The team had all decided to go play bowling to decompress some before doing the usual Molly's trip. It was something different, and great for all of their slight competitive natures. They decided to split into two groups to compete against each other. Naturally, Kevin, Kim, and Adam teamed up… pitting them against Antonio, Hailey, and Jay; losers buying the drinks later. Normally this setup would be ideal, natural, and fine with Hailey… but since the conversation with Jay a few hours prior, she's still a little uneasy. They didn't bring up Jay's date again for the remainder of their shift, and afterward when Jay dropped her off at her house to get ready, things were slightly more tense than average. By the time her and Jay arrived at bowling, they were determined to act like nothing was amiss, at least, she certainly was. The last thing she needs is for jealousy to rear its ugly head. As for Jay, the conversation left him seriously reconsidering the date-deal with Will. Even if Hailey is too stubborn to admit it, the last thing he wants to do is hurt her… or maybe that's just his wishful thinking again. Who knows? She may not care at all who he dates. It's leaving them both with a lot of contemplating and strategizing that has nothing to do with the best angle to throw a strike.
"Damn, I never realized how bad you two suck at bowling. I feel sorry for Antonio, he's about to lose his wallet on liquor!" Kevin says to them from the other lane, as Hailey throws another gutter ball.
"Yeah, how did I end up drawing the short straw? I figured you guys would be the best at this!" Antonio jokingly admits.
Before Hailey or Jay can respond, Kim and Adam's screams interrupt them as she throws a strike, and they embrace jumping up and down.
"Yea! That's my A-Team!" Kevin yells as he goes running over to jump with them as well.
"Oh, c'mon!" Antonio lifts up his arms in shock and dismay.
Hailey shrugs her shoulders at Jay as she walks back to grab her ball for her second attempt this turn.
"Sorry man, we're gonna step this up right now, I swear!" Jay announces to Antonio as he goes to walk over to Hailey. He gets close enough to whisper in her ear, a movement that makes them both shiver for a second.
"You knock all the pins on this one, and coffee's on me for the next month…" he grins at her.
"Don't tease me, Halstead! Y'know what I can do with the proper incentive." She laughs back at him.
"OH, I KNOW! Now go take it out on the pins." He winks at her and continues to watch as she walks away down the lane.
She turns to look back at him right before she throws. "I'm gonna hold you to this!" Right as she finishes saying it, she flicks her wrist and launches the ball down the lane; it curves at just the right time, knocking down ALL of the pins. She grins as she gets her first spare of the night.
"YES! THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" Antonio yells triumphantly as the partners high-five each other.
Now that it's Jay's turn, he tries to give himself some incentive too. His comes in the form of picturing the pins as how he felt anytime he saw Hailey with Adam… probably not the healthiest of ways, but it works. His next throw is a perfect strike... this time him, Hailey, and Antonio are loudly cheering and jumping up and down, leaving Kevin, Adam, and Kim staring agape.
Adam hits Kevin's arm, "You just had to open your mouth, didn't you!?"
"I didn't know they were gonna go and do that!" Kevin exclaims.
"It's fine guys, we got this! They're still a ways behind, it'd be a miracle for them to catch up!" Kim gives the boys a pep talk as their opponents chuckle… famous last words in the world of sports.
With the final four rounds, Antonio maintains his level of expertise, and somehow, someway, Hailey and Jay manage to get a strike on each turn. They gaze at each other and grin after every one, almost as if they're telepathically encouraging the other; which doesn't go unnoticed by the other coworkers.
"Man, I see what you mean. No wonder you decided to break it off with her." Kevin whispers to Adam somewhere along their fifth strike. Adam just shakes his head in agreement back and gives him a "Right!?" look.
When the night is said and done, Team Upsteadson squeaks out the win by two points. None of them can believe it. But it's been great for Hailey and Jay because this was just the distraction they had needed from their earlier conversation. For a while, it even felt like things were back to normal between them… just two good friends having fun with their other friends. They don't go out in groups as often anymore, and this was good for them, at least for fighting their hidden feelings like when they're alone.
Once they got to Molly's, Antonio made a toast to the three of them, the first round begrudgingly off of Kevin's money… it's the last time he'll underestimate the power of their partnership.
"To a great team effort… especially to you two who really amped it up late, Voight would be proud, you guys really do make great partners!"
Hailey and Jay grin at each other and stare a beat too long as usual, trying to communicate silently all the things they wish they could say. Jay breaks out of it first, realizing Antonio is still waiting on them to clink classes.
"Cheers!" Jay says as Antonio turns to the others.
"And to the rest of you, thanks for talking smack… These drinks tonight are gonna be the best I ever had!" he jokes with them and gets fake angry glares from Kevin, Adam, and Kim.
"You suck!" Kim says laughing.
"Yeah, but not as much as you, apparently!" Antonio retorts, and all six of them crack up.
For the rest of the night, Hailey and Jay joke and chime in as much as they can. Both knowing they have some big decisions to make and things to think about soon… but for tonight, they're glad to have a breather from their harboring emotions…
[A/N: Sorry for the delay, but April has been pretty busy for me and I honestly wasn't going to update any stories until the show returned... But alas, here it is anyway! Just a short, filler chapter to break up some of the angst. Hope you enjoy, & hope we get some good Upstead in tomorrow's (6x19) episode! I'm feeling good about them for the remainder of the season with the few little things I've heard. So cheers to hoping, and thanks for all the love!]