A/N: I'm back! I had a nice vacation and now I'm re-energized and ready to keep going (while juggling another Masters class so...it's rough around here, but we're gonna power through :) ). Can't wait for you all to see what's in store for this group of friends!
"He did your laundry and then you stole his clothes?"
Hailey sighed at Vanessa's question. "No," she said and plopped down on the couch, "He did not do my laundry and I did not steal his clothes. He just paid for it and then we had to leave some of his clothes in the dryer so this lady wouldn't take it over."
Vanessa raised her eyebrow as she studied Hailey while taking a long sip from her water bottle. She'd been back for about five minutes before Hailey couldn't resist and shared what she'd done throughout the day. She'd immediately latched on to Hailey's story about Jay and needed every single detail ranging from how funny he was to what he smelt like. Once she'd gotten all the little details, she needed to know exactly how the date-that-wasn't-a-date ended.
"Well, can I see them?" she asked.
"See what?" Hailey countered.
"His clothes," Vanessa said, "Are they cute?" Without waiting for an answer, she hurried to Hailey's room.
Hailey groaned quietly and chased after her. "Knock it off," she said.
Vanessa didn't look up from examining the button down Hailey had folded on her dresser. "This is nice," she said, "I like the fabric. I bet he looks good in it."
"Ness," Hailey sighed.
Vanessa set her water bottle down then pulled the shirt on over her own t-shirt and overalls.
"Would you take that off?" Hailey asked.
"I like guy clothes," Vanessa said while walking toward Hailey's full-length mirror, "I could pull this off."
Hailey rolled her eyes and put her hand out. "Vanessa," she said.
"I totally get why brides wear white," Vanessa said and slowly turned in the mirror to check herself out.
"Brides wear white because, like two-thousand years ago, it represented their virginity and being pure," Hailey explained, "It had nothing to do with how they looked in the dress."
It was Vanessa's turn to roll her eyes as she pulled the shirt off. "Such a dumb tradition," she said and began folding the shirt back up, "I bet 99% of brides are not virgins. They just do it because they look good in the color. You love wearing white."
Hailey accepted the folded shirt and quietly admitted, "I do, but this is Jay's shirt, not ours. It has nothing to do with being a bride."
"Maybe not now, but let's check back in a couple years," Vanessa said before walking from the room.
Hailey shook her head and set the shirt back on her dresser. She had no desire to get married ever. At one point in her life, it had seemed fun and exciting, but after getting her heart stomped on one too many times, she scratched that idea. A wedding seemed expensive to have and could just lead to divorce, which also seemed rather expensive. It was all a waste of time. She'd rather just have some sort of life partner that she lived with. She could be in an exclusive relationship eventually. Not today, though.
A knock on the door caused her to look up from her thoughts and hurry to answer it before Vanessa could even open her bedroom door. After checking through the peephole, she smiled slightly and pulled the door open.
"Hey," Jay said, "I'm really sorry. Mouse was having issues."
"Oh, really?" Hailey laughed and stepped back for him to walk in.
"He broke the vacuum," Jay explained as he passed her.
"Sounds fun," Hailey said, "I'll go grab your clothes."
"Folded them already?" Jay asked while Hailey headed toward your room.
"It's been a while, dude," she called out over her shoulder.
"Fair," Jay chuckled.
Grabbing his clothes off her dresser, Hailey returned to the kitchen and said, "Clean and folded."
"Thanks," Jay said and accepted his clothes from her, "So while fixing that vacuum, I realized there's a game on tomorrow. Do you think-"
"Jay!"
They both turned to see Vanessa coming out of her room now with a pair of bike shorts on and her hair up in a bun.
"Hey," he said, "How're you?"
"Pretty good," Vanessa answered with a wide smile. She knelt on the couch and shot a wink toward Hailey.
Hailey rolled her eyes and turned back to Jay, "What were you saying?"
"Uh…game tomorrow!" he said, "There's a White Sox game at seven; do you two want to come over?"
"Baseball?" Vanessa asked.
Hailey quickly nodded and said, "Of course. I know you said you'd buy it, but we can bring the pizza."
"Have you seen Adam eat a pizza?" Jay countered, "I'm good with buying it."
Hailey laughed as she said, "I have. We'll bring a few; you paid for the alcohol last time. It'll be Bartoli's obviously, so the good stuff."
