Making it

Swede Tooth

We attend breakfast at the restaurant located below the hotel. It's pretty quiet, and I can tell that being in New York has taken a toll on everyone.I don't eat at all, still pretty full from last night's dinner.

My boss, Mr.Moore has finally decided to reveal the remaining stops of the tour. Tomorrow we'll be catching a flight to Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania.  

Then we'll be en route to Washington, DC.

After whatever we planned there is finished we'll be on our way to Chicago,Illinois.

After Chicago we'll be going to Detroit,Michigan.

Then we'll hit up Ottawa,ON.

And finally, we'll end the tour in Vancouver,BC.

This gets me super pumped, because the tour happens to be much shorter than I expected, meaning we'll have barely cut into the summer.

Since today is the last chance I have to enjoy the city, I pull on some light clothing and head out.

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While exploring Battery Park I see that Hank is sitting down, whispering nervously on his cell phone. I decide that as not only his co-worker but as an acquaintance I should probably try and cheer him up. He spots me coming and waves before murmuring a goodbye into his mobile device.

"Hey, Hailey. What's up?" He says brightly.

"Nothing much. I just really wanted to get out, enjoy the city before we leave."

He stands up quickly, with a burst of life he says, "Well, I was going to head over to this place by myself, but I sure wouldn't mind company. There's this really great place around the corner, I heard their waffles are amazing!"

This puzzles me, when did Henrik become some sort of expert on New York eateries?

He looks at me with a pleading pout.

Why does he have to do that? 

So I put a professional and calm face on, "Yeah, I guess I could." 

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I'm extremely surprised by the inside of this place. It looks like a retro diner, sort of like a Johnny Rockets... 

When the eccentric looking waitress asks us what we'd like Hank smiles and orders for both of us.

"This is going to be the most amazing thing you've ever eaten, ever!" He says with confidence.

The woman places a large stack of waffles in front of me, it's loaded unbelievably with tier after tier of whipped cream and chocolates.

I forgot he's European, his entire mouth must be filled with sweet teeth.

Henrik looks at me, his eyebrows cocked and a goofy smile on his face,"Looks good, huh?" 

-----

I can practically feel my stomach expand as I try to finish the waffles. I feel like I can barely breath, while Hank the Tank is now on his third batch.

"Hailey, you're way too skinny. Now eat up!" He says with a chuckle.

I stick my tongue out and force another forkful.

That's when Henrik dips his finger in his whip cream and places a dollop on my nose.

I turn a deep red before asking, " What exactly do you think you're doing?"

He replies by placing a chocolate chip right in the center of the cream,"Booooop." 

"You're a weirdo, you know that?" 

Hank looks down while murmuring, "So are you."

I giggle a little,smiling nervously.

And then he just sort of...

leant over the table and...

kissed me.

At first I was completely stunned. How had our conversation turned into an excuse to kiss..?

And then my heart sank because I knew it was wrong.

I knew the moment after it happened that it was something I would regret.

But at the same time, it felt so right. 

-----

We walked back to the hotel like nothing happened, still laughing and goofing around.

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 Geno and Pavel interrogate me immediately, so I feed them false information. It doesn't matter how much I love these guys, I really can't afford someone judging a situation I barely understand myself. We play some Mario Kart on their Wii and I pretend to eat 3 pizza slices (still full from my sweet waffles).

"Hailey, I suggest you get some sleep." Evgeni says with a straight face.

"And why is that?" I ask with a yawn.

"Because Pennsylvania is party capital!" He says with a smile. I give the guy a little shove before hugging him and Pavel.

"Sleep well,Hailey."  Geno says waving me off.

"May your dreams be feeled with Russians." Pavel says, emphasising his accent.

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On the flight to Pittsburgh I sit beside Jonathan. I know that if I really want to rest he's the safest choice.

"I'm looking forward to this part of the tour, and I can't wait to see what the next activity will be." He says openly.

"I can't wait to see you be publicly embarrassed some more." I say poking him in the ribs.

We make some more small talk for a while until he puts headphones in and dozes off. Before too long his drowsiness rubs off on me and I'm fast asleep.

After enjoying my nap for about 20 minutes, someone taps me on the shoulder and I whip my head around.

Hank is looking at me with a depressed frown on his face, and slowly he comes close to my ear and whispers,"Hey, I was wondering if we could talk...meet me in the bathroom?" 

I nod silently, and wait a few minutes before following.

We cram into the little restroom, locking the door.

"Look, about yesterday...I-I hope I didn't cross any boundaries. And I understand if you never want to speak to me again, it was very wrong of me. From the bottom of my heart I apologize." He says looking at the floor.

I don't have any words. I know what happened was wrong.

But I don't want him to apologize.

I want him to know that I really really admire him. It sounds crazy, but I want to explore this relationship and see if it has a chance. I want to know if something special could form between me and Henrik Zetterberg.

And in that moment I let temptation get the best of me, any idea of consequences escaping my mind.

So I cup my hands around his face, and softly place my lips against his. At first he's shocked, but slowly he comes closer, making the space between us disappear. Hank places his right hand on my neck and massages it softly. 

We start to kiss for longer periods of time, and I can't help but smile as his facial hair tickles my face.

------

The remainder of the flight goes by extremely fast, and it's not long before we land in Pennsylvania.

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A/N: So that was kind of short, eh? If I have enough time I will double update today since I didn't post at all yesterday.

As per usual, tell me what you like. Or you can tell me what you don't like. I love you guys, seriously, I do. :) <3