A/N: Hi everyone! I am so so excited to begin sharing my new AU with you all. I've been thinking about it for a long time and playing around with different ideas, so I'm hoping we all have a good time (much happier and fluffier than Summer Sun if that wasn't your thing). I'll be pretty much writing as I go to balance with general summer relaxation and trips, my own schoolwork, and trying to move, but I'm looking forward to have this place as an escape. I can't wait to hear what you all think!
Hailey Upton didn't believe in love.
It never worked out. It didn't last. It was consistently a lie and an empty word.
'I love you' meant nothing to her.
They were three words people would say to either soften a blow or get something that they wanted.
She'd never hated three worse words strung together more than that phrase.
And then she found herself in a tent in Wisconsin with a boy she'd met across the hall in her new apartment complex back in Chicago, and he was whispering them underneath the soft sound of rain and she debated changing her mind.
"So we chose the hottest day of summer to move into our new apartment, cool."
Hailey laughed at her college – now apartment – roommate, Vanessa, as the two of them tried getting a boxed mattress up the stairs of their new building. "Technically it's still spring," she said.
Vanessa rolled her eyes and took another step up. "Of course you'd say that, Ms. Biology," she scoffed.
Hailey laughed again before taking a big breath and tried lifting the box another step.
A week before, Hailey and Vanessa had moved out of their college dorms upon graduating from University of Chicago. They'd gone in blind their freshmen year and never ended up splitting up from each other. Hailey never really understood what other girls meant when they called a friend a 'sister,' but then she met Vanessa and it clicked.
The two did everything together: school baseball games, study nights in the library, and even the occasional double-date.
Out of everything they did together, the double-dates were, in all honesty, probably Hailey's least favorite thing. There were a couple guys that she had seen more than once – Brad and Max really weren't too awful – but typically that was it. She couldn't really even blame the guys for the failed dates (though Cameron was truly the grossest person she'd ever met in her life), she knew it was all on her.
Growing up with parents who had a screwed up idea of love really, really messed her up. She accepted it. She just didn't like to address it. So that…that was a different episode of a different season of her life.
Right now, she was in this new season that involved moving into a new apartment with her best friend and finding a real job. She couldn't be held back by men – scratch that, she couldn't be held back by boys.
While she knew she was the reason behind 95% of her break-ups, there was that 5%...that one guy…that ruined men forever for her. He was a boy. He wasn't strong enough to accept her determination and drive for success. Plus, he was too scared of her past to help fix her future. It was a dark day that involved one-too-many bottles of wine and a lot of ice cream, but it just proved that she needed to change her path in life.
Hailey Upton was an independent woman who did not need to rely on a boy to have a good time. Her mom might not have been great, but she always said boys were smelly and gross and it might have been childish, but it proved to be a rule to live by. After that devastating break-up, she was more determined than ever to become successful in life on her own.
If love wasn't ruined for her before that, it certainly was after him. And Hailey was okay with that. Not every love song had a happy ending – some of them were secret break-up songs. Garrett was a secret break-up song.
Vanessa, on the other hand, was not a break-up song. She was always optimistic and bubbly and looked on the bright side. Some guy ghosted her? He bought her three drinks. She was cheated on? She didn't catch his STD. He broke up with her for no reason? He had greasy hair. She went with the flow and didn't give up on love. It was a nice yang to Hailey's yin.
Even right now, while complaining about the heat, Vanessa still had a slight smile on her face as they struggled up the final set of steps with the boxed mattress. She panted softly and pulled her key from her pocket to unlock the door. "Who knew these things were so expensive?" she breathed.
"It was a hell of a lot easier than carrying an actual mattress," Hailey said. Together, they pushed and dragged the box into the further bedroom Hailey had claimed as her own the day they toured the apartment.
"And it really is comfortable, you won't regret it," Vanessa commented before using her key again to break through the tape holding the box together.
"I'm trusting you," Hailey said, but still smiled as she began pulling the mattress out and dragging it onto the bedframe.
Vanessa stopped helping to put her hands on her hips and ask, "When have I steered you wrong?"
Hailey scoffed and straightened up. "Excuse me?" she laughed, "Should I list out the times?"
"Please do," Vanessa said and nodded.
"All right," Hailey began and started counting off on her fingers, "Telling me I wouldn't get sick from drinking a bottle of red wine our freshmen year, Jared – no explanation needed, convincing me I didn't need to study for my Calc test, half-priced sushi-"
"Okay, okay," Vanessa interrupted and held up a hand, "Maybe I've had some bad ideas, but in my defense, you willingly went along with all of them."