"Obviously," Jay replied with a wink, "Okay, I'll see you two tomorrow then. Need directions?"
Hailey laughed harder and lightly pushed his arm. "Bye."
"Bye," Jay chuckled and started walking away. "Thanks!" he said as he held his clothes over his head and stepped out the door, closing it behind him.
Vanessa met Hailey's eyes after a moment and smirked.
"Oh, shut up," Hailey breathed on the way to her room.
"I refuse!" Vanessa teased, "He's hot. I support!"
"You support nothing!" Hailey said and closed her door behind her.
Lying back on her bed, she took a deep breath and rubbed her hands over her face. Did he make her stomach flip around? Yes. Did he make her laugh? Yes. Did he want to work in medicine? Yes. Did he have decent arms? Yes. He checked off a lot of her boxes, but she still wasn't convinced she was ready to step outside of her comfort zone and be anything more than friendly with him.
She needed to keep putting herself first.
Work the next day was exhausting. Hailey's back was completely in pain now from the combination of the uncomfortable mattress and bending over sample after sample at her desk. She partly wanted to take a nap on the couch upon entering the apartment, but then Vanessa reminded her about the game and ordering pizza, so she reluctantly pushed off the couch and went to take a shower.
With the hot water pouring over her, she let her mind wander over different topics: the heat on the walk home, doing laundry with Jay, when she'd accidentally bumped a tray at work messing up her organization and setting her behind an hour, Jay's socks she'd folded the day before, what her brothers were doing, how Jay had stayed out of their apartment upon first meeting her and Vanessa, the list of groceries she needed to buy that weekend, what Jay's family was like.
She wanted to stop. She wanted to focus on herself. She wanted to keep the promise that she was going to be alone and independent forever. But there he was, slipping into her wandering thoughts like the soap she was trying to hold in her hand.
There was something about him, though, that told her she could trust him. He did have this weird, antiqued way of love if he was basing everything off of Romeo and Juliet, but she didn't know if that would carry over into his thoughts on women being independent and having jobs and a future that didn't revolve around men.
It intrigued her enough that she wanted to keep getting to know him. She was going to keep those walls up and avoid flirting with him, but it didn't mean she had to block him out altogether. He deserved a second chance. She needed to give him the shot to prove to her that he wasn't all about Shakespeare or those god-awful romance books that talked about love at first sight.
Even if deep within her soul, she knew she was always going to wonder what it felt like to meet the love of your life and if she'd know when it happened to her.
"I'm sure the guys will understand if you stay home," Vanessa said as she put Hailey's damp hair in a long braid.
"I said I'd be there and bring the pizza," Hailey said while looking down at her shirt, thinking the red material felt bigger and baggier than she remembered, "I can't bail on them."
"I can bring the pizza," Vanessa countered.
Hailey rolled her eyes and pulled her phone out, thinking her shirt had just gotten stretched out in the new dryer. Pushing the annoyance from her mind, she began ordering the food on her phone.
"Your curls are going to look insane when this dries," Vanessa said and tied off the end of the braid.
Hailey laughed softly and said, "As if they're not insane already."
"I love your hair," Vanessa said, "I bet Jay does too."
Hailey reached behind her to pinch Vanessa's thigh.
"Bitch," Vanessa mumbled and flicked the back of Hailey's head.
Laughing again, Hailey got off the couch and tried stretching out. "Your precious mattress is a pain in the ass," she said.
"I'm really sorry," Vanessa said, "I didn't realize how hard it is. I personally like it that way; I didn't realize not everyone does."
Hailey glanced at her and laughed while replying, "That's what she said."
"Shut up!" Vanessa laughed back and threw a pillow at her.
Hailey threw the pillow right back at her before walking into the kitchen to finish ordering the pizza. "Kim's coming, right?" she asked.
"Yeah, she texted me earlier," Vanessa said, "She said she might stay over too."
Hailey looked up from her phone and asked, "At our place or Adam's?"
"Probably depends on how much she has to drink," Vanessa answered.
"Of course," Hailey laughed softly. She opened the fridge and pulled out a sparkling water. "Do you think you're going to do anything about Kevin tonight?" she asked before taking a sip of water.
Vanessa paused from braiding her own hair. As a blush crossed her face, she finally scoffed and turned away.
"What's that mean?" Hailey asked.
Vanessa held up her middle finger over her shoulder.
