"How many appointments do you have this afternoon?"
Meghan moaned as she turned the straw of the coke in her glass, "Four. I'll never finish today."
"Maybe we should go."
"Oh, c'mon. Two more minutes. I don't want to get up."
Meg shook her head and slumped slightly in her chair. She was always so dramatic about everything that involved an afternoon of work.
Hailey chuckled stretching her legs under the table, "I'm going to the bathroom for a moment. I'll be right back."
She stayed in the bathroom for a few minutes, long enough to wash her hands and receive a desperate message from Meg about her begging Hailey not to come back to work that afternoon. Hailey chuckled looking in the mirror before returning to the table, her friend could be so stupidly dramatic but she never got tired of these theatrics.
She was walking slowly with the phone in her hand when she heard something that caught her attention. A short, low laugh - one that part of her mind recognized immediately .
She turned her head only to focus on Jay standing behind the counter waiting. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest and a blue hat on his head.
She automatically moved to join him when she finally saw the person he was laughing with. Hailey stopped in her footsteps, watching the woman standing in front of him. She was saying something with the phone in her hands and he burst into another laugh. And Hailey couldn't help but take a few steps back to hide.
She didn't want to be seen and, at the same time, she couldn't move. She looked at her, tall and with soft brown curls and something very similar to annoyance blossomed in her stomach.
It wasn't until the waitress bumped into her that Hailey realized she was standing in the middle of the diner.
When she reached Meg, she gave her a tight smile as her whole brain was busy kicking itself.
She had been dating Jay for a few weeks and she didn't think he...
She had never been a jealous person and, above all, she wasn't sure what was going on between them. What she was sure of, though, was that she wasn't dating anyone else and she thought he was doing the same thing too. But maybe she was wrong.
"You okay?" Meg asked, leaning a little towards her.
Hailey closed her eyes before slowly nodding.
"Good. Ready to go? It's getting late."
She picked up the bag before wrapping the scarf around her neck. They left the diner and she was never so happy with the crowd in person at the entrance. She used Meghan as a human shield having really no desire for him to see her and having to give explanations.
She initially thought that an afternoon in the office with no appointments was going to be her bane, but she had never been so wrong. The papers kept her busy for well beyond the usual working hours and when she finally came home, it was after dinner time and she just wanted to go to bed.
But her plans wouldn't let her because she was supposed to meet Jay at a pub across Chicago and she was already late.
Jay. She was definitely annoyed. Even jealous, maybe. It wasn't that there was anything serious between them. But there was something, or at least so she thought. She didn't believe he would have committed to going out with her for those weeks if he had something to do with someone else.
She didn't know, that's it. And that bothered her to death.
She had always been good at understanding people, but with him she wasn't. She wasn't and she didn't want to be. She didn't want to screw it up by studying him because she just wanted that thing, whatever it was, to have a chance to work.
Her mind continued to travel away from her even as she was looking for parking. She wanted to talk to him, ask him what they were doing. But, maybe, she was just a little scared.
"Hey."
Hailey turned at the sound of his voice and, for the first time in several hours, her brain slowed down.
She smiled at him as she slowly reached him, "Hey, hi."
"I hope you don't mind if I chose this place but…we used to come here."
Hailey looked inside the pub from the window next to them, "We used?"
"With my unit. It's run by some firefighters we know, so yeah, we like it a lot."
Jay laughed as he walked towards the entrance.
"Uh, Jay!" Her mouth opened before she could think and he immediately turned to look at her.
She wasn't someone who was easily intimidated, nor was she undecided. But right now, she just thought she was in danger of ruining something good. Yet, there was a worm in her head kept telling her that he was dating someone else.
"Yeah?"
"I…gosh. I have to tell you something."
"Okay, I don't think the problem is the pub, right?" Jay slipped his hands in his pockets looking at her sideways.
"This thing, between us. I mean, no." She shook her head inhaling hard, "What are we doing?"
Jay studied her for a few seconds, and when he was about to speak, she anticipated him.
"I saw you today. With a woman."
"Hailey." Jay gave a big smile before shaking his head in amusement, "I'm not dating anyone else, if that's what you're asking."
