A/N: Hi! I can't believe we're in the last couple chapters of Can We Pretend. Thank you all for sticking around for so long! I hope you enjoy it :)
A $200 lottery ticket might not have seemed like anything compared to the millions they could have won on the Powerball, but Jay sure made it count.
He got a hotel room for a Saturday night downtown, and it was the most perfect stay-cation Hailey could have asked for.
Their date began by spending the afternoon at Navy Pier pretending to be tourists as they walked in every shop and rode the ferris wheel twice all while taking as many pictures as they possibly could. Hailey had never been one for going there, especially on a Saturday afternoon when it was packed full of people, but with Jay, it was worth it. They ate ice-cream while walking along the water and traded stories of growing up. It was more romantic than Hailey had thought it would be.
It also confirmed her feelings that she really did love Jay. Everything he said made her smile, and she couldn't imagine doing any of the exact same things with anyone else. She loved watching his eyes light up when he talked about his family or how big he'd smile when she told a joke. The way his nose crinkled when he laughed was adorable and his hand felt like the warmest, strongest thing she'd ever held.
She still wasn't quite sure how she was going to tell him or even if she was going to tell him she loved him, but, for now, she didn't mind.
After their afternoon out in the trenches of tourism, they headed to the hotel with Chinese take-out in hand. Together, they climbed onto their king sized bed and sat cross-legged as they ate their dinner. The TV wasn't on and they were high enough up in the building that they couldn't hear any of the traffic below. All their background noise came from Hailey's phone and the quiet playlist she'd made of all songs that reminded her of Jay.
She was aware of how cheesy and gross it sounded; it was why she didn't tell Vanessa and Kim she made it. There was no doubt they would make fun of her, but she didn't really think she'd mind. It was one thing to want to avoid it from happening, it was a completely other thing to want to live in her happy little bubble alone for a bit. Telling Vanessa and Kim about her playlist and sappy love songs all about Jay felt like letting them in on a secret. She did plan on telling them eventually, but for now, being in love felt too private to shout from the rooftops.
As the sun began to set and their food containers emptied, they slowly gave way to the feelings that had been bubbling all day. While Jay had found times to surprise Hailey with a kiss on her cheek throughout their date and she had gladly held his hand the entire time they were at Navy Pier, it didn't do much to ebb off either of their feelings for each other.
Hailey found herself on Jay's lap on the bed, slowly unbuttoning his shirt as he rubbed his thumbs into the tops of her thighs. She pushed the fabric from his arms, trying not to think of the last time she'd done that with the exact same shirt the night of Allie's wedding, and slipped her fingers into the back of his hair as Jay did the same to her. Their lips molded together as she shivered at the cool air touching her skin when Jay pulled her shirt off causing her to press herself closer to him until he stood with her in his arms.
"Where are we going?" she whispered as he began slowly walking with his hands gripping the backs of her legs.
"Bathroom," he murmured against her lips, "Did you see that tub? This room was too expensive to ignore that."
Hailey laughed softly as he carried her to the bathroom. She completely agreed.
The bathtub was all they hoped it would be, and while Hailey really enjoyed it when settled on Jay's lap with her fingers digging in his arms and her lips glued to his, she enjoyed it even more when they ordered room service. When Jay had first asked if she wanted anything for dessert, she thought he was making a crude joke, but then he slipped from the tub and ran out just to return a moment later with the hotel menu. They decided on chocolate cake then made a bet as to if Jay could again make Hailey's legs tremble under the water while she gasped for breath against his lips again before the food arrived.
Most days, Hailey hated losing a game or a bet, but as she laid in the water panting for breath with her head tilted back on a towel pillow Jay had made for her, she didn't mind tonight. Losing also meant Jay jokingly saying she was too tired to feed herself their dessert, so she happily accepted the chocolate cake he fed her once he returned to the tub as the jets filled it with bubbles again. None of it was anything to complain about.
