Ian's POV
**Song Suggestion: Overthinking by Jake Scott**
I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, finding it impossible to sleep. Yet, here lay Hailey, snoozing away like we hadn't just done something stupid. We said we would go as far as we wanted to, as long as the other wasn't uncomfortable, and I know neither of us was. Still, what we did wasn't the smartest decision. All I could think about now was how reckless I had been. I enjoyed every second of it, but with anything enjoyable, there are consequences. This is her best friend, Red's best friend, and I had just slept with her. Red may be kind and caring, but could she be that way, knowing what we did?
I know I am overthinking this whole whatever-you-wanna-call-this situation right now, but how could I not be? My mind was racing between images of Hailey's beautiful body and images of Red's smiling face turning into a frown. Would she cry? Would she be mad at me? Hailey let out a small, heavy breath in her sleep, clutching the shirt she had lent me. Her brows furrowed, and I imagined she was having a bad dream. I held her closer, allowing my hand to lightly rub her arm. She slowly relaxed again, loosening her grip on the shirt. She was beautiful and damn alluring, but I feel like she's going to be the ruin of my friendship with Liv. I'm not sure this ruse is worth it.
It took a few hours, but I was finally able to calm my brain down enough to get some semblance of sleep. I woke up to Hailey unsuccessfully trying to slip out of my arms without waking me. She froze, meeting my eyes like a deer in the headlights. This was usually the moment in which she would crack a joke or say something stupid to lighten the mood, yet nothing came out of her mouth. She just stayed, rooted in place, as if she were waiting for me to close my eyes again.
"You know, I'm not going to fall back asleep now that I'm awake." I lifted my arm, letting her go, watching her get off the bed silently. Is she feeling weird now too?
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." She sighed, sitting up on the bed now. She sat crisscrossed, avoiding my eyes, but not moving away from me, at least. It seemed as if she had something to say but couldn't find the right words- which is exactly how I am feeling right now, too.
"It's fine. I don't like to sleep in, anyway," I said, sitting up against the headboard. It was oddly, really comfortable.
"About last night..." she started, averting my gaze.
"Yeah, I know."
"You know?" She finally looked at me, seeming scared for some reason.
"You want to pretend it didn't happen, don't you?"
"What? No! Why do you keep thinking that?" She furrowed her brow, seeming offended. Now I felt like an asshole for saying it. I hope it didn't hurt her feelings.
"I don't know. I guess that's just how I deal with awkward stuff." I shrugged, really not understanding why I keep suggesting this. Is it because I want to forget about it? Perhaps it is because I want to pretend like I am not catching some kind of feelings for Hailey.
"I was going to say that I really enjoyed myself, but I am worried that maybe we shouldn't have done that. It's just that you're her best friend." Hailey said what I had been thinking all along, and the irony of it caused me to let out a laugh. "What?" Hailey asked with a light blush on her cheeks. God, that blush is so beautiful on her.
"I was thinking the same thing. You're her best friend."
She smiled brightly at me, helping ease the moment. Her smile always lightens everything up, it seems. I'm not sure how she does that... radiates her happiness so that all you have to do is look at her to feel it too.
"Okay, so we say nothing?" she asked, confirming we were on the same page. I nodded my head at her, holding my pinky out. She understood what I meant without saying a word. She took it and then kissed her hand, and I did the same.
"We say nothing," I confirmed, finishing our pinky promise.
"Eventually we are going to have to tell her, but maybe we can ease her into it? I don't know. I've never kept a secret from Liv before." She chewed at the inside of her cheek as she spoke, letting the worry spill out.
"I think she'll be more upset with me than you, so don't worry too much about it. What exactly do you mean by 'we ease her into it'?"
"I don't know. Maybe we tell her we're thinking about going on a date together and see what she says. If she takes it well, then we can tell her about hooking up a little while later." She shrugged, seeming to be playing scenarios in her head.
"I guess." I shrugged, but I wasn't particularly fond of that plan. I didn't like the idea of Red thinking I had moved on. Why do I keep trying to make myself her backup plan?
"Okay, come on. I need some Cuban coffee to survive today. I'll let you leave after breakfast." She smirked playfully at me, going back to her natural self. Whatever awkwardness she was feeling, she had either pushed it aside or had gotten over it already. However, I was still coming to terms with it, and I found myself having to push it down deep as we got dressed. Hailey didn't bother hiding any of herself. Honestly, why should she? We had already seen each other completely naked. Hell, we got really well acquainted with each other's bodies last night.
I followed Hailey out, glad not to see her cousin out in the kitchen. I hope she didn't hear us last night. That's the last thing I need. We walked down the block to the little Cuban cafe Hailey loved. She ordered us both an espresso, and I knew I would be wired for hours after I took a singular sip. She told me about her day and how she'd be starting an internship at some designer place. I couldn't keep up as she spoke, my head spun with questions and images of her. I know such a typical guy thing- to not listen and only imagine her naked, but you have got to give a guy a break. It had only just occurred, and I apparently needed more time to process than her. After a while, we said goodbye to one another, which was yet another awkward interaction. We weren't sure whether to hug, kiss, or just wave, leading to us awkwardly trying to do all three. It ended in a hug, with a kiss to the cheek and then a wave.