A/N: Hey! Thank you for being patient! It's a long one, so I really hope you enjoy it!
10:47pm
~ Youre pretty too. You said I was pretty. I think your'e pretty. Were pretty togeter. See you tomorrow jay ~ Hailey
~ Lol Hailey you're drunk. Go to bed ~ Jay
9:09am
~ Oh my god. I'm so sorry. I don't even know what to say ~ Hailey
~ You don't have to apologize, everyone gets drunk. Hell, I was drunk too ~ Jay
~ But you didn't send embarrassing texts last night ~ Hailey
~ Yeah, well pretty sure I said that pretty thing while drunk. We're even ~ Jay
~ Maybe I liked it ~ Hailey
"Vanessa!" Hailey gasped when she saw the screen, "What the hell?"
Vanessa laughed and turned away. "I'm tired of this whole innocent thing," she said, "We need to spice up this apology. You said I could take control anyways."
"I said you needed to help me write the texts, not that you need to say dumb things," Hailey argued.
"Dumb things?" Vanessa countered, "Was that a lie? You definitely liked that Jay was calling you pretty. Don't even lie about that."
Hailey sucked in a breath then looked away.
"Told you," Vanessa said with a smirk. She then looked down at the phone and hissed, "He replied."
"Let me see," Hailey said while lunging out of her chair.
~ You liked it? Noted. ~ Jay
"A period," Vanessa breathed, "That's serious."
Hailey swallowed a lump in her throat. She wanted to roll her eyes, but she knew Vanessa had a point. The text was four words, but it felt very flirty, and she was very intrigued by what he could be implying.
"Do we reply?" she asked.
Vanessa shrugged then said, "I don't think so? The period seems like closure."
"You and that period," Hailey said, but still smiled at her as she grabbed her phone back. She stared down at the text then shook her head and turned off the screen. Sitting back down at the table, she chose to turn the conversation toward Vanessa and what she had been doing the night before starting with the most pressing question: "Did you kiss?"
Vanessa laughed and opened the fridge to grab out the orange juice. "Did I kiss who? Kevin?" she asked.
"Of course," Hailey said and held out her cup.
As Vanessa filled it with juice, she said, "No, we didn't kiss. I did learn a lot about him, though. He has a brother and a sister. They live with his aunt right now, but he's been sending them money."
Hailey shook her head slowly and said, "I couldn't imagine. He's a bartender, right?"
"Mhmm," Vanessa hummed before taking a slow sip of juice.
"And he hasn't made cocktails on a dinner night because…" Hailey teased.
Vanessa smiled at her and shrugged. "He actually told me I should go to his bar one night he's working and he'll hook me up," she said.
Hailey raised an eyebrow then said, "With a drink, right? Not with another dude?"
"I sure hope not," Vanessa said, her face falling, "I actually didn't consider that."
Hailey waved her hand and said, "Ignore me, I'm hungover."
Vanessa bit her lip and looked down at her cup.
"Ness, I'm serious," Hailey said softly. She reached over to squeeze Vanessa's arm. "I'm positive he meant he'd give you a drink. He seems way too nice to lead you on and then set you up with a friend."
"Says the girl who doesn't even believe in love," Vanessa mumbled.
Hailey sighed, but said nothing. She took another long sip of orange juice and wished she hadn't said anything. While she outwardly didn't believe in love, Vanessa did. Unfortunately, her belief in love meant Vanessa often put herself out in the world with relationships and got stepped on as a result. She was so kind and willing to help others that she was taken advantage of. The last time it happened and resulted in a week-long 'vacation' from work and school for Vanessa, it killed Hailey and Kim, so they both vowed to do their best to prevent that sadness from ever happening again.
"I'm gonna take a bath," Vanessa eventually said, standing up from the table.
"Are you sure?" Hailey asked.
Vanessa nodded and shot her a sad smile before walking away.
Hailey groaned and rubbed her face. Slumping in her chair, she tilted her head up to the ceiling and closed her eyes. She wanted to fix the problem she started, but she also didn't want to cause even more issues in Vanessa's life.
So she did what she always did in situations like this: texted Kim.
~ You up? ~ Hailey
~ Hitting on me, Upton? ~ Kim
~ You wish ~ Hailey
~ I'm worried about Vanessa. She's taking a bath ~ Hailey
~ Should I come down? ~ Kim
~ No, it's ok, but is Kevin cool? ~ Hailey
~ Did he do something? ~ Kim
~ He told her he'd hook her up at his bar and I asked what he meant ~ Hailey
~ Bad move on my part cause now she's wondering if he meant like with a different guy ~ Hailey
~ Yikes. Don't you think he'd be talking about drinks? ~ Kim
~ Yeah but I opened my dumb mouth ~ Hailey
~ Lol don't worry. You're not dumb ~ Kim
~ You meant well. I probably would have said the same thing ~ Kim
~ Or at least thought it ~ Kim
~ You're hilarious ~ Hailey
~ But thank you ~ Hailey
~ I'll stop by later, k? ~ Kim
~ Yup. Whenever's cool ~ Hailey
When Kim arrived, she and Hailey were able to talk with Vanessa and convince her that Kevin surely meant well when he told her he'd 'hook her up' at his bar. She also promised to 'kick Kevin's ass' if he were to break Vanessa's heart. It was perhaps the most reassuring thing Vanessa heard all morning.
