It was clear to her that she had feelings for Avery. She tried denying it for so long and focused on their friendship while each of them dated different people over the years. The timing never seemed right, and neither of them crossed that line.
But, Hailey couldn’t deny that she felt different around Avery than her other friends. He lit up a room when he walked in. When he talked to her, she felt like the most important person in the world. He made her laugh. He was thoughtful, sweet, giving. He got her off the couch more often than she was willing to admit. If he wasn’t on the soccer team, she probably would have skipped a bunch of games, preferring to stay home and binge watch whatever she could find. He was everything she wanted in a teammate, a partner.
One thing Hailey was never sure about was if Avery felt the same way. She caught him looking at her a lot over the years. He blushed more often when talking to Hailey than he did with anyone else. And he was always there for her.
She didn’t think she’d ever rid herself of Gage and she cursed herself for not doing it sooner. Hailey thought she was being loyal and that things would get better. They were really good in the beginning, but that didn’t last very long. One thing was obvious to her now: the more Gage got to know her, the more he tried to quiet the things that made her happy. Dancing and singing while at a bar was something she enjoyed, but he always made her feel like a jerk for doing it. An embarrassment. Why was he even with her if he didn’t like the real her?
Hailey thought back to their time together and realized something. He treated her as some kind oftrophy girlfriend. Encouraging her to dress a certain way, to hang on his arm at his company’s events, to silence her when she tried to break out of the shell Gage trapped her in. She was like a completely different person with him than she was with pretty much anyone else.
Shouldn’t she be with someone who liked her for her? Let Hailey be herself and feel adored and cared for? Instead she felt quieted. Ignored. Less than.
Gage never joked around with her, acted silly with her or even did any activities with her. It was like she was just there to look at or to screw and she cursed herself for letting it go on so long.
There was nothing she could do about it now, but she could certainly make better decisions in the future.
Avery’s face flashed in her mind and she realized she was smiling. When she joked around with him or acted silly with him, he did it, too. He enjoyed actually talking to her, having fun with her, and being there for her.
He was everything she wanted. She spent the last fifteen or so years befriending him, enjoying his company, but they never seemed to be single at the same time. They lived in the friend zone and it worked for what felt like forever.
But now, her feelings were painfully obvious and she hoped it wasn’t too late. If one of these tests came back positive or if she got pregnant by this cretin, then she’d be too ashamed to try something with Avery, at least fornow. She had to be in the clear. She had to know she could give him all of herself because it’s what he deserved.
For the first time in forever, Hailey felt like she deserved it, too.
Cherry Stems Group Chat
COLE:You guys aren’t going to believe this. Nothing I say could ever prepare you for the news you’re about to receive. Your lives are about to change.
RILEY:Ten bucks says it’s not a big deal
AVERY:I’m not taking that bet
HAILEY:I bet it’s even less of a big deal than you think
ABBY:I bet we could guess what it is. He just filled up his gas tank and the final total has the number sixty-nine in it.
JOSH:He got the last loaf of potato bread from the market.
RILEY:A vending machine accidentally dispensed TWO treats for him
ELENA:You’re finally getting that personality transplant
HAILEY:You managed to swoop your hair in the OTHER direction
AVERY:The anticipation is killing us, which is probably what he was going for. You’ve succeeded in your quest, Cole!
COLE:You’re all wrong, except Avery. I was just going to tell you all I love you but now you’ve ruined it.
AVERY:Love you too, man!
HAILEY:awww sweetness overload!
ABBY:I’m not crying, you’re crying!
ELENA:[green face emoji]
19
RILEY STREAKED UP the side of the field and Hailey passed him the ball, then sprinted behind the guy covering her to get herself open for Riley to cross it back. Riley was stuck in the corner and managed to get around the girl covering him to hit Hailey with the ball just as she was approaching the net. At the same time, Avery’s defender left him and made his way across the middle to get in front of what would have been an open shot.
