Thank you again my sweet friends for all the lovely comments. It means a lot and it definitely motivation to get me writing!
I'm gonna keep this short and sweet so you can get to reading, but I do want to warn you now that there will be a tiny time jump in the next chapter. I promise I have my reasons!
Enjoy!
There were times when being a student athlete came in handy. There was no shortage of girls, booze and free stuff thrown at you. Sometimes you got lucky and professors would cut you slack during your season. But sometimes, the perks meant that you had access to places regular students didn't. This was true as Jay sat in the soccer locker room.
He just needed a minute, or ten. He wanted to take a breather after the week he'd been having. They lost their game Sunday, he had an exam Tuesday. Allie had made a reappearance and he was not in the mood to even think about her.
The circumstances that led him here were because of his brother. Will was in medical school in New York and doing god knows what, or who. The man had a different girlfriend every single time Jay talked to his brother. But despite all his questionable choices, Will was shaping up to be a damn good doctor.
Will had called about an hour ago, and Jay had assumed everything would be fine. It wasn't and now he was left alone with no one to talk to. His dad could care less, and he didn't want to burden his mom. But there was one other person he felt he could trust enough to talk to, and that was Erin.
He had seen her and Hailey at their last game and he remembered giving her a smile when he spotted her in the stands. She smiled back, and he noticed then that she had these dimples that made him feel lighter just looking at her. They had studied together one other time since that first day, and she had been the one to find him in the library. Just like the first time, they exchanged very few words, but it all felt so comfortable.
Checking his watch, he realized he had been sitting there for close to two hours, which was way longer than he expected. He also realized his next class started in 20 minutes. Cursing at himself, he grabbed his bag and jacket, and nearly sprinted out of the locker room.
"So," Hailey began, her chin resting in her hand. "Are we going to talk about what's going on with you and Jay?"
"Hailey!" Erin said, her head whipping around in hopes no one heard her.
"What?" she replied, picking up her burger to take another bite.
"There is nothing happening. We've studied together twice and have spoken maybe 2 sentences."
"Doesn't matter. I saw the way he looked at you the other night."
Erin had to bite her cheek to hold back a smile, remembering what Hailey was referring to. She had dragged Erin to another soccer game, but this time, she was a little more willing to go considering who would be there. Just like the last time, his eyes caught hers, but it was different, too. She couldn't help but return his smile that made her insides melt. He didn't get ejected either, and she was going to take credit for that, after she got a similar smile when he came back onto the field following halftime.
"There's nothing going on Hailey. Maybe he was glad to see a friendly face."
"Friendly face, my ass," Hailey mumbled, but loud enough that Erin could hear.
"I'm done having this conversation with you" Erin said, picking up her fork to take a bite of her pasta.
"Whatever. I'm gonna say I told you so eventually."
Erin shot a glare at her best friend, but she couldn't stay mad for long. There was a little voice in her head that told her maybe Hailey was right, that there was something going on. But like hell was she going to give her the satisfaction of saying "I told you so".
Something else told Erin she would be saying those words.
"So, what's going on with your little boy toy?" Erin asked, causing Hailey to nearly choke on a fry.
"Never say "boy toy" ever again," she said, but she didn't deny anything.
"Are the two of you ever going to make anything official?"
"Likely not," Hailey replied, avoiding eye contact now. "At the end of the semester, he's studying abroad in Guatemala. Something about wanting to do more humanitarian work."
"Oh, I'm sorry girl. I know you liked him."
Hailey nodded sadly. Erin knew that Hailey had been developing feelings for Connor, and here he was getting to leave less than six months after they met.
"Can we talk about something other than boys?" Hailey asked, causing Erin to nod enthusiastically.
He spotted her instantly, giving up on his search for an empty table, or Erin.
"Hey," Jay said as he got closer before pulling out the chair at the table.
Erin looked up, finding Jay sitting down across from her.
"Hi," she replied. "How are you?"
"I've been better," he answered honestly. "And you?"
"Same. Better days are behind me."
"Well, I am sure there is something you can look forward to."
"Maybe there is," she said softly, turning her attention back to her textbook.
Jay couldn't look away, content with just studying her instead of his notes. It had been something he started to do a lot whenever he saw her. At this point, he could tell where the little beauty mark on her face was and the direction of her light curls.
He wondered how soft her hair would feel between his fingers and if her skin was as smooth as it looked. More than that, he wanted to know everything that made her tick, why she spent so much time here and why he saw pain in her eyes whenever she would leave.
"What?" he heard her say. When he snapped back to reality, he realized she caught him staring. She wore a bemused smirk on her face, and that cause him to blurt out his next thought.
"Do you wanna get coffee? Together?"
