anymore of these thoughts about what was whose - that'd save time off his day. There was also the one night where he'd accidentally used her shaving cream on his face – not having to worry about using that could maybe save an extra two seconds off his routine.
He shook his head and fell back against the pillows. He wasn't kidding anyone. Hailey had laughed after she told him about the shaving cream and it was quite possibly the best sound he'd heard that entire day.
Maybe on some level, his life was going to get easier, but it wasn't going to be a better life. He liked living with Hailey more than he'd thought he would. They had a lot of fun together and he really had noticed a difference in how he felt at the end of each workday with having someone to talk to. He was going to miss her a lot.
There was a soft knock on the wall before Hailey said, "Jay?"
He sat up and tossed his phone to the mattress. "Yeah?"
"Dinner's ready," she said with a smile. But she didn't step back, instead, she walked forward and added, "You have to close your eyes."
He cracked a smile as well and said, "Are you serious?"
"Very serious," Hailey laughed, "Come on, I'll hold your hand so you won't run in the wall even though that would be really funny."
"You're so kind," Jay said under his breath while standing up. However, he did close his eyes and put his hand out toward her. Her fingers were twisted against his a moment later before she tugged him forward.
"Careful, careful," she said with each step they took.
He laughed again and said, "I'm trying the best I can. I'm following you blind here."
Hailey laughed with him then placed a hand on his chest. "Okay, we survived the short distance, are you ready?"
"Yes." He nodded and squeezed her hand.
"Then open your eyes."
Jay blinked his eyes open and took in the few dishes on the counter next to two plates. He wasn't quite sure what he was looking at, but he knew it was going to be delicious, so he simply smiled and said, "It looks really good."
"I hope so," Hailey replied and gently pushed him toward a barstool. "Sit, sit," she said, "I made a couple things and I want you to try them all. No dessert, though, sorry. Baking's never been my strong suit."
"Hey, this looks amazing," Jay said, "I don't think I'll need dessert. This is more than enough. Thank you."
"You're welcome," Hailey breathed and began putting food on both their plates. "Okay," she began, "Greek salad-"
"Of course," Jay said and nodded.
Hailey smiled at him then explained, "My mom always said you need a salad when making a meal for someone."
"Well, I appreciate her concern for my health," Jay chuckled.
"She'd want to make sure you're in tip-top shape so that you can have my back," she said under her breath, "Always worried I was gonna get hurt at work, only for the real damage to be done elsewhere."
Jay's smile faded and he bit his lip. Waiting a second, he then reached out and grabbed Hailey's wrist to stop her from putting the salad on her plate. "Hey," he said softly, "Look at me."
Hailey squeezed her eyes shut for a moment then set the tongs down before turning to face him.
He slightly shook his head and gave her a small shrug before saying quietly, "Don't be so mean to yourself, okay? I know it's going to take a while, but for tonight…it's just you and me. I'm not judging you or anything that had happened."
He rubbed his thumb over his wrist and gave her a small smile. All he ever wanted was for her to feel reassured and safe, so that was his biggest goal for tonight: send her off on her own knowing he'd do anything and everything for her always, including reminding her how strong she really is.
"Thank you," she said softly. She slipped her wrist from his just to then squeeze his fingers. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to the food to say, "So the salad, you've probably had it before, but have you ever had lemon potatoes?"
"Not that I know of," Jay replied.
"Great," Hailey said with a smile.
Jay smiled back at her as she continued filling his plate with food. Her momentary lapse was just that – a lapse. She was more than just okay. She was good. She was here and she was smiling and she was good.
Just like he always hoped she would be.
"I don't know how you expect me to be able to move after all that food," Jay chuckled once his plate was completely empty.
Hailey laughed and said, "You don't have to move. I'll clean up."
"Well, that's not fair." Standing with a small, slightly dramatic groan, he reached to begin clearing the bowls from the counter.
"Hey, I've got this," Hailey said while grabbing the bowl of green beans from his hand.
"You cooked, I clean," Jay said and leaned around her to pick up the empty plate the chicken souvlaki had been on.
"It's my thank you dinner, though," Hailey sighed.
"And this is my thank you for the food." Jay stepped back and raised an eyebrow while holding back a smirk.
