I sounded pushy but I couldn’t help myself. I felt panicked that she was leaving already.
“No,” Hailey said firmly. I blinked in surprise. She had never used that tone with me before.
“It’s good to see you, Wyatt, but I don’t have time. Sorry.”
With that, she moved around me and headed down the path.
Joe shot me a glance before he followed her.
“Hailey,” I called again, impulse driving me again.
She stopped in her tracks and look back at me wearily.
“This is not the end of this,” I promised. “I’m not letting you get away from me that easy.” I tried to make it sound light and joking, but it wasn’t. She would be mine again.
Her mouth opened by nothing came out.
I had shocked and surprised her. Hailey’s wasn’t good at hiding her emotions, she had never been. Her face was an open book most of the time. I was glad to see that hadn’t changed.
I smiled, knowing I had rattled her.
It was only fair since she had definitely shaken my world.
She closed her mouth then just to look at me for a few seconds before turning and walking away without a word.
I stood still, watching them go until they disappeared. My class about to start as well, but I couldn’t bring myself to move. I stared after Hailey, hoping she would reappear and say she changed her mind.
I should have known she would turn down my offer though. It had been five years and we hardly parted way on amicable terms. She had always been prickly, the charm that worked on other women was not as easy to play on her. The history between us would understandably make her weary.
Her refusal was still a hard pill to swallow though and every one of my instincts was screaming at me to follow her and convince her to change her answer, no matter what.
I didn’t follow my gut though, my common sense rebooting its self.
My legs finally moved and I forced them to go in the opposite direction. As I slowly walked down the path, I could still hear her voice in my head as she said no.
She had been so firm. So final. No matter what I still felt Hailey, it didn’t matter. She obviously didn’t feel anything for me.
Hell, I had no idea what I really felt for her after so long.
Now that I had seen her again though, that fire I felt for her had reignited and I couldn’t accept that no for an answer.
I couldn’t let things rest as they were.
This wasn’t the last Hailey had seen of me.
Not by a long shot.
Chapter Six: Hailey
I was early for Bio labs this time.
I had taken a seat closer to the front of the room and was unpacking my notebook and laptop.
The laptop was bulky and outdated. I couldn’t afford the latest gadgets like some of the other students here but the device worked and served its function well enough. It would keep me from writing my fingers off at least.
I arranged everything on my part of the table then pulled up the recorder app on my phone – again not the latest on the market, but it did what it had to do.
All I had to do was press the start button when the lecture started.