Hailey shook her head, "No, I mean, it's okay if you want to hang out with other people. But that's not good for me, I'm not that kind of person. So just be clear."
"Okay, I need some help here. What's going on?" He said confused - genuinely confused.
"Today, for lunch. But it's not like I was spying on you!" She quickly pointed out, "I was there and I saw you. And it's okay to go out with other people, do what you want. But here, not with me."
Her hair fluttered in the wind and she took a second before realizing the guilty smile that was breaking out on his face.
"Hailey. I'm not really dating any other girl. Believe me." Jay took a step toward her reaching out until he touched her hand.
"It was Kim." He said slowly, then added, "Today, lunch break. You saw me with my partner, my work partner."
"Ah, she was your partner. Okay." Hailey nodded, thinking quickly.
"Come with me, c'mon." Jay was still laughing as he grabbed her hand to drag her into the pub.
They picked a corner table, one of the few still free, and as Jay went to get their drinks, she could still see him shake his head and giggle.
From the amused smile he kept wearing, it was very clear she would never feel the end of what had just happened and she knew it well.
She watched him talk to the barman, smiling and relaxed, and for the first time in a long time she felt comfortable with a man. She didn't quite know what was in him to make her feel this way, she just knew she liked that feeling.
She didn't know him well and from what she had understood, he wouldn't easily let her see through his own monsters. But she also had so many monsters and she didn't really want to open the box of worms about her past. But she knew that if she wanted to, she could do it with him.
"So..." Jay set the beers down on the table with an amused smile and she returned to the present in front of his green eyes.
"Will you ever stop pulling this story out?" She snorted a laugh as she grabbed her beer.
"Oh no, impossible. Damn, Kim will go crazy when I'll tell her."
Hailey coughed up the beer she had inhaled, "She doesn't need to know!"
"No, there is no need, but it's really fun."
Jay smiled stupidly at her as he hit her foot with hers.
It was something they started doing shortly after they started dating - brushing, touching.
That Jay wasn't a lover of physical contact was clear early on and Hailey was fine with that. She knew there were things from his past that he still struggled with and she had no intention of forcing him.
But despite this, Hailey remembered well the first time he really sought contact with her.
It had been quick and almost casual, but his gentle look was the only confirm Hailey needed.
And now, from time to time, it was nice to feel his hand slide against hers, or his foot hitting her under the table.
"So stupid you are." Hailey laughed seeing him stretch on the stool.
"Yes, thank you. It's my best quality."
Jay gave her another light kick and Hailey shook her head and took a sip of beer.
"All day with you and I find you here too!" The same woman she had seen with him a few hours earlier, now she patted him on the back laughing.
"You're my nightmare." Jay snorted away from her.
"You keep repeating it and I still don't believe you." She shrugged before moving her gaze to her, "Hailey."
"It seems to be me, yes." She reached out to her.
"Hailey, this is Kim." Jay moved his eyebrows with a provocative look and she stopped herself from snorting at him. Let him be a donkey, and he'll be happy.
"It's nice to finally meet you." Kim underlined the 'finally' word by glaring at Jay.
She shifted slightly leaving room for her to add a stool to their table, "Would you like to join us?"
"No, thanks, or tomorrow this guy here will scold me for ruining his night with you." Kim smiled brightly at her as Jay folded his arms across his chest.
"This is not true."
Kim waved a finger at his face, "No, you would just be passive aggressive and I couldn't take you all day."
"Have you worked together for a long time?"
"Three years." Kim replied, earning a loud snort from the man.
"An eternity." He added dramatically.
"You love me."
"I put up with you."
Hailey laughed again at their exchange.
"Look how you smile, Jay Halstead. How cute you are when you smile." Kim pinched his cheek with her fingers and his face took on a strange shade of red that made his freckles stand out much more clearly.
Jay brushed her hand away with a rude gesture, "Yeah, whatever. What about your date?"
Her smile faded and Kim wrinkled her nose shaking her head, "Like a crap. I ran away."
