Hailey and Mia have this little tradition on each other's birthdays. No matter where they were in any part of the world, no matter the time difference, they were always the first to wish themselves a happy birthday.
Hailey didn't stop thinking about Mia since their conversation last night. She was unhappy because she knew Mia was unhappy too.
Hailey was tempted to call her best friend before midnight but she had to control herself, respecting the fact that Mia needed space. But she didn't dare to break the tradition. At exactly midnight, She called to wish her bestie a happy birthday only for it to go directly to voicemail.
That gesture kept Hailey on her toes till the early hours of the morning. She honestly didn't have a good sleep. She was sort of counting down to broad daylight so she would go see Mia.
Hail got up from her bed at exactly 6 am, She took a shower, got ready, reached for Mia's birthday gift, then exited her apartment.
Before heading over to Mia's place, She stopped by the bakery to pick up the cake. She had to wait a couple of minutes as they were doing the finishing design on the cake. Actually, Hailey was to pick up at 8 am but she was at the bakery before 7.
Once she got a hold of the cake, she got into the car and headed to Mia's place. By 7:39, She was at Mia's door, knocking and begging for Mia Edwards to open the damn door.
"Holy Shit, Mia, what have you done to yourself?" Hailey exclaimed the moment Mia finally opened the door. Her eyes were swollen from crying.
Hailey helped herself in while Mia shut the door. She placed the cake on the center table, then engulfed Mia into a possessive hug.
"Oh sweetheart, you promised me you weren't going to cry."
"I did and I kept my promise," Mia whispered.
"What the hell happened?" Hailey pulled away from the hug, looking Mia in the eyes.
"Look at you, it's evident that you did nothing but cry your eyes out for long. I know it has to do with Colton. Were you able to get across to him yesterday because I wasn't."
"Please, don't mention him again!" Mia whispered.
Hailey frowned. "Babe, I know what he did last night was not the right thing to do but please don't come to conclusions yet. Have you tried calling him this morning? I can call him with my phone if you want." Hailey was about to take out her phone from her Jean pocket but Mia stopped her.
"It's of no use, Hail," Mia said, then went to crash on the couch that was a few steps away.
As confused as Hailey was about the statement made, She went over to where her best friend was and took a seat beside her. "Am I missing something?"
Mia nodded. She started talking after a few seconds of silence. "Apparently I was being played."
"I don't understand," Hailey whispered.
"We were over here, worried sick, while Colt was having the time of his life with Natasha."
"Mia!" Hailey groaned. "I told you not to think too much about the situation. Once you do, you start thinking of silly things."
Mia looked her best friend in the eye. "You trust Colt so much. Don't you?"
Hailey didn't respond, but she didn't want to believe what Mia just said was true.
"Same here. I was starting to trust him too. I would have thought it was a lie if I didn't see it for myself."
"What do you mean?" Hailey couldn't help but ask.
"I got a video call from Colton yesterday after I gave up on calling him. I was expecting to see his face when I answered but unfortunately, it was Natasha's face that came into view."
Hailey frowned, "What was she doing with his phone?"
"She's his lover so I see no reason why she shouldn't have access to his phone. Apparently she was naked and so was Colton who was exhausted from all the sex they had all evening. She showed me around and they were indeed in Colton's room. I was over here, worried as fuck while they were over there, having the time of their lives."
"Shocked right?" She said upon seeing the look on Hailey's face. "So was I. She spoke nasty to me, ridiculed me about being used by Colt. She kissed him and touched him in ways that made me jealous. No matter what, I planned not to show my weakness but I had no idea when tears started rolling down my cheeks. And lastly, she warned me to stay away from her man."
There was silence between the duo for a couple of seconds. Hailey was trying to process all that Mia said.
She took Mia's hand in hers and gave it a light squeeze. "I'm so sorry that you had to go through all of that." She whispered, knowing how much her best friend had to endure last night. She knew Mia was starting to like Colton so she could imagine how hurt she must have been. No wonder why Mia cried so much. It was evident on her face.
"It's okay. I'm fine." Mia responded.
"You don't need to pretend to be fine, love. You can let it all out." Hailey said.
"I'm fine. I'll be fine. Definitely. There's nothing to let out anymore, I cried till dawn. My eyeballs are even aching. I have to be fine. After all, I'm used to men treating me like shit so this is just another phase. The only difference is that this is the most I've cried. And that is because I like Colt and I really thought he was different. But he played me. He's just like Chris and the others."
"Am I still pained about it? Hell yes! But I'll be fine. I just know it. I blame myself for being stupid. I knew I'd end up being hurt but I chose to give in to Colton's ridiculous request!"
"I'm so sorry about everything, Babe." Hailey hugged Mia.
"Thanks. Sorry I do nothing but make you worry about me all the time."
Hailey frowned, pulling away from the hug. "What do you mean?"
"I have a shitty life and you're always there to comfort me. As far as I remember. This friendship has been more about me, than about you. Sometimes, I feel I don't deserve you."
"Heyyyyyy! Don't ever think that way! We both deserve each other and no one is going to come between us. I've had dark times too and I'm grateful you were there for me."
"Do you trust me, Mia?" Hailey asked out of the blue.
"Of course I do," Mia answered.
"I feel you should hear Colton's side of the story."
Mia shook her head instantly. "I'm done with everything concerning him."
"You said he was sleeping when Natty called you?"
Mia nodded.
"Do you think he was framed?"
"Who would dare frame Colt? I wish you knew how secure his penthouse is. There's no way that Natasha would have entered his place without his consent."
"You may be right, Mia but I can't help but think that something is not adding up. You've been with Colton and even spent the night with him a few times. Is he so weak to fall asleep immediately after having sex?"
"I don't know! We've never had sex so it's possible since it seems he's been sex-deprived for a long time."
"Mia?!" Hailey called.
Mia sighed. "I got a text from Natasha on Tuesday. She bragged about being the best person that knows how to satisfy Colton."
"When I spoke to Colt that night, I made him understand that I'm a very jealous person, I'm pretty possessive, and I'm not that experienced when it comes to sexual positions but I made him understand that I was willing to do anything for him; to learn and try new things that I've never even dreamt of doing."
"Natasha said she only needed one night with Colt to remind him of how perfect they used to be and yesterday was the night. Once again, I'm not good enough."
"So you think Colton intentionally ditched you to be with his ex yesterday night?" Hailey asked.