Hailey smiled because she was right. She might have had some pretty bad consequences after those decisions, but they were all kind of fun stories.
"And the sushi thing was Kim's idea," Vanessa continued, "It was during her second break-up with Adam, remember?"
Hailey laughed and nodded. She gave one last heave of the mattress before cutting ripping the plastic off and saying, "I'm sorry, I forgot. Damn that man."
"Oh, he's sweet," Vanessa said as she plopped back onto the scrunched up mattress, "They're going to make it someday."
"You're too optimistic," Hailey sighed and laid back next to her friend.
Vanessa waved her hand in the air in front of herself. "I don't know," she said, "They've known each other forever, I think that means they're going to work out. They keep going back to each other even when they do dumb stuff."
"He got pissed she was working too much," Hailey said.
"And she forgot his birthday," Vanessa added, "It's been a mess, but they're going to figure it out. I'm telling you. I know love."
"Oh, okay," Hailey laughed. She couldn't help but roll her eyes as she let out a long breath.
"I know you don't believe in it, but I also know you're going to find it," Vanessa said and pushed up on her elbow, "Believe me when I say you're going to find a hot man with a good ass soon."
"He doesn't need a good ass," Hailey said through a laugh, "He just needs a good head on his shoulders and big arms."
"Oh, of course, how could I forget the arms?" Vanessa laughed.
Hailey smiled and sat up. "Thanks for the sentiment, but I don't need a guy and I'm not interested at all," she said, "Maybe I'll find someone to have fun with here and there, but nothing serious. I don't need a boyfriend."
"No, you're right," Vanessa sighed and sat up as well, "But Hail…" She trailed off until Hailey met her eyes then finished, "You deserve to have someone else make you feel special."
"I do feel special," Hailey automatically defended while standing, "I make myself feel special, and your support is good too. Plus there's Kim. You two are all I need. I'm fine, Ness."
Pursing her lips, Vanessa shook her head, but remained quiet. Hailey figured she knew it was a losing fight, which would be correct. She wasn't going to just give in and accept so-called love the first day she moved into an apartment building. It didn't work like that.
It didn't really work at all, but she didn't want to burst Vanessa's bubble so early in the morning.
"Come on," she said and put her hand out, "Let's go get the rest of our stuff or at least most of it. Kim said she'd stop by and help us unpack, so we might as well have the boxes ready to go."
"Fine," Vanessa huffed and accepted the hand to stand up. "What're your thoughts on pizza for dinner?" she asked while they walked out of the room.
"I think that's the best thing you've said all day."
Four hours later, the purple apartment was filled with boxes and suitcases and random furniture Hailey and Vanessa had found on the street or online, and the two found themselves sitting at their 'new' kitchen table digging into a pizza from Bartoli's and making their way through a bottle of cheap wine. It was their favorite way to spend most evenings, but especially ones that involved too many emotions or too much physical activity.
Vanessa was the first to break the silence when she said, "We got a good deal on this place."
Hailey laughed softly and looked around the apartment. "I know, thank god I only had to live with my parents for a week before getting out of there," she said.
"How are the Uptons?" Vanessa asked.
Hailey rolled her eyes and set her pizza down to wave her hand around as she said, "Devastated I didn't get a business degree, pissed that I'm not living in Greektown, and full of warnings that I'm going to get mugged or some crap like that."
"Wonderful," Vanessa sighed, "Sorry, girl."
Glancing up at her, Hailey knew she was honest. Vanessa grew up in the foster system and didn't have a family of her own, but she was always sympathetic when it came to Hailey's past. Over the past four years of knowing her, Hailey still hadn't decided what was worse: growing up with no family or with an abusive one. What she had decided was that family wasn't just blood; Vanessa was more of a sibling than either of her actual brothers were.
"Hey, it's fine, I'm okay," Hailey said, "Used to it, and I have no regrets living here with you. I am so excited for this next chapter."
"We're going to have a blast," Vanessa replied, a smile finally crossing her face.
Before Hailey could agree, there was a quick knock on her door and a voice saying, "You moved in yet?"
Vanessa clapped her hands together and shot up to open the door for Kim to rush inside.
"Oh my god, it's adorable," Kim said quickly as she took in her surroundings.
Hailey laughed and said, "We're barely moved in."
"I'm obsessed already," Kim said with a shrug before sitting at the kitchen table.
During their first year at college, Hailey and Vanessa had one class together: calculus. It was miserable and involved a lot of tears. Out of everyone in the class, there was just one other girl who outwardly seemed as miserable as the two of them and that was Kim. They clicked instantly, and Kim frequently visited their dorm room when living with her parents got to be too much.