"I'm serious!" Hailey laughed, "If you're going to tease me about my non-relationship with Jay, I deserve to hear all the information about your non-relationship with Kevin."
Vanessa sighed then turned on the couch to face her. "I saw him with this girl earlier," she said.
"What?" Hailey breathed, the smile fading from her face.
"Yeah, they walked in the building ahead of me after I went out for coffee," Vanessa explained, "She was pretty."
"You're pretty too," Hailey said. She set her drink down then walked over to sit back on the couch.
"Maybe I just need to set my sights on someone else for now," Vanessa said with a shrug, "It's just a crush, right? Nothing serious."
"Still, it's a bummer," Hailey said quietly, "Do you want to go tonight?"
"Of course I do," Vanessa replied, "But if she's there, you might need to count my drinks."
Hailey laughed and nodded. "I can do that," she said.
"You're a good friend," Vanessa said, a slight smirk forming on her face.
"Oh, I know," Hailey replied.
Vanessa laughed then leaned back against the couch with a sigh. "Mouse is cute, though," she said.
Hailey raised an eyebrow and slowly said, "Yeah, he is."
"I also haven't…yeah, I think I will," Vanessa said to herself. Pushing off the couch, she headed into her room and closed the door.
Hailey shook her head, but let out a sigh and went back on her phone. Absentmindedly scrolling through it, she debated looking up more baseball rules, but she also wanted to know how far Jay would go to teach her about it, so she settled on watching various videos to pass the time.
It wasn't until Vanessa came back out of her room dressed in a tight tank top that she blinked and focused back on where she was.
"What are you wearing?" she asked.
Vanessa shrugged and walked past her. She lightly tugged at the top of her shirt – not to pull it up, but it to pull it down and show off the edges of her black bra.
"Ness," Hailey said and sat up on the couch, "What the hell are you doing?"
"I'm going to a party," she answered and pulled down a bottle of tequila they'd bought on one of their last trips to the store. Pouring out a shot, she asked, "Want one?"
"I want to know why you're wearing that," Hailey said and walked over to her.
Vanessa rolled her eyes then took the shot. After shuttering slightly, she said, "I'm going to the guys' baseball party and showing Kevin that I don't need him."
"I am so confused," Hailey said.
"Hailey, don't worry about it," Vanessa replied.
Hailey sighed and put her hands up to say, "Whatever." She grabbed the bottle off the table and took a sip before saying, "Want to walk over? Pizza should be here soon and I can go grab it."
"Yup," Vanessa answered. Grabbing the tequila back, she again tugged at her shirt then left the apartment.
Hailey shook her head and followed her across the hall.
Kim was standing in the doorway already after having let Vanessa in. "Why's she dressed like that?" she whispered.
"Pretty sure she's mad at Kevin," Hailey answered under her breath, letting her gaze scan the room and seeing the girl Vanessa must have been talking about earlier standing with Adam and Kevin near the couch. Like Vanessa had said, she was pretty with long black hair and big brown eyes. She appeared comfortable around Kevin, and Hailey figured Vanessa was right in assuming she was his girlfriend. It was disappointing, but the two had never made any huge moves toward each other, so she didn't blame him for going out with someone else.
She briefly glanced around to see if there were any other girls there that might have had any connection to Jay - not because she cared, but because she was curious.
"For what?" Kim asked then glanced toward him. "Celeste?" she clarified.
Hailey nodded and asked, "Who is she?"
Kim smiled and said, "An ex. They were super cute, but just didn't click. Somehow still friends though. She went to a few of their games, remember? She always sat at the end of the dugout and wouldn't talk to anyone. We thought she was kind of bitchy, but then I met her at some after-party and actually liked her. Shocking."
Hailey hummed and a smirk began to form on her face. "Then this will be fun," she said.
"What do you mean?" Kim asked.
Instead of answering, Hailey simply pointed over to Vanessa leaning against the wall next to Mouse and lightly running her fingers along his arm.
Kim laughed softly and shook her head. "Oh my god," she said under her breath.
"She got jealous," Hailey explained, "So, settle in."
"Pour the drinks," Kim added, grabbing two cans of hard cider and passing one to Hailey.
"And enjoy the show," Hailey said while cracking open her drink.
"What show are we watching?" Jay asked, appearing behind them through the door with three pizzas in his hands.