It got even better when they noticed the robes on the back of the bathroom door. Hailey slipped into the warm material before grabbing Jay's hand and dragging him back to the bedroom. Together, they stood at their full-length windows to look out at the city below them just as the sun disappeared behind the surrounding buildings.
In a way, Hailey felt small, looking down at the world. She felt rather insignificant compared to all the people living their lives out there on the street. There were so many people in the world – in this city – and yet here she was, living her life. Somehow, she had managed to find Jay out of all of these people. Maybe soul mates were a real thing – how else would she have found herself in Jay's arms right now?
Jay brushed her hair from the back of her neck, kissed behind her ear, and whispered, "You want to lay in bed?"
She hummed and closed her eyes. "Mhmm."
Jay smiled against her skin as he slowly walked her backwards to their bed. The sheets weren't as stiff as Hailey was used to at the few hotels she'd been to, and they felt soft against her skin. She was grateful Allie had picked out quality sheets for her new bed because they were just as comfortable as these. She would have been upset if her newly redone room, all white and airy, hadn't ended up being as comfortable as this.
While she'd had a drunken Jay sharing the bed with her that first night, he encouraged her to sleep alone on the second night of her new room. At first, she'd been nervous to be alone again in the room that had once reminded her of her parents, but there seemed to be some method to Jay's madness of getting new sheets and decorations. She was only able to stay up texting him for about twenty minutes before completely passing out until the following morning. It had been the best night of sleep she'd had in weeks.
She briefly wondered how she'd sleep tonight in the hotel room, but then Jay's pointer finger gently traced along the side of her face, and she told herself she'd be fine. She wasn't alone tonight, not in the least. She was with a man who proved that he truly cared about her and wanted to protect her – she was going to be okay.
"You ever stay in a hotel like this?" Jay asked softly.
Hailey shook her head and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders. "You?"
"Yeah, but it wasn't exactly a room like this," Jay answered while scooting closer to her. Sneaking a hand under the sheets, he gently grabbed her waist and rubbed his thumb over her hip. "It was a family reunion kind of thing, so we were in a room that had two queens instead of the king. It was pretty nice."
Hailey nodded and set her hand on the side of his neck. "Did you have family reunions a lot?" she asked.
Jay shrugged and said, "Every two years, I think. They kind of fizzled out recently since a lot of us were in college or working. It got hard for us to drop everything and go."
Hailey smiled slightly and said, "Makes sense. Getting old kind of sucks."
Jay laughed and said, "I don't know if it sucks, but there are definitely disadvantages. I'm just glad I'm not all achey yet or need a knee replacement. That's when I'll know I'm old."
"You're not achey?" Hailey asked, pressing herself right up against him and slipping her hand around to his back, "That's not fair. I get achey at my job. I thought for sure you'd have back pain or something."
"Well, I do," Jay said, "But I also know how to fix it or even prevent it sometimes if I need to. It's not awful."
"You probably just jinxed yourself," Hailey gently teased, "Your back's gonna spasm next week at work, and I'll have to go save the day."
"Oh, you will? Huh?" Jay chuckled. He freed his hand to brush his thumb over her cheek and said, "Who says you'd be my one call if I were to get in trouble?"
"Not your trouble call," Hailey laughed, "Your 'I'm in a lot of pain and practically dying' call."
Jay laughed with her and kissed her nose. "You probably would be a better option than Mouse. Would be a sexy nurse too."
"Oh, okay, shut up," Hailey said with a light shove to his chest, "Deal's off. You can't call me anymore if you're in pain at work. I'll answer and say, 'Sorry, that's my boyfriend, but he's only with me because he thinks I'll be a sexy nurse; I'm gonna have to pass. Call his brother.'"
"Will? That's not something I want at all," Jay said, "Please don't ever answer the phone like that."
Hailey laughed harder and said, "I'll consider it."
"Yeah, sure," Jay chuckled. He kissed her nose and said, "If you need a sick day, I'm your guy. Your boss can call, and I won't be rude like that."
"Rude?" Hailey teasingly gasped, "Jay Halstead, I am not rude."