The smirk she wore fell from her face, causing a look of shock to be replaced. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to get words to come out. He found it amusing he had managed to stun her this much, but he still wanted an answer.
"Erin?"
Her mouth snapped shut, almost appearing to not trust her own words. Instead, she just nodded, causing a smile to spread across Jay's face.
"Do you want to go now?"
Erin nodded again, a small and shy smile gracing her features, and Jay decided he wanted nothing more in life than to get that smile from her again. He stood up, packing his backpack and watching her do the same. He couldn't help but laugh at her movements, shoving everything into her bag faster than may have been necessary.
"What are you laughing at?" she asked, zipping her bag and standing up.
"You. Watching you then was amusing," he answered honestly.
Jay swore he saw her blush, falling into step beside him. It all felt familiar, even if this was all so new. In that moment, he did the only other thing that felt right.
He took her hand in his, leading the way.
"So," Erin said, trying to find a way to start this conversation.
"So," Jay repeated, setting down both their coffees.
Erin didn't expect the awkwardness. She certainly felt nervous, but she didn't think Jay would.
She had to fight the urge to pinch herself, because here she was on a coffee date with Jay Halstead. Well, he hadn't said it was a date, but it certainly felt like one.
"Why don't we turn this into a game of 20 questions?" he suggested, and Erin nodded in response. That was certainly one way to get this going.
"You first," she said, taking a sip of the latte she ordered.
"Ok then. Here's an easy one: what's your major?"
"Human development and psychological services."
"Wow," Jay replied, surprised. Here he was expecting something along the lines of, he didn't know, English or history.
"Care to share why?"
"Isn't it my turn to ask you a question?" she said, her eyebrow raised towards him.
"Fair enough," Jay replied, leaning back in his chair.
"Why almond milk?" she asked.
He laughed at that question, as he hadn't been expecting that.
"That's your question?" he asked, getting an eager nod from her in response. "Ok, then. My mom liked it better than regular milk, so she always gave it to us. I guess I developed a taste for it over the years."
She found herself anticipating some answer about him being a health nut, but she didn't miss the way his face softened when he mentioned his mom.
"Care to share why?" Jay asked, repeating his earlier question.
Erin paused. Not many people had ever asked her why, but she didn't feel comfortable divulging information about her mom and her past to someone who was basically a stranger.
"I grew up in a rougher neighborhood," she began, the words spilling out. "I guess I just want to be able to do something to help them."
It wasn't the whole truth, but it was close enough. It was the safe answer.
"That's impressive," he said. The look on his face told her that he really meant those words.
"And what about you?"
"What about me?"
"Why are you in legal studies?" she asked.
Jay paused, leaning forward to look her in the eye.
"All my life, I wanted to be a cop. When my brother and I played cops and robbers, I begged him to let me be the cop. I'm pretty sure he agreed only because he liked tackling me."
Erin laughed, and she swore a smile grew on his face.
"When I got my scholarship, I couldn't pass that opportunity up. Northwestern was still close to home and had a hell of a soccer program, so I figured why not."
Jay continued to intrigue her in every single way. Erin expected this hot shot, egomaniac athlete, but she was learning that was far from the truth. Each answer he gave made her want to know even more. She wanted to ask about his brother, as it was the first time she's heard Jay mention him, but they were playing a game after all.
After that, conversation seemed to be easier. Erin's nerves disappeared when she realized that Jay was a normal guy. She learned that his brother, Will, was in med school in New York and she didn't miss the very casual way he said it, almost like there was more to the story. The more he shared, quirks and all, the more she could understand why Hailey spoke so highly of him.
"So, how did you and Hailey become friends," he asked, seeming to be able to read her mind. "Did she bribe you like she did to me?"
Erin laughed, because she knew that story. The first time Jay and Hailey had been put in a group for a class project, she had to promise food for him to show up to work. Apparently now he did as he was told.
"Actually no. You just must be special," she replied, getting another laugh out of Jay. "We lived on the same floor of our dorm. Hailey, Kim and I were some of the only Chicago natives surprisingly, and we bonded over where the best pizza is."
"We've had that argument our fair amount of times," Jay quipped.
"And she will argue until she is blue in the face, or you admit she is right."
"She definitely will," Jay said, looking down at his phone before quickly standing up. "Shit, I have practice in a few."
"No worries," she said, standing up with him. "I've got some more homework, so I was going to head out anyways."
Jay gave her a short nod and motioned for her to lead the way. The Chicago air hit their face as they stepped out of the coffee shop. He watched Erin pull her jacket tighter around her small frame, trying to save herself from the chilly winds.
The five-minute walk back to campus was silent, but it wasn't as awkward as either had expected. Jay wanted nothing more than to hold her hand again, but her hands were currently shoved into her jacket pockets. But he wanted more of this, he wanted the chance to learn more about her and ask his remaining eight questions for her.
