Today was finally the day, time to return to Chicago, to her home...to Jay. It had been what felt like an eternity here in New York and Hailey was more than ready to go home. She zipped up the suitcase laying on top of the bed and moved over to the window, taking a moment to enjoy the view of the city one last time. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, letting her know the Uber had arrived. She smiled to herself, quickly glancing around the room to make sure nothing had been forgotten, before lugging the suitcase off the bed and heading out the door. She had already filled out the necessary paperwork for checkout this morning, so after just a quick stop to drop off her keycard, she was headed outside to meet the driver. The ride to the airport was slow, a mix of her eagerness to return home combated by the traffic that filled the streets of this city. Finally the airport came into view and once again she found herself smiling. The driver helped her pull the suitcase out of her trunk and she thanked him quickly before turning to walk through the large glass doors of the airport. Check in and security went a little faster than anticipated and Hailey found herself with more time to kill than she would like. Her stomach grumbled in hunger and she realized in her excitement this morning she had forgotten to eat any breakfast. She wandered through the crowded airport, scanning the little restaurants until a little burger joint caught her eye. It was well past lunch time now so a sandwich and some fries would hit the spot. She placed her order with the young waitress and then pulled out her phone while she waited for her food. Hailey found his name almost immediately, not surprising it was at the top of her recent conversations as they had spent plenty of time talking and texting over the last few weeks. It always felt good to talk to him, but it just wasn't the same as in person. She brought up their thread and typed a quick message, another smile on her face.
At the airport now, the countdown has officially begun. :)
His reply was almost instant, her smile increasing as she opened his text.
Yeah, I've been counting down since the day you left so…
And there it was, the line between them flashing before her, the line they had so carefully been dancing against during her time here. Maybe what they say is true, distance makes the heart grow fonder. Or maybe it was the sheer distance that was seeming to give them both the courage of being just a little bolder with the things they said.
Sure, whatever you say Jay. You can still back out, you know, not too late for me to just get an Uber to take me home…
Jay had offered to pick her up from the airport, even going so far as to leave work early to do so. She had fought him initially, telling him that he was being ridiculous and she was more than capable of getting herself home. But eventually she conceded, the thought of him being the first thing she saw back in Chicago exciting her more than she'd care to admit.
Yeah, that's not gonna happen. Sorry.
Her food came then and she settled into enjoying the meal, grateful for the slight distraction from her wandering thoughts. But even an overly priced airport burger did little to truly reroute her thoughts. It would be a lie to say she hadn't spent a large majority of her free time here thinking about Jay and the realization that being away from him affected her more than it should. More than it should, at least, for someone who was just a partner. But Jay was more than that, that had been clear for the both of them for a long time. At some point, the pair became best friends, leaning on each other to get through even the toughest of cases. They didn't always reach out when they should, evidenced by Jay getting kidnapped and subsequently shot along with her crossing one to many lines and getting sent to New York. But there was more than that, at least for Hailey. Many nights had been spent laying awake, smiling after a phone call with Jay, hearing all about the antics of her unit back in Chicago, or even the simple day to day things he would relay. She found herself replaying the words Vanessa had said to her that day he got shot.
"It's hard because you love him."