"No, but maybe a bit sassy," Jay replied.
"Is that really a bad thing?" Hailey asked, "I think it brings a little excitement to your life."
"As if I need more excitement," Jay said. Smiling, he brushed his fingers through her hair and added, "But maybe you really are the excitement I need."
"I like that," Hailey whispered. She leaned forward to kiss him then asked, "What should we do now?"
"Well," Jay sighed and tugged her hips closer to his, "I think we could watch some TV, run down to the pool, try out that shower, or…we stay right here."
"Right here?" Hailey asked while kissing the side of his lips, "I think I like right here."
"Me too," Jay breathed.
Hailey moaned softly when his hand pressed into her lower back to nudge her the last few inches closer to him. Setting her own hand on his chest, she breathed him in as he held her close. While he might have smelt like hotel soap, he still felt like himself, and that was really all she needed.
There wasn't a continental breakfast at the hotel, but Hailey didn't mind. She much preferred the diner breakfast down the street where they found themselves just before 10am. While she sipped her coffee, she couldn't help but look around the small place. It was quiet, and she could tell it was owned by some family based on the pictures on the walls.
"Hey," Jay hissed, causing her to blink quickly and turn back to him. He nodded toward the waitress and said, "You want to order?"
"Oh," she breathed, "Um…what'd you get?"
"Ham and cheese omelet," Jay replied, "Do you-"
"Same as him," Hailey told the waitress quickly, "With, uh, wheat toast, thanks."
The waitress nodded and wrote it down before walking away.
"Hey, you good?" Jay asked, reaching across the table for her hand, "Kinda zoned out there, huh?"
Hailey weakly smiled and said, "Yeah, guess I did. Sorry."
"No, you're good," Jay said as he rubbed his thumb over her knuckles, "Just worried about you."
"Nothing to be worried about," Hailey assured, "Just got lost in some thoughts."
"About what?"
"Oh, you know."
"No, I don't," Jay chuckled. Squeezing her hand, he asked, "Is this about your parents?"
"No, it – how'd you know?" Hailey asked.
Jay looked around the diner and said, "Seems like a family place, kind of figured you might be thinking of your own growing up."
Hailey took a deep breath then admitted, "Yeah, I guess it has. We used to have a few pictures on the walls too. Nothing like this, but enough to make people know whose it was."
Jay smiled and nodded. "What kind of pictures?" he asked.
"Oh, you know," Hailey said with a shrug, "Old family ones from when my dad was growing up and then some with my grandparents. It was actually my grandpa's restaurant that my dad took over. He updated it a bit, but it's definitely still old looking. My grandpa had his wedding photo on the wall by the door, so my dad added his too. It was…I don't know. I was never a fan of the picture even though my mom did look pretty in it."
"What'd she look like?" Jay asked.
"Big dress with sleeves," Hailey laughed, "It was a little obnoxious, but that was the style, right? She just looked so happy. Her hair was all curled and she had this super long veil. For being a bit much, it was all nice. It fit her personality."
Jay's smile widened as he said, "Sounds nice."
"It was," Hailey said softly. She looked down at their hands to lightly play with his fingers and asked, "What was your mom's wedding dress like?"
Jay shrugged and said, "Kind of plain, I think. It was white."
Hailey blinked and waited for him to keep talking, but then he didn't say anything, and she laughed. "That's it?" she asked, "It's white? Jay, all wedding dresses are white."
"I wouldn't say they're all white," Jay chuckled, "Just most of them."
"Okay, sure," Hailey said, "Come on, did she have a veil? Jewelry? Anything?"
Jay laughed and said, "Uh, let's see, pearl necklace from her grandma, short veil, her hair was up. Good enough?"
"Sure," Hailey laughed softly, "It all sounds very classy."
Jay smiled and said, "It was."
"And your grandma had a pearl necklace? That's cool," Hailey said, "I wish I had something from my grandma to wear."
"Were you two close?" Jay asked.