If there was one thing Kim was, it was loyal. Despite having never lived with Vanessa or Hailey, she knew any of their tells instantly. With one glance, she often knew what they were feeling and instantly had the right answer to it. While a bottle of wine frequented their emotional (whether good or bad) nights, Kim also loved making food or coming up with ideas for the three of them to do to get out any possible frustrations. She knew what her friends needed and was more than willing to give them just that.
Plus, when she said she'd do something, she meant it. When she'd made her first promise their freshmen year to get revenge on Hailey's boyfriend who had cheated on her, she delivered in spades. While Vanessa and Hailey didn't ask, they knew that Austin somehow received a glitter bomb and his food in the cafeteria had been spiked with a habanero sauce causing him to run out crying leaving a trail of glitter in his wake. It was the hardest Hailey had laughed in well over a week.
It all just made it that much harder when Adam broke Kim's heart time after time. They knew that Kim had a hand in each of those times, but they still whole-heartedly supported her each time she'd come over in tears because of her break-up. Vanessa was a firm believer that Adam and Kim were soulmates and meant to be whereas Hailey was not as sure. If anything, Adam and Kim were examples of why love didn't truly exist in the world. Of course they cared for each other, it just didn't seem to be an end-of-the-world, perfect, Disney type of love. That didn't exist.
What did exist, though, was the harsh reality of growing up.
And getting jobs.
And moving out into the real world.
So while the girls spent the rest of the week mostly to themselves in support of Vanessa trying to figure out her feelings for Kevin before she saw him, there was also much talk about Adam's upcoming police academy graduation.
Hailey had caught up with Jay in the laundry room the day before the graduation and was told Adam was pretty nervous to finally graduate the academy and go out into the real workforce. It twisted her stomach to hear because Kim was just as nervous, but had been telling her and Vanessa that Adam was feeling confident. She certainly didn't want to hear that Adam was having his own doubts.
"I'm sure it's normal, right?" Jay had asked while tossing his laundry in the dryer, "I mean, I was nervous the night before my internship at the practice began."
"Yeah, but…" Hailey sighed and leaned against the counter, "He's going to go out there and enforce the law. Adam Ruzek. Enforcing the law."
Jay laughed and shook his head. "It'll be fine, he'll be fine," he said, "He has guts. His dad was a cop too, I'm sure it runs in the blood."
Hailey winced and looked down at her feet. She didn't want any part of her parents to run through her blood, but Jay had a point. She knew genetics and that traits could certainly be passed down through generations – not because of DNA, but because of how the kid was raised. It was her biggest reason as to why she needed to avoid love for now.
Glancing back up, she remembered the conversation she'd heard about Jay's mom when they'd had to go to the hospital. It had seemed like her career goals had spread to her sons.
"Like your family?" she asked quietly.
Jay looked up from taking a dryer sheet out of the box and asked, "What?"
"Your family," Hailey repeated, "You were saying your mom was a nurse, and you're gonna be a physical therapist, and Will's getting into emergency medicine. Definitely seems to run in the family."
"Well, you know," Jay said and shrugged, "Just kind of all Will and I knew. I mean, I could have become a plumber like my dad. He actually would have loved that, and I certainly didn't want that."
"To be a plumber or to make your dad happy?" Hailey asked.
Jay laughed quietly as he started the dryer. Finally, he turned to lean against it and sighed. "It's not that it would have made my dad happy," he explained, "Of course I want my dad to be proud of me, but if I would have become a plumber, I never would have heard the end of it. He would have taken over my life. Trust me, I'm much happier this way."
Hailey slowly nodded and said, "That makes sense."
Jay grabbed his laundry basket and said, "I gotta go iron my clothes for Adam's lunch thing tomorrow, but I'll text you later, okay?"
Hailey smiled slightly and said, "Yeah, okay. See you."
Jay nodded at her then headed out of the basement leaving Hailey to sigh and stare where her laundry was still spinning in the washing machine just like her mind every time after the two of them talked.
While their texts had been rather flirty, and slightly embarrassing, earlier in the week, since then, it'd been rather…normal. Everything felt family friendly except when Jay asked if she thought he and Mouse could drink a bottle of wine they found in the back of their cupboard. Hailey did like it in a way; she liked not having expectations and staying safe with Jay. She just found that she also missed the butterflies he gave her.
