Hailey's POV
The waiting was excruciating, making half an hour feel like years. Lucas came out with tears in his eyes, only further fueling my concern. I swallowed hard as he approached us, visibly trying to be strong for his daughter, who was clapping happily at the sight of her father. Her tone was more than adorable as she said "dada" holding her hands up for him to take her. He scooped her up, holding her tight, as if she were the only thing keeping him sane right now. Lucas was a complete mess, but how could he not be?
"How is she?" I asked, unable to wait any longer.
"They delivered our baby early. He is doing well, and you'll be able to see him and her tomorrow." He sniffled, giving us the best smile he could conjure at the moment. Relief swept over me at the news. They were both okay.
"They're okay?" Ian asked in confirmation, seeming to be on the edge of his seat.
"They are."
"Thank God." Ian fell back in his seat, holding his head as if this were all just a bad dream.
"I'll watch Abi for you, so you can be with Liv and your baby. Is it a boy or girl?" I asked, feeling like the danger had passed enough to voice my curiosity.
"It's a boy."
"So she was right. Little Johnny then?" Ian mused, catching me off guard with his insight.
"Yeah...little Johnny."
"My mom will come get Abi in a little while if you don't mind staying a little longer until she comes," Lucas asked me, holding my gaze so I could see his desperation to return to Liv's side.
"Of course, whatever you need." I nodded, taking Abi back. She wasn't happy as she watched her father leave once more.
Sarah didn't take too long to arrive, grabbing Abi from us with a smile. Ian and I left shortly after, knowing we could come back tomorrow and see them all. I couldn't wait to hold that sweet baby and see my best friend again.
"There's something I need to tell you," Ian confessed as we strolled toward his car, looking guilty. Feeling uneasy, I moved closer, clasping his hand and meeting his gaze. He squeezed my hand, finding solace in the connection as his intense blue eyes locked onto mine. His other hand began to gently caress my face before he stopped with a heavy sigh. "She gave me some of her journals while I was at her house. She wanted me to know how she truly felt about me in high school."
Hearing this hurt more than I thought it would. I am not quite sure why, as Ian has not given me any reason to doubt his fidelity to me. He has never lied to me or made me feel any less than loved. Yet I knew there was probably this side of him that was still curious and still wondered what could have been. I thought perhaps that half of him had vanished or diminished enough for him to ignore it. However, by the way he was looking at me, I knew it was untrue.
"Are you going to read them?" My heart felt torn, desperate for the answer yet also not wanting to know. "Do you still have some feelings for her?"
"No!" He quickly negated, holding my face once more as he took a step towards me. "You are who I love, Hailey. Only you. I took them because she wouldn't let me leave them. Some part of me is curious, and I would like to read them, but not alone. Will you read them with me?" Feeling emotionally raw, I nodded my head. I understood how he felt, but I still didn't like that he wanted to read them. However, I was happy he wanted me by his side, as he did.
"I am sorry if I hurt you, Hailey. I swear to you with everything I have that it is only you I love. You are my reason for living, Mi Luz. Never doubt that." His lips crashed against mine, devouring me in his passionate love as his hand cupped my face with a firm gentleness. "Move in with me?" He asked the moment our lips parted.
We spent every night together already and each had a drawer in the other's house. It was the logical next step, but neither of us had asked the other yet. Now here we stand with his question hanging in the air and my eyes tearing at the love he showed me.
"Yes," I whispered, my voice showing every raw emotion I was feeling. Ian gave me his dreamy smile before kissing me once more. Only this time he couldn't seem to stop himself from taking more, parting my lips with his tongue and exploring my mouth as if it were the first time he had ever tasted it.
"I love you Hailey." He rested his forehead against my own, letting me feel the warmth of his breath against my skin.
"I love you, too."
"Next one," I said, handing Ian the next journal to devour together. Oddly enough, what I feared turned into what I enjoyed doing. Ian would read the journal beside me while I worked on designs and listened to music. Every now and then, Ian would share something that tore at him and I would comfort him without feeling any other way but empathy towards him. The jealousy I felt just a week ago had faded into nothingness as I saw how he handled these journals. That's not to say it wasn't rubbing him raw at times, seeing him try to fight against it for my sake. So far, the reactions have been mild, since it is only the start of their friendship.