Hailey shrugged and swirled her finger around the table. "We were," she said after a moment, "But then she, um, she told my mom to divorce my dad, and we all know how that went. Things were kind of strained after that."
Jay didn't ask anything else, yet Hailey expected he had some questions. He knew her parents, of course, didn't get a divorce, and some of the horrible things that had happened, but he didn't know every single detail that had gone down. She wouldn't have blamed him if he asked anything; she probably would have some too. Had he asked, she might have told him about the big argument one Thanksgiving over the bruises on her mom's wrists or the summer that her grandma told her she could come live with her. She'd been wearing a circle locket with a sun engraved on it. It'd been the inspiration behind the anklet she'd gotten for herself.
"I'm sorry," he ended up saying quietly, "I can't imagine."
She shook her head and squeezed his hand again. "Thank you, but it's over with. I got over it. She meant well; it just wasn't in the cards for us."
Jay nodded sadly then kissed her hand.
"What about you?" Hailey asked quickly before any sort of tears or sadness could form in her heart. "Were you close with a grandparent?"
"Yeah, actually, my grandpa," Jay answered easily, "On my mom's side. He lives in Wisconsin; it's where she's from."
"Oh, I had no idea," Hailey replied.
Jay nodded again then added, "She moved down here for college, and then you know how she met my dad."
Hailey laughed softly at the memory and said, "I do."
Jay smiled back and said, "So they met, and she ended up staying. Her parents live in Racine."
Hailey nodded as she debated her words before slowly saying, "Are they…"
"Alive?" Jay guessed quietly, "Yeah, they're in their eighties. She talks to them quite a bit. I've been keeping them in the loop since my dad tends to forget."
"Do they get along?" Hailey asked.
"Uh…" Jay trailed off then laughed to himself, "Enough. I mean, they were always civil, but I know there's a piece of them that's always kind of resented him for taking my mom from them. Then again, she's the one who chose to go to college in Chicago, so, like, is it really his fault? I don't know."
Hailey hummed softly and rubbed her thumb over his wrist.
"Maybe that's why I've always had this weird feeling about him," Jay said, "I don't know. I guess I saw how they treated him and just kind of went with it. My grandpa's awesome, though. He taught me how to fish and how to build stuff. We actually built a tree house at our family cabin one summer."
"Your dad's not handy?" Hailey asked.
"He is," Jay said, "But he wasn't really the one to teach me all that stuff. Cars, though, cars were our thing. He loved messing around with cars and having me and Will help him. That actually was fun."
"Oh, yeah, I think I remember him saying something about your truck," Hailey said.
"Yup, he helped me fix it up," Jay replied, nodding, "It was a little stressful, but we survived."
Hailey laughed and said, "I can't imagine."
Jay smiled down at the table and said, "I don't regret it, though; at least, I don't regret it now. In the moment, I kept thinking I should have just gotten a better quality truck that wasn't a wreck, but now that everything with my mom is happening, I'm glad all of us have that memory."
"It's special," Hailey said softly, "Something positive to look back on."
"Yeah," Jay breathed.
Hailey squeezed his hand again then sipped her coffee. As they talked, she wondered if he'd ever told any of this to his friends before or even his therapist that he'd been seeing. Personally, she knew she hadn't told her own friends about her grandma and what she'd said to her mom. It'd certainly been a core memory for her that probably altered her view of her parents just like Jay's grandpa had changed his.
She'd been eleven at the time, and had come in from outside where she'd been playing football with her brothers and cousins. Her mom hated when she got dirty, so she snuck up to the second floor to use the bathroom, thinking her mom was in the kitchen with her aunts and uncles. In reality, her mom had been in her bedroom with her own mom. They were yelling at each other about marks and how a husband should treat his wife. She'd stayed frozen in the hallway trying to think of what to do. They would surely hear her flush the toilet if she went to the bathroom, but she was so shocked she couldn't find it in her to go back downstairs. Instead, she'd stood frozen until her grandma emerged from the room huffing quietly about the bible and what Jesus would have really wanted. When they'd met eyes, she'd hesitated before patting Hailey's head, saying 'my baby girl,' and walking down the stairs. Her mom stepped out a second later with tears in her eyes and scolded her for getting her tights dirty before following her mother.
