Summer Lovin'

Chapter Fourteen

(Gabriel's POV)
(May 13th, 2009)

For the last month I'd overheard phone conversations of Liam and Addy talking about some new girl at the bar.

Every time they said Hailey, I got my hopes up a little, but I figured if she was back in town one of my family members would have the decency to tell me about it.

It appeared that I had misjudged their loyalty to me.

Although I hadn't seen her in way too long and she had changed a little bit over the course of the last four years, as soon as I entered the bar and saw the back of her chestnut hair, I knew it was Hailey.

It wasn't so much the look of her, although she was a god damned pleasure to look at. It was a feeling that I had when she was around. My stomach immediately knotted, my heart immediately lifted and there was a feeling of coming home.

I walked over to the bar slowly, overwhelmed with the fact that I was going to be seeing her after so much time. As I walked closer I was intrigued to hear Addy talking about setting her up. I could only assume that I was the single best friend and so listened carefully to her response.

I couldn't help but laugh quietly as she explained her intent of gathering dust on her vagina throughout the Summer. Who was this Gavin guy? I felt a spike of jealousy that I had no right to feel. But, then the squeal of Addy as she realized that I had come in did serious damage to my ear drums.

Hailey turned around and I caught a glimpse of her face. All the air left my lungs.

How embarrassing that I am today years old, when I m truly understand the word breathtaking.

I sat down at the bar, not able to look away from her. I always wondered if my memory of her beauty had been skewed by time and the bias of my heart. NoPE she was actually prettier then I had remembered and I took a deep breath, excited that she was home but also knowing that a confrontation was ahead of us.

She might not have felt the same way for me but we were friends and she didn't honour our friendship in the least, running away and ignoring me for the better part of four years. I planned on getting an explanation from her.

For a long time I had been angry with her but now I was just hurt at how she had handled it and if she was home, it would be nice if I could get a semblance of my friend back.

It would be even better if that friend magically grew feelings for me although it sounded like she wasn't going to be looking for a relationship anytime soon.

I don't know how long I had been quiet just staring and thinking but it couldn't have been that long as I finally registered that Addy had asked me where Liam was.

I quietly watched the exchange as Hailey connected that Lee was Liam and then I felt the heat rush to my cheeks as Addy's eyes widen, connecting that we already know each other and who Hailey really is to me.

I silently begged her to not embarrass me as she connected the dots. The amount of times that I had drunken conversations about the love that got away from me was absurd and I could tell the moment Addy figured it out.

She managed to not say anything so I let her know that Liam had wanted to shower before seeing her and then couldn't help but address the comment I had overheard, "I thought about showering before I came in too, but I've heard all the girls around here have dusty vaginas, so why would I?"

I laughed in delight as Haileys cheeks flushed a deeper red. Holy shit. She was gorgeous.

The door gave a ding, letting us all know that someone was coming in but I couldn't pull my eyes away from her. A fact that I immediately regretted as I was overwhelmed with the scent of Stephie. Her floral perfume stretched around me like a cloud, as her arms wrapped around me from behind and I shuddered.