She was even willing to move into an apartment with them, but her parents were too worried about the money and being on her own, so she settled for helping her friends find a place – which happened to be the same building her on-again/off-again-currently-on-again boyfriend lived in.
"It'll be perfect," she'd said when the three of them toured the apartment together two weeks before, "Adam and Kevin are upstairs, you two are down here, we're guaranteed to see each other all the time. Plus, I'll have a place to stay when my parents get annoying – options are endless."
"And Ness will have the chance to run into Kevin on a regular basis now," Hailey had added teasingly.
At the time, Vanessa had rolled her eyes and blew her off, but it wasn't a secret that she was interested in Kevin and had therefore spent too long that morning putting makeup on in case the two ran into each other during move-in.
"Were you just at Adam's?" Hailey asked, "How'd you get into the building?"
"Course I was," Kim replied while putting a piece of pizza on her plate, "Kevin's gone out with a couple friends, so Adam invited me over." She glanced at Vanessa and said, "Sorry, I don't know when he'll be back."
Vanessa shoved her arm then took a big bite of pizza.
Hailey laughed softly and smirked at her before asking, "Is he going to come down?"
Kim nodded. "His dad called him right as we were about to leave," she explained, "And that's a conversation I don't want to be in."
"Thought you didn't mind his dad?" Vanessa asked.
Kim waved her hand and said, "He's fine, but Adam thinks he started gambling again and has been debating bringing it up."
"Yikes," Hailey breathed.
"Exactly," Kim said, "So…I'm hanging out here."
"Fine by me," Vanessa said, "We could use a hand unpacking."
Hailey laughed and nodded. "How're you at organizing dishes?"
"You bought dishes?" Kim asked, "Fancy!"
"They're second-hand from my parents' restaurant," Hailey replied, "Do you really think we could afford dishes?"
Kim glanced around then said, "This place is pretty nice."
"I love it," Vanessa added, "Way better than the dorms."
Kim nodded causing Hailey to laugh again and say, "You never lived in the dorms!"
"I hung out at them enough that I knew they sucked," Kim replied with a smile on her face.
"Adam had those nicer ones though," Vanessa said, a hint of jealousy teasing at her voice, "Damn baseball scholarship."
"They weren't that nice," Hailey argued, "He shared with more guys; we were able to live with just each other."
"Having other friends won't kill you," Kim said.
"And neither will meeting guys," Vanessa added, "Kim, don't you think-"
"Really?" Hailey interrupted, "You're really going to bring this up again? Can't you just drop it?"
"You told me you're swearing off men! What am I supposed to do? Sit here and sulk with you? Join your 'no men' pact? No thank you," Vanessa argued.
Hailey sighed and said, "I told you I'd meet a guy and have fun."
"But you won't get a boyfriend," Vanessa said, "How's that okay?"
Hailey rolled her eyes and finished her piece of pizza.
"She doesn't need a boyfriend," Kim told Vanessa before turning to Hailey and adding, "You're really going to swear off men?"
Hailey shrugged and said, "I need to focus on my career."
"Which is what?" Vanessa asked, "You don't have one yet, so relax and have some fun, that's what I'm going to do."
Hailey opened her mouth to reply only for Kim to put her hands between the two of them and say, "Let's put it to rest. Move on, okay?"
Sighing, Hailey nodded and took a long sip of wine. Two months before, she and Vanessa had gotten in one of their rare arguments. In all the time they'd known each other, they'd probably only gotten into three. This last one, though, was about their careers and Hailey supposedly taking hers too seriously while Vanessa didn't care enough. They'd made some pretty deep cuts about each other's futures, and it took a week before they were able to put the argument to the side. Kim had been in the middle of the entire thing making her just as miserable as the other two. Once it was over, they vowed to take each other's careers seriously – they were the only family the other had, they couldn't lose each other because a fight about the dishes led to an argument about their careers.
Before they needed to struggle to fill the awkward silence, the door opened and Kim's boyfriend, Adam, stepped in. He nodded at them all then raised an eyebrow and said, "You ladies realize you need to lock the door behind you, right? It's not the dorms, they don't automatically lock."
"Thanks for the concern," Hailey said.
"Our knight in shining armor," Vanessa joked, "But we also knew you were coming, so what was the point of locking the door?"
"Making sure freaks don't just barge right in," Adam said, walking over to grab the last slice of pizza from the box.
"Well, too late for that, huh?" Kim asked, a smirk teasing at her lips.
"Ruze!"