Shaking her head, Hailey walked over to begin rinsing off their plates.
"Hailey," Jay said warningly while stepping right behind her.
She hesitated at the sink then, before Jay could know what was happening, grabbed the sprayer and spun around to soak him in the water.
He spluttered at the water hitting him in the face and shuffled backwards. "Hailey!" he yelled.
She just laughed, though, and continued drenching him with water. "Step out of the kitchen, Halstead, and you won't get hurt," she teased.
He laughed with her and squinted through the onslaught of water to say, "You don't want to do this."
"I think I do," she countered.
In an instant, he had her in his arms so the water was getting all over the kitchen because she wouldn't let go of the button.
"Let go!" Hailey laughed.
"Turn it off," he coughed through the water before picking her up getting them both wet.
"Nope," she said while holding the sprayer over his head.
He reached up to grab her wrist then easily sat her on the counter. She couldn't even open her mouth to reply before he was spraying the water in her face.
"Jay!"
"Hailey!"
Finally, Jay stopped spraying the water leaving them both panting there in the kitchen. Water dripped off of them as they stared at each other both with smiles on their faces and laughter occasionally slipping from their lips.
Hailey wiped her face and took a deep breath. She looked around at everything soaking wet then said quietly, "Sorry, Psári. That was a bit of a mess."
Jay snorted and leaned forward against the counter as he laughed. Both his hands were on either side of Hailey's legs so his head was near her shoulder, which just caused more water to drip from his head onto her already soaked shirt.
Hailey laughed with him and put her hands on his arms. "You're really wet," she giggled.
"And so are you," Jay replied while straightening up. He chuckled and tucked a piece of her wet hair behind her ear.
Hailey breathed in through her mouth before reaching up to touch his hair in return. She smiled slightly and said, "I didn't realize you had so many curls."
"I don't have curly hair," he said.
She hummed and twirled a small piece from above his forehead around her finger. "Definitely wavy," she breathed. Jay's eyes fluttered close as her finger drifted down his cheek. She put a hand on his chest then asked under her breath, "Mind stepping back so I can actually clean the dishes?"
"Yeah," he said softly. Stepping backwards, he had a hand on her arm as she jumped off the counter. While she began cleaning the dishes, he started wiping up all the water now covering the counters and cabinets.
Something told him that he could have kissed her right then. That same part of him also said that she probably would have let him. It had felt very similar to their moment on the bridge, but almost more intimate. They were together in their apartment with her directly at his eye level on the kitchen counter. If that didn't scream couple, he didn't know what did. Then again, they shared a bed and weren't a couple.
Maybe kissing and sort of becoming a couple wouldn't have been the best thing to do the night before Hailey moved out. She didn't need the extra stress of a sudden maybe boyfriend hours before leaving his apartment. Would it have stressed her out?
It probably would have stressed him out. He was having a hard enough time accepting that she was moving out. Add to that the idea of Hailey being his girlfriend and he had a feeling he'd be pushed over the edge.
It was better off not to kiss her. At least this time he didn't feel as awkward stepping away from her. He had good things to look forward to – they had plans for the night. It was okay to not kiss her right now.
Maybe later.
Later in the future.
Like in a couple days or next month.
But not now.
Definitely not now.
While they walked around the small kitchen completing their given chores, they bumped into each other and sent each other small smirks causing them both to laugh at each other and at the memory of what had just happened. It felt good and natural and like the perfect night already.
Once everything was as dry as he could get it, Jay stepped out of the kitchen and said, "Now I have plans, so go dry off and put on some warm clothes."
Hailey looked up from drying off the last ladle. "You have plans so I need to go change clothes?" she asked.
He laughed and shook his head. "We have plans together, come on," he replied and grabbed the bottom of his shirt.
"Oh, okay, that's clear," Hailey said with a nod and smirk.
Jay rolled his eyes and pulled his shirt off. Walking backwards, he said, "We're heading to the roof in a little bit. I don't want you to get sick."
Hailey's eyes trailed down his chest for a quick second before she repeated, "The roof?"
"Yup." Jay balled up his shirt then tossed it at her. "Wet because of you, Upton," he called out as he walked into the bedroom. He could hear her laughing in the kitchen as he pushed the door close and undid his belt.
