Ok, Back to Hailey’s Point of view. I had to get that stuff back in there but I couldn’t for it from Hailey’s point of view…
Chapter 9 – If That’s What You Want To Call It
I woke up the next morning on the couch in my hotel room. Billy was on the opposite couch to me, Emily and Maddie were both getting ready in the bathrooms.
“Hey guys, how was your night?”
“Good, yours?” Emily asked.
“Hell.” I replied.
“Aww, that’s why I’m here.”
“Huh?”
“To you know, cheer you up.”
“Thanks…but I just want to stay in today.”
There was a knock on the door.
“I’m coming!” I opened the door. “Hey Benj!”
“Hey Hailey, how are you feeling?”
“Like hell.”
“I’m sorry.” He gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Feel better.”
“I will.”
“Eh, can you wake up little miss princess and tell him we have to go?” Benji asked.
I laughed. “Sure.”
“Ok, thanks.”
I walked over to Billy on the couch. “Billy, time to get up.”
“Ehhhh…meh…no….” Billy moaned.
“Ha! Yes Biller.”
He got up after a few minutes. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh nothing, Benj was just here. He said you had to go.”
“Shit! I forgot! Bye Hailey!” He gave me a kiss on the cheek and then jetted out of the door.
“Hmmm, it seems like the two of you got closer last night.” Emily said.
I took a seat on the couch. “Nah, we just talked the whole night.”
“Sure.” Emily took a seat next to me. “If that’s what you want to call it”
I laughed. “No, seriously. I had a lot on my mind, and so did he. We got a chance to sort things out.”
“Things like what?”
“Stuff with mean Paul.”
“Like?”
“For starters, do you know what happened when he visited me in New York?”
“No.”
2 minutes after I told her the story…. (I don’t want to bore you with it again..)
“Oh wow.” Emily said.
“Yeah.”
“So why do you think Paul lied last night?”
“I have no idea. I was just so mad that he lied to me in the first place.”
“Yeah I would be too.” There was another knock on the door. “I’ll get that.” Emily said. “Hey Hailey, It’s for you”
“Who is it?”
“Paul.”
I let out a sigh. “I’m coming.”
I walked out into the hallway with Paul, closing the door behind me.
“Well you look like shit.” I told him.
“I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“Oh, why?”
“Hailey, I haven’t been completely honest with you.” I took a seat in one of the chairs in the hallway.
“Paul, I thought you had to leave. Benji was just here to get Billy.”
“We don’t have to leave for another 10 minutes…wait a minute, why was Billy here?”
“Because we stayed up talking the while night.”
“About?” Paul asked.
“You.”
“Oh. Well anyway, I need to tell you the truth.”
“About?”
“New York…last night...”
“Last night?” I asked.
“Yes. First off, New York. We did sleep together..”
It felt like a knife to my heart; hearing those words. My eyes started to fill up with tears. “Why couldn’t you tell me this last night?”
“I didn’t know how you were going to react. I didn’t want to tell you because I wanted to protect you. I didn’t want you to think you lost it in some meaningless fling you had with your ex boyfriend.”
“But I did lose it in a meaningless fling with my ex-boyfriend.”
“I know. And I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner.”
I sat there in the hallway still for a few seconds taking it all in. I placed my head in my hands and started crying. Paul leaned over and gave me a hug. For some reason, I wasn’t as upset as I thought I would be. I guess because it was so much better to finally know the truth about what happened. Although I was still a little upset, I was glad that it happened with Paul.
“I guess, I’m just happy to know the truth now.” I said.
“Wait.” Paul let go of me.
“What?”
“That’s not all.”
“What else is there?” I asked.
“Last night, Ayla came to the club looking for Billy and—”
“Ayla? I thought she was on a plane ride back to New York!”
“Me too, just, let me finish, ok?”
I nodded.
“Well last night she came to the club looking for Billy, and when I told her you and him left, she wanted to dance with me. And I wanted to get my mind off of things, so I accepted…well one thing lead to another and before I knew it, I was waking up next to her in my bed.”
“You what?”
“I’m so sorry. If I could take it all back I would.”
I felt so hurt. “I—I…”
“I’m sorry. I love you.”
“Don’t.”
He leaned in to give me a hug. “I’m so sorry.”
I looked up and saw what looked like a tear rolling down his cheek. He really did care about me. No, he didn’t. If he cared he wouldn’t have done it. Oh, but I left him feeling so vulnerable, I can’t blame him for letting it happen. No, he let it happen. That’s all that matters.
“Paul, I’m just…confused now. Give me time to think about it…ok?”
“Ok.” Paul gave me a hug. He whispered in my ear, “If I left this world, and someone somewhere asked me what was my favorite part, I’d say you. I love you Hailey.”
“I….” I paused. “I love you too.” Just then I started to break down in tears because of my confusion. I didn’t know whether to laugh because of the irony or cry because he cheated on me.
I walked back into my hotel room and headed straight for the bed. “Don’t bother be for a few hours, ok?”
“Ok, is everything alright?” Emily asked.
“Yeah, I just need some time to sort things out..”