"You ran away?" Jay laughed aloud shaking his head and Hailey giggled under her breath.
"He wasn't really my guy. I thought so but uh, no thanks."
Jay hid another laugh behind a cough, "Well, when I met him he seemed nice to me…"
"Go to dinner with him, then you'll change your mind." Kim shook her head, adamant, "A doctor. Why did I think dating a doctor was a good idea?"
"Ugh, I told you. Will is a doctor. Not a good example."
"I like Will." Hailey tried to defend the man.
"Oh, Will is great." Kim nodded with a smile and waved a hand at Jay casually, "He always has to complain. But that's not the point anyway."
Now she was looking at Hailey directly and she gladly reached out on the table to listen to her.
"He is a dermatologist!" She opened her eyes wide in shock.
"No!" Hailey shook her head and agreed, "What if he wanted to study your moles?"
"You did understand! It wasn't possible, no."
Jay was silent throughout the conversation before shrugging and pointing at both women.
"This. This…you two, you are dangerous together."
"Of course." Hailey smiled at him proudly.
"Well, my night is over. Not as I hoped but uh, it is what it is."
"See you tomorrow, partner."
Kim waved a hand in his direction before greeting Hailey with a big smile.
Left alone, Jay glanced at her smiling, "That was Kim."
"Yeah…she's nice."
"Okay, I have to ask you." Jay turned his nearly empty glass over in his hands, studying her for a few seconds, "Are you still jealous of her?"
"This is…" Hailey gasped for words, "This is a low blow and you know it!"
He laughed and nodded with conviction. In the dim light, the freckles were almost completely invisible, but his eyes were still so green.
"You two seem to be very close..." Hailey didn't really need to explain what she was referring to.
"In our line of work, at some point you bond with your partner. I have her back every day and I trust her to do the same to me. So yeah, we're pretty close. But she's as annoying as a younger sister." He wrinkled his nose dramatically and again she nodded in understanding.
"What about Intelligence?"
"Besides me and Kim, there are two other guys. And our sergeant who…well, he's a bit weird."
Hailey patiently waited for him to continue.
"Let's say that there are situations we want to face differently, yes."
"And...? Tell me more, I'm curious."
"You might meet them, you know? I mean, I don't promise you anything with all this Kim thing, because you know, with our dates..."
Hailey laughed out loud slapping his arm and couldn't help but notice how his face broke into a wide smile. Kim was right, it was nice to see him smile. Sometimes, his distant expression only gave the impression he was so detached from life as well. But when he laughed he was…young, and handsome.
"I'd like to."
Something flickered in his eyes and Hailey knew she surprised him. He was definitely not the man so self confident that he wanted everyone to see. He had insecurities that bothered him so much that he hid them under layers of seriousness and irony. But his eyes were…good - he was a good man.
"Oh wait, I have an idea." He slid with the stool closest to her and hunched over until his chest was in contact with her shoulder, "When you'll meet them, just try to see if you notice anything, among my co-workers."
Hailey smiled slowly at him, their faces much closer than she expected.
"I notice everything, you know."
Jay nodded solemnly as his eyes slid to her lips. He was so close and she would just have to stretch her face and...
"Hey, Halstead!"
A distant voice boomed his name and Jay jumped back on the stool. Hailey closed her eyes for a few seconds just to focus on what was about to happen.
She had been an inch from his lips - an inch from kissing him - but now there was nothing left but his arm touching her shoulder.
The fact that Jay had continued to seek contact with her throughout the night had been so heady that it left her wanting more.
She was about to kiss Jay Halstead and, honestly, she couldn't wait anymore.
He slipped into a light conversation with the man standing at their table and she gladly joined in their speech. But part of her couldn't stop glancing at Jay. She just wondered what it would be like to kiss him, what it would be like to feel his lips slide over hers.
"So are you the girl?"
Severide looked at her smiling, but before she could ask what he was referring to, Jay anticipated her.
"One night, Severide met with the rest of my unit here and they told him I was with a girl."
He shrugged indifferently.
"Ah well, yeah, I guess it's me." Hailey laughed before taking a sip of beer.