Trying to keep his thoughts clear of Hailey standing in his kitchen with her clothes tight to her from all the water, he shucked off his jeans to pull on a new pair. On the bed, he could see his black t-shirt sitting in its usual place under Hailey's pillow and smiled slightly. He knew he was going to miss nights like these even if it did add time to his day because he needed to change his clothes.
Just as he was pulling on a sweatshirt, Hailey knocked on the door and said, "Can I come in?"
"Yup," he called back. He knelt next to the bed and pulled out his telescope.
The door opened, but there was a soft creek in the floor telling him Hailey didn't walk much further in the room.
"Are you trying to scare me?" she asked.
Jay laughed and stood up as he said, "No. Just grabbing something."
Hailey's eyes flickered to his telescope case and she instantly smiled. "Are we looking at stars tonight?" she asked.
"I'd like to," Jay said softly, "That okay?"
"More than okay," Hailey replied. She walked over to the closet and began looking through her clothes. "I guess I should have been packing my clothes more," she mumbled.
"Don't worry about it," Jay said on his way out of the room, "If you need to come back to grab more your clothes in a couple days, it's not the worst thing. You're not going far."
"True," Hailey breathed. She grabbed the Blackhawks hoodie and tossed it to the bed before giving Jay a short glance. "Privacy?" she asked.
He smirked and raised an eyebrow, but still nodded and stepped from the room as he closed the door. He leaned against the wall and took a deep breath.
Part of him would always be interested in seeing Hailey wet without her clothes on, but he had to admit that right now, he was almost more interested to see if her bruises were practically healed like on her face. Her leaving would be much easier if he knew she wasn't going to be in as much pain as she had been when she'd moved in.
With that thought in mind, he walked to the kitchen to check the freezer for all the icepacks he'd kept prepared for her. Without a doubt, he was going to let her take all of them to her new place. He'd feel much better knowing she had everything she could possibly need.
He didn't even want to think of how much better he'd be feeling if she just stayed at his place forever, but that wasn't something he even wanted to entertain – at least not right now, not when it was probably better for her to be on her own again.
He glanced toward Psári doing circles in his tank and whispered, "You better take care of her and let me know if anything bad happens."
The fish couldn't reply and just continued swimming on his own.
"Yeah," Jay sighed and leaned against the counter, "I just need to let her be. She'll be okay." He looked toward the closed bedroom door and repeated under his breath, "She'll be okay."
"This isn't illegal, right?" Hailey asked as Jay led her up to the roof.
He laughed and reached back for her hand. "If it was, I could take care of it," he replied.
She rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand as she said, "Sure. You'd put on the charm, wouldn't you?"
"Of course," he replied with a wink and tugged her up the final set of stairs to the roof. Leaving her at the doorway, he walked to the middle of the open area and looked around at the clear sky. "This should be it," he said mostly to himself before beginning to set up his telescope.
Hailey watched from the side smiling at him the entire time though he didn't even notice. She had pulled on his sweatshirt that she'd officially taken as her own, so her hands were effectively covered as she wrapped her arms around herself at the slight breeze in the air. Rocking on her heels, she didn't need to wait long before Jay was bending over to look in the eye-piece.
"Okay, I'm pretty sure…" he quietly trailed off as he straightened up and reached for his phone.
"Whoa, wait," Hailey said and walked forward, "Are you checking your phone for the stars?"
He chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, I want to make sure I'm saying the right stuff," he explained.
Hailey smirked slightly as she said, "Tell me your guess first, then we can check."
"All right then," he breathed and looked back in the telescope. He stared at whatever it was for a moment then announced, "Jupiter."
Hailey raised an eyebrow and asked, "Really? How'd you know?"
"The stripes," he said and stepped backwards. "Here, come look," he put a hand out and waved her over.
Smiling at him, she nodded and looked into the telescope. After a few quiet seconds, she said, "Wait, Jupiter has the spot, right?"
"Yeah, you see it?"
"I think so!"
Jay smiled at the back of her head then took his phone out. A minute later, he nodded and said, "We should have bet I'd get it right. That's Jupiter."
