After I had freshened up and felt that the outfit I was wearing was suitable around a parent (I own a LOT of shirts that most parents wouldn't approve of, especially when meeting them for the first time), I grabbed my keys and we drove to the hotel that Hayley and her team were staying in.
'I'll just run up to the room and get her. Are you okay staying here while I do?' She asked me.
I smiled at her brightly, 'Sure thing, see you in a few'
Hayley jumped out of the car and ran into the hotel. She reappeared 10 minutes later with a woman I knew to be her mother, Sarah. As they were crossing the street, I could see them having what looked like a heated discussion. I even noticed Hayley roll her eyes at something her mother said before they reached the car. Before opening the door, I heard 'I'm not talking to you about this again' the passenger door then opened, and Hayley hopped in, while Sarah jumped into the back seat.
'Hi!' I greeted as Sarah buckled herself up, 'I'm Sharee. It's nice to finally meet you'
Sarah smiled at me brightly, 'You too, I've heard great things about you from Hayley'
I glanced at Hayley to find she was already looking at me, with a huge smile plastered across her face.
'Been talking about me, have you Alcroft?'
She shrugged jokingly, 'You come up in conversation sometimes'
'All the time' Interrupted Sarah, 'Literally every day'
'Mom!'
'I'd be careful, Alcroft. Keep that up and I'll start to think you're in love with me' I joked, crinkling my nose in her direction.
'I think I'd rather die'
'Hurtful'
'I like to go with honest... Okay, let's go. I'm thinking pizza'
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Pizza hut. She brought us to Pizza Hut. Out of all the restaurants in the city, out of all the cuisine she could have chosen, Hayley chose Pizza Hut. Weird specimen, she is.
We were sat in one of the booths in the restaurant, Hayley in the middle of her mom and me. Conversation was flowing nicely. Sarah asked about my career, and she seemed genuinely interested in my work. I showed her the photography from a recent freelance job that I had. It was a couples engagement shoot, and the first one I had done for a same-sex couple. She took my phone and was flicking through the pictures before she paused on one. I don't know how it got there, but it was a picture of Hayley and I from a few months back. During her last visit for work. I remember the night so clearly. We stayed in at my place, ordered pizza, had a bottle of wine each and just watched shitty horror films on Netflix. We spent the majority of the night just joking about the terrible acting and the even worse jump scares. In the picture, Hayley was curled in to me, her head resting on my chest, but her eyes were looking up at me, a smile plastered on her face. I loved that picture, it was one of my favourites of us together.
'I'm not sure how that got in there' I laughed, watching Sarah as she looked closely at the picture. Hayley glanced at the screen before looking over at me with a smile on her face.
'I love that' she stated, 'I haven't seen that picture since it was taken'
Sarah flicked through again, all of us expecting the next photo to be of the engagement shoot, but it wasn't. It was of Hayley and I again. This time Hayley was kissing my cheek, while I'm smiling at the camera. One of Hayley's hands was in my hair, holding my head in place.
'Oh.' Hayley whispered.
Sarah glanced at us both, one eyebrow raised silently questioning, but I wasn't sure what it was she was questioning.
'Oh?' Sarah mimicked.
Hayley gulped, 'uh huh... just oh'
The atmosphere had changed. I don't know how to explain it, but it had. I looked between Hayley and the picture, once, twice, three times before I remembered. I remembered something from that night that I had completely erased from my memory. It was a drunken moment, so drunken that I had completely forgotten the next morning, until right now. I excused myself from the table, and headed to the door for some fresh air. My head was spinning with this new information. Or, should I say realisation. That night, all those months ago, that night I had kissed Hayley. I had kissed her, and told her that I was in love with her, and the alcohol had erased all memory of her response. And from her reaction just now, I think she had the same flashback. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.
'Sharee, wait' I heard Hayley shout behind me, but I didn't wait. I didn't stop, or give any sign that I had even heard her. I continued walking. Out of the restaurant, down the street, past my car. I just needed to walk. I needed to be anywhere but here. Anywhere at all.
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Hayley and Sarah had stayed in the restaurant. Both of them sitting in silence. Sarah glanced at her daughter, noticing her furrowed brow and the way she kept looking at the door to the restaurant, hoping every time that it opened, that it would be Sharee coming back. She was also biting her bottom lip, picking at the skin around her fingernails. Something was wrong. Something in that last minute, with the photo, it triggered them both somehow.
'Hayley, talk to me' Sarah broke the silence. She couldn't just sit there and watch her daughter have an internal struggle with herself. 'What happened?'
'N-nothing. Nothing happened'
Sarah shook her head, before taking Hayley's hand in hers. Hayley glanced at their hands together, before looking up to her mother.
'I love her' she mumbled.
Sarah nodded in response, silently asking for more but nothing else came. Sarah smiled at Hayley softly, the kind of motherly smile that was comforting to everyone. She needed to get more out of Hayley, to find out what had happened. It was only 5 minutes ago they were all at the table together laughing, and then the picture, and something switched. And Sharee, she left. Looking at Hayley, she cupped her daughters face.
'She's gay, correct?' Hayley nodded.
'... You're single?'
'Yes, mama'
'She's single?'
'Yes, mama but-'
'No, I don't understand, Hayley. You love her. She clearly loves you'
Hayley nodded, 'She told me once. When we were drunk. I... She forgot the next morning because of the alcohol. But I didn't, and it's been eating me up inside ever since. I didn't tell her because I am so terrified to lose her...'
'You won't... you know. Lose her. She's perfect for you'
Hayley smiled softly in response, 'I know'
'So, why aren't you together?'
'It's complicated...'
'No, it isn't. Just tell her how you feel'