"This is me," she said, motioning to the library entrance behind her. Jay stopped too, turning to look at her. There was something about her as the wind whipped her hair all around, but she didn't seem to mind at all. The small smile on her face told him as much.
"I guess this is where I leave you," he said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
"Yeah," she replied softly, nodding and turning her attention to the ground. "I'll see you around. Thanks for today."
"Anytime," Jay said, backing up slowly to walk towards the practice facility. Erin turned to walk into the building but that didn't stop him from calling after her. She turned right away, that eyebrow of hers quirking slightly to tell him he had her attention.
"A bunch of us are going out later. Would you want to join? I think Hailey is going, too."
His suggestion came out all at once, because he didn't want to leave her now. He wanted more time with her, and he suddenly found himself craving her.
"Sounds like fun," she said with a smile.
The place Jay suggested was crowded. But it was clearly a college bar, so it shouldn't have surprised her.
Erin wasn't one to shy away from going on, she just normally spent her time elsewhere to avoid running into anyone she, or her mom, knew. It was better to avoid the opportunity and her mother's nagging. She was going to give herself this one night, knowing she needed to blow off steam after the back to back exams she had in the last week.
"Erin!"
Looking around to find the voice that yelled her name, she spotted Kim, but she should have known. Kim had a loud voice. She felt herself relax a little more knowing that she had another friend here. As she got closer, she spotted Hailey on the barstool next to her. Make that two friends.
"Hey guys," she said, hugging both girls and sliding onto the seat Hailey just vacated. Erin finally felt herself relax as she became sandwiched between her two best friends.
"We're so glad you came!" Kim said loudly. The girl was on her way to tipsy, and Kim was a fun and giggly drunk.
"Well I am glad for the invite," she replied, looking around to spot Jay.
"He isn't here yet," Hailey said, taking a sip of her beer. "He texted and said he and the guys were on their way. Practice ran late.
Erin just nodded, trying to hide the slight disappointment she felt. She didn't know why; Hailey just told her he was coming.
"Hey," Hailey said quietly, nudging her side. "He's gonna be here. He invited you after all."
Erin simply smiled at her friend's words. It was surprising to her that she wasn't trying to hide how she felt about Jay around Hailey. Kim, maybe, but Hailey was one of his good friends, that she knew. She wouldn't say it was to get into his good graces, because something told her Hailey would approve. But she never had a girlfriend to talk about this stuff with, and no offense to Kim, Hailey was probably better with the relationship advice.
"I know," Erin replied, turning back around to see a beer in front of her. She didn't remember ordering a drink, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hailey smiling at something. It didn't take long to see she was smiling at someone.
"I think I owed you one."
She looked up, matching the voice to its owner as she was met with those blue-green eyes belonging to none other than Jay Halstead. The smile that spread on her face was sincere, because she was happy to see him. The fact that he was standing here with that grin on his face that made her melt, had her ignoring the "told you so" comment from Hailey.
"Well I thought it was rude to keep a lady waiting," she said, her sarcastic comment catching her off guard. Was she flirting?
"It is, but you can blame this one here for that," he responded, motioning to Adam Ruzek over his shoulder.
"Will do," she said as he sat down.
It didn't take long for the conversation to start, which seemed to flow between them as did the drinks. Every once in a while, she would spot Adam and Kim talking off to the side, and she guessed that they were going back to someone's place later. Hailey stayed, as did Kevin Atwater and Greg Gurwitz, two of Jay's teammates she met after they arrived. She was glad to see Hailey relaxing, knowing whatever happened with her and Connor had her down these past few days.
Every time he opened his mouth, Jay Halstead became more and more intriguing. He was far from the hot-shot athlete everyone on campus adored. He was funny and sarcastic, two things Erin didn't know she liked in a guy. Whenever her drink would get low, he would go to get her another without prompting or hesitation, but always asking her if she wanted another. He eventually moved next to her when the party behind them got a little rowdy. There wasn't anything bad to be said about him.
Sometime after he had moved to stand by her and getting her another beer did she realize how close they were. She wasn't drunk, or even tipsy, enough to not notice how his jean covered thigh brushed her leg when he walked away, or how it slid between her legs when he returned. She didn't know if he knew what he was doing, but she didn't mind it one bit. Her outside leg began swinging to see if he noticed. Erin's thoughts were confirmed when his right hand fell on her thigh, squeezing lightly.
"Erin," he whispered into her ear, his hot breath on her neck making her shiver despite the heat that was on in the building. "Don't think I don't notice what you're doing."
She didn't give him a response, just leaned back and smiled softly up at him.
"As much as I want to, I'm not taking you home with me. Not without a proper date."