"That's really cool," Hailey said as she stood up, "Can you show me something else?"
"Course," he replied softly. He glanced up at the sky and said, "Well, without the telescope, you can see the big and little dipper."
Hailey hummed and searched the sky. She was spinning around slowly causing Jay to laugh and say, "You can't see it, can you?"
"I…no," she laughed, "I don't know where to start."
"Well, here," Jay reached over and tugged her close to him. He held her back to his chest then grabbed her right hand to point up at the sky with his own as he explained, "Follow your finger and you should be able to see it. It looks like a big ladle. You have to know this one."
Hailey squinted her eyes before nodding and saying, "Okay, I see it. Where do we go from here?"
"From here," Jay said softly and began moving their hands together, "We have the little dipper, which means there's the north star. It's also called Polaris."
Hailey nodded and rested her head back on his chest.
"Do you know the Greek story of Cassiopeia?" Jay asked.
"Um, maybe?" Hailey said, "I think she bragged about how pretty she was?"
"Yeah, I think so, I'm not totally sure," Jay chuckled, "But no matter the story, that's the W looking one right there."
He tried pointing it out with their hands, but she said, "I'm not seeing it. It just looks like dots."
"Hailey," he laughed and pulled her back to the telescope. He set it up then pulled her over and said, "It's right in there. Shaped like a W. You've got this."
Hailey smiled at him before bending down and looking through the eye-piece. She looked for a few seconds then said, "A W or an upside down M?"
"Shut up."
"I'm serious."
"Upton," Jay groaned.
"Oh, Upton?" Hailey laughed and spun around, "Really?"
Jay smirked and crossed his arms. "You're being difficult. I thought this could be a nice night up on the roof and here you are messing around."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Hailey laughed more. She put a hand on his chest and said, "This really is a nice night, thank you. Would you mind showing me some more? Either with the telescope or not, I don't care. I just want to…I want to spend time with you tonight."
Jay's smirk slowly faded into a smile as he nodded. "I want to spend time with you too," he said softly, "Come here."
Hailey stepped back toward him and let him gently turn her back against his chest like she was earlier. Again, she rested her head against him and loosened up so he could guide her hand as he began pointing stars out for her.
He whispered against her ear as he slowly rotated her around the roof. Occasionally, he brought her back to the telescope and helped her see more of the stars. He couldn't help but stare at her whenever she was looking through the eye-piece. He knew he had to have looked like an idiot just smiling at her, but seeing her so happy and relaxed made him incredibly happy and relaxed. What did it matter if they weren't dating? Right now, they were having a really good time on the roof doing something he loved but hadn't done in forever – this was a night he wanted to remember for a long time.
Eventually, they had looked at the surrounding stars multiple times and were getting rather cold, so they packed up the telescope and headed back downstairs.
"You're not tired, right?" Hailey asked while holding the apartment door open for Jay.
"No," he chuckled, "You?"
"Not at all," she replied, "I'm also kind of hungry."
"Well, we definitely can't have that," Jay said on his way into the bedroom.
"Do you have hot chocolate?" Hailey asked.
"I should!" Jay called out as he returned the telescope to its place under his bed, "If anything, I have chocolate chips. We could melt some of those and put them in hot milk."
"Sounds delicious," Hailey laughed.
Jay smiled and walked to shut the door. "Check the cabinet closest to the fridge where the baking stuff is," he said while pulling his jeans off, "Also check the expiration date."
"Got it!"
"I have some?"
"No," Hailey laughed again, "I just meant that I heard your directions. I'm looking now."
"Cool, cool."
Jay looked through his drawer in search of sweatpants before finding a grey pair and pulling them on. It felt like the chilled air was stuck to the Cubs sweatshirt he'd worn on the roof, so he swapped it out for a navy hoodie then walked out of the room.
"All new clothes," Hailey commented after she glanced up at him.
Jay raised an eyebrow at the array of baking ingredients on the counter. "This looks like a lot more than just hot chocolate," he said.
"I thought we could make chocolate chip cookies," Hailey replied with a smile, "Shouldn't take long, right? Eight minutes in the oven?"