The three girls and Adam turned to see three other guys standing in the doorway of the apartment. Vanessa's cheeks instantly turned red because one of the guys was Adam's long-time roommate and former teammate, Kevin. Hailey didn't know the other two, but thought they looked familiar enough. She didn't think they were on the baseball team with Adam and Kevin, and they looked to be the same age as the guys meaning they probably had a good one-to-two years on her.
Closest to Kevin was the smaller of the two with mousey brown hair and clear eyes. He had a distinct look on his face like something he saw was entertaining him. Hailey noticed his eyes drifting over her before turning toward Vanessa.
She turned her own gaze to the guy in the back and felt herself take a deep breath. He was taller and had his hands in his pockets as if he didn't want to intrude on what was happening inside the apartment. He was watching Kevin greet Adam, but Hailey could have sworn she saw his eyes flicker over to her once or twice.
"How'd you find me?" Adam asked as he waved them all in the apartment.
"Jay and Mouse invited me over for a beer," Kevin explained, "I was gonna text you once I got in there."
"You two live here?" Kim asked, "I didn't know that."
The smaller guy nodded and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Right across the hall," he said.
Kim's smile widened before she looked at Hailey and Vanessa to ask, "Have you two ever met Jay and Mouse?"
"No," Hailey answered as she made eye contact with the guy in the back.
He smiled at her and nodded in greeting. "Jay," he said.
"Mouse," the other said, "Or Greg. Whatever you prefer."
"Vanessa," Vanessa introduced, "And my roommate Hailey."
Hailey waved and said, "Nice to meet you both."
"Kim, I'm telling you, you need to get a place here," Kevin said while walking further into the kitchen, "All your friends are here now. We're just missing you."
"Well, I'll be sure to come visit often," Kim replied.
"So what you're saying is we need a pull-out couch," Hailey said.
Kim winked and pointed at her. "Exactly."
"If you ladies were interested, you're more than welcome to join us for a drink," Mouse said, "We've got beer and a bottle of vodka."
"The good stuff," Vanessa laughed.
"If good is cheap, then yes," Mouse replied.
"I'm pretty sure we have another bottle of wine around here we could bring," Hailey offered.
"Red or white?" Adam asked, "Cause Halstead can't do red after-"
Kim elbowed him in the side, her eyes darting over to Jay still in the doorway.
"Um," Hailey swallowed then said, "I think it's white. Vanessa doesn't do red either."
"You really don't have to bring anything," Jay said, "We're neighbors now, right? We can host and welcome you to the building."
Mouse nodded quickly and added, "I agree. And if you insist, I'm always down for a wine and cheese night. Maybe tomorrow?"
Vanessa laughed as she glanced around the still disheveled apartment. "Tomorrow? Try next week, then we can have a wine night. Hailey's a pretty good cook, too, so-"
"So you're offering me up as the evening's chef?" Hailey asked with a laugh.
"She's not wrong," Kim said, smirking as she reached over to take a sip from Hailey's wine glass.
"Hey, didn't you make that chocolate cake for Kim's birthday?" Kevin asked.
Hailey raised an eyebrow and considered his words for a moment before it clicked in her head. "Oh!" she said, "No, that was Vanessa. I can't bake."
"Which is shocking," Vanessa said, "Ms. Bio-Chem can't bake a simple cake."
Adam whistled and said, "Bio-Chem? Damn, I didn't know we were in the presence of a genius."
"I've told you her major before," Kim whispered, "Why can't you listen?"
"Bio-Chem?" Jay asked, "That's-"
"So our place in, say, an hour?" Mouse interrupted unknowingly.
Hailey glanced back at Jay who just rolled his eyes, but still smirked and leaned against the doorjamb waiting for the answer. "Uh, sure," she said, "I'm down. Lord knows I could use a break from unpacking. Moving's a bitch."
"I can stick around and help unpack," Kim said, "I like decorating."
"Prepping for that elementary classroom in the fall?" Adam asked, a smile forming on his face.
"Maybe," Kim laughed softly. Blushing, she avoided his eyes, but Hailey knew she wasn't embarrassed: Kim was proud of her future job; she'd graduated Suma Cum Laude, and they'd all gone out and celebrated the night she won an award for being the top student teacher in her cohort. If anything, she didn't want all the attention on her. She knew Kim was just reacting like that because of Adam. The two's relationship may have had some bumps along the way, but there was something about this time – the third time – that seemed different: they were serious and clearly 'loved' each other, yet Hailey still was hesitant. If they really loved each other, they wouldn't have broken up so many times in the past. It didn't feel right.
She'd never tell them, though, she wanted to be supportive, so if that meant listening to endless stories of how incredible and infuriating Adam was, she was going to sit through it. She loved Kim, and Adam was pretty great too; she needed to swallow her beliefs and her pride and be a good friend to them both.