She still found herself rolling her eyes at couples in the stores or on the streets and that she'd skip certain love songs on her playlist, but there were some times when that wouldn't be the case. Some songs reminded her of Jay, and some guys on the street looked like him. She could feel her own feelings and beliefs slowly changing because of this guy across the hall. He really seemed to show her that maybe some guys were worth her time.
She hoped.
"How's he doing?"
"How's he doing? How am I doing?" Kim snapped.
Hailey gave her a small smile then reached across the kitchen table to squeeze Kim's arm. "He'll be fine," she whispered.
Kim shook her head and began ripping the napkin in her lap.
"Kim, it's his dream," Hailey continued softly as she set her bagel down, "Hasn't he wanted this forever?"
Kim sighed and nodded slightly.
Hailey reached over to give her a quick hug then whispered, "He'll be safe."
"He's gonna be a cop," Kim mumbled, "That's so unsafe."
"Well, all jobs could be unsafe," Hailey pointed out quietly.
Kim snorted and rolled her eyes before mumbling, "Shut up."
Hailey smiled slightly and kissed her head before standing up. "Want to do a shot before we head out?" she asked.
"No, but yes," Kim said.
Hailey smiled at her while taking the bottle of tequila out of the cabinet. Kim poured more orange juice for the both of them then pushed their plates to the middle of the table.
"All right," Hailey said and cleared her throat. She poured out the alcohol into two glasses then said, "To Adam for graduating the police academy and to Kim for loving him."
"Kind of a lame ass toast," Kim mumbled, but still tipped the alcohol down her throat.
Hailey laughed softly and finished her own shot.
After taking a long sip of orange juice, Kim asked, "Was Vanessa planning on coming to lunch with us?"
Hailey shrugged and sat back down at the table. "She's working till ten, then she'll come back for a nap before heading out," she explained, "She'll be at the bar tonight for sure."
"I don't know how she does it," Kim sighed, "That morning shift sounds brutal."
"But they love her," Hailey said, "She gets the most interactions out of everyone no matter the time of day, but the morning show is her prime."
"Good thing she loves talking," Kim said.
Hailey laughed again and took one last bite of her bagel. When Vanessa had told them their junior year that she decided to use her communication and psychology degrees to become a radio dj, neither one of them had blinked an eye. She never seemed too thrilled about any of the careers her advisors suggested to her, so the fact that she finally decided on a potential job was exciting. Plus, she was good at it. She was able to get a job at the University of Chicago radio station within a week of deciding that was her career path and then never looked back.
It just meant that she had some weird hours that everyone else adapted to with her. It wasn't the worst thing in the world.
There was a quick knock on the door before it opened and Jay and Mouse walked inside dressed in their own summer dress clothes.
Jay laughed at the tequila bottle and leaned against the back of Hailey's chair. "What the hell is up with you two?" he asked.
Hailey tilted her head up to look at him and explained, "Kim's nervous."
"He'll be fine, kid," Mouse said and sat at the table. He grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and added, "He wants this."
Kim sighed and slumped down in her chair.
"That's what I've tried telling her," Hailey said.
"I'm just tired of hearing it," Kim said quietly, "I trust him, I just don't trust the world."
"That's relatable," Jay said, "But if we all lived in fear all the time, nothing would ever happen."
No one replied for a moment, and Hailey couldn't help but rest her head back on his hands. For a brief second, she wondered if the reason she refused to get involved in another relationship was because of some fear and not because of her independence.
Then Jay tickled the back of her ear and she gasped in shock.
"Jay!" she yelled.
"Yeah?" he asked, smirking down at her.
She groaned and got off the chair. "You suck," she mumbled.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Jay said, but still chuckled under his breath.
Hailey rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.
"What'd you do?" Mouse asked.
"He tickled me," Hailey said, her annoyance slowly fading away.
Kim snorted and smirked at her as she said, "That's her spot."
Hailey blushed bright and hissed, "Kimberly."
Jay's eyes widened and he asked, "What's that mean?"
"Kimberly," Mouse laughed to himself.
"Her…ya know, her spot," Kim said through a laugh. She shrugged and winked at Hailey.
"Are you really an alien?" Jay asked.
Hailey rolled her eyes and dropped her arms to her side. "No," she said, "She's being ridiculous."
"She loves when guys touch that spot," Kim explained.
"You're a bitch when you're worried," Hailey snapped.
Kim shrugged again and tore off another piece of bagel.
Mouse smirked at Jay, but remained surprisingly quiet. On the other hand, Jay was studying Hailey with slightly narrowed eyes and a small smile on his face.
"It's nothing," she told him, "I'm fine. It's just a ticklish spot, that's all."
Jay hummed and slowly nodded.
Hailey blushed more and looked away.
"Well, now that Hailey's turned on and I ate my breakfast," Mouse said, standing up to much laughter from Kim, "Who says we go get Kevin and head to that graduation?"
Kim reached over for one last quick sip of tequila before following Mouse out of the apartment leaving Jay and Hailey alone.