Jay's gaze shifted to his mom's recipe binder in front of Hailey. While he knew she'd seen it before, it still felt a little strange to have someone else looking at it; however, he'd just spent an hour on the roof with said someone looking at stars on top of living with her for a few weeks. Without a doubt, his mom would have approved of Hailey, so any worries about her seeing the binder didn't last long.
"Uh, actually," Jay said and cleared his throat, "Let's do ten, that way we can dip them in the hot chocolate."
With her face lighting up, Hailey said, "Look who's using his head."
"Hey, I know more than just the constellations," Jay chuckled.
"Yeah, you know the stories behind them and the planets too," Hailey said softly. Her eyes followed Jay as he walked around to help her grab the mixer from the cabinet before she added, "I liked listening to you talk about it all. Thank you for showing me all of that."
Jay smiled at her and nodded. "Anytime."
"Maybe since you taught me about space, I could teach you about painting," Hailey suggested while dumping the flour into the bowl.
"Yeah?" Jay asked, "Would you like that?"
"Mhmm," Hailey hummed and reached around him for the chocolate chips, "I haven't really bossed you around in a while."
Jay laughed while beginning to crack the eggs. "And you'd be bossing me around while we painted?"
"Yes," Hailey replied with a smirk.
"Ah," Jay chuckled, "Then sure. It can be our first date at your place."
They both froze the second the words came from his mouth.
He didn't know where it came from. He'd been doing so good since almost kissing her on the counter with avoiding thinking of her in that way. This just…came out.
Hailey was the first to move and decided to make a joke out of it by raising an eyebrow and saying, "Our first date would be at my apartment? You're not taking me out?"
It didn't help, though, and Jay just felt his cheeks burn even more. He weakly laughed and pulled himself together enough to ask, "Would you want me to take you out on a date?"
Hailey visibly swallowed before breathing in and tilting her head to the side. After a very long three seconds, she said, "Eventually." She then turned on the mixer now filled with cookie ingredients and walked into the bedroom leaving Jay standing alone in the kitchen.
He could feel his eyes widen in shock at that one word.
Eventually.
He could eventually ask her out and take her on a date.
Whatever that meant.
Was it really in a couple days or weeks? Was it a few years? What if eventually meant just a couple hours? There were too many options and he really couldn't figure out which it could be.
Even when all the ingredients were mixed together and he was beginning to roll the balls, he was still thinking about what eventually meant and Hailey still hadn't returned from the bedroom.
One thing he knew for sure, though, was that he'd been right all along about one thing: Hailey needed time before moving on. That was at least reassuring to know he'd done one thing right these past few weeks.
However, there was one thing he'd gotten wrong and that was assuming she'd placed him in the friendzone by kissing him on the cheek the other day. If someone was in the friendzone, he'd always assumed they stayed there forever, but now Hailey was telling him he could get out. That was promising.
By the time he had the cookies in the oven and had started boiling the water for the hot chocolate, Hailey had finally emerged from the bedroom with a pink face and fresh clothes; Jay was quick to notice that she'd swapped his hoodie for his black t-shirt she'd been sleeping in.
He smiled at her and nodded toward the oven. "Put them in a minute ago and started the water," he explained, "You okay?"
"Um, yeah," she said softly and began putting the rest of the ingredients away, "Just washed my face and got ready for bed. Figured I should be comfortable in case I fall asleep on the couch again."
Jay chuckled and said, "Probably a good idea. I changed because I still felt cold from the roof."
"It wasn't too bad," Hailey replied, "I liked it, but then again, you were a good wind blocker." She sent him a small smile then sat at the barstool to wait for the food and drinks.
"Glad I'm useful for something," he said earning another laugh from her. He watched her for a moment before grabbing out two mugs and a small bottle of baileys from the fridge. "What do you think?" he asked while holding up the bottle, "Spiked hot chocolate?"
"Oh, yes," Hailey scoffed, "Hand it over, Halstead."
Jay laughed and passed her the mugs and Irish cream. "It's the only way to drink hot chocolate," he said.
"I completely agree," Hailey laughed while pouring it into the mugs. She then held out the dark blue one to Jay and said, "We're doing a shot first before the hot chocolate."
"Who am I to argue with you?" Jay asked with a wink. He tapped his mug to the Rangers one she was holding and said, "To living together and not killing each other."
