“Hailey.” Wes slammed a hand on her door, leaned over a little like he was out of breath. “You should play football with the way you weave in and out of groups.” His breathing was choppy.
She glared at him. “Just a little trick the help learn. How to move and be invisible.” Her voice cracked on the last word. That’s how she’d felt standing there with Ana next to him.
Hailey didn’t have money and she laughed too loud at jokes. She didn’t like four-inch heels, didn’t care if her purse was Prada or The Gap. But she thought those things didn’t matter to Wes, despite his upbringing. Clearly, they did. It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested in a relationship. It was that he didn’t want one with her. Even after the kiss that had chiseled beneath her friendly feelings, leaving nothing but longing, he didn’t feel the same. Worse, if he did, he was able to deny it and move on. Clearly, Hailey was no better at reading someone now than she had been with Dorian. When the hell was she going to learn?
“Hailey.” He stepped around the door, crowding her so she stepped back, her butt resting on the driver’s seat.
“You should go back to your party, Wes. I didn’t realize your date was this event. With Ana. It shouldn’t surprise me though. You fit with these people.” She didn’t. She’d never been more painfully aware of that than right this minute. I don’t want to fit with them. I want to fit with Wes. Pain lodged like a sharp wedge in her ribs.
“You and I both know that’s an insult.” He was staring at her like he hadn’t seen her face before.
She gave a harsh, unhappy laugh. “It is. It absolutely is. But that doesn’t make it less true.”
“That was your ex.”
She swallowed. “It was.”
Hints of his earlier anger still hovered in his gaze. “I’ve never felt that kind of anger before. When he grabbed you, an actual haze clouded my vision.” Wes reached out, ran a hand over her arm where Dorian had squeezed tightly. There was agony in his tone and expression. “Are you okay?”
Her lip wobbled. Why did he have to sound like he cared so much? Because he’s your friend. She laughed again, bitterly. The pain in her arm was nothing compared to her heart.
She moved her arm, willed herself to keep it together for just a few more minutes. “I’m fine. I need to go. I’m sure Ana will be wondering where you are.”
He ran both of his hands through his hair. “I don’t care and it’s not a date like you’re making it sound.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “None of my business. We’re friends. You’ve made that implicitly clear. Painfully clear. There’s nothing between us other than that. Who you sleep with is your business.”
“I’m not sleeping with Ana.” His voice rose. He took a deep breath. “I’m not sleeping with anyone.”
Hailey’s tears wanted to make an escape and the relief she felt over hearing that didn’t help. “Don’t care.”
He stared at her, moved closer. “Yes, you do.” Her butt pushed against the buttons on her seat.
Don’t cry. Don’t let him see you cry. “No, Wes. I don’t. I’m done chasing people who don’t want me. That’s why I left all of this bullshit behind.” She swung her arm out, almost clocking him in the chin as she pointed toward the house where the party could be heard. “I’m done with not being enough. I’m happy with who I am, what I’ve done with my business and the life I’ve made for myself. I do not have time for drama or smoke screens. I can’t do this.” It just didn’t make her happy anymore.
“Do what?” His voice cracked, his nostrils flared.
“Pretend I don’t feel more for you than I do. I didn’t mean to or want to. Trust me on that one. Something changed between us the night we kissed. Probably before that, for me. We can’t undo it and we can’t go back. Seeing you with her … it’s a reminder that it isn’t about chemistry or wanting with you. It’s about that internal checklist of what makes a good match for you. It’s knowing that I’m not it. I’m not enough for you. I can’t live like that again. Not even as your friend.”
Something flashed in his gaze. An intensity she hadn’t seen before. “Not enough?” The words were practically growled.
She pushed off the seat, her chest bumping into him. She started to talk but he cut her off.
“You think this is because you’re not enough?” The last two words sounded like they were ripped from his lungs.