Page 28 of I’d Be Honored

“A couple of women sent shots over to our table. I’m obviously taken.” Caitlin pressed a reassuring kiss to Gemma’s temple even though they both knew Gemma didn’t need it. “So I told Maddie that she had to drink them all. Those girls spent an hour practically fighting over which one was going to take her home.”

Hayley bit the inside of her cheek, hanging on to every word while trying to pretend she wasn’t.

“But here I am,” Maddie announced with a flourish as she drifted in, plopping down onto the couch next to Hayley.

“Here you are.” Gemma smiled, her expression softening. Then, she looked at Caitlin. “Babe, I’m pretty tired. Let’s go to bed.”

Without protest, Caitlin stood and reached her hand out for Gemma’s.

“Stay,” Gemma whispered to Hayley, kissing her once on the cheek before taking Caitlin’s hand.

Hayley debated leaving—she really did. Already feeling vulnerable, she didn’t know what would happen if she stayed.

But she was just so tired. Tired of going home to an empty apartment. Tired of sleeping alone. Instead, she turned to Maddie, whose eyes were now the color of a gentle, moonlit bay, and asked softly, “Do you want to watch the next episode with me?”

Maddie’s face, still flushed with the buzz of alcohol, lit up. “I’d love to! What show is this, though?” she asked, squinting at the screen.

Hayley turned toward her, her mouth opening in genuine shock. “You’ve never seen Summer House? On behalf of the entire cast, I am deeply offended.”

Maddie laughed and shook her head.

“Well, now you definitely have to watch it with me.” This is good, Hayley thought. It would give them something to talk about.

Hayley inched closer, ignoring the voice in her head that was telling her to bolt. She draped half of her blanket over Maddie’s lap.

Hayley settled back into the couch, absentmindedly matching her own breaths to Maddie’s. Maddie was laughing, saying something about how no man could ever deserve a woman like Paige DeSorbo. Hayley allowed herself to sink into a wave of unfamiliar relaxation. The last thing she remembered thinking was that she hadn’t felt that kind of peace since she was fifteen years old.

THE NEXT MORNING, HAYLEY WOKE FEELING out of sorts. Her bed felt wrong, and her head was rising and falling with the rhythm of someone else’s breathing.

Her eyes snapped open. She was lying on her side next to Maddie, who was asleep on her back. Hayley had one leg hitched up over Maddie’s thighs and one arm wrapped snugly around Maddie’s waist. Her head was tucked into the space between Maddie’s shoulder and collarbone as she listened to the steady sound of Maddie’s heart beating in her ear.

The night before slowly filtered back. For hours, Hayley had dozed in and out of consciousness on Gemma’s couch while they watched season three of Summer House. She remembered telling Maddie it was her favorite season—when the show had really started, in her opinion, thanks to the addition of Paige and Hannah. What she couldn’t remember, though, was how they’d ended up tangled together.

Hayley carefully gazed up at Maddie. She looked almost innocent while she slept, her face smooth and peaceful. Hayley suddenly had a clear memory of finding her mom asleep just like this on her childhood sofa, cuddled with her dad, as morning sunlight streamed through the window.

She gently untucked herself from Maddie and tiptoed to the kitchen, hoping to slip out unnoticed.

“Ahem.”

Hayley jumped at the sound of Gemma clearing her throat, then sighed. “I didn’t even see you sitting over there.”

With her back to her best friend, Hayley reached into the cabinet full of mugs, acting as if she’d just gotten up for a cup of coffee—and definitely not to sneak out without saying goodbye. She pressed the button on the machine and waited for the dark espresso to fill her cup, feeling Gemma’s eyes on her.

“I can hear you smiling. We just fell asleep, nothing happened,” Hayley spoke in a low voice.

Sure enough, when Hayley turned around, she found Gemma grinning from ear to ear behind her mug, staying quiet.

“Well, good morning,” Caitlin said cheerfully as she joined them in the kitchen. “Hay, did you sleep over, or did you just run out of coffee again?”

“Maybe I just like your coffee better than mine,” Hayley mumbled into her cup, though her tone lacked its usual bite.

“I found her asleep on the couch with Maddie,” Gemma whispered conspiratorially.

Hayley should have known that Gemma wouldn’t be able to keep her mouth shut.

Caitlin’s eyebrows shot up, and the two shared a loaded look.

Hayley rolled her eyes. “Don’t you both have enough to do already? Quit worrying about me.”