Twenty Four Hours ✿ Hayes Grier

ix // 8:57 am

"where the fuck are you?" was the first few words hayes heard that morning. rather loud words, he might add.

"i'm sorry nash." hayes said into the phone, yawning, trying to be quiet for the sake of the sleeping girl on his chest. "i took ava to the aquarium because she was hungover and sad and we fell asleep here."

"jesus christ, hayes. i'm glad you weren't kidnapped or something. i was about to call the cops."

"we're fine. we'll come home now." hayes hung up and slipped in phone in his pocket carefully.

"ava." he whispered, poking the girls cheek lightly. "wake up. ave, baby."

she stirred, grumbling and opening her eyes.

"we have to go home." he helped her up. "nash just called."

"did i fall asleep?" she rubbed her eyes, a habit hayes found adorable, and sat up.

"yeah. we both did." he smiled and held her hands. "do you remember... last night?"

"...yeah." she said, smiling.

"and you remember what we decided?"

her smile faltered. "yes."

he looked at her smile disappear. he hated that she felt like that because of him. but it was what had to be done.

"i'm sorry babygirl." he kissed her forehead and pulled her close.

ava looked up at his blue eyes and smiled a bit. "would it hurt if we kissed one more time?"

hayes pretended to think, tapping his chin with his finger. "nah." he smiled. she grinned and pressed her lips to his once again.

+

nash picked up the two tired teenagers at the aquarium, surprisingly not as mad as hayes had expected.

"hey, you two." nash raised a brow. "what happened in the aquarium?"

"nothing." hayes and ava said simultaneously.

nash raised a brow again and then averted his eyes to the road. "maybe we should go to ihop."

"i'm starving." ava agreed.

"good." nash said, starting the car up again.

as soon as they got to the restaurant, nash told ava to go get a table for three and pulled hayes aside.

"what happened at the aquarium?" nash asked the boy. he turned a bit red and looked down.

"did you have sex with her?" nash asked. "you know how vulnerable she is right now,-"

"what? no, of course not! i just... kissed her." hayes said quietly.

nash widened his eyes. "wow. i mean, i totally support it but-"

"it's not happening. it's too hard." hayes said sadly.

"aw, man. i'm sorry little brother." he hugged him. "i see the way you look at her. i know how much you care about her."

hayes nodded. "yeah." he deadpanned.

ava was sitting at a table alone, checking her phone. he hasn't seen her with the phone the whole time he'd been with her.

"hey." he smile warmly at the girl, trying hard to muster up some happiness on ava's behalf. she smiled and scooted over for hayes.

"so ava, where are we taking you after this?" nash said, picking up a menu.

"my aunt's. she lives downtown." ava said, looking at hayes sadly. they both knew what the other was thinking; that they didn't want to leave each other.

"i'm gonna miss you, ava." nash said, smiling sadly at her across the table.

"i'm gonna miss you too, nashly. i can't thank you enough for getting me here."

hayes was silent. he didn't feel like talking, and he wished that ava wasn't in such a good mood. that sounded mean, but he wanted to know that she was sad too, just as he was.

instinctively, he reached out and grabbed her hand, looking at her. ava noticed how sad his blue eyes were. it broke her heart.

their food came moments later, all three shoveling the food in their mouths hungrily.

hayes watched ava, memorizing her every movement, carefully.

he got up and left the table.

+

"hayes!" ava called. the boy had run outside unexpectedly, and ava had run after him. "hayes?!"

he sat up against the brick wall in the back of the restaurant, trying to wipe tears off his cheeks as soon as he heard ava coming.

she found him soon enough, sitting next to him and holding his hand in hers. as soon as she saw his tears, her mouth formed a frown.

"baby." she brought her hand up to his face and wiped the tears, keeping her hand there seconds after. even after she removed her hand, hayes felt tingles in his cheek where she had touched.

"what the fuck am i doing?" he asked to no one in particular. "i'm a horrible person, ava."

"what are you talking about? you aren't, hayes. why would you say that?"

"n-no, i am. i'm mean and negative and awful. i act like i have no feelings." he started to cry more, causing ava to sigh and wipe his tears again.

"that's such bullshit, hayes. you aren't an awful person. you aren't. i know you aren't. you're caring, and compassionate, and sweet." she ran her fingers through his messy hair. "you act like this because you're scared hayes. you're scared of letting people in, it's okay. i am too. but do you know how much you've changed these past hours? so much. i see you for who you really are and that is a beautiful, incredible person. i want you to know that."

ava radiated positive energy. even through all her brokenness, all her hard times, she still found a way to say positive words.

he loved her. he fucking loved a girl he met exactly 23 hours ago.

"how are you so beautiful?" hayes asked her, brushing a stray hair from her face and cupping her cheek.

she shook her head. "stop."

"no. i wish you knew how beautiful you were, ava. i wish you saw yourself the way i saw you."

"i wish that i didn't have to leave." she said suddenly.

"me too, baby. me too."