Hailey huffed quietly and quickly put the cream cheese in the fridge.
"Sorry if that spooked you," Jay said softly. He picked up the bottle of tequila Kim had left behind and put the cap on it. "I didn't think it'd-"
"It didn't do anything," Hailey interrupted, "I'm more embarrassed than anything. She just blurts stuff out and tries to be funny when she's stressed. Pisses me off, but I also love her and know today's rough for her, so whatever."
Jay smiled slightly and nodded.
Hailey quickly wiped the towel over the table then said, "Okay, should be good to go."
But Jay stepped in front of the door before she could get to it and said, "You're really okay? Tell me if I crossed a line because-"
"You didn't cross a line," Hailey said quickly, "Promise. In fact…" She trailed off and took a deep breath, briefly debating her next words before slowly saying them: "She wasn't wrong. It is…ya know."
Jay smiled and nodded. "Noted," he said softly.
"You make lots of notes about me, don't you?" Hailey gently teased.
Jay winked then took her hand and pulled her from the apartment. She laughed softly and stopped him so she could lock it up, but then gave his fingers a soft squeeze and leaned in to him to encourage him to walk up the stairs.
They were met halfway by Kevin, Kim, and Mouse already walking down to get them. While the guys were in a pretty deep conversation about some new alcohol Kevin had managed to order at the bar for Adam's party that night, Kim met Hailey's eyes and hurried down to her. Tugging her away from Jay, she whispered, "I'm sorry. That was kind of rude of me."
Hailey pinched her palm and whispered, "Yeah, not cool, but…you're forgiven."
Kim smiled wide and gave her a quick side hug.
"But I will be telling Adam about your little fantasy," Hailey said.
Kim stumbled over her shoes and hissed, "Which one?"
"The one involving his uniform," Hailey answered easily, "I think he'll be into it. You're too scared to ask anyways. Eye for an eye, Kimberly."
Kim grumbled quietly, but still mumbled, "It's stupidly fair."
Hailey laughed and pulled on her hand to lead her down to the garage.
The police academy graduation was rather packed in an old reception hall downtown. Hailey didn't know if she would have rathered it be outside because of the stiff air in the hall, but then she was reminded of the lack of clouds outside and the burning sun, and she figured the hall might be okay for just a little bit.
Kim had introduced Hailey, Jay, and Mouse to Adam's parents before joining them in the seats with the other families. Kevin managed to find an empty row of seats in the back of the hall that they all moved to just to stay out of the way from the others. They didn't want to interfere fully knowing that this day was rather big for the families and they were just friends.
"How many guns do you think are in this room right now?" Mouse asked quietly after they'd been sitting for a minute.
"You're an idiot," Jay said and tossed his arm over the back of Hailey's chair.
She glanced up at him and raised an eyebrow just for him to smirk down at her. His fingers came to the back of her head and gently played with a few of the curls hanging out of her ponytail.
"Haven't seen you in a real dress yet," he said quietly, "Surprising seeing as we were all trying to walk around in the nude last week."
Hailey snorted and whispered, "In the nude? How old are you?"
"Twenty-four," Jay chuckled. He dipped his hand down to brush along the neckline of her yellow dress where a gold chain was resting. "Does the necklace match your anklet?" he asked.
Hailey hummed her answer and held up her foot. "Bought them as a set, but I wear the anklet more," she answered.
Jay nodded and curled his hand so his knuckles could rub along the back of her neck just like they had the night they watched a baseball game on his couch.
Hailey slowly took a deep breath and tried distracting herself by looking around the reception hall at the various flags and older cops lining the walls. Jay's fingers felt better than good along her skin. Even in the sticky heat, she found that she didn't mind him touching her. As always. Part of her even wished his fingers would slip forward behind her ear; now that he was touching her, it wouldn't come as big of a shock like before, and she knew she'd enjoy it.
Even when the graduation ceremony began, Jay's fingers kept her distracted. While they mostly remained on the back of her neck, drawing an absentminded pattern on her skin, sometimes they wandered up to her ponytail or down to the back of her dress. Just when she thought she had his pattern memorized, he'd begin doing something else. It kept her on her toes.
The only time he stopped was when Adam stepped up to accept his badge, and everyone stood to clap and cheer for him. Adam shot them a wink and pumped his fist in their direction before finishing his short walk across the stage.
Hailey laughed softly and shook her head.
"His dad's gonna kill him for not taking this seriously," Kevin chuckled.
"I don't know about that," Mouse said with a nod in the direction of Adam's parents.
Adam's mom was taking a million pictures on her phone while his sister recorded the entire thing, but his dad was waving right back at him and even shouted out, "That's my son!"
At that, Hailey felt Jay stiffen slightly next to her and noticed that he was the first of the four of them to sit back down. She wanted to ask him if he was okay, but then Maxwell Sands was announced on the stage and Jay began clapping.
He didn't return his hand to the back of her neck.
