15. Chapter Fifteen #2
Nerves pool at the pit of my stomach at the thought of seeing Hailey again in a few minutes. It’s a new type of feeling – fidgeting like a teenager about to hang out with his crush.
I feel like a boy again simply because of Hailey Donovan. And it’s driving me nuts.
I’m dragging a towel over my hair when the chime of the doorbell echoes in the apartment. My heart leaps – another silly reaction – as I toss the towel aside and leave the room.
King follows me, but he calms down when I tell him to sit and behave.
I open the door and see Hailey clutching a set of binders, folders, and a laptop, alongside one jumbo pack of chips.
Her red hair sits in a messy bun. Her face is devoid of makeup, a rare sighting of freckles splattered across her nose. She’s wearing an old band shirt that is twice her size, paired with thin flowery shorts that barely cover half of her thighs with a pair of fluffy animated slippers.
I casually nod toward the bag of chips, like her appearance doesn’t make my insides feel like jelly. “Is that mine?”
She scoffs, slamming her things against my chest. “You wish. They’re for me. Right now, I’m a little tired and chewing keeps me active.”
Hailey walks past me, heading inside. I roll my lips to hide my smile as I close the door, successfully sealing us in.
“Can I move this?” she asks, already moving the table in the living room aside. She moves the chairs aside, creating a perfect circle in the middle, before sitting comfortably on the floor.
She raises a brow as I approach. “I don’t see your working tools.”
“I’m a little distracted.”
“I wonder why,” she says, oblivious to herself being my source of distraction. “Come on. Chop, chop. The faster we do this, the better.”
I grab my things from my study and join her in the dimly lit living room. The soft glow of her laptop screen reflects off her face as she sits cross-legged on the rug.
I sit on the floor, leaning my back against the coffee table and surround myself with scattered sketches and campaign notes.
She sneaks a glance at the glasses on my nose and licks her lips. “Can’t read at night?”
“Not exactly. It just gets a little harder to focus when the lights are dim.”
Hailey sits up immediately, glancing at the light switch. “I’ll turn on the lights.”
“No need,” I object, grabbing her knee to stop her from moving any further. The charge between us feels like the crash of a tidal wave. “I prefer it this way.”
“Okay,” she breathes, shifting back a little. “As for the campaign, I think the visuals need to feel dynamic, like they’re in motion –something that screams speed and strength.”
I nod, flipping through a stack of photos. “How about this one?” I hold up an image of an athlete mid-dive, water spraying in perfect arcs around him.
Hailey leans over, her elbow brushing my shoulder. We’ve only just started working, but my heart already feels like it will explode.
“That’s perfect,” she says softly, a smile tugging at her lips.
I raise a skeptical brow. “You’re not going to object? Is Hailey Donovan actually agreeing with me?”
She rolls her eyes. “Don’t push it.”
“See? I’m not just a pretty face.”
The warmth in her expression betrays her amusement. “Yeah. Keep telling yourself that.”
I slip the photo back into its collection. “So, you think I’m a pretty face?”
She shrugs, returning to her laptop. “It’s obvious. You look like a girl.”
I scoff, eyeing her. “Is that a compliment or an insult?”
“You’re prettier than I am,” she emphasizes. “And I’m a real woman.”
“That’s funny,” I say, opening my laptop.
“Why?”
“Because you’re the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen.”
Hailey says nothing and I don’t look her way either. I hear her light gasp and feel her heated stare, but it doesn’t go beyond that. She only clears her throat and returns to her laptop.
After that, we work in comfortable silence, neither of us seeming to mind the time. The quiet hum and the occasional shared laughter between us make the late hours feel lighter.
At some point, I crane my neck to ease the cramp from sitting in a bad position for too long. The clock ticks past midnight and when I glance at Hailey, I find her still deeply engrossed in her work.
I get to my feet and head towards the fridge. “Want a beer?”
She yawns first, stretching her arms above her head. “Sure.”
I toss one can to her from the kitchen and I’m surprised by how easily she catches it.
“Well, color me surprised, Hailey. That was a perfect catch.”
Hailey flips her hair, which has now tumbled down her shoulders and smiles proudly. “Did Jas never tell you? I was the captain of the girls’ basketball team in high school.”
I sit back down on the floor. “She didn’t. She doesn’t say much about you because she thinks I’ll hurt you.”
“Hurt me?”
“When Jas introduced you to me for the first time, she was of the impression that I’d try to play you and ruin your friendship with her.”
Hailey cracks her can open. “I mean, you can’t blame her. She warned me about you too. You did have an infamous reputation with girls.”
I smile. “I was sixteen and horny. You can’t blame me. Besides, all those girls threw themselves at me. I never had to work for it.”
“Of course,” she chuckles, sipping from her can. She leans forward, the color in her tired eyes appearing lighter. “So, did you ever?”
“Did I ever what?”
A lock of hair falls over her eyes. “Did you ever see me that way?”
I lean toward her. “Did you see me that way?”
Hailey shakes her head. “That’s not how it goes. I asked you first.”
“Honestly,” I say, tilting my head to get a better view of her face. “I’m not sure. I mean, sure, I thought you were cute when Jas brought you home for the first time. But after she warned me, I just closed my eyes to you. Not until recently.”
Hailey bites the corner of her lip and sighs. “I thought you were hot,” she admits. “Stupid, but hot. But I’d never admit it to myself, so I just kept on seeing you as the asshole you were.”
I smirk, poking my cheek with my tongue. “And now?”
“And now…” she trails off, leaning a little closer. Our faces are barely inches apart now, her nose grazing mine, “now, you just live in my mind rent free.”