Hailey had been too stunned to do anything.
Ever since that night, she tuned in more to her parents and noticed when her dad would raise his voice or grip her wrist just a little too tightly.
She looked down at her hold on Jay's hand, her fingers so close to his wrist, then gently let go.
She didn't like any sort of connections between her and her dad. It was bad enough they had the same eyes, she didn't want to have the same mannerisms too.
Luckily for her, nothing seemed out of place to Jay as their waitress showed up with their ham and cheese omelets. Hailey was partly pissed at herself for just ordering what Jay had because she much would have preferred a spinach omelet, but the food was fine.
It was even better when Jay dropped the family conversation and asked her if she'd ever travel to Antarctica. It was bizarre enough that it completely wiped her mind of her parents and growing up. She'd much rather talk about penguins and whether or not there were polar bears down there than the day she realized how unhappy her mom really was.
Hailey, on the other hand, was happy. Her stay-cation with Jay reset her mind for the week and gave her a reason to smile whenever she got bored at work. Like when they'd gone to Allie's wedding together, she felt a little bad for having certain thoughts about Jay while at work, but she couldn't help it. Not when she still had a soft mark on her hip from his lips or when he randomly sent her pictures they'd taken together in the hotel room. Her boss had almost seen the one they'd taken of themselves in the mirror while wearing their hotel robes, but then he sneezed and she was quickly able to put her phone away.
Vanessa let her live in her happy bubble for four days before saying, "All right, I need to know, did you two say it?"
Hailey looked up from her laptop and asked, "Say what?"
"The L word," Vanessa answered, "You've been crazy happy lately. I feel like you said it at the hotel."
Hailey blushed and shook her head. "No, no, we didn't say it," she said, "I…no. No, it didn't happen."
Vanessa raised an eyebrow then stated, "But you wanted to."
Hailey smiled and closed her laptop. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Honestly?"
Vanessa nodded quickly.
"I feel it," she said softly, "I feel like I love him. He keeps giving me those butterflies and I can't spend enough time with him. When I listen to him talk, it's like music."
Vanessa snorted and said, "Why are you a dork when you're with him?"
"I-I don't know," Hailey said, "But I mean it. He can keep me awake for hours just talking or when we're laying together on the couch, but he can also help me fall asleep by holding me and making me feel safe. I truly feel like I love him."
Vanessa softened and said, "That's really sweet."
"Not dorky?" Hailey countered.
"Oh, still dorky," Vanessa laughed, "But it's sweet. I'm really happy for you, Hails, I mean it. I also can't believe that man set out on what seemed to be an impossible mission and succeeded. Do you at least know how you'll tell him yet? Like are you waiting for something to happen or to be a certain place?"
Hailey sighed and sank further into the couch. "No, I figured it would come to me in a dream or something or that I'd hear a song and realize now was the time. There are so many places that I think defined our relationship, so I'm trying to figure out which one would be the best location for it to happen in."
Vanessa shrugged and said, "Just do it. Go find him now and say it."
"That doesn't sound very romantic," Hailey said, "And this needs to be romantic. There needs to be meaning and depth to it."
Vanessa waved her hand around and said, "What do you need that fancy stuff for? It's three words that you truly feel and believe in - share it with the guy who created that feeling."
"For the theme!" Hailey laughed, sitting back up and fully facing her friend, "Ness, he's been working on all these romance tropes that he's obsessed with. I can't just drop the L word out of nowhere. He deserves better that some half-assed, random confession."
Vanessa rolled her eyes and said, "That's dorky."
Hailey smacked her with a throw pillow and said, "It is not. He's my boyfriend and he's been doing super nice, special things for me. I want to repay him."
"By planning some elaborate date that might not even go as perfectly planned just so you can say 'I love you' at the end of the night?" Vanessa countered, "I thought you would have learned by now that love isn't about the fancy stuff."