Chewing her lip for the rest of the ceremony, she couldn't take her eyes off of him. She tried tuning back into the speeches and the other newly graduated cops, but nothing was as intriguing as the way Jay was rubbing his hands over his thighs or how his eyebrows would occasionally scrunch together. She wanted to comfort him, she just didn't know how.
It wasn't until they were standing up to make their way out of the reception hall that an idea clicked in her head. Keeping close to Jay as they filed their way out to a slightly cooler hallway, she took a deep breath then set her hand on his lower back. His shock was instantly obvious as he jumped and glanced down at her, so she smiled slightly and tilted her head to the side as she rubbed her thumb over his shirt. He softened and nodded a quick thanks.
Together, they walked with Mouse and Kevin until they found an empty corner where they waited for Adam or his family and Kim.
"That's the last graduation, right?" Mouse asked, "Cause I can't do that again."
"I'll have one after I finish school for physical therapy," Jay reminded him.
Mouse nodded and straightened up to say, "That I can do. That will be worth it cause then you'll get rich and then-"
"Then you'll forever live off of me?" Jay finished with a laugh.
Hailey smiled at the sound and lightly drummed her fingers against his back. Jay looked down at her again and winked before draping his arm over her shoulders. She relaxed again and leaned into him.
With a soft squeeze, Jay leaned down and whispered, "Thanks."
She nodded and whispered back, "If you need-"
"There's my boy!"
Bob Ruzek's voice boomed over the crowd, and they all turned to see him leading the way toward their corner where Adam was also walking. Jay stiffened again, but instead of letting go of Hailey, he just tightened his hold on her.
"Hey," Adam greeted. He gave Kim and his mom quick kisses before hugging everyone else. "Pretty cool, huh? I'm a real police officer now," he said.
"Truly mind-blowing," Kevin teased.
Kim wiped her eyes and wrapped an arm around Adam's waist. "I knew you could do it," she whispered.
Hailey smirked, but was able to turn and hide it in Jay's side because if any of Kim's nerves from just the last three days was any indicator of her belief in Adam…it was rather low. She kept the thought to herself, though, and just watched as Adam showed off his new badge and certificate to everyone.
She had to admit, she was proud of Adam. When she'd first met him, her own beliefs in him had been low. He was nice enough and rather funny, but it wasn't lost on her that his study skills were not at the same level as hers. It was really nice to see that he'd put his mind to something and stuck to it; maybe now he could put that same energy into Kim.
"You know what I want to give you?" Bob said, "One of my medals. I think you've earned it, son. When we get back to our house, I'm gonna look through them and find something for you to have. A token to remind you of how proud I am of you."
"Ah, thanks, Dad," Adam said slowly. While he still had a smile on his face, there was something haunting in his eyes that Hailey easily noted.
Kim seemed to notice as well and suggested, "Lunch?"
Lunch with Adam's family was exhausting. His dad liked to lay his pride on thick, giving Hailey an even more weary opinion of him. She certainly wasn't a fan of Adam's increasingly embarrassed expression with every loud story his dad told of him. It had skipped humorous by the time the salad was served and was incredibly cringey once their main courses had arrived.
It didn't help that Jay was again very quiet. With each compliment and 'son' comment, Jay seemed to wince and tighten his hold on his silverware. He frequently sipped at his water, leading him to asking for three times as many refills as everyone else.
Like earlier, Hailey figured he'd like a comforting touch…or at least she hoped it was comforting. At any rate, it helped her feel better. Throughout the dinner, she kept a hand on Jay's leg. Sometimes she scratched her nails along his thigh, but mostly she simply rubbed her thumb across his knee. His khakis felt warm under her hand, and she truly hoped she wasn't making him uncomfortable.
It wasn't until she got up to join Kim in the bathroom and Jay's hand reached out toward hers that she got her answer. She smiled at him and whispered, "Just a minute," before slipping away.
"So you and Jay, huh?" Kim asked once they were both situated in the stalls.
Hailey quietly laughed and said, "I don't know what you mean."
"Oh, BS," Kim said, "I saw his arm around you earlier and I can tell you're doing something to him under the table."
Hailey rolled her eyes and said, "It's not what you think it is."
"I wasn't thinking anything dirty, but now I am," Kim teased.
Hailey huffed and finished going to the bathroom. Once she was out of the stall and double-checking that her dress was fine, she said, "He just seems off today. There's something about Adam's dad that bothers him."
"Yeah." Kim flushed the toilet then stepped out of her own stall. She pulled at the bottom of her sundress while saying, "Bob makes everyone uncomfortable. He wants people to think he was some amazing dad when he really wasn't. It bothers me."
"Oh, yeah?" Hailey asked, pausing while washing her hands.
"Yup," Kim said, popping her lips at the end. "It's disgusting in my opinion. He has some gambling issues and missed a crap ton of Adam's stuff growing up. All those baseball stories were fake, at least probably ninety-nine percent of them were," she explained, "It's why I hate that my parents really aren't fans of him. I want him to have a family – a real family."
