After Kissing

10.

"So, what are you gonna do?" he pressed again and I glared.

"I'm working on it, okay?" I stressed and he snorted.

"I can see that." he eyed me for a moment, and it unsettled me I could see the wheel in his brain turning before his eyes sparkled. "Hey, Just Hailey." my heart dipped as he called for her, frightened he would say the wrong thing. Kyle wasn't one to play subtly. But he just grinned at her when I felt her gaze moving here. "I'm going to get us something for dinner. Any special request?"

"Oh, eh, no thanks." I looked over at her just as she looked away and my blood seemed to get denser. "I should probably get going soon, anyway..."

"Well, I'm getting extra whatever I find first in case you stay." he dismissed her excuse moving to take his stuff from the table and giving me one last eloquent look he headed for the door, leaving behind a weird environment. And since the idiot took the phone with him it summed us in this thick silence.

I'm gonna kill him.

I sighed forcefully, my chest heavy as I squeezed my brain for the right way to proceed now.

Last time we spoke, she was more mad than what she let on. And I couldn't be sure if she was here because she wanted to, because she wanted to please Kimmy or because she was shaken still by that crept. As much as I was glad we were sharing the same space, I had wanted it to be on her conditions, making sure the next time we spoke she would want it. Now that plan had gone down the drain and I wasn't sure about anything anymore.

"I'm sorry about him." I muttered spinning the brush in my fingers and glaring the front door Kyled just slammed closed. "I promise he's not as annoying as he looks."

"It's fine. He's fine." Hailey said back from her side of the room.

She was sitting on the other end of the room, legs criss-crossed and focused on her task at hand, her fingers tainted with paint and there was also a spot on her neck and hair's hems of the strand behind her ear, making me think she'd brushed it off without thinking.

I couldn't help but take the chance to look at her properly, feeling the ache at the bottom of my chest. Her large blue eyes, the soft lines of her features and the enticing way she bit her lip in concentration. Or how she frowned in annoyance. Or just every small gesture I though I'd forgotten about her.

It was ridiculous how she was still the prettiest girl to me. Even in my oversized shirt I lent her not to stain her blouse and with her hair up in a simple ponytail. And that realization got me burning from inside.

She began turning her head, as if sensing my gaze on her and I managed to look away and casually looked back, as if I was the one catching her looking and not the other way around. Even from across the room, I could see her blush, but my unease didn't falter one bit.

"It's okay that I'm here?" Hailey decided to wonder out loud to my further surprise. She wryly smiled, awkwardly, and looked away clearly uncomfortable. "You can say it, I know it's weird."

Was it? Maybe we had some weird history, and I for sure had made a lot of mistakes she still hadn't gotten over... and that I hadn't properly apologized for. Much like Kyle had pointed out. But when I moved here I had the thought of trying to clear the history with her. Start anew. And what was it that she said? Ex's shall stay in the past?