"Thank you, Mi Luz." He accepted it with a smile, opening the journal right up. "Oh, this is the Halloween party! Read it with me?" Ian smiled at the memory, allowing me to read beside him. It seems my Ian has always been the rescuing type, even as a teen. He didn't mind standing up for his friends or what he believed in, despite whatever consequences may come from it. I kissed his neck before nuzzling up against him. Abruptly, Ian closed the journal after just that entry, looking down at me with a smile. "Let's finish unpacking."
"We only have one box left." I furrowed my brows, wondering why he suddenly felt the need to unpack.
"One box until we are officially moved in together. I want to say we are all settled into our new home." He lit up with happiness, only causing me to do the same. We raced to the last box, which turned out to be memorabilia of Ian's. "On second thought, maybe this should stay in a box and be put on the top shelf of our closet."
"Oh, no, you don't. We're going through all this now." I raised a brow at him with quirked lips and a playful countenance. He groaned, but caved rather quickly, opening the box back up. "What's this?" I lifted a leather cuff out of the box, wondering at what age he wore something like this.
"God, that's so embarrassing. I went through a phase my first year in London. Let's just call it my rocker stage and leave it at that." He took the cuff from me, heading for the trash can.
"Stop right there!" I chased after him, stealing the cuff from his hands and placing it on my wrist. "You're not throwing any of this away. Each little piece is some part of you."
"Fine, but if that's the case, then where is your box of memorabilia?" He smirked, thinking he got me, but he was wrong.
"I'll go get it. Don't touch anything in that box until I come back," I warned him with a stern look before racing off to our room. I pushed aside my clothes, grabbing the heart-shaped box and racing back. "Here it is."
"Okay, you go through mine, and I'll go through yours. Pick three things to ask questions about and I'll do the same. We can do this every couple of months or something," Ian suggested, which seemed fair to me. We honestly shouldn't spend all day in the past.
"Deal."
We both searched through each other's boxes, looking for something of interest. Mine was full of notes, pictures, and small knick-knacks, as I didn't have much more than that. I could hear him struggling to open some of my more intricately folded notes. It was almost like doing origami when it came to passing notes in the halls in high school.
"Help." Ian handed me a note he was struggling to open, giving me the most adorable puppy eyes. I smirked at him, delicately unfolding it to reveal a note from Dan. My heart clenched for a moment as I stared at his signature at the bottom. I handed it back to Ian, trying to push aside the guilt I still felt for what I had done. After about 20 minutes, we each had our three items.
"You first," he said, motioning for me to start.
Holding up a photo booth strip of pictures, I pointed to the beautiful blonde beside him. "Who is she?"
Ian let out a chuckle before he answered me with a twinkle in his eyes. "Are you jealous?"
"Just answer the question." I stuck my tongue out at him, because in fact I was. This girl was stunningly beautiful and the way they were both smiling in these pictures told me they felt pure joy in each other's company.
"That's my cousin Penelope," he answered. He gave me a shit-eating grin, clearly enjoying the blush that crossed my face.
"Shut up." I threw the picture at him, pouting at my stupid jealousy.
"Awe, but you're so cute when you're jealous." He leaned forward from his spot, kissing my neck as light as a feather.
"Your turn." I rolled my eyes, making him move past my embarrassing moment.
"Who is Wendy?" He held a note I had completely forgotten about. Her chicken scratch was hardly legible, but the tear stains spoke volumes as to what was written.
"She was a girl at my school who everyone picked on for her bright red hair that she wore in pigtails. She was quiet and innocent, usually sitting alone with no friends. I spoke to her once, having chased after her when a charm fell from her bracelet. She latched onto me after that, but I was a different person in high school. I was too ashamed to be friends with her in front of everyone, because I was afraid to be bullied, too. I am really ashamed that I wasn't more like you Ian. Back then, I lacked courage and worried too much about appearances." Tears began to build in my eyes at the memory of Wendy- how I could have prevented what happened if I would have just been more than just her secret friend. "That is the last note she wrote to me before she took her life."
My voice broke as I began to cry, feeling such deep shame. When I saw Liv looking all alone my first year in Columbia, I knew I wouldn't repeat the same mistake. I made her my best friend and taught her everything I knew. She wouldn't go through what Wendy did. I won't ever worry about what anyone has to say about me and who I was friends with. I just wish I could have learned this lesson without Wendy having to die.