Page 31 of I’d Be Honored

Hayley sighed and opened her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted as the server reappeared and cheerfully asked if they would like another round of drinks.

Masking her frustration, Maddie readily agreed and returned her attention to Hayley. But she could tell that the moment had passed.

Hayley stole a glance at her gold Rolex.

Maddie kept her face neutral, resisting the urge to bring up what Gemma had mentioned about Hayley needing to care for her dad and brother as a teenager. She itched to know more, to understand the woman sitting across from her, but she also wanted those details to come from Hayley herself, in her own time.

“So, you’ve never been on a date?” Maddie asked, clearing her throat. She rolled the stem of her empty martini glass between her fingers, forcing her voice to sound casual. “Like, not even one?” She looked up in time to see a gleam return to Hayley’s eye.

“Maddie, has anyone ever told you that you ask way too many questions?”

“Holy shit,” Maddie gasped, a victorious grin slowly spreading across her face. “That’s the first time you didn’t call me Madison.” She grabbed her spoon to use as a makeshift microphone and sang, “This is gonna be the best day of my life, my liiiiiiiiife!”

Hayley’s genuine, deep-bellied laugh made Maddie feel like the luckiest woman on Earth. She’d only seen her eyes crinkle like that once before, when Gemma had won her Oscar. Since then, she’d always wanted to be the one on the receiving end of that joy.

“Did you seriously just sing American Authors at me? Wasn’t that song from like, 2013?” Hayley asked through lingering fits of giggles.

Maddie could suddenly see what Hayley must have been like as a child, full of bright-eyed mischief and booming laughter. The image brought a lump to her throat.

“I sure did.” Maddie beamed, playfully puffing out her chest. “‘Best Day of My Life’ still slaps.”

Hayley looked at Maddie in a way that felt entirely new. An unmistakable spark had sprung up from the depths of her warm, dark gaze, leaving Maddie feeling breathless.

“My turn.” Hayley leaned forward on her elbows.

“What?” Maddie was focused on expanding her lungs.

“It’s my turn to ask a question,” Hayley spoke matter-of-factly. “So, what are you looking for? You’ve been on multiple dates since coming to the city, all while maintaining some type of long-distance situationship with Kim, so you obviously haven’t found what you’re looking for yet.”

Maddie’s stomach flipped. Every time she was around Hayley, she felt like she was being pushed out of an airplane at ten thousand feet, and no one had taught her how to use her parachute. She reached for her fresh drink before it hit the tabletop, desperate to soothe her suddenly parched throat.

“First of all,” she countered, holding up a finger, “I am not in any type of relationship with Kim.” She meant it. The woman already felt like a shadow from another life. Maddie reveled in the realization, knowing that her mere intrigue with Hayley had finally knocked Kim out of her mind for good.

Hayley scoffed, letting out a short, disbelieving laugh.

“I’m not,” Maddie insisted, making sure Hayley understood. She waited until Hayley offered a tight hum of agreement. “As for what I’m looking for… look, I know most people think I’m crazy for this, but I love dating.”

“I get it.” Hayley surprised her by nodding along solemnly.

“You do?”

“Yes, I do. I get why people think you’re crazy,” Hayley teased, holding back a smile.

“Ha-ha,” Maddie mocked, rolling her eyes, but continued, undaunted. “I’m serious, though, I just find it so fulfilling to connect with people from all walks of life.” She could honestly say that she had learned something from every woman she’d ever met. “But to answer your question, I’m looking for my future wife.”

Hayley propped her chin up on her knuckles, listening intently. “And what is it that you want in this bride of yours?” Her eyebrows knitted together as if Maddie’s answer was suddenly very important to her.

Maddie paused, searching for the right words.

“I want,” she started, then met Hayley’s gaze. “I want someone I can sit on the couch in silence with.”

Hayley’s dark eyes softened.

“You know what I mean? Someone I can just exist with. A travel partner. A best friend. My other half.” Maddie’s voice dropped into a playful whisper. “Someone I’m so attracted to that I can’t keep my hands to myself.”

Hayley laughed, a brilliant, melodic sound. “Oh, is that all?” She shook her head, still smiling, then looked at Maddie. “I genuinely hope you find all that one day, and more.”

Maddie had always been able to picture it so clearly—walking hand-in-hand down the sidewalk with her wife at sunset, stopping at each crosswalk to steal a kiss. A city skyline twinkling in the background. This time, she imagined not LA, but New York City. The hand in her own was Hayley’s. The lips against hers…