Hailey shot her a small smile in the mirror then stepped aside to dry her hands off. "I'm really sorry to hear that," she said softly, "How come you haven't said anything before about him?"
Kim shook her head and said, "Not something I figured should be advertised, but now that you've experienced Disco Bob for yourself, thought it was time to loop you in."
Hailey laughed softly and said, "Fair."
Kim smiled at her and accepted the paper towel she offered. "Thanks," she said then sighed, "So, I'm sorry he's making your boyfriend-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Hailey interrupted with a laugh, "Jay is not my boyfriend."
Kim shrugged and said, "He's a boy and he certainly looks like your friend."
"Oh, ha ha," Hailey said, rolling her eyes, "You really are so funny."
Kim smiled widely at her and said, "I love you."
"Mhmm," Hailey hummed before following her out of the bathroom.
"You two are coming to Kevin's party tonight, right?" Kim asked.
"Kevin's party or Adam's party?" Hailey asked with a laugh.
Kim shook her head and said, "Adam's party at Kevin's bar. Are you still coming?"
"Kim, obviously," Hailey said as they approached the table, "We all are. No one can change that. When have you known us to turn down a drink anyways?"
"Never," Mouse answered for her.
The three of them laughed and Hailey settled back into her seat next to Jay. "Everything good?" she asked under her breath.
"Course," he said, "I asked for your bill to be put on mine." He then lowered his voice and leaned closer so his words brushed against her ear: "Missed a slight fight between Adam and his parents. Apparently they invited us to come out with them, but don't have the money for all our meals."
Hailey's eyes widened and she turned her gaze to Adam furiously flipping through a pile of cash in his hand with Kim whispering quiet words in his own ear.
"Kind of awkward," Jay finished and straightened up.
Hailey nodded and slowly reached for her own purse.
"Hey, I got it," Jay said and shook his head.
Hailey raised an eyebrow and said, "Jay, it's probably like $30 at least."
He shook his head again and said, "No, it's fine."
"Jay," Hailey said through gritted teeth.
"Just buy me a beer later," he said and turned to intercept the waitress from giving him the bill. Instead, he passed over his card without even looking at it.
"I told you not to attempt to impress me with money," Hailey whispered.
"That's not at all what this is," Jay said, "And I don't think that's actually what you told me. You just said money doesn't turn you on, and I think we both know that I learned what actually does earlier today."
"Don't be an ass," Hailey hissed.
"I'm buying you a meal," Jay said, "Is that such a bad thing?"
"It's…we're not dating," Hailey argued.
"Yeah, I'm much too aware of that," Jay said, "But you're my friend and, even if you didn't realize it today, you really helped me out. I liked having you nearby, so thank you. Buy me a beer tonight and we'll call it even. You could even pay for the drunk food we'll get in the drive-thru on the way home."
"Who said we're going to a drive-thru tonight?" Hailey asked.
"Me and every drunk person ever. Fast food tastes a hell of a lot better when you're drunk, that's a fact," Jay said.
Hailey rolled her eyes and said, "If you're sure."
"Of course I'm sure," Jay said, "Plus, I'm still traumatized from almost killing you, so-"
Hailey cut him off with a laugh and gently shoved his arm. "Jay," she said, "You really don't have to keep bringing that up. I'm okay."
"I know, I know," he chuckled, "But it's still something I think about. My mom said it could have happened to anyone and that I did everything right, so that helped, but I'm still feeling guilty."
Hailey softened and quietly asked, "You told your mom about me?"
"Well, yeah - she has experience in allergic reactions," Jay said, "I also needed her to tell me I didn't mess up. Of course, my dad overheard and that was a whole thing, but…another day."
Hailey raised an eyebrow and said, "Sorry?"
"I'll tell you another day," Jay said and lowered his voice, "Not in the mood to talk about my wonderful father while Dad of the Year is sitting right there."
Hailey gave him a sad smile then glanced over at Adam and Bob talking quietly to each other with Adam's money between them. "Well, has your dad ever asked you for money?" she asked softly.
Jay snorted and said, "No."
"Then I think that's a positive in your dad's book," Hailey said with a squeeze to his knee as Adam passed over a wad of cash.
Jay let out a breath and said, "You know what? You're probably right."
Hailey rubbed his knee then leaned around him to include Mouse and Kevin when she asked, "Are we all driving together tonight?"
"Well, I'll be there a little early," Kevin said, "But you're all welcome to join me. I just need to stay later to help clean up."
"We could help," Mouse said.
"Speak for yourself," Jay laughed, but still smiled at Kevin and said, "We'll help with whatever you need."
"Thanks," Kevin said quietly and eyed Bob, "I'm not too sure I'll be getting the promised tip."
"I'll give you a tip," Mouse said, "Next time wear a brown belt to match your brown shoes, what the hell were you thinking?"