"Your roommates falling in love," Kim teased.
Hailey laughed and shook her head.
Jay chuckled then set the pizzas on the counter. "Wonderful," he said.
Hailey glanced at the boxes he had and asked, "Did you get those?"
"I was taking out the trash and saw the guy drive up," Jay explained, "I asked if they were for you, he said yes, and I grabbed them. Saved you a trip."
"Thanks," Hailey said and pulled a few dollars from her pocket. "Here, to cover the tip," she added.
Jay laughed and pushed her hand away. "You don't have to tip me for bringing it up the stairs," he said.
Hailey rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand. "I'm reimbursing you because you did give him a tip, right?" she asked.
"Course, I'm not a monster," Jay said and slipped his hand from her grip. Turning away, he pulled out a stack of plates from the cupboard and announced, "Pizza's here!"
Hailey sighed and watched him begin to open all the boxes for their friends. She was about to step forward and grab a piece when she spotted Jay's open pocket to her right. Biting her lip as she bent down, she folded the money up again and slipped it into his pocket only for him to jump slightly.
"Just doing my duty," Hailey said when he looked down at her.
To her relief, he laughed and lightly tugged the end of her braid. "Sneaky, huh?"
Hailey shrugged and straightened up. "I try," she said.
"Mhmm," Jay hummed and passed her a plate.
"Smooth," Kim breathed in her ear as she walked over to sit on the barstool next to Adam.
Hailey rolled her eyes in her direction then followed Jay over to the couch. The game was beginning to start on the TV, and she could see the Detroit Tigers beginning their at-bat. Instead of watching the game, she again looked around the room at everyone that was there. She recognized another guy from the school's baseball team sitting near Adam and Kim; she couldn't remember his name but knew Kim had had a brief thing with him after her first break-up with Adam. There was Celeste sitting on the edge of the recliner Kevin was sitting on, and the two of them were talking through all the plays on the TV. In the kitchen, there were a handful of guys she didn't recognize, but assumed they were on the soccer team with Jay and Mouse based on a t-shirt one of them was wearing.
Mouse, though, and Vanessa were nowhere to be seen. She couldn't figure out if they were in Mouse's room since the door was closed or somewhere different altogether. She also didn't know if she really wanted to know.
"So you're wearing my shirt," Jay said.
Hailey blinked and looked over at him. "Sorry?" she said.
Jay didn't look away from the game and said, "That's my t-shirt. I was wondering where it was when I was folding my laundry."
"It is not," Hailey said and set her pizza down. Wiping her hands first on her napkin, she then stood up to start pulling at the shirt again.
Amused, Jay glanced at her and raised an eyebrow.
Hailey finally blushed and repeated, "Sorry."
Jay waved his hand and said, "It's fine. I've had it for a while."
Hailey shook her head and settled back on the couch. Pulling her legs underneath her, she grabbed her pizza again and took another bite before saying, "I'll bring it back tomorrow."
"You don't have to," Jay said. On the screen, one of the Tigers scored a homerun and everyone in the room groaned.
"Are you kidding me?" the other guy near Kim said, "That's ridiculous."
"Really think you could have pitched a better one?" Adam asked him.
"Probably," the guy said.
Jay scoffed and finished his piece of pizza.
"What's his name again?" Hailey asked quietly.
"Sean," Jay said, "I can't stand him."
Hailey nodded and said, "He always kind of annoyed me before too."
"So cocky," Jay mumbled. He wiped his mouth with his napkin and said, "But whatever. Kevin wanted to invite a couple people since Mouse invited the other guys, so he brought him and Celeste. I don't need to talk to them."
"Oh, really?" Hailey asked, a smirk teasing at her lips.
"Mhmm," Jay chuckled. He winked at her then put his arms over the back of the couch. "I've got you," he said.
Hailey laughed and shoved his chest. "Shut up," she said, "That's so cheesy."
"I like talking to you, though," Jay said, "Maybe I can eventually ask you out?"
Hailey raised an eyebrow and repeated, "Ask me out?"
"Like on a date," Jay clarified, the fingers on his right hand lightly touching the back of her braid.
Hailey hummed and settled back further in the couch. She winked at him and slowly finished her pizza.
She'd be lying if she said the thought of going on a date with Jay hadn't crossed her mind. She figured they'd end up getting pizza and maybe going to some sort of sporting event just based on their few conversations before. Then again, they were practically doing that exact same thing right now: they were eating pizza while watching a baseball game. Maybe a date wasn't necessary.