"I have, but I also learned that the fancy stuff is fun and Jay appreciates it. I appreciate it too, actually, so I'm doing it. I'm going to tell my boyfriend I love him, and it'll be over the top and maybe a little silly and filled with meaning, but it'll be perfect," Hailey stated.
Vanessa smiled and nodded in response. "I'm not going to argue with that," she said softly, "But I don't want you to get upset if it doesn't go exactly like that. Love should just happen, don't force it if it doesn't feel right in the moment. It'll be special no matter what happens."
"I know," Hailey said softly, "I'm very much aware of that. I know fairytales don't actually exist, but that doesn't mean I can't try to make one."
Vanessa's smile widened as she said, "Who are you and what have you done with Hailey Upton?"
Hailey laughed in response and hit her with the throw pillow again. Settling back in the couch, she knew her friend had a point: she really was a changed person.
Thanks to Jay.
Jay's cabin was about an hour and a half drive away, which didn't sound bad, but Mouse wasn't having any of it.
"I just don't get why I have to sit in the back seat," he said as he and Jay tossed the suitcases in the back of Jay's truck.
"Because it's my car and my girlfriend gets the front seat," Jay said, "You are free to go in the trunk of Adam's car."
"Jay, I'm fine to sit in the back," Hailey said, passing him the cooler of food they'd packed.
"You're a real one, Hailey Upton," Mouse replied.
Jay rolled his eyes and said, "No, you can sit in the front. Mouse can survive in the back."
"Man, you know I can't," Mouse argued, "I'm going to get carsick."
"You will not," Jay said, "I'm a good driver."
"Debatable," Kevin said as he walked over to join them with Vanessa. Looking around the parking garage, he asked, "Anyone heard from Adam or Kim? What's taking them so long?"
"Rumor has it, her mom isn't thrilled that she's going on a weekend trip with him," Hailey explained.
"That's ridiculous," Kevin muttered, "She sleeps over all the time."
"What if I told you she tells her mom she spends the night at our place?" Vanessa said.
Jay whistled under his breath and said, "They really have it out for him, huh?"
"As if Hailey's parents like you," Mouse chuckled.
Jay blushed and lifted the cooler in the trunk.
Hailey sent Mouse a glare then set her hand on Jay's back. She hadn't heard from her parents at all since their disastrous brunch. It certainly didn't surprise her, but she'd also partly expected to have received some sort of hate-filled text or message from them. She hadn't even heard from her brothers, so she partly wondered if they hadn't heard what had happened. It wasn't like her parents to keep secrets about one of their downfalls, but then again, it was like them to keep secrets if those secrets made them look bad. This was probably one of those situations, especially if they viewed the incident how Hailey did: as her boyfriend standing up for her against her father's constant verbal abuse. She guessed that her brother's would be on her side, but it was hit or miss, and she didn't want to reach out to confirm or deny that.
"Hey, we all would have done the same thing," Kevin said, "Jay didn't do anything wrong. I know I would stand up for any of you like that."
"Thanks, man," Jay said quietly.
Kevin nodded and squeezed his shoulder quickly.
Vanessa gave Hailey a side hug then whispered, "I love you."
Hailey smiled back and nodded.
They were interrupted by Adam's car coming into the parking garage and him beeping the horn the second he saw them.
"Let's go!" Kim yelled out the window and waved her hand, "I'm ready to relax!"
Vanessa laughed while dragging her suitcase over to the car with Kevin on her tail.
Hailey quickly followed and leaned against Kim's door to ask, "How'd it go?"
"You know them," Kim said softly. Hailey glanced in the window to see she had her hand over on Adam's thigh as he typed the cabin's address into his phone. "They're not thrilled, but it's not their life. I can't be this baby girl they control forever, right?"
"Hey, of course not," Hailey replied, "It's your life, and you're doing a damn good job at it. You've got all of us."
Kim sadly smiled and nodded.
