When Harry Met Hailey

3: I Feel Different

Harry's POV
It was midnight. I was still wide awake worried about Hailey. She left at 7:30. She wasn't back yet. Hell, what if she never came back? Someone banged on the door to my room as that thought entered my mind. I pulled the door open and Hailey stumbled into the room. "Heyyyy."She slurred. "I finalllllly got the right rooom." She said. "Where have you been? I was so worried." I said. "Beeen having a lil drink." She responded. "Alright. Then we're getting you to bed. C'mere." I said, taking her hand.  "Oooh, straight to it then. No foreplayyy." She laughed. "Hailey, you're drunk. You're gonna lie down and sleep this off." I told her. I laid her down and she pulled me toward her.

"Kiss me." She said, lips touching my neck. "I can't love." I replied. "Why not?" She questioned. "You're drunk. It's not right." I answered. "No, I'm not drunkk. I'm jussst realizing my feelings." She said. I looked into her eyes. "If we're gonna do anything intimate, you can't have been drinking. We'll talk more in the morning." I told her. "Fiiine, but at leasst lay with me." She said. I smiled softly at her and nodded. I slid into bed beside her and she cuddled up to me and placed a few small kisses on my neck. Then soon after the alcohol put her out cold. ***** Paul yanked the hotel room curtains open and Hailey groaned in bed beside me.

"Close those motherfucking shades." She yelled pulling the pillow over her head. "Harry up." Paul said. Hailey growled and wrapped her arms around my waist holding me tight. "He doesn't move til I say he moves." She said. Paul rolled his eyes and walked out. "He didn't close the shades." She grumbled. "Hangover?" I questioned, already knowing the answer. "My head's pounding." She said. "I gotta get up, pipa." I said. That was her nickname in secondary. She whined. "I'm gonna get you a soda and some ibuprofen." I said. "Sprite." She mumbled into the pillow. "I know the drill." I responded. I brought her the sprite and ibuprofen watching her take the pills and chug half the sprite in one long drink. "Listen, about last night--"

She got cut off by Paul. "Harry. Get your ass outta bed and get changed." He ordered. "I'm comin', damn it." I responded. "We can talk later." I said as I went to change. Later, we went to the stadium to rehearse. "Try the chorus to Wolves." Paul instructed. "In the middle of the night when the wolves come out, headed straight for your heart. Like a bullet in the dark. One by one gotta take them down ain't gonna run and hide ain't going down with outta fight." We practiced.  Hailey stood along the edge of the stage and watched. I motioned her over.  She stood with me while we finished up rehearsal and then we went to get dressed for the show at 9 PM.

I let Hailey pick my clothes; a greyish white t-shirt and ripped black skinny jeans. She even braided part  of my hair and put the rest of it in a bun. "Have a hell of a show." She smiled. "I always do. It'll be better with you here though." I responded. She hugged me just before the five us went out on stage.  By the time the show was over, I was sweating from adrenalin and the heat of the crowded stadium. I focused the best I could on getting through the show but all I could really think about was Hailey. And how I wanted to talk to her about the night before. I was still so confused.

I went backstage and Hailey was sitting with Paul watching the camera angles on the nine different tv screens. Hailey hopped outta her chair upon seeing me. "You were amazing." She spoke as she hugged me. "Thanks, love." I responded. "Can we talk?" I questioned. "Yeah. Of course." She said. I took her hand and started to pull her towards a dressing room. "You two have 15 minutes before we have to head to the hotel and pack up before when head for the next venue in the morning." Paul noted. Hailey rolled her eyes and we went into the dressing room, sitting down on the little sofa. "So, last night?" I asked. "I'm sorry I came back smashed." She stated. "Why'd you leave like that last night?" I asked. "I..." She started.

"I got really upset." She said. "Thinking about how things used to be. And with how things are now. You're so busy. And thinking of all the girls who wanna be with you. It hurts." She replied. "Oh, Hail. I'm sorry." I said. I put my hand on her knee, rubbing circles into it with my thumb. Moments later, a hot tear fell on my hand. I looked up her. She was heaving dry sobs while tears rolled down her cheeks. "I c-can't, d-do this anymore, Harry. I j-just c-can't." She cried. "And that's fine. That's perfectly okay. We agreed that if at any point things got weird, we could end this friends with benefits thing." I smiled wiping away her tears.

"B-But, that's not wh-what's wrong." She sniffled. "Well, then, tell me what is and I'll fix it." I told her. "I h-have f-feelings for you. I wanna b-be with you." She said nervously. "Hailey, are you saying? You wanna date me?" I asked, my heart pounding. "Yes. Harry, I've loved you since prom." She confessed. And with those words my heart skipped a beat. The truth was, I'd loved Hailey since secondary. Second year. God, that was a day. Hailey had walked into school in this black slim dress that clung to her body like a wet swimsuit. Hugged every curve. Her hair was down in her natural black curls. Something about the way she looked that day stirred up something.

Besides a raging erection. The girl I had seen as my best friend who would never be anything more, was then, a young woman. A beautiful, smart, funny, silly, weird, angelic, bad-ass young woman. A young woman who I desired from that moment forward. I'd never told Hailey how I felt though. I didn't want to risk our friendship by getting into a relationship that could end. But, now, hearing that Hailey felt those things for me. That she loved me. I didn't want anything less than a relationship.