If she had gotten to know Jay enough, she knew that amused look on his face could only mean he was still remembering the whole Kim thing. And she refrained from snorting.
As soon as Severide finally greeted them and Jay turned back to her, Hailey picked up her coat and stood up, wanting just a little more time with him - the two of them alone.
She had loved meeting some of his friends, but she really couldn't wait to be alone with him again and it was pretty clear that it wouldn't happen soon if they stayed there.
"We're leaving, c'mon."
She didn't need to repeat her decision because, after a first moment of confusion, Jay grabbed his jacket and followed her. And like a couple of hours before, they took the path in reverse, but this time it was her who, grabbing his hand, dragged him out of the pub.
"Too many people in there."
She anticipated him as soon as she saw his mouth open in question.
He chuckled, catching up with her on the sidewalk.
"So, we were talking about your co-workers..."
"If you notice anything, yeah."
"About?"
"Eh." He laughed, shaking his head, "It's your job, not mine."
"You are taking advantage of this." Hailey laughed out loud as she hit his arm.
They walked in silence for a few seconds. The sounds of the city were muffled and distant, even though Chicago was a city that never slept. Their steps were slow and she could not help but throw a few quick glances at the silent man next to her.
"It was great meeting Kim." Hailey smiled as they pulled up in front of her car and looked up at Jay who, in turn, was staring at her intently. Something in his gaze made her clench her fists in her pockets. She had imagined kissing him all night and now he was there, in front of her, silent and beautiful.
"Hailey." Jay took a deep breath as he tilted his head slightly.
She had learned in those weeks how much she liked the way he said her name - just like a breath.
They looked at each other in silence for a few seconds and it almost seemed to be back to their first date - the agitation, the nervousness.
If she had listened to what her legs ordered, she would have run away without looking back. There was something in his eyes, something that it was a long time since she had seen - respect. And she didn't know if she could keep the reach of that gaze.
His eyes were big and…shy, maybe? And again, for a person whose job was to analyze human behavior, she looked at him and she didn't know what to think. They had known each other for a few weeks and she understood him well, maybe too much. And at the same time, there were times when she went completely on blind with him.
The slow way he leaned over her gave her plenty of time to understand his intentions and never, like at that time in her life, she was aware of her every nerve endings.
If her body reacted that way before kissing him, what would happen after kissing him?
She breathed slowly and before she really had a chance to feel his lips on hers, the sound of his phone seemed to awaken both of them.
"Ignore it." Jay shook his head inches from her face.
"You're not ignoring it, no." Hailey giggled as she pushed her hands against his chest. She savored the feel of his snort against the skin of her face as she closed her eyes briefly.
"It's not right." Jay muttered before putting the phone up to his ear, "Halstead. Yeah, that's fine. Fifteen minutes and I'll be there."
"You shouldn't have made me answer." He whimpered dramatically after closing the call, "I have to go. We are on a murder."
Hailey shook her head in amusement, "Crime never sleeps."
Jay smiled gently at her, brushing a lock of her hair out of her eyes, "I'm sorry the night ended like this."
Hailey shrugged, "It's work, it's fine."
"Really?"
"God, yes." She laughed out loud shaking her head.
He was able to be so confident and so shy at the same time and she couldn't help but finding him really sweet.
Jay was still staring at her, with that look that was managed to caress her like a balm, and she decided to do the only thing that probably would have caught him off guard.
She slipped her arms around his body sliding a little against him. She felt him stiffen for a moment, maybe long enough to realize it was just her hugging him. And then his arms were behind her back and she smiled with her face hidden in his coat.
"Stay safe, Detective."
Hailey hugged him one last time before finally getting into the car. She saw him stand on the sidewalk staring at her. His green eyes, for the first time since she had known him, looked quiet.
And Hailey had to breathe deeply still in disbelief at what hadn't happened.
She was about to kiss Jay Halstead and she still didn't believe it.
Again, I'm here to thank you all - whoever reviews, whoever waits for my updates and whoever spends some of their minutes just to read this story. It means so much for me.
As always, thanks to my angel - one-cpd.
Talk soon, H.