And it was true, something Hailey had only truly realized in that moment. It was a label to something she had been feeling for quite some time, something that set her on edge whenever it swelled up inside her, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. But the way Vanessa had said it, so simply, so matter of fact, made something inside Hailey snap the second she processed the words. She did love him. And it scared the hell out of her. Of course, in that moment, she had brushed off Vanessa's statement with the rebuttal of him being her partner. But the second she was left alone, the realization of just how right she was hit Hailey like a ton of bricks, the emotions crashing over her in a tidal wave. Hailey had spent the next few hours in the waiting room pondering over what this meant for her, for Jay, for them. And she had sworn to herself that it was something she would keep to herself, for fear of crossing the lines between them. Jay was her person and she wouldn't risk losing him. But then she went to pick him up the day he was discharged and the second she laid eyes on him, out of bed and fully dressed, looking almost completely back to normal in comparison to the Jay she had seen in the hospital bed, something inside her snapped again and she almost told him right then and there. Luckily, his phone had rang and it had given her just enough time to compose herself and tuck the confession back down where it belonged. Hailey spent the next few months pushing her feelings down, locking them away and focusing on her relationship with Jay as both a partner and friend, promising herself nothing more would come of it. She was almost certain he wouldn't feel the same way and even with the slight chance he did, both of them held a firm stance on not having a romantic relationship with someone they worked closely with, having both been hurt badly in the past. There were little moments that snuck in though, despite her best efforts. Moments were their banter bordered on flirting and neither seemed to mind. Hailey settled herself for those little moments, enjoying them when they happened and then letting them go, knowing it wouldn't lead to anything more.
But then New York happened. And the pair spent many hours conversing on the phone in their downtime, sending texts when they were just too busy, always keeping in contact with the other, no matter what was happening in their separate worlds. And those little moments came more often, both of them making little comments here and there, things that they wouldn't have done before. And the line between them, the line Hailey was fighting so hard to keep clear, suddenly started to blur. And now she was headed home, to see him, face to face for the first time in weeks and she wondered what affect all those little moments would have on them. Would they have created an awkwardness between them? Would they turn into something more? Would they be forgotten and something never brought up?
Hailey finished her meal, paying her tab before leaving the small diner and making her way back out to the hustle and bustle of the busy airport. She wandered through a few of the stores, looking to kill some more time before her flight boarded. Finally she glanced at her phone and saw that it was almost time to go. Eagerly she made her way to the gate and boarded the plane, feeling a sense of relief that she was finally heading home. She pulled out her phone to send Jay a quick text with her flight info and then settled into the long flight.
Two and a half hours was more than enough time to allow Hailey's mind to wander back to Jay once again. She found herself replaying all the little moments they had shared, not just during her New York stint but even before that. The memories brought a smile to her face and a genuinely happy feeling bubbled within her. As the pilot announced overhead that they were approaching the airport, Hailey shifted in her seat, moving to sit more upright and glanced out the window. As the clouds began to shift around them Hailey made herself take a few deep breaths, once again pushing all the feelings she held for Jay back down. He was her partner and her friend, and he would be nothing more than that. She didn't want to cross that line with him, risking losing him. So she steeled herself to maintain their normal, status quo relationship. She made a promise to herself that those little moments would once again become few and far between. She wouldn't let her feelings for him rise to the surface now that she was back home, telling herself those moments and those feelings could stay in New York. As the planes jostled to the ground, Hailey let a sense of relief wash over her. She was home.
She waited in her seat to allow the other passengers to offload first and pulled out her phone to let Jay know she had arrived. Once she was off the plane she headed to baggage claim, having to wait a few minutes before her bag chugged into view. Pulling it behind her she set off for the arrival gate, eyes scanning the crowd for his familiar face, knowing that he would have come inside instead of just waiting in his truck. A large group of people stood before her, what looked like a group of international tourists. They shuffled around in front of her, slowing her pace. She gave them a forced smile as she pressed her way through them. One older man bumped into her, almost making her trip just as she cleared their mass. Her eyes darted down to the ground as she struggled to stay upright and when her eyes returned up, she saw him. The moment her eyes found his face, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips telling her he had no doubt just witnessed her stumble, something inside her snapped again. Her heart began to race and threatened to beat out of her chest. Her breath was caught in her throat and she struggled to take a breath. She walked over to him as if on autopilot, not paying any attention to anything in front of her except him. His smirk turned into a full blown smile as she closed the gap, one she mirrored immediately. Her bag slowed to a stop beside her as she stood smiling at him, surely looking like a complete idiot with the grin plastered on her face.
"Hailey…"
Her name on his lips made her breath hitch once again. If she thought she felt relief when the plane landed she was wrong. Chicago wasn't home. He was.