FIVE #3
“Who’s Kim, by the way?” she blurted out the question. It had been burning a hole in her mind, and she hoped Gemma would know more about Maddie’s personal life.
Gemma looked at Hayley, narrowing her eyes. “Huh?”
“I saw texts on Maddie’s phone the other day from someone named Kim, and I was just curious if Caitlin had ever mentioned her.”
Gemma pressed her lips together and hesitated before slowly shaking her head. With that, the two entered the brownstone behind Caitlin and Maddie, leaving Hayley unsatisfied with Gemma’s answer.
They all headed straight for the terrace, settling in with glasses of chilled Sancerre in their hands.
They huddled together on the U-shaped lounge in front of the outdoor fireplace, its flames kept low against the warm night, lit purely for aesthetics.
Fairy lights twinkled above them in private constellations.
The sky was clear, but the air on the terrace was crackling with electricity.
Gemma and Caitlin were doing what they often did—speaking in a shorthand language with each other about a topic only they knew.
Hayley sighed, looking down into her glass and swirling it absentmindedly. Sometimes she missed the days before Caitlin had made her grand return into Gemma’s life. Or maybe she was just tired of always feeling like a third wheel.
“You know,” Maddie whispered from beside Hayley, snapping her out of her daze, “we haven’t talked about the bachelorette yet. Any thoughts?”
“Strippers?” Hayley asked, saying the first thing that came to mind as she leaned away from Maddie and into the arm of the sofa. The wine was absolutely not helping her gain control of her body, and she yearned to bolt before there could be another incident.
A light, breathless giggle bubbled up from Maddie’s chest. “I mean, I’d be game, but they don’t really look like the stripper types, do they?” She nodded toward the couple sitting across from them, wrapped in each other’s arms as they whispered sweet nothings.
Hayley snorted but shrugged. She’d honestly never been to a bachelorette party before, but in every movie she’d seen about them, there were always strippers.
Something told her that her answer wouldn’t have mattered, anyway.
From the way Maddie was practically bouncing in her seat, Hayley assumed she already had a plan.
“What about dinner and an afterparty at a club?” Maddie suggested.
There it is.
Hayley turned slightly, watching the orange glow of the fireplace catch the curve of Maddie’s smile.
“Hmm. So you’re not totally useless, I guess,” she teased.
“Hayley Maddox,” Maddie gasped dramatically, a hand flying to her heart, “are you flirting with me?”
Hayley rolled her eyes, but her lips curved up at the edges as their gazes lingered. The firelight turned Maddie’s eyes into twin sunsets, the golden rays dancing across turquoise seas. She might have drowned in them if Maddie hadn’t spoken again.
“You know, I’ve been to tons of bachelorette parties, but I’ve never actually done any of this wedding planning stuff, have you?”
“Me? Oh yes, all the time.” Hayley donned an expression of mock sincerity. “I have many close friends who have gotten married, and I’ve planned every single one. Love is so beautiful, don’t you think?” She was doing her best impression of Maddie by the end.
Maddie let out a short laugh. “I hadn’t pegged you as a comedian.”
“Stick around,” Hayley countered, the challenge in her voice at odds with the softening behind her eyes. “I suspect you have much to learn.”
“Can I get anyone more wine?” Gemma broke in, speaking up from the other side of the stone coffee table.
Hayley cleared her throat and stood. “It’s getting late, I should probably head home.” The wine had started to make her head fuzzy, and the warmth of Maddie’s body beside her wasn’t helping.
She hugged Maddie first, purely out of convenience, of course. Maddie had been the one sitting closest to her.
But when Hayley did, Maddie’s fingers curled around her hips, delicate and tentative, seemingly afraid to hold on.
Hayley’s palms flattened against Maddie’s back, her fingertips grazing the edge of her tank top and finding bare skin.
A tingle ran through Hayley in a strange, electric current, a jolt that she didn’t have a name for.
After a quick goodnight to the others, Hayley slipped into the shadows of the darkened living room, still thinking about her reaction to Maddie’s skin. Not just then, but also earlier, in the dressing room, when Hayley had grazed her smooth lower back.
The feeling was foreign, almost as if it belonged to someone else entirely. It wasn’t just the familiar, easy spark of physical attraction, although that was certainly part of it. This feeling went deeper, an unsettling pull that left her unsteady and off-balance.
As she reached the front door, Maddie’s sweet laughter rang out behind her, echoing through the empty house. It stirred an uncomfortable ache in her chest. The quiet wish to hear that sound again followed her out into the summer night.