Mouse turned to look at Jay and said, "We need to clean. Girls are coming over."
Jay laughed and said, "This is reminiscent of living in the dorms and you would text me 'just met a girl, throw your stuff under the bed and get out.'"
"Not true," Mouse said and shoved Jay's chest.
"Oh, so are you saying Jay never had to run to our place because you were bringing a girl over?" Kevin asked.
Mouse shot him his middle finger before pushing Jay out into the hallway. Once the door was closed, Vanessa asked, "When'd you meet them?"
"Freshmen year?" Adam guess, leaning against the back of the couch and crossing his arms, "They were on the soccer team, so we ran into them at the gym a lot. They came to our games a few times, and we'd go to theirs."
"That's why they looked familiar," Hailey said.
Kevin nodded and added, "Really cool guys. Mouse is crazy good at computer stuff, he's working as a website designer right now, but he's trying to get into software engineering."
"And Jay?" Vanessa asked.
"Trying to become a physical therapist," Adam answered, "His brother's a doctor and his mom's a nurse, so he's following in their footsteps."
Hailey hummed and finished her glass of wine. She couldn't deny that the idea of a doctor across the hall was a bit attractive. The guy hadn't been bad to look at either.
If she noticed Vanessa staring at her across the table with the tiniest of smirks, she didn't say anything. They'd known each other for so long, they could read each other's minds. They'd talked about men enough that Vanessa was well aware of Hailey's attraction to doctors of any kind. It was sure to come up again, and Hailey knew she was going to have to be prepared for whatever teasing and questioning Vanessa threw her way.
When they walked the five feet to the guys' apartment, Hailey felt her stomach flip around again. It wasn't nerves, she'd never had a problem meeting new people, she was just very much excited and intrigued. She wanted to know more about both guys across the hall – not just Jay despite what Vanessa had said to her as they searched through their boxes for their last bottle of wine.
"Ladies," Mouse greeted while opening the door.
"Hello!" Vanessa replied and stepped inside.
Hailey smiled at him and followed. "We brought the wine," she said.
"You sure you want us to crack it open?" Mouse asked as he grabbed it from her, "That wine night sounded tempting."
"It was like five bucks at the discount grocery store," Hailey said, "I can afford another."
"Then let's do it," Mouse chuckled. He reached for a drawer then paused and laughed more. "Screw off lid?" he asked.
"Obviously," Hailey said, "How else am I supposed to save it?"
"Well, you don't, you drink the whole thing in one sitting," Mouse joked and opened the bottle.
Hailey laughed and accepted a glass of wine from him a moment later. "You're my kind of people," she said.
Mouse tapped his glass to hers and said, "Cheers."
Hailey winked and sipped the wine. The two glasses she'd had earlier were still buzzing through her veins, so she was very much looking forward to this third glass. As she pulled the glass from her lips, she let her eyes drift around the decorated apartment.
It was much smaller than hers, but, unlike hers, was filled with furniture. Two recliners were in the middle of the living room facing a TV. A few movie posters were framed on the walls, a couple laptops and textbooks were thrown around the place, and a few plates of snacks were on two side tables near the recliners. It was very much a guys' apartment, but it was homey. Hailey liked it. It was similar to what she knew Adam and Kevin's looked like upstairs, and yet she liked this one better. Nothing really matched and she could see a stain that was probably spaghetti sauce on the rug, but it was someone's home and it appeared to be perfectly imperfect.
Kim and Adam had made their way over to a couch near the window and were quickly involved in a conversation Hailey wasn't sure she wanted to be a part of after hearing what they were whispering about back at her place, and Mouse had joined Kevin and Vanessa at the recliners to dig into the snacks, which left Jay. He was stepping out of the bathroom at the moment and nodded at her after doing his own quick survey of the room.
Walking over to her in the kitchen, he said, "Guess that leaves us, huh?"
Hailey laughed softly and said, "Looks like it."
Jay smiled on his way to grab a beer from the fridge. "Wanna see something cool?" he asked.
Hailey settled on a barstool and said, "Always."
Jay lifted his shirt slightly then used his belt buckle as a bottle opener. He raised an eyebrow as he tossed the cap onto the counter.
"No," Hailey laughed.
"Oh, yes," Jay chuckled. Taking a sip of beer, he said, "What do you think? Cool?"
"Is that what you want me to say?" Hailey asked.
"Clearly," Jay answered, a smirk teasing at his lips.
"Then sure, you're cool," Hailey said.