"We'll work on forgetting all about them this weekend, okay?" Hailey said, "Fresh start on Monday, and if they still want to be jerks-"
"So long to them," Kim sighed.
Hailey shrugged and squeezed her hand. "We'll all be there for you no matter what. Just like you've been there for all of us."
Kim smiled and whispered, "Thank you."
"Always," Hailey replied. Stepping back from the car as Vanessa and Kevin jumped in the back seats, she said, "Text us if anything happens."
"Yup," Adam said, holding up his phone, "See you there."
Hailey smiled at him and waved before hurrying back to Jay's truck where he was sitting, waiting for her with Mouse, reluctantly, in the back seat. "Are you sure you're good back there?" Hailey asked while climbing in.
"Jay said he'll buy me a bottle of whiskey if I shut up about it, so I'm gonna do just that," Mouse said.
Hailey laughed and glanced at Jay. "Is that true?" she asked.
"No regrets," Jay chuckled and started the truck, "All right, let's go, people." He quickly followed Adam's car out of the parking garage and onto the street.
Hailey settled her head back against the seat and let out a breath. While she partly hated that summer was coming to an end, she was also looking forward to having one last weekend away with her friends. It'd been one of – if not, the – best summers she'd ever had, and she knew it was just a sign of what was to come.
Her relationship with Jay wasn't going to come to a close just because the sun was setting earlier or because local schools were starting again. In fact, it was just beginning, and she knew it was going to be okay.
She was planning on telling him her real feelings that night when they were by the campfire. She wanted to try and get him to stay out later than their friends so they could attempt to have some privacy underneath the stars. It felt like something that would happen in a movie, and she was truly excited for it.
Reaching over to grab his hand off the console, she squeezed his fingers and winked when he shot her a smile. He chuckled and lifted her wrist to his lips to press a soft kiss to her tattoo.
"Okay, hey, I'm sitting back here, but I still expect to be respected," Mouse said.
Hailey laughed and glanced back at him. "Sorry," she said, "Forgot we have an audience."
"You do not have an audience," Mouse corrected, "I will not be an audience to anything. We can all talk together as friends, okay? No kissing."
"Fine, fine," Hailey jokingly said, "What would you like to talk about? My birth control?"
Jay snorted and said, "I'm down."
"You both suck," Mouse mumbled, "Like actually, you suck. Terrible friends."
Hailey laughed and said, "You don't believe that. You like us."
Mouse glared at her then cracked a smile and said, "Maybe."
"Mhmm," Hailey hummed. She winked then turned back toward the front of the truck.
"We're not sharing a room while we're there, right?" Mouse asked.
"No," Jay chuckled, "I figured Hailey and I could be in my parents' room, then there's that bedroom on the main floor and the loft upstairs that you can share with someone. You've been there, you know you'll have some privacy."
"Cool, that's acceptable," Mouse said, "Let's just pray Adam and Kim aren't sharing the loft with me. I'm not going to trust them to behave, especially if Kim feels like she's being bad or something by going against her parents' wishes."
Jay laughed and said, "I'll see what I can do. I'll put in a word for ya."
"All I ask," Mouse replied.
"It's going to be fun," Hailey said, "I'm really looking forward to it."
Jay smiled at her and squeezed her hand. "Me too."
"As long as you all keep your hands to yourselves in my presence, I'm sure I'll have fun too," Mouse said, "I could really use some fresh air for a few days."
"Exactly," Hailey said. Rolling down her window, she stuck her hand out into the hot air and smiled.
Fresh air, bright stars, and her boyfriend next to a campfire was all she needed, and she was very much ready to get that.
Their fresh air came sooner than expected when Mouse started getting carsick. Jay had to pull over on the side of the highway just as they crossed into Wisconsin for Mouse to jump out and empty his stomach right there next to the truck. Hailey tried comforting him by handing him a water bottle while Jay called Adam to let him know they were going to be a little behind.
"I'm really sorry," Mouse said while coughing to catch his breath, "I thought I'd be fine."