Despite his refusal for this to end how she hoped, she finally understood what girls in romance novels and rom-coms meant by the butterflies.
"Are you asking me out?" she asked, her tone becoming serious.
"Are you saying yes?"
"Maybe," she replied, her hand moving to his own that rested on her thigh. Instantly, he turned his hand over, his fingertips dancing along her palm.
"Then yes, I am asking you out."
The smile on her face was instantaneous. Never had a guy asked her out before, or at least in this shy way that Jay had. She could see in his eyes and feel with his hand on her leg that he was nervous. It also didn't escape her attention that she had managed to make Jay Halstead nervous.
"Are you going to say yes?" Erin heard from behind her. The laugh she let out was full bodied, as she had forgotten Hailey had been sitting beside her.
"Are you?" Jay asked, getting some kind of satisfaction that Hailey was on his side.
"If you would shut up," she said, turning to face Hailey before looking back at Jay. "Then yes, I am saying yes."
It was Jay's turn to smile as his hand intertwined with hers. His smile was so real and pure that Erin wanted to see it forever. She wanted to do anything to be able to see that smile on her face, the one that made his eyes crinkle and these dimples pop out. Somehow, his smile made her notice all the freckles dotting his face, giving this school boy happiness to his features.
Her heart fucking melted.
"Although, I hate to break this moment, but I really need to go," she told him as she heard the bartender yell for last call. She was sure everyone would stick around for another hour, but she need to be home before her mom and avoid her smelling the smoke and alcohol on Erin.
Jay seemed to understand, nodding his head.
"I'll walk you out, just let me close my tab."
She nodded this time before turning to Hailey.
"I'm leaving," she began, but continued when she saw the smirk on Hailey's face. "Alone. Jay is just walking me out."
"You know you wanna get with that," she said, her words as suggestive as always. Hailey was a sarcastic drunk, seeming to become sassier when she had a few. Erin always envied her because you could never tell if she was sober or not.
"Not tonight," she said, slipping on her jacket. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye!" Hailey replied, before turning to continue her conversation with Mouse.
When Erin turned around, she headed to the bar, card in hand to pay her own tab. Before she could get close enough, Jay stopped her.
"What are you doing? I need to pay."
"I took care of that."
"Jay," she began, looking up at him. "You did not pay for all my drinks."
"Yes, I did, now let's go," he said, slinging his arm over her shoulders. Despite her slight annoyance that he had paid for her, she wasn't going to fight the closeness and warmth of his body. She reached her hand up to grasp his own, smiling as she felt him turn to her, his nose nuzzling her face, almost as if he needed to touch her in some way. She supposed she could argue with him when they were both sober, and when he was not being so perfect.
As they walked out of the bar, they were met with the cold air, the wind having picked up since she walked in. Erin was glad Jay was so close, his body keeping her warmer than her jacket could do alone. Jay instantly spotted a cab, leading them over. Their short walk was quiet, and Erin took in the moment. She had never felt so at peace and so safe that she wanted to experience this, him, every day.
"Thanks for coming," he whispered into her ear as he trailed the lightest of kisses from the shell of her ear down the exposed skin of her neck.
"Thank you for the invite. I had fun."
"Me too," Jay said.
They briefly stepped apart, so Jay could flag down the cab. Erin had expected him to go with her, but Jay, ever the gentleman as she was learning, opened her door for her.
"I'm gonna wait for Mouse. He's my roommate so there's no point in getting separate rides home, as much as I want to."
Erin nodded, understanding completely. She wouldn't lie and say she was relieved that he wasn't going with her. She couldn't imagine having to explain that she was a 21-year-old living with her mom. A mom that happened to be a drunk and thought Erin going to college was useless.
"Thanks again," she said softly before turning to get into the cab. Time suddenly seemed to slow as she felt his hand grasp her wrist, pulling him back to her.
She didn't have time to process what was happening before his mouth landed on hers. Even with the cold air, his lips were warm, seeming to warm up her insides. They moved in sync and to anybody around, it would have looked like they had this down. Everything just felt right, like he was the missing puzzle piece in her life.
Jay pulled back far too quickly for her liking, resting his forehead against hers as his breath came out in soft pants, hitting her face lightly. He eventually leaned his head back, before going in to peck her lips once more.
"Good night, Erin," he said, releasing the grip on her wrist.
"Good night Jay," she replied, sliding into the cab and watching him close the door.
Her eyes stayed locked onto his, taking in everything about him. The way his hands shoved into his pockets to keep them warm, but he still stood in the cold watching her drive away. Even as he disappeared from her sight, her mind replayed every moment of that night on loop, keeping her on cloud nine until she fell asleep, her dreams becoming flooded with him as well.