As we went up in the elevator, my heart started pounding. I hadn’t expected to be quite this nervous, but I was actually terrified. Hailey meant so much to me and I didn’t want to disappoint her. I hadn’t been with anyone since the accident, so I was unsure of what exactly to do.
The elevator came to a stop and I handed the keycard to Hailey. We walked down the hallway to the right door and she opened it up. We went in and I knew she was checking the place out, so I just stood still, waiting for her to speak.
“It’s a very nice room,” she said.
I blew out a small breath of relief. “I know. I came here earlier this week to familiarize myself with it so that I didn’t end up tripping and falling on my face in front of you.”
She laughed a little. “That would have been entertaining, but I’m glad that you got to familiarize yourself with it. I know how much easier it is for you when you don’t have to rely on other people to lead you around.”
I put my arms around her waist and nuzzled at her neck. It always amazed me how well she seemed to get me. “I don’t mind so much as long as it’s you leading me around,” I replied truthfully. I really didn’t mind when it was her, because that meant I was spending time with her. I definitely wasn’t going to tell her that though.
She shivered a little. “You can be so corny and sweet sometimes,” she said.
“Only with you,” I murmured. I moved my face away from her neck and placed my forehead against hers. “You’ve made a huge difference in my life, Hailey. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
“Probably continued to be sarcastic and push everyone away. Now you’re just sarcastic,” she teased.
I chuckled. “That I am.” I took her hand and led her to where I knew the couch was. I sat down and pulled her onto my lap. “Are you nervous?”
I felt her nod. “A little. The only other guy I was ever with was Marcus, and we both know how that turned out.”
My body went rigid at the mention of his name, but I pushed it away for now. Snapping at this point really wouldn’t do any good. “I was only ever with Clarissa,” I told her. “So neither of us had the best experience with our exes.”
She put her head on my shoulder. “No, we didn’t. But this will be different, right?”
“Definitely. I have no intention of letting you go, so you’re stuck with me,” I assured her.
“I’m okay with that.” She paused for a moment. “Are you nervous?” she asked quietly.
“Honestly? I’m kind of terrified. I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do, since I can’t actually see you.”
“Well, you use your hands so ‘see’ so you’ll just have to use them for that.” She must have realized how that sounded, because she quickly spoke again. “Wait, I didn’t mean it like that!”
I started laughing and hugged her to me tighter. I loved her innocence at certain things. “Oh Hailey, I really do love you.”
“That’s a good thing, because I seem to love you as well.”
Using my hands, I guided her face to mine so that I could kiss her. “You seem to, huh?”
