“I’m really sorry for my parents,” I said.
“It’s not your fault,” she said.
“Their attitudes were completely uncalled for and inappropriate,” I said.
“It’s fine. You warned me,” she said.
Her eyes were so far off like she wasn’t even in the truck. Her beautiful, sparkling stare had morphed into this look of longing like she was being reminded of something she wanted to shake but couldn’t.
I knew what that felt like, and I wanted so desperately to take it from her.
“I’m proud of you,” I said.
“For what?”
“The way you stood up to my parents. I’ve never seen anyone hold their ground with them, much less silence them the way you did. What you said was beautiful and completely accurate.”
“Well, someone needed to say it,” she said.
Silence descended back into the conversation, and she slowly slipped her hand from mine. I could feel her pulling away from me. I could feel her double-backing after this damn dinner I had insisted she come to. I gripped the steering wheel hard as we rode the rest of the way to her apartment. Her eyes took in the scenery around us as I pulled up into the small parking lot of her complex, and the dread I’d known all my life slowly started to boil in my stomach.
“Would you like to come up?” she asked.
“Do you want me to?” I asked.
She panned her gaze slowly toward me as her far-away gaze morphed into one of confusion. I held her eyes, wanting her to come back to me. I wanted the Hailey I knew and loved. The Hailey whose smile reassured me that everything was going to be all right. The Hailey that couldn’t keep her hands off me. The Hailey that brought light into the very darkness my life was shrouded with.
“I’m so sorry for asking you to come to that stupid dinner,” I said.
“Don’t be. I got a glimpse into why you are who you are by meeting them,” she said.
“Please don’t be upset with me. I swear to you, I’m not like them,” I said.
“I’m not upset with you, nor would I ever lump you into the same category as them. You’re not even category-adjacent to them, Bryan. Why did you think I would be angry at you?”
“I don’t know. You seem distant. Guarded. I figured maybe you were upset with me for even suggesting the dinner,” I said.
“Bryan, I’m not upset. With you, or with anyone. I’ve been in my own head a bit, but that’s because your parents reminded me of mine. I’m just remembering so many things.”
Her eyes got that glazed over look again as I reached out and held her hand. It was the first time since we’d been together that Hailey needed me to be strong for her, and this was my chance to prove I could be. Her darkness was threatening to swallow her whole, and I had to dip in and find the little shred of light I still kept burning in the corner, so I could shine it onto her.
Onto the beautiful face of the woman I’d come to love.
“My parents aren’t much different from yours,” she said, sighing. “They’re just as haughty and just as airheaded on some things. They might not have enough money to be as pompous as your parents, but they’re a few ticks shy of them.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked.
“There’s
nothing to talk about really,” she said. “They wanted Anna and me to have practical jobs that made us a great deal of money. I’ve found out that my mother wants Anna to make partner at her law firm so my sister can retire early just to take over my mother’s business to keep it from tanking.”
“Your mother wants her to do this?” I asked.
“Yeah. My father probably would’ve wanted the same thing.”
“Does he own his own business or something?” I asked.
“He does. Probably why he wanted me to be the same kind of doctor he was,” she said.