The Bad Girl's Good Side

Chapter 37: I want us to try again

Recap:

Henry told Tristan that Hailey was to fight for Luther in the fight event causing Tristan and the boys, including Tyler (Sam's twin) to go and watch. Tristan hoped to change her mind, but because of circumstances, he realized that Hailey didn't have a choice.

Hailey lost the fight and Luther was quite displeased about the loss, but was not all remorseful over how he exposed Hailey's identity to everyone. (And Tristan is furious about that)

Hailey also questioned the state of her and Tristan's relationship.

Chapter 37: I want us to try again

Hailey's POV

"Are you sure you're okay?" Tristan asks for the umpteenth time since we came home. He forced me to bed immediately upon arriving and he doesn't allow me to get off from bed unless it's to use the bathroom.

"Yes, Tristan!" I laugh light heartedly. "I can take care of myself. No need to play doctor." I roll my eyes at him and he stares at me with a blank expression.

"Sure, you can totally take care of yourself," he says to me with sarcasm heavily dripping from his words. "Maybe if I allow you to take care of yourself once again, you might actually end up in the hospital this time!" He runs a frustrated hand through his locks, shuts his eyes and bites his bottom lip, before looking at me again. "I'm sorry." he sighs, clearly regretting his decision to yell.

"It's okay," I looked down to my fiddling hands. "It was pretty stupid for me to do what I did," I lift my eyes to look at him. "I should be the one who's sorry."

"If that was you being stupid, then I don't want to see you being insane," he jokes and laughs lightly and I just roll my eyes trying to hide my smile. "Do you trust me?"

He catches me off guard. Why would he ask me that all of a sudden? Of course I trust him, I've always trusted him, from the instance this whole charade began, and I doubt anything can make me not trust him. Even after what happened when I took a bullet for him, I still couldn't stop trusting him because in all honesty, he has never given me a reason not to trust him. Sometimes I even feel like I can trust him more than I trust myself, and the thought of that scares me.

I take a few moments staring at him, the silence around us being the only thing with a voice. I try to answer, but the words refuse to come out; it feels like my voice suddenly decided to go on a road trip.

"W-Why do you ask?" I am finally able to say something.

He takes a seat on the side of my bed and rests his hand a few centimeters above my knee, setting that specific spot on fire. "Because I feel like if you did," he makes direct eye contact with me and holds it. "-- you would've came to me immediately. You would've never lied to my face." He tears his eyes from mine and instead stares at his hands that is now rubbing the side of my lower thigh.

"I do trust you, Tristan," I tell him in all honestly. "It's just," I pause. "I trust you too much. So mu--"

"Too much?" He cuts me off. "Is that a bad--"

"Woah, let me finish," I say and he sends me an apologetic look. "What I mean is," I sit upright from where I was leaning on my pillow, and for no reason at all, I grab his hand from my thigh before playing with his finger. "I knew that had I ran to you like I usually do, you would've stopped me. You would've told me not to take any actions while you do all the heavy lifting at my expense. You have been carrying my burden for so long that I felt the need to take a shortcut that'll hopefully end all of this at once and free you from my troubles."