Kevin smirked and shoved him while shaking his head.
Hailey laughed softly and leaned against Jay before returning back to her seat.
He smiled over at her then set his hand on the back of her head and took a deep breath.
She wet her lips slightly and breathed in while glancing around the table. She wanted to know more about Jay; she just wasn't expecting to learn more about him through Adam's own family issues.
The party at Kevin's bar was a little…rowdier than Hailey expected. She knew some of Adam's friends were coming, and they weren't the problem, it was Adam's dad's friends that caused the issues.
"I swear to god I'm going to kill someone," Kevin muttered to her and Vanessa as he tossed another empty bottle of whiskey in a bin under the bar.
"What is their deal?" Vanessa asked.
There was a crash in the background, and all three of them spun around to see that another retired cop had dropped his glass.
"I'm so sorry," he called out despite the laughter bubbling out of him.
Kevin angrily grabbed his towel and hurried after the other bartender to begin cleaning up the mess.
"This is ridiculous," Vanessa sighed and sat on a barstool, "When will they leave?"
Hailey shook her head and glanced at her phone for the time only to hesitate at a text from Jay.
~ Getting a breath of fresh air. Wanna join? ~ Jay
"Um, I don't know," she breathed then straightened up, "I'm gonna…"
Vanessa glanced over her shoulder at her phone and nodded with a smile. "Have fun," she said.
Hailey nodded and stepped around her in the direction of the back door. Once she was outside, she easily spotted Jay sitting on the curb with a glass of water in hand.
"Hey," she greeted softly.
He turned and nodded at her. "Hey," he said.
She put a hand on his shoulder to steady herself as she sat down next to him. With a deep breath, she said, "What a party, huh?"
Jay laughed and shook his head. "That's a word for it," he said quietly.
Hailey nodded and looked down at their feet next to each other on the cement. Her gold anklet sparkled under the streetlights when Jay chuckled.
She glanced up at him and he said, "I like it. I don't know why, but I do. I like that you have it."
"Like what?" she asked softly.
"The ankle bracelet," Jay said simply, "It's pretty."
Hailey blushed, but still smiled and lightly bumped her shoulder to his. Jay smiled back at her and wrapped his arm around her.
Once she was settled into his side, she asked, "You okay?"
There was a beat before Jay admitted, "Been thinking about my dad."
Hailey nodded and placed her hand on his knee.
"He's…not great," Jay continued quietly, "Wasn't a huge fan of me becoming a physical therapist, he did push med school, but only because then I could be a 'real' doctor. If I was going to disappoint him, I might as well go all out."
Hailey closed her eyes and squeezed his knee.
"I don't know," Jay said, and she could feel him suck in a breath, "He never would have been one to yell out to everyone about his son and being proud of me. Weird how it just kind of hit me today."
"Well, Adam's dad is kind of obnoxious," Hailey whispered, "Makes sense to me that you'd suddenly have all these thoughts."
Jay nodded slightly and turned his head to rest his chin on top of her hair.
They remained quiet for a long time; even the drunken retirees inside seemed to somehow fade away. Despite being in a parking lot about twenty feet from two dumpsters, there was some sort of peace that came over them. With each shaky breath Jay sucked in, Hailey rubbed her hand over his leg and tried soothing any of the bad memories he was experiencing.
She'd been there before: having the bad memories, not the comfort part. No one had ever really comforted her as she thought about her parents and how she'd grown up in an abusive household. She'd told Vanessa and Kim some about growing up with a dad who hit his wife and kids, but it was never the full story. She could never find it within her to tell them everything.
She wondered if she'd eventually tell Jay.
"Water?" Jay whispered, breaking her thoughts.
She nodded and sat up slowly.
Jay passed her his glass of ice water that was already starting to get damp with condensation. As she took a long sip, he watched her and reached out to brush his hand over her hair.
Hailey shivered and shakily handed the glass of water back.
Jay took his own long drink then set it down on the sidewalk. He cleared his throat then said, "There's something else too."
"Yeah?" Hailey whispered.
Jay nodded and wet his lips. He fingered his phone in his pocket before pulling it out and swiping his thumb across the screen. A second later, he passed it over and said, "That's my family."
Hailey held his eye contact for a second longer before looking down at the phone.
There were four people on the screen all smiling at the camera Jay held out to make sure everyone was pictured in front of the sunset. His brother was further in the back waving happily with a wide smile on his face. They didn't look much younger than they currently were, so she assumed it was a recent picture. An older man with a grey beard and matching mustache was standing behind a smaller woman right next to Jay. She could instantly tell they were his parents: he had his dad's eyes and his mom's smile.
"You all look happy," she said softly, "That's a really nice picture."
Jay smiled and said, "We went to our cabin in Wisconsin for my birthday. It was actually the week before I met you."
"That's fun," Hailey said and passed his phone back.
