Chapter 13

Mira extends her hand for a handshake, much to Hailey’s surprise, Hailey takes her stretched hands. 

Mira’s hands felt a little bit cold against Hailey's palm,  this startled Hailey for a brief moment as she looked up at Mira with a confused expression.

“That’s how my temperature usually is,” Mira quickly chipped in with a small smile. Upon seeing the confusion on her face, Hailey gave Mira a simple nod, still wondering why she felt so cold.

Upon seeing how lost Hailey looked, she decided to break the awkward silence that was threatening to creep in. “Are you here all by yourself?” she asked, now taking back her hands.

“Or are you here for a date?” Mira asked with a smirk.

Hailey had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing, she let out a smile—a genuine one instead .

“I won’t call it a date though.” Hailey responded.

“I’m sorry for taking so much of your time already,” Mira apologized with a pout, placing her hands dramatically on her chest.

Hailey shook her head. “It’s fine,” she murmured as she watched Mira leave, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Even though they had only met a couple of times, she could already tell the kind of person Mira was.

Sweet, a little dramatic, and free-spirited. 

She finally found her way to the restroom. After freshening up, she returned to their table to see that Dan was already wiping his mouth with a napkin, his plate entirely cleared, making her wonder how long she was gone.

“I waited for you the entire time,” Dan teased, raising a brow. He laid emphasis on the word “entire” as if she had vanished for an hour.

Hailey let out a scoff and slid into her seat. “Very funny. I wasn’t gone that long,” she said with an eye roll.

“If you say so.” Dan shrugged.

After a few more minutes of small conversation, they both decided they’d had enough of the fancy restaurant and made their way out. Dan stood up first and helped her with her jacket before they headed toward the exit.

Just as the glass doors slid open, Hailey nearly collided with someone. The familiar lavender scent hit her before her eyes fully registered the faces in front of her.

Trevor… and Mira.

“Oh—” Hailey blurted out, a bit surprised, as she stepped back slightly, she had taken in the scent of Mira’s perfume earlier. How silly of her. She should’ve known that if Mira was around, Trevor couldn’t be far behind because of the way Trevor had reacted towards Mira at the company, it shouldn’t be a surprise.

Trevor’s brows lifted in mild surprise as well, though he quickly masked it with his usual calm expression. “Hailey?”

Mira’s eyes lit up the moment she knew it was her. “Oh! You are leaving too?”

“Yeah,” Hailey replied, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She could feel Dan’s composure had shifted slightly.

She turned towards him slightly and saw that his eyes were fixed on Mira. Mira, on the other hand, couldn’t take her eyes off Dan.

The scene felt like it came out of a movie, even Trevor had to clear his throat to bring them out of their daze. 

“We would take our leave now,” Trevor murmured as he guided Mira out of the restaurant. 

They eventually parted ways in the parking lot. Trevor and Mira headed for their car while Dan unlocked his. Hailey slid into the passenger seat beside Dan, still feeling the tension from earlier. 

The moment the vehicle hit the main road, Hailey couldn’t bite back the urge to tease Dan, it was funny and unusual seeing him completely flustered over a girl. This was probably the first time, and she wouldn’t want to miss such an opportunity.

“So…” Hailey began, and Dan groaned; he was hoping Hailey wouldn't comment on it, but to his surprise, she did.

"Love at first sight, huh?” she teased with a grin.

Dan almost choked on his own breath. “What? No. Of course not.”

Hailey burst out laughing while covering her mouth. “With the way you were looking at her? Oh please.”

“That wasn’t— Hailey, come on,” he grumbled, his ears turning a faint shade of pink. “I was just… shocked. That’s all,” he responded a little embarrassed, but he had to stay focused on the road.

“Mhm. Sure. ‘Shocked.’ Got it.” She winked playfully.

Dan shook his head, but a reluctant smile tugged at his lips. He had never seen this part of Hailey before. The part that wasn’t scared, the part that didn’t look like she was relying on someone.

 “I didn’t know you could be so annoying, you know that, right?” Dan said without taking his eyes off the road.

“I guess people change,” Hailey responded with a smile.

The rest of the ride was filled with soft music from the car’s radio and comfortable silence. A feeling she never gets when she is with Carter. Dan respected boundaries, didn’t push, and didn’t make her feel small. It was… nice.

They pulled up in front of her apartment building, and the good feeling she had just a few seconds ago disappeared instantly.

Carter was standing by the entrance. Waiting for her while holding a small shopping bag

Hailey’s grip tightened around the straps of her bag. Dan noticed this sudden shift and asked her if she was okay.

“I’m fine,” she muttered under her breath. Carter was the last person she was expecting to see at that moment.

Dan followed her gaze and frowned. “Isn’t that your boyfriend?” he asked, a bit surprised at the way Hailey had turned sour.

“I guess,” she forced out, though the word tasted bitter in her mouth.

Carter spotted them and immediately walked over, his jaw clenched when he noticed Dan. “I tried calling you,” he said sharply to Hailey before turning to Dan with narrowed eyes. “You went out with him?”

Dan stepped forward slightly. “Yeah, she did.”

Carter scoffed. 

The tension between them sparked fast, Carter was already clenching his fist into a ball, while Dan, on the other hand, didn’t even flinch at Carter's reaction, making Carter even more furious.

Hailey quickly jumped in before it turned into something even more serious.

“Dan, it’s fine. I’ve got it,” she said, giving him a reassuring look.

Dan held Carter’s cold stare for a moment longer before nodding to Hailey. “Text me when you’re safely inside.”

“I will,” she promised.

Dan drove off, but not without glancing back through the window, a protective look of concern displayed all over his face. The fact that Hailey had become tense at the sight of Carter made him hesitate leaving.

Carter exhaled sharply and then turned to her, his attitude instantly shifting to guilt. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, offering her the bag. “I got you something. I wanted to surprise you.”

Hailey swallowed the urge to roll her eyes. She took the bag with a stiff smile. “Thank you.”

“Let’s go inside,” he said, already stepping toward the entrance as if she wasn’t capable of deciding for herself.

“No—” Her voice came out too quickly. She cleared her throat. “I mean… I’m really tired. I just want to get some sleep. Maybe another time?”

Carter studied her for a long second, suspicion flickering behind his eyes. He had no idea why she was acting this way all of a sudden. He wanted to press further… but he forced a small smile instead.

“Alright. Goodnight then.”