"I'm cool?" Jay repeated, "Now that's not exactly what I asked, but I'll take it."
"Ah, okay," Hailey laughed softly, "I see you."
Jay winked at her then leaned against the counter. "So, neighbor, tell me about yourself," he began, "I know nothing about you, and you're sitting here in my apartment. I should at least know your last name."
Hailey laughed again and took a sip of wine before nodding and saying, "Upton. Halstead, right?"
"There you go, you pay attention and caught it earlier," Jay said, "What do you do, Upton?"
"Just graduated, so I'm trying to find a job," Hailey answered, "But until then, I'm working in a lab."
Jay raised an eyebrow and said, "That's nonchalant. Lay it on me, what do you seriously do?"
Hailey blushed slightly then said, "I'm a lab tech at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. It's just an internship, so not huge pay, but it's giving me experience, and I like it."
"Experience for what?" Jay asked.
"I want to be a forensic scientist," Hailey answered.
Jay straightened up and he said, "Really?"
"Didn't expect that?" Hailey countered.
Quietly laughing, Jay shook his head and said, "Not that, it's just that that's what I wanted to do."
"Wanted to do?" Hailey repeated, "What changed your mind?"
Jay shrugged and took a long sip of beer. Swallowing it, he said, "I got pulled in a different direction. I've been going to PT school the past year, and I'm excited for that. My parents were pushing med school, but that's not me."
"So you're becoming a physical therapist?" Hailey asked with a hint of teasing because she absolutely couldn't help it despite barely knowing this man.
"Ha ha," he replied, catching what she was saying, "I know, sounds similar, but it is a different path and I am interested in it despite what my dad says."
"Unsupportive dad? Dude, me too," Hailey said, a smile now fully on her face.
If Jay looked reserved for the last minute, he completely relaxed at her words and let out a laugh. "No way!" he said, "Small world." Tapping his bottle to her glass, he said, "Kind of hoping to work with kids, but we'll see."
"Forensic scientist turned pediatrician, interesting," Hailey said.
"Things change," Jay replied.
Hailey stared at him for a moment then looked around the apartment. "You've got a nice place," she said, "I like it."
Jay snorted through his beer. "Okay."
"What?" Hailey laughed, "I'm serious."
"Compared to your place?" Jay asked, "Dude, this is a hole."
Hailey laughed harder and rested her elbow on the counter. "It's not a hole," she said, "It's just a guy place."
"I'll take that as an insult," Jay replied. Shaking his head, he smirked and chuckled to himself.
"Well, it's not," Hailey said. She took a long drink from her glass then said, "I'm into it."
Maybe it was the wine, but she was also feeling a little into Jay at the moment. He was much closer to her now than he'd been before, and he was more attractive than she could tell from when he was in the doorway. His eyes were so clearly green that she almost found that she couldn't look away from them. He also had more freckles than she'd anticipated and wondered if they were going to stand out more as summer began.
Partially lost in that thought, Hailey asked, "What do you do during the summer?"
"Soccer," Jay easily answered.
"Kim said you were on the team," Hailey said, "Sorry, I think I only went to one or two games."
"And you don't remember me?" Jay asked, feigning insult, "How rude of you."
Hailey smiled and asked, "What'd you play?"
"Goalie," he replied, "Mouse was forward."
"Goalie?" Hailey asked with a raise eyebrow, "Sounds tough."
"You think?" Jay said, "I usually don't hear that."
Hailey scoffed and asked, "What?"
Jay nodded and said, "Since I don't run as much as the others."
"I'm sure you run," Hailey said without a second thought.
Jay smiled at her then stepped back and put his arms out as he did a slow turn. "Do I look like I run or something?" he asked.
Hailey hummed and let her eyes scan over him. He looked like he ran for sure. And lifted weights. And ate well. And came from good genes. He was certainly something, but she'd meant it when she told Vanessa she wanted to focus on her job and getting a career. She did not need some 'boy toy' in her roommate's words to distract her from everything. That had been Garrett's job. She was past that. She'd grown up.
"Maybe a little," she finally said once Jay had stepped back to pick his beer up and take another swig.
Jay chuckled and asked against his bottle, "And you? What're your thoughts on running?"
"Not my thing, but I try to do a couple miles a week," Hailey answered, "I do a lot of classes. They keep me more accountable."
Jay nodded. "I get that," he said, "Maybe we could go to one together sometime."
Hailey raised an eyebrow and asked, "Sorry?"
"A class," Jay said, "I like trying new things. Which do you like to go to?"
Hailey blushed, but distracted herself by finishing her wine. She finally landed on saying, "Kickboxing is on Mondays and I do HIIT on Wednesdays."