Jay nodded and stared down at the picture. He zoomed in on his dad briefly before shifting the screen to his mom. Taking a deep breath, he glanced at Hailey out of the corner of his eye then bit his lip.
Hailey watched him then remembered the conversation he'd had with Will while she received her IV during her allergic reaction.
"The nurse said you were with Mom?"
"I was sitting with her upstairs, she said she wants to have a dinner soon."
"Yeah, okay. I'll call her later."
"Sure you don't want to see her now? Her baby boy will certainly cheer her up. She's here for another half hour at least."
She was an ED nurse before becoming a labor and delivery nurse. Hailey didn't know what she did after that because they'd never answered her question. Jay's face had quickly changed when she'd brought it up.
She was at the hospital, but it didn't seem like she was working.
Her stomach sank as the realization hit her.
His mom used to be a nurse.
She was a patient now.
"She had cancer," Jay quietly admitted, still staring at the picture. He zoomed in further at the big sunhat she was wearing, and Hailey could see the hints of short, brown hair poking out. "It came back last month, and they told us this weekend," he continued then put his phone down. "Um," he breathed and scratched the side of his face. Shrugging, he sighed and looked down at his feet.
Hailey felt her heart shatter. It almost seemed hard to breathe, but she knew it was nothing compared to what Jay was going through. If he cried, she knew he was going to be done for. Hell, she wanted to cry right now with his stoic face.
"So…yeah," he whispered, "It feels weird being around other parents, especially proud ones at graduation, because the chances of my mom coming to my PT graduation are slim to none."
Hailey swallowed a lump in her throat then placed her hand over his on the pavement.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered.
Jay closed his eyes and nodded.
Throwing caution to the wind, Hailey scooted closer to him so their hands were pressed between the two of them. She took a deep breath then reached up to lightly brush her fingers around his ear.
"Jay," she whispered.
He blinked his eyes open and looked at her.
Tilting her head to the side, her mouth gaped for a moment as she suddenly couldn't think of what to say to him.
In turn, his lips tipped upwards and he turned his body further toward her. His hand slipped out from underneath hers and slid up her arm until it rested against the side of her throat.
"If you ever need me…" she breathed.
"Yeah," Jay whispered, his cool breath brushing against her lips. His thumb reached out slightly to rub underneath her ear.
She weakly laughed and fluttered her eyes close.
Jay's head moved inches toward her so she could almost feel his eyelashes against her cheek. He again breathed out shakily and whispered, "And you…I remember what you said about your dad. If you-"
Hailey placed her hand on his chest and said quietly, "I don't want to talk about my dad."
Jay nodded against her and his nose brushed against hers.
She braced herself for his lips to find hers.
Everything about him felt so warm just like when the power had gone out, but this was so much better.
He still smelt like whiskey, and yet he seemed much more sober.
His thumb again brushed under her ear, and she couldn't help but let out a quiet moan.
Just when his free hand made its way to her thigh, mirroring hers own on his, there was a loud bang behind her and they jerked apart from each other.
"Ruzek! Get your ass out here! Imma need a ride home!"
They spun around on the pavement to see an older man stumble out of the bar toward the parking lot. Both of them were breathing heavily and had their hands back in their own laps as they avoided each other's eyes.
Adam's dad came stumbling out next, laughing to himself as he tried walking in a straight line. "How do I drive you home?" he asked loudly, "I'll ask my kid to text us a car. What's that called? When you text a car?"
"Hell if I know," the other man responded.
Bob's eyes drifted over to Jay and Hailey on the curb and he pointed toward them. "You know my kid," he said, "You both do. I saw you today. Can you text my son? He's a cop now. I'm so proud." He looked back at his friend and said, "Richy, did you know my kid's a cop now?"
"Yes!" Richy said just as loudly as before, "My wife always knew he'd be a good kid."
"Real good kid," Bob agreed.
"Oh my god," Hailey whispered.
"Come on," Jay mumbled and stood up. Putting a hand out for her, he said, "We should go find Adam."
"So he can text his dad a car?" Hailey joked quietly while standing with his help.
Jay shook his head and mumbled, "Least my dad's not a gambling drunk."
Hailey winced as he pushed the back door of the bar open and led her inside.
Her dad could be considered a drunk, but that was not something she wanted to tell Jay right now. Not when he was just about to kiss her. That would ruin the mood just as much as an old, drunk cop would.
He led her through the slowly dispersing crowd before abandoning her with Kim and Vanessa a second later as he went to find Adam.
She couldn't help but stare after him and ignore Kim and Vanessa's questions. All she could think about was that he was going to kiss her.
She was going to let him.
It almost happened.
And maybe she liked it.
A/N: Thoughts? :) Thank you again for being patient! Unfortunately i have to ask for your patience again. I'll be going on va cation again next week and can't update with Chapter 7 until August 15. I hope you don't mind. I promise it'll be worth the wait. Talk soon!