She also still wanted to focus on her career. Becoming a forensic scientist was not the easiest thing on her current list of goals. She was more determined than ever to focus on these goals so that by the time she was thirty, she could truly start focusing on that bottom goal: a family.
It wasn't something she necessarily needed, and maybe didn't even include kids, but she figured it'd be a good end point. She'd know her life was full once she had the career, the house, and the people to fill it with. That's how life worked.
So she wasn't ready for a guy yet.
But then she glanced around the apartment, still couldn't see Mouse and Vanessa, noticed Celeste making Kevin laugh loudly, and spotted Adam's fingers dragging through the back of Kim's hair. In the moment, Jay was next to her, admittedly making her laugh, and was also lightly playing with a loose strand of hair in the back of her long braid.
Maybe she could let herself have some fun with this particular guy.
Taking a breath, she reached over to Jay's plate and grabbed his uneaten breadstick. She smirked at the shock on his face then said, "Maybe. If I'm in the right spot, I'd say yes."
Jay's smile widened and nodded. "I can wait," he said.
Hailey leaned back more so the back of her head was resting on his arm. She set her heels on the edge of the couch cushion and wrapped her arms around her knees. "Did you notice Mouse and Vanessa have disappeared?" she asked.
Jay nodded and took a sip of his beer. "Think they're together?" he countered.
Hailey scoffed and said, "Obviously."
Jay chuckled and nodded again. "Could be fun," he said.
"In your dreams, big guy," Hailey said.
Jay laughed harder and tightened his arm around her shoulders. "I'm not inviting you to my room," he said.
"Right now," Hailey said, smirking once more.
"You're such a tease," Jay chuckled.
"But you like it," Hailey said.
"That is true," Jay said, smiling down at her, "I am kind of into this."
Hailey laughed and released her legs, sending them back down to the rug as her hand settled on Jay's thigh. The quick movement sent a sharp cramp through her back and she winced, gripping onto his shorts.
Jay straightened up and scrunched his eyebrows together. "You okay?" he asked.
Hailey shook her head, but still gritted out, "I'm fine."
Jay stared down at her then asked, "Your back?"
Giving in, Hailey nodded and tried sitting up further, but her back twinged again causing her to gasp softly.
Jay got off the couch and walked into the bathroom. He returned a moment later with an icepack and a small tube.
"I'm fine," she repeated, "You really don't have to do anything. The ice is fine on its own. Thank you."
"I don't have to put it on you," Jay said and passed over the tube as he sat next to her, "But it does work. I got it from the office I work at; it really worked when I pulled a muscle a couple months ago."
Hailey looked down at the muscle cream and nodded slightly.
"Is it from moving?" Jay asked while adjusting the pillows behind her and beginning to shake the icepack.
"Um, new mattress, I think," Hailey guessed.
Jay nodded and asked, "Where do you want it?"
"I really don't know," Hailey admitted, "It hurts everywhere."
"Damn," Jay breathed and set the ice on her lower back.
She let out a low breath and closed her eyes at the instant relief that flooded through her.
"I'll show you a couple stretches later, but I'll wait for when you're feeling better," Jay said.
"Thanks," Hailey mumbled.
Jay nodded. She could feel his eyes on her for a moment and glanced up at him looking like he was debating something in his mind.
"Yeah?" she asked softly.
He shook his head and put his hand on her braid again. "Do you mind?" he asked.
Not knowing what he meant, but feeling an overwhelming amount of trust toward him, she shook her head earning a smile from him.
He gently brushed her hair from the back of her neck then lightly rubbed the backs of his knuckles over her neck. "If anything hurts, let me know," he said quietly.
Hailey nodded and relaxed against him and the couch cushions.
They both quietly watched the game for a while with Jay's hand still lightly moving along her skin. She didn't know what it was about him, but his whole demeanor had changed next to her: he'd sat up more, he was glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, and he was a lot quieter than before. There was something comforting about this version of him that she enjoyed just as much as when he was joking around with her.
He eventually tugged the ice out from behind her and said, "I'll toss this in the freezer for a bit. Give you a break."
Hailey nodded and watched him make his way to the kitchen. He put another piece of pizza on a plate and stopped to talk to some of his teammates for a moment.