Hailey shook her head and said, "It happens. You're good."
"Okay, they're gonna pull over at a rest stop up ahead to try and buy us some time," Jay said while walking over, "You think you're good to keep going?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm good," Mouse answered, "I'm sorry."
"Don't, you're fine," Jay said.
"That's what I said," Hailey said as she stepped back toward the truck. She set a water bottle in the console and adjusted all the air vents so they'd be facing the seat. Glancing over her shoulder, she said, "Mouse, you can sit up here for the rest of the drive."
"If you're sure," he said.
"I am very sure," Hailey said with a soft laugh, "Come on, it shouldn't be too much longer now."
"Yup," Jay said, "It'll go by fast."
"Better," Mouse mumbled. He jumped in the front of the truck then closed the door before quickly drinking the rest of his water.
Hailey shot Jay a smile then got in the back of the truck. Once Jay was in as well and back on the road, she turned to throw her feet up on the seat and say, "Hey, it's kind of comfortable back here."
"Until you hit like four pot holes in a row," Mouse said.
"I did not hit any pot holes," Jay argued.
"It wasn't a good time," Mouse said under his breath.
"You're lucky I love you," Jay shot back.
"Do you love me more than you love Hailey?" Mouse asked.
Hailey froze and looked toward the front of the truck in time to see Jay's face blush bright in the rearview mirror.
"Dude," he whispered.
Mouse's pale face seemed to get some color back as his eyes widened. "Sorry," he said quickly, "I…sorry."
"You…" The words got caught at the tip of Hailey's tongue as she struggled to breathe.
Mouse had said Jay loved her. She'd expected it and anticipated it, but hearing it? Hearing it was something she hadn't really thought of yet. She knew she had all the intentions of telling Jay she loved them that night, but she hadn't considered what it'd be like to hear that he loved her.
Jay's hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as the cab of the truck filled with awkward tension and silence. He visibly swallowed and took a deep breath.
"Yeah," he said quietly, "I love you. I hate that you're hearing it for the first time with my best friend in the car smelling like vomit, but…yeah, I love you."
Hailey blinked quickly and adjusted herself in her seat. Looking down at her hands, she tried fixing her breathing just to notice how her fingers were shaking.
He loved her. Someone said they loved her. A boy told her he loved her.
Jay told her he loved her.
It wasn't romantic, and it wasn't ideal, but it happened.
Unexpectedly, her eyes filled with tears that she quickly wiped away. She nodded slightly and sniffled before opening her mouth to reply just for nothing to come out.
They were caught right there in her throat, and she wanted to say them more than anything in the world. She needed to tell him. She needed to let him know that she felt the same way, but it all fell apart.
Just like Vanessa warned her it might.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she dug her nails into the palms of her hands. What she'd originally been afraid of – just saying she loved Jay because social convention told her to if he were to say it first – didn't feel like it applied here. It couldn't. She had been telling herself that she loved Jay for a while now. It wasn't something she was pretending to feel; she truly felt it in her heart. Just a few days before, she had decided exactly on how she was going to finally say those words out loud to him. That wasn't for nothing, but it also couldn't be her end-all-be-all.
She loved him, and he deserved to know.
It was the truth.
So, breathing in slowly, she opened her eyes and scooted forward in her seat to say softly, "Jay, I love you too."
Her eyes shot up to the rearview mirror in time to see a smile spread across his face causing her to smile too.
They loved each other, they meant it, and they finally said it.
"Now, that's adorable," Mouse said quietly, "Look what I did."
"Shut up," Jay chuckled and reached over to shove him lightly.
Hailey laughed and sat back to cover her face with her hands.
She couldn't believe it.
She actually said she loved someone and didn't have any regrets about any of it.
It was unexpected, but it was good.
Jay was good.
And she knew in her heart that they were always going to be good.
They loved each other.
A/N: I know, I know, not the perfect ending Hailey wanted (and maybe you too), but she'll get her happy ending - all fairy tales do. Promise.