Bodyguard: Ace Cain

|30| We're Cool

|We're Cool|

Later in the evening, I find myself awake in the middle of the night. Fortunately, I only need to go to the bathroom and get a drink. My mind is still filled with the idea of Ace as an assassin. Given his personality, it seemed appropriate. Every day, I learned something new about him, and this was no exception.

However, I needed to consider my future and whether I wanted to be stuck in this world of uncertainty. My father was never home because his work came first in his life. Although Ace stated that he would quit for me, what if something came up? What if we needed the money to survive and this was the quickest way to obtain it? I'm thinking as if we would get married, but to me, Ace seemed like the one. I did not want to be in a relationship with him if it was anything like my parents. Distance.

I did not have much time to think about it after seeing Hailey sitting in the kitchen. She appeared to have just woken up and needed a drink as well. Her cold eyes are fixed on me as I open the refrigerator. The disdain she held for me could never be hidden. Hailey would glare at me whenever she had the chance. It did not matter if we were groggy after waking up. To her, I was an enemy.

I intended to pour my drink and leave, but I could not stop myself from wondering what her problem was. We would never be able to resolve our problems unless we spoke up. Furthermore, she was not going to keep staring at me without addressing her concerns. I needed a reason for her behavior and it better be good.

Sipping from my cup, I looked her dead in the eye, ready for this conversation. "What's your problem?" I asked.

She looked at me surprised. "Excuse me?" She sounded puzzled.

"Every day, you treat me like a piece of human garbage," I said. "I do not care if you do not like me, but could you please explain why you look at me with death in your eyes?"

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Helix, I do not need to explain myself to you!" She snapped.

I slammed the cup down. "YES, you do!" I yelled. "You are in my house and must follow my rules. I would start talking if I were you."

We stared at each other in silence, neither of us willing to concede defeat. She was going to tell me about her problems if it was the last thing she did. Why accept the job of protecting someone you dislike? It does not make sense to me why she is here. Most importantly, what is her relationship with Ace? This appeared to be the source of our disagreement.

Hailey snarled, feeling caught between a rock and a hard place. I was not going to let her leave this kitchen without answering my questions first. If we were going to be cold towards each other, I wanted a reason. That way, our feelings for one another could be reciprocated. Then we would have something to agree on.

Hailey crossed her arms and looked at the floor with irritation. "I...I don't hate you," she sighed. "The truth is that I care about Ace and do not want him to be hurt."

My facial expression softened. "Were you guys like a thing or what?" I could not stop myself from asking.

She looked at me and died laughing. My cheeks flushed as embarrassment set in. I am not sure if I should feel stupid for thinking that, or if she was laughing to hide the truth. If she felt the need to snub me without knowing who I was, it meant their relationship was important to her. My last name carried weight, but I am more than just a Helix.

Her laughter subsided as she wiped a tear from her eye. "God no, I would never think of Ace that way," she assured me. "However, we have been friends for a long time. I saw him go through so much and when I saw him getting close to you I...I got worried." She admitted.

That made some sense. "Okay...so you took that out on me because?" I am still not sure why she hated me.

"Because Ace never gets close to anyone," she said, her voice lowering. "He is very closed off, especially since his father died."

"Oh" was all I could say.

She nodded. "The three of us used to talk about everything, and Ace was much more lively than he is now."

My eyes enlarged. "That's a shocker."

"Believe me, I know," she added before she continued. "The point is, he is not one to open up, and what he did with you felt suspicious."

This is the first time Hailey has spoken to me without sounding like a bitch. Her feelings were undoubtedly valid. This was her best friend for many years. I can understand why she was weary after witnessing his behavior change and him talking to me so openly. Unfortunately for Ace, I enjoyed prying. Especially to the people I cared about. Despite our mindless bickering, it was simple to communicate with Ace.

Hailey suddenly chuckled. "But then he brought you to the warehouse and was oddly protective of you," she remembered. "Then he protected you again that night at the exhibition against Noel, and I knew it was more than him simply doing his job."

I licked my lips and nodded. "Yeah, that's fair."

"He held you close and smiled even when you were being childish...I knew he had feelings for you," she looked up at me. "So, I was afraid you would hurt him like that bitch did back in high school." Her voice was filled with venom.

I took a deep breath before I spoke up. "Hailey, I do not know what it is about your annoying-ass friend, but I like him very much," I admitted.

This time, she smiled at me with a genuineness I had never witnessed before. "I know, and I apologize," she said. "They are both like brothers to me, and I would protect them from anyone. I went a little overboard, though."

We laughed and looked at each other with new fondness. If you had told me weeks ago that we would be here talking, I would have called you a liar. Hailey has been against me since I first met her. Knowing she had no feelings for him helped me feel better about liking him. It also clarified why she was upset with him for being so close to me. After Ace told me about his heartbreak a long time ago, it makes sense that she would not want the same thing to happen again.

Although I did not like how he kept things from me, nothing he said would ever cause me to turn my back on him. Ace held my heart in his hands, and I did not want to take it away. He was the first guy to make me feel this way, and I could not let that go. Furthermore, if there was anything I was not satisfied with, Ace would stop.

We fell silent after our conversation because neither of us knew what to say. It was great to clear the air; we may never be best friends, but we could move on without feeling this unspoken animosity.

I finished my drink, which I slammed onto the table, before putting my cup in the sink. As I prepared to leave, I turned around to look at Hailey once more. Her eyes were no longer as cold as they had been, and she smiled softly at me.

"So...are we...?"

"We're cool." She said with a smirk.

I nodded, and with confirmation, I felt good enough to return to my room. Sleeping tonight will feel a lot more peaceful.

Everything in my world was going well. Ace and I had developed a better understanding of one another. Jake and I weren't on bad terms but he wasn't off the hook for hiding shit either. Hailey and I finally put our differences aside and became more cordial than we would ever have been. Everything appeared to fall into place perfectly. What could go wrong?

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