"What an accomplishment," Hailey laughed before drinking the alcohol.
Jay laughed as well as he finished his shot. "It wasn't hard," he said.
"Glad to hear I'm a good roommate," Hailey said with a smile, "You weren't bad either."
"Oh, thanks," he chuckled.
Hailey hummed and poured more of the baileys into their mugs. Jay then grabbed the kettle as it screeched from the steam and filled the cups up before passing over the hot chocolate mix. Once they'd both gotten their hot chocolates ready, the oven beeped telling them the cookies were done.
As Jay pulled them out, Hailey said, "This, hot chocolate and cookies, is probably one of the best ideas we've ever had."
Jay laughed and tossed the oven mitts back in the drawer. "No doubt," he said while passing over a napkin, "Ready?"
"They're still super hot!" Hailey laughed.
"We'll survive," Jay said and picked up a cookie. He hissed quietly at the heat hitting his fingertips, but avoided looking at Hailey in a small attempt to hide what had happened.
"You're such a dork," Hailey teased with a smirk.
He winked at her as he took a bite of the cookie.
"Oh," Hailey laughed when he quickly hid his mouth while trying to stop the chocolate from burning him. "See!" she yelled, "Dork! It's way too hot right now."
"Fine, fine," he gasped.
Hailey rolled her eyes and walked around the counter to fill a glass with cold water. She held it out for him, raising an eyebrow when he waved her off. "I allowed the dramatics to happen, now I'm asking them to stop," she lightly teased as a smile spread further across her face.
Jay coughed and grabbed the water from her. Taking a big sip first, he then said, "Thanks."
"Mhmm," Hailey hummed. She walked back to sit on her barstool and break her cookie in half. "It'll be moments like this where you're a little dumb that I'll miss when I move out," she said.
Jay couldn't help but laugh as he took another small bite of cookie. "And I'll miss your crazy amount of sass," he replied.
Hailey winked and bit into her cookie. She winced as the heat hit the roof of her own mouth causing Jay to laugh.
"Hot, huh?" he said with a smirk.
"You're so kind," Hailey said through the cookie. She then took a sip of her hot chocolate and nodded while saying, "Okay, this is all good. Baileys was a very good choice."
Jay smirked while taking a sip of his own. He nodded with her and added, "Yup. Solid end to a good night."
Hailey shook her head and corrected him by saying, "Solid end to a good few weeks. I've liked living here, Jay."
He breathed in and smiled at her. "I've liked you living here too," he said softly.
Hailey smiled back at him as she continued drinking her hot chocolate. They were quiet for another few minutes before she began talking about moving the fish and how that'd be the last thing she did tomorrow. It prompted Jay to tease her about the name and ask her to teach her more words in Greek.
Soon enough, they were laying in bed together with Hailey still teaching Jay any of the Greek she knew. He couldn't stop laughing and asking for swear words to use against Will and Adam. Her own laughter at that had echoed throughout the room and Jay never wanted to forget it.
He never wanted to forget any of the things that had happened that night.
He had genuinely enjoyed spending so much time with Hailey the previous few weeks, yet these last few hours as they'd allowed themselves to open up and share their hobbies with each other, it felt even better. He really did want to learn how to paint from her; he didn't think he'd be any good, but it gave him something to look forward to. They had made plans for an eventual date…whenever that might be.
For now, they spent their last night in the apartment together laughing and talking long into the darkness. Even when Hailey had exhausted all the swear words she knew in Greek, they continued whispering about their plans to travel the world, future dogs after Psári, and growing up in Chicago.
As they talked, their hands wandered across the blankets until their fingers were lightly swirling along each other's palms and arms. Jay gently traced Hailey's cast and promised to go with her when she had it taken off, and she asked him about the faint scar on the back of his right hand. If Jay asking to compare the size of their palms was too obvious of an attempt to flirt, she didn't call him on it. Instead, she held her left hand up and laughed softly as their fingers intertwined.
They crossed their invisible friendship line, but not far enough to call it anything more than playful flirting. It just felt good. There was something about getting attention from the person you really, really liked and secretly loved that was more relaxing and calming than any amount of hot drink before bed.