Jay whistled low before replying, "Damn. HIIT is no joke. I think I'll go with you to kickboxing."
Hailey smiled at him and said, "Yeah?"
"Yeah," Jay repeated, "It'll be fun. Send me the schedule, and I'll be your escort."
Hailey snorted a laugh then shook her head. "You will not be my escort, but we can walk there together."
"Whoa, walking together?" Jay asked, "And working out? That's a lot."
"You were on the soccer team!" Hailey laughed.
"Yeah, well, I'm not perfect," Jay said, "Damn near it though."
Hailey laughed harder and swirled her finger around her glass.
"So, wine girl, huh?" Jay asked, gesturing to the glass in her hand.
She laughed and shrugged. "Cheap wine is fine, cheap whiskey is awful. If I'm gonna be cheap, I need to spend wisely."
Jay chuckled then set his beer down. He held up a finger before turning to reach above his refrigerator for a breadbox.
Hailey hopped off the barstool and stepped around the counter just as he was pulling a small bottle of whiskey out of the wooden door. "I thought-"
"Shh," he hissed, "Mouse doesn't know."
Hailey raised an eyebrow before glancing over their shoulders at their friends still all engaged in conversations. "Why're you-"
"Shh," Jay repeated. He stuck the bottle in the front of his shorts, stuffed the breadbox back up in the fridge, then grabbed Hailey's arm and pulled her from the apartment. "Your place open?" he asked.
Hailey answered by pulling her key out of her pocket and unlocking the door to lead the way inside.
As Jay followed her and shut the door behind them, he said, "My mom gave this to me. Mouse isn't an alcoholic, but I can't tell him I have the good stuff - he'd want to drink it all the second he found out, and god forbid he tell Kev and Adam. He just doesn't appreciate it."
Hailey stared at him for a moment as he searched her cupboards quickly for two glasses. She didn't understand what he was implying; it was like he thought she would appreciate the whiskey in a way similar to him.
Upon finding the red solo cups, Jay grabbed two and said, "Just a shot. Well, a sip. We need to get the taste."
Hailey still said nothing as he poured the whiskey into the cups. He then swirled it slowly and sniffed one of the cups with a small smile on his face. She could no longer hold it in when he offered her the cup and asked, "What're you doing?"
"You're supposed to smell it first," he explained, "Come on."
"No, I mean…" Hailey trailed off and took a deep breath. "You…you're sharing it with me," she said softly.
A smile flashed across Jay's face as he simply replied, "Yes."
"But why?"
"Why not?"
Hailey blinked then slowly took the cup. Looking down at it, she said, "You barely know me."
"You don't have to know someone to have a drink with them," Jay said.
Hailey glanced up at him and pointed out, "You won't even share this with your roommate."
"Because he's an idiot," Jay said, "I don't think you're an idiot. You had a long day anyway - you deserve a good whiskey."
Hailey bit her lip slightly then threw caution to the wind and took a deep breath. "All right. It has been a while."
"Great!" Jay's face lit up as he tapped his cup to hers. "Cheers," he said.
"To being neighbors?" Hailey suggested.
"To being alive," Jay chuckled.
Hailey laughed as she drank the whiskey. It burned her throat and she was well-aware that she winced as it went down, but it actually did taste good. She wasn't used to drinking just whiskey; she mostly just mixed it with different pop.
Jay's laugh pulled her from her pained thoughts. She coughed and said, "Yeah?"
"You good?" he asked.
"Of course," she said while glancing into her empty cup.
"Your face said differently," Jay said. He was still laughing softly as he took the cup from her. Without hesitation, he poured more whiskey in it and said, "I want to hear what you think it tastes like."
Hailey's eyes widened and she asked, "What?"
Jay nodded and passed her the cup. Holding his own up, he said, "Try and figure out the notes."
"Isn't that a wine thing?" Hailey asked.
"It's an alcohol thing," Jay replied.
Hailey stared at him, not at all believing what he was saying. While she watched him, he took a slow sip of whiskey and began nodding to himself. "Getting something?" she said.
Jay hummed then announced, "Oak. Maybe some cherry. Maple for sure."
Hailey blinked then turned her gaze to her drink. She hesitated then copied Jay and put her lips to her cup. As the alcohol slipped past her lips, Jay said, "Let it sit on your tongue. Focus on it. You can do it."
She felt her lips tip up into a smile, but did as he asked and tried focusing on the whiskey. It got her nowhere. She had no idea what she was looking for – she'd never eaten wood in her life – and she assumed if there was cherry that it'd stand out to her. Taking another sip, she tried her hardest to figure it out, and there was still nothing.
