Chapter Thirty-Seven
Caleb
I could not take my eyes off of Hailey all night. I had forgotten how beautiful she was, even though it had only been five days since the last time I saw her. It felt like forever actually, but there she was, and things were back to the way it had been. It was as if nothing had changed between us. She was laughing and horsing around like the rest of us, and the chemistry between us was still there, as red hot as ever. I was thrilled to see her and have the four of us back together again.
We had decided to hit up a popular LA restaurant, and my celebrity status got us a table, even though they had originally stated that they were booked. We all sat down and ordered some appetizers and a pitcher of beer. But when the beer arrived, Hailey begged off of it, saying that she hadn’t been feeling well all day and didn’t want to make it worse. We haggled her a little bit, but then eventually let it go when she was firm about it.
I couldn’t stop touching her arm or kissing her on the side of the head. She blushed every time I did, but I couldn’t help myself. I was just so happy to be around her again that touching her just seemed like the natural thing to do.
“Gosh, it’s so good to see you guys,” Hailey exclaimed.
“What made you guys decide to make a trip out here?” Mandy asked.
“Oh, Caleb was crying over Hailey, so I had to do something.”
Hailey laughed nervously. “So you missed me, did you?”
I looked at her. “Yes, terribly.”
We got into chatting about her movie, which sounded very exciting. She was doing so well, and I was really happy for her. Dinner seemed to fly by, and soon the group was talking about seeing a movie together.
“How about you and Mandy go see it,” I said to Matt. “I would like to spend some time with Hailey alone, if you guys don’t mind.”
“Of course not,” Mandy agreed.
“Do you mind?” I asked Hailey.
“No, I would love to spend some time with you. I know you guys are only here for the weekend.”
I leaned over and kissed her on the side of the head, and she leaned into it. It was like we were really together. It made me happy, and I already knew leaving her on Sunday was just about going to kill me.
The two left to go see the movie as I paid the bill. Hailey and I got up to leave, heading out of the restaurant.
“Where are you staying?”
“I was hoping to stay with you.”
“With me?” She looked shocked.
“Unless you have a boyfriend already,” I asked nervously. She was beautiful enough to have one, that was for sure.
“Sure, I guess that would be okay. Mandy will be back at some point, though.”
“That’s okay. Matt will probably get a hotel. I just want to spend as much time with you as possible.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Hailey, don’t act surprised. I really liked having you around, and I told you that I didn’t even want the contract to end.”
“Well, it had to end sometime.”
I laughed, “Yeah, I know; of course it did. And, you have a great life here already. Things are going really well for you.”
“Same for you. I heard that you were heading for another tournament.”
“Yes, I am.”
“That’s wonderful. I’m very happy for you.”
“I missed you, Hailey; you have no idea.”
She smiled at me. “I missed you, too, Caleb. I had a really great time with you.”
We hailed a taxi and headed back to her place. When the cab dropped us off, I saw that she lived in a rather nice apartment building with a beautiful balcony that had an excellent view of the city.
“Well, this is nice. It looks like you’ve made it.”
She laughed, “No, not yet. Mandy is helping me pay for it, remember.”
“Still, you are doing well, and it makes me really happy.”
“Thank you, Caleb.”
I liked the look of her apartment; it was very homey. Not like the modern minimalism of my apartment. There were knickknacks and personal photos hanging up on the wall. She went to freshen up in the bathroom, and I took a look in her fridge. I found a bottle of wine and opened it. It would be nice to have a nightcap with her. I poured us each a glass of wine and brought them to the living room.
She came back into the room, and I offered her the glass. She looked panicked for a moment, which I thought was really weird.
“Sorry, I have a bad headache. I don’t think the wine would really help. I’m sorry. I’ve just had a long day.”
“Oh. No problem, I’m sorry to hear that. Come here and I’ll rub your shoulders; maybe we can get rid of it.”
She smiled and sat down beside me. “Thanks, I appreciate that. It’s really sweet of you.”
I did my best to massage the kinks out of her neck, and she hummed along as I did it. She was thoroughly enjoying herself. I loved touching her, and this was the perfect opportunity for me to do so. I continued to rub her until she melted into me.
“That feels so good, thank you.”
“Oh, it’s definitely my pleasure,” I told her, and she giggled at that.
I pulled her to me tightly, and she felt good. She nuzzled into my side, and we cuddled there for a moment. She felt warm against me, and I had forgotten how good it felt to have her close to me. I never wanted to let her go.
“I missed you, Caleb.”
“God, Hailey, I missed you, too. I wasn’t sure how I would feel seeing you again, but I’ve never been happier.”
“You’re sweet.”
“No, it’s not just that. I want you to be my girlfriend.”
She giggled, “We did that already, Caleb, remember? And now we have to move on with our lives.”
“No, I mean for real. I want you to be my real girlfriend.”
She almost froze beside me. I nuzzled her closer to me. I didn’t want her to say no.
“Really? You mean that?”
“Of course. Is there a way for us to make it work long distance? Is it possible to date that way?”
“I don’t know, Caleb. It might be very complicated.”
I felt disappointed. I wanted to make it work, but she didn’t seem like she was into the idea. I knew that it was going to be difficult, but if we both really wanted it, then we could make it work. I would be willing to try if she was, as well. I would be willing to do anything for her. I just wanted the same kind of commitment from her. I wasn’t sure why she was so hesitant about it. I thought I had known how she felt about me. But now I wasn’t sure.
“I know you have this new role, and it’s big opportunity for you. I would never do anything to jeopardize your career; you know that. But we can at least try, can’t we?”
She was silent for a moment as she cuddled into me. I wasn’t sure what was going through her head, but I wasn’t about to give up that easily.
“It’s almost sexy to think about seeing you all domestic and pregnant.”
She looked at me, shocked. “What?! What are you talking about?”
I couldn’t figure out why she was so shocked by what I said. It was her movie role, after all, so why was she looking so bewildered? She had been acting weird all night, now that I thought about it. I hoped that she wasn’t sick of me already.
“Your movie, your character is pregnant, remember? Sorry, maybe I’m losing my touch. I thought you would get the joke immediately. I’m looking forward to seeing what you would look like knocked up.”
She laughed, “Yeah, I bet.”
She pulled me close and kissed me on the lips. I loved kissing her – it was easily the best part of my day; I couldn’t get enough of it. Her tongue slipped into my mouth, and I knew it was on. I would not be able to say no to her, not that I had even considered it. I had wanted to spend some time with her, and this was about as good as it could be for me. I kissed her back and sucked her tongue.
We were passionately making out in a matter of seconds, and I couldn’t have been happier. My fingers found their way into her hair, and I pulled her closer to me and kissed her mouth hard. She nipped at my lips, and I knew that I was falling hard for the beautiful Hailey.