While he was distracted, Kim slipped away from Adam and came to sit next to her on the couch. "So," she said, a smirk forming on her lips, "That was cute."
Hailey rolled her eyes and said, "My back's been hurting me and he noticed."
Kim hummed and slipped the tube of cream from her hands. "Did he offer to give you a massage?" she asked.
"Not at all," Hailey sighed, "But I'm going to try and put it on myself, and if I can't, would you help me out?"
"Course," Kim said, "You need to get one of those mattress pads."
"Or sleep with a pillow under your back," Jay said as he returned to their side. Sitting next to Kim, he added, "I can text you some stretches too."
"Do you make your own YouTube videos or something?" Kim asked.
Jay rolled his eyes and passed Hailey his phone. "No, but I do know some good videos she can use, and my office has a website she can go on." Meeting Hailey's eyes, he said, "Go ahead and put your number in."
"Thank you," she said before elbowing Kim and typing her number into Jay's phone.
"Ow," Kim hissed.
"Just shut up," Hailey replied without looking up.
Jay chuckled and accepted his phone back. He smiled at her number then typed out a quick message to her.
When her phone buzzed with his text, she laughed softly at the few emojis he'd sent her and saved his number.
Kim glanced over her shoulder at her phone then asked the two of them, "So your roommates, they really just ditched us all, didn't they?"
"Eh," Jay said and stuffed his phone in his pocket, "It's harmless. I'm not worried."
Kim raised an eyebrow in Hailey's direction who just laughed at her and said, "I told you earlier."
"I know, I know," Kim said and put her hands up, "We're grilling her on this tomorrow morning."
"Obviously," Hailey said.
"Do girls tell each other everything?" Jay asked.
"Yes," Hailey and Kim answered at the same time.
"Huh," Jay said, "That's not weird?"
"Never," Kim said.
Hailey nodded and added, "As long as you're friends."
"Well, we're friends," Jay said, "Right?"
Hailey smiled at him and said softly, "Yes, but-"
"But there are girl things that we talk about that you would know nothing about," Kim finished.
"I'm studying to be a doctor," Jay argued.
"A physical therapist," Kim corrected.
Jay mocked her quietly and crossed his arms as he sank back into the couch.
Hailey tilted her head to the side with a soft smile on her face as she looked at him. "You'll survive without knowing all our secrets," she said.
He chuckled and winked.
With a blush on her face, Hailey wanted to reply, but Kevin then came into the apartment carrying a folding table and announced, "Beer pong tournament in ten."
"What about the game?" Adam asked.
"This game sucks," Kevin said while unfolding the table, "Ours were way better."
Hailey laughed softly as he began counting out cups from the kitchen.
Jay rolled his eyes, but stood up and stepped around Kim to put a hand out. "Want to play?" he asked Hailey.
"Sure," she said with a smile and grabbed his hand to stand, "I'm actually really good."
"At the game on your phone," Kim laughed while standing as well.
Hailey kicked the back of her legs lightly and said, "Yes, but also in real life."
Jay laughed and said, "Cool, then you'll be on my team." He lightly touched her back before hurrying over to help Kevin fill all the cups.
"Adorable," Kim said underneath her breath before going over to join Adam at the table.
Hailey sucked in a breath then shook her head and went to Jay's side. He smiled at her as she stepped up to him then held out a cup of beer to her. She happily took a sip as he held the cup making him laugh.
"Told you I'm good at beer," she said.
"You said beer pong," Jay pointed out through a laugh, "Not just beer."
Hailey shrugged and reached behind him to grab another cider. "Does it matter?" she asked while cracking it open.
"Not in the least," Jay chuckled and finished the rest of the drink.
Hailey couldn't help but laugh at him and nudged his side. He winked and tapped his empty cup to her can.
"Let's win this thing," he said.
What started as an intense game easily shifted into no one keeping score and many of the guys showing off different dumb things they could do with ping-pong balls with every single can of beer that was tossed to the side. Hailey was rather sure she won the third game with Jay, but there was so much cheering and she'd had two tequila shots with Kevin that it didn't register in her mind. Whatever it was that had happened was actually the perfect way to end the night.
Even if it got her so drunk that she was too busy throwing up in the bathroom to notice Mouse slip out of Vanessa's room close to four in the morning.
A/N: Thoughts? :)