She sighed and said, "Sorry, I don't know what to do or what to look for."
Jay sucked in his bottom lip and his eyes lit up as he stared at her.
Hailey leaned back on her heel and asked, "How'd you learn this?"
"Oh, you know, just YouTube," Jay answered before finishing his drink.
"YouTube?" Hailey repeated, "You learned whiskey tasting on YouTube?"
"Or I made it up," Jay said. He chuckled to himself while turning to toss his empty cup into the trashcan under the sink.
Hailey gasped softly and said, "No you didn't."
"Just thought it'd be fun," Jay admitted through a laugh.
"What the hell?" Hailey asked, but couldn't help laughing with him. She grabbed the whiskey bottle and noticed that it was at least a nice brand, so the story about his mom probably wasn't a lie like his little prank had been. Staring at the label, she softened and said, "You said your mom bought this for you?"
"She did," Jay said, nodding, "She got it for me for my birthday."
"How old is this then?" Hailey asked.
Jay chuckled and said, "It's aged, but I've had it for about a week."
"Happy belated then," Hailey said. She took the last sip of whiskey then tossed the cup under the sink. "That's a nice gift. I don't know if I could ever picture my mom getting me a good whiskey."
"She's cool," Jay said softly.
Hailey couldn't help but smirk as she said, "Like you?"
Jay glanced at her and laughed. "Sure," he replied, "We could say that."
"Well, Adam and Kevin said you're cool," Hailey told him, "And they've…well, scratch that, never mind."
Jay hummed and straightened up. "What were you going to say?" he asked.
Hailey felt her smirk forming again as she waved her hand and said, "We don't know each other well enough."
"Pretty sure you've already teased me a couple times, and I most certainly got you with the whiskey thing," Jay said, "Lay it on me."
"Fine, fine," Hailey sighed, "I was just going to say they've never steered me wrong, but they most certainly have. What if you're a serial killer in disguise?"
"Me?" Jay asked, "What if you are? I just walked in your apartment without any witnesses. I don't know what you've got hidden in those boxes."
Hailey laughed and walked over to the nearest box in the living room. She dug through it then held up a small yellow piggy bank. "Is this a serial killer thing?" she asked.
"Well, what do you have hidden in it?" Jay asked, walking over to her.
"Change from the past like ten years," Hailey answered.
Jay laughed and crossed his arms. "Seems harmless."
"And what if you poisoned that whiskey?" Hailey countered, "What if I drop dead like Juliet?"
"Juliet, huh?" Jay said, "She poisoned herself to death? Could have sworn she stabbed herself and Romeo drank the poison."
"Whatever she did, it was stupid," Hailey said, "It's an awful story."
"Don't have a thing for star-crossed lovers?" Jay asked.
"A doomed love story?" Hailey scoffed, "No thank you."
"It's a famous love story," Jay argued, "You've gotta appreciate it for what it is."
"Love like that isn't true love," Hailey said, "It's lust. There's a difference."
Jay studied her for a moment then asked, "Do you think you can lust after someone and love them?"
"Love isn't a thing," Hailey blurted then instantly blushed. It might have been something Kim and Vanessa were aware of, but to share it with someone she'd never met seemed a bit extreme.
Jay simply blinked then nodded slightly. Looking down at his cup of whiskey, he took a slow sip and seemed to be thinking through something in his mind.
In turn, Hailey took a deep breath. She believed it. She knew it to be true. But there was always a part of her that was slightly embarrassed to say it out loud.
Not everyone grew up with an abusive father and an emotionally abusive, narcissistic mother. They didn't know where she came from. She also didn't really want people to know. She hated being seen as some sort of victim, and the idea of a new guy – her neighbor of all people – being one of those people who looks down on her irked her more than she cared to admit.
"Maybe," Jay finally said, "But not always."
Picking up his bottle of whiskey, he nodded toward her then turned to leave the apartment. As the door clicked close behind him, Hailey felt her jaw drop just the slightest of centimeters.
Maybe, but not always.
Please. She knew the truth.
She quickly gathered herself by running a hand through her hair and downing the rest of the whiskey he'd poured her. Taking another deep breath, she decided to return to the party and attempt to meet the others.
She needed to move on from the moment and remember where she'd come from.
But that proved much easier said than done as for the rest of the night, she couldn't stop replaying Jay's words in her head.
He was bold to say it, bolder to promptly leave her apartment, and even bolder to continuously make eye contact with her no matter where he was standing or who he was talking to.
She didn't hate it.
A/N: Thoughts? :)