How Hailey Met Cullen

Installment II

   He was the most gorgeous thing she had ever laid eyes on. Dark brown, almost black hair sweeps easily across his forehead and curls adorably just behind his ears. His eyes blazed a bright emerald green, set off by the long, dark lashes that framed them. Broad, muscled shoulders strained gently at his green T-shirt. Hailey could just make out the graceful contours of his godly body beneath his clothing.

   With a start, Hailey realized she was staring, and her eyes snapped back up to his. “I’m really sorry, I just...” There was a look in his eyes that took her breath away. “I...I...I just...I’m just...sorry...I...”

   His voice was deep and comforting, the kind you just want to bottle up and keep forever. “No, really, it’s alright,” he said softly, and then his big, strong hand slipped up behind her neck and gently pulled her face up to his. Their lips met for a brief, sweet moment, soft and warm, but then he pulled back. Hailey’s skin was cold where his hand had been a second ago, and her eyes fluttered open again, the moment broken.

   “I...I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have...” He laughed awkwardly, making Hailey’s heart jump around wildly in her rib cage. After a pause, he sticks out his hand. “Hi, I’m Cullen,” he says, a shy grin creeping across his face.

   Hailey took his hand, and he shook it gently. “I’m Hailey,” she said. She never wanted to let go of his hand. She loved the way it felt, wrapped around her own, dwarfing hers with its lovely size.

   She looked up to find him staring intently at her, still holding on to her hand. “This is gonna sound really weird, I’m sorry, but...can I kiss you again?”

   “Yes, please!” Hailey said quickly, and then felt her cheeks go bright red at her obvious eagerness. He must think she was such a freak.

   But he smiled and leaned in. The room around them seemed to melt away, true to all the old cliches. His lips were gentle but strong, and they filled Hailey with red-hot Jell-O, all the way from her toes to her fingertips, which were curled tightly into his thick, dark hair. The two of them were in a place far, far away, where everything was bliss. This was a place none of Hailey’s previous infatuations could have even dreamed of taking her.

   A hand came out of nowhere and tapped Hailey sharply on the shoulder. Not wanting to leave her paradise with Cullen, Hailey ignored it. But it came back, this time accompanied by a female voice. “Hailey! Hate to interrupt, but...”

   Reluctantly, Hailey pulled away from Cullen and released her hold on his hair. THe hockey rink lobby rushed back to her. It was nearly empty, except for Alexa, who was standing right in front of her, and a couple other stragglers. She hadn’t realized how long they’d been standing there. 

   Cullen jumped when he saw Alexa and quickly retracted his arms from around Hailey’s waist, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Hailey watched nervously as Alexa gave him a skeptical once-over.

   Alexa’s eyes stopped on his green-and-gold T-shirt and widened significantly. Hailey’s boy paranoia kicked in. Alexa wouldn’t be so mean as to openly flirt with him, would she? Even if he did have a nice chest, not after she’d seen the two of them kissing. This guy was the real thing, Hailey was sure of it, even if she’d only known him for--what, fifteen minutes? She would die if anyone tried to steal him from her.

   But Alexa’s expression was more horrified than impressed. Without a single word of acknowledgement in Cullen’s direction, she grabbed Hailey by the arm and tugged her toward the door.

   “Hailey!” she hissed. “Do you have any idea who the hell you were just kissing?”

   “Yeah, his name’s Cullen,” Hailey told her. She glanced back at him, wishing she was still with him. But she was distracted by the look on his face. It was a look of despair that nearly shattered Hailey’s heart. What could possibly have made him so sad? Hailey followed his eyes to Alexa’s hat. A hat? He was devastated by a hat? Hailey looked back and forth between his miserable expression and the orange and black knit Winona hat on Alexa’s head. She didn’t understand.

   “That’s not just Cullen!” Alexa spat, still dragging Hailey toward the exit. “That’s Cullen McGrady! He’s the star forward for Rochester!”

   Rochester...Rochester...Rochester... The word echoed in Hailey’s head, bouncing around, not quite able to settle. Rochester? He was from Rochester? No, he couldn’t be! That would mean that they could never be together...

   Her eyes met his for a split second before the arena’s doors shut between them, and a spear of desperate sadness split her right down the middle.

   “Come on, Hailey, we’ve got to get to the after-party at Wyatt’s place, and if we don’t hurry, Jake’s gonna leave without us!”

   Hailey followed her friend silently to the car, steeping, speechless and heartbroken, in her own sorrow.