Before it ends

Meeting new people and remembering old ones...

^^ please play the song guys.. they really make the chapters that much better. X

I said goodbye to mum, Emily was out somewhere. Dan was waiting for me when 6:00 hit. We drove my car, to pick up the girls.
"So on a scale of one to ten how hot is Hayley's sister?"
"I don't know."
"I mean Hayley, she's- wow. But who knows. I mean if they have a family like yours- you know a milf mum. McConagey Dad, and Emily- Emily's just-"
"You've managed to hit on both my sister and my-" I wasn't sure what to call her. "Hayley in one car ride. Watch yourself Dan." He rolled his eyes. There was silence. I didn't mind it.
"So is uh Hayley's sister cute?"
"Ugh." I didn't answer his question or listen to his debate about whose cuter: Hayley or my sister.
"I mean they're both pretty- oh my God. How could I forget your mum? Shit were gonna go through it all again. Okay likability-"
"Shut up Dan." I glared at him "We're here." He smiled. We got out the car and walked towards Hayley's house. I could already tell which bedroom window belonged to her. Not the pink walled, the one with white blinds and books lined on the window-sill.
Dan trailed behind me. I rang the doorbell.
"Oh one more thing." I turned to him. "There dads a cop." I saw his eyes widen. I saw him step away, then I saw the door open. A red haired women, around the age of my mother, smiled at us. She had bouncy curls and wore a green apron dusted with flower. "Sorry about the mess." Her smiled, it reminded me of Hayley, "I'm a baker."
"It's okay." I wondered if Hayley had red hair like her mothers.
Dan grinned.
"Hi, you must be Grace's mum." Always the charmer.
"Mum who's at the door, please don't say Dad." I heard Hayley's voice coming from, inside. "Is it Dan and Ryan, tell them we'll be a minute?"
"I think you just told them yourself love." Her mum shouted back.
"Sorry where are my manners come in." The woman opened the door for us and led us into the kitchen. Every surface was dusted with white powder and some type of icing. I stood by the fridge.
"Sorry about the mess. I'm making a baker, you could say it's in my nature."
"Shit." I heard the voice of someone fumbling on the landing. I walked back into the hallway. It wasn't Hayley, this girl was taller. Dans height, curly red hair. Hazel eyes like Hayley.
"Fuck." I head her mutter as she tripped on one of the steps. Dan came from behind me, she fell on his chest and his hands were like velcro to her hips.
"Umm." The girl in the baby pink jumpsuit cleared her throat. Dan smiled and stepped away.
"Thanks." She mumbled. Her features were soft, she had the same mouth as Hayley but her nose was button.
"Okay, okay I'm ready." Hayley came down the stairs wearing white trainers blue jeans and a cardigan. I looked her up and down. My eyes didn't brush over anything. They admired. She kissed me on the cheek.
"And check this." She stepped back and unzipped her cardigan. The word
Great was written across her t-shirt. "I dug this up, I thought it'd be fitting."
"See even when I'm ruining the moment I manage to do something romantic."
"Great." She says.
"Great." I agree. She inches closer to me.
"Are you guys ready to leave?" Mrs Rhys comes to greet us. Hayley and Grace nod. I look down at Hayley, she still wears the gold necklace. "Have em home by 11 boys. Bonus points for 10." I laugh.
"How about 9:45 for a taste of whatever your baking that smells so good." She beams.
"I like this one already Hay." I smile, Hayley holds my hand and looks up at me.
"So do I." The words come out almost as a whisper. She means it, I can see it now. I'm talking to the sweet Hayley at the coffee shop, and the one in the car ride to the party. I can tell the difference now.
"We should be going." Grace squeals. Dan laughs.
"That's the funniest thing I've ever heard, it was like a baby giggle and a birds chirp squished into one sound." Hayley laughed as well and soon the whole house was giggling with her.
"We should go or we'll be late." She kisses her mums cheek and drags me out of the house. Her sister soon follows and Dan waves goodbye to Mrs Rhys.
In no time at all we're all inside the range rover. Already following the sat-nav.
"I heard there's a beach right next to the funfair." Grace beams in the backseat.
"It's a rock beach. " Dan is next to her. The radio is playing low in the background.
"So tell me." I turn to Hayley beside me "Your real hair, is it red like Grace's?" Hayley rolls her eyes. I never thought it would suit her, but seeing it on her mum changed things.
"She doesn't like to admit it."
"Grace!" Hayley puts her head in her hands.
"What?" Grace shrugs. She pulls out her phone and shows us her screen saver. It's too little children. Both with ginger hair. The one on the right looks sweet her hair is a bouncy mess of red curls. The one on the left is leaning on her, not even paying attention to the picture being taken. Her hair is straight, she's reading a book. 'When the butterfly flaps her wings.' The book looks old like it's been read a thousand times.
"You were adorable." I smile down at the phone. I know almost immediately Hayley is the one on the left.
"Wait can we just take a minute and realise that Grace looks like a character from Brave."
"Hey." She slaps Dan's arm but his laughter doesn't stop. "I only just met you and you've made fun of me twice. Asshole."
"Feisty, I like it." Dan smiles again. The two bicker behind us.
"So you like to read huh?" I turn to Hayley. "You never told me that."
"You never asked." I raised an eyebrow she raised one right back. I sighed and turned back to the road. She was so guarded all the time.
"I like to write aswell." She smiles at me and draws her attention from the passing by cars. I look to her.
"I have to read something of yours one day." She just shrugged. "What if you recommend books and I recommend movies and songs?" She turned to me, her eyes lit up. She liked the idea, I continued. "Then at the end of the week we call each other and review them. I tell you what I think you tell me what you think." She doesn't say anything and then she does.
"I like that idea." She turns to me and rests her hand on my thigh, her head on my shoulder.
Something about this Hayley is different, she's calmer, and I already know: today I'm finally going to get to meet the real girl behind everything she puts up. I smile. Even though we're not talking, and the sound of Dans flirtatious play fighting fills the car. I still smile, I smile because I couldn't be happier. I smile because she let me in. I smile because she's taking me down with her. I smile because I can and I want to and she's here. I just smile.