Waiting to Happen

Bear and Liz soon arrived, and the five of us all squeezed into Bear's car. I offered to drive on the way home, which was the perfect excuse for me not to drink tonight. I needed their inhibitions lowered, not mine.

The club was called The Atrium, and it was one of the swankier ones in the city. Celine apparently went there regularly enough that the bouncer knew her and easily let us in. It was a big place, and we settled on one of the booths on the second level, overlooking the dance floor below.

Mac instantly ordered a round of shots for everyone and a beer for himself while the women took turns telling the waiter their cocktails of choice. I ordered a bottle of water as I sat down next to Hailey.

I needed to be near her and watch her closely so that I would know when to start prying more about her brother. At least, that was what I told myself. As the night went on, even I could no longer deny that it felt good to be beside her.

I became acutely aware of several things as Hailey conversed and joked about with her friends. The soft lilt of her laugh. Her scent. The subtle current that hummed through my skin whenever she would touch my forearm to call my attention. The way my heart raced every time she would lean closer to tell me something, her hot breath against my ear.

In those moments, it felt like this—and only this—was the real me, not the one who was trying to get damaging information on her brother.

Her brother. The reminder was an unwelcomed one, but a call to action nonetheless. I watched Hailey spill a bit of her drink for a second time, and knew that she was already more than just a little tipsy. Now was the perfect opportunity to ask her about Matthew's exploits.

"Speaking of Doors Open," I said as she finished telling me a little anecdote about the kids in the youth center. "Why did Matt—"

"Oh, Matt, Matt, Matt!" Hailey rolled her eyes. A tiny flash of annoyance crossed her features, but she was grinning by the time she fixed her gaze on me. "You know what, Claire? You wanna get to know my brother so much?"

I would be lying if I said that the jealous note I heard in her voice didn't please me one bit. She paused, placing a hand on the spot next to my thigh as she cocked her head to the side and arched a delicate eyebrow at me.

"Then you can go find and ask him, because I," Hailey said. One side of her rosy lips tilted while I forced myself not to look at the tempting view of her cleavage her careless angle was presenting me. "Am going to dance."

With that, she squeezed past me out of the booth. I slid and stood up to give her room, liking how her breasts softly pressed against me as she passed. Hailey walked away without another glance and I watched the sway of her hips with what I was sure was a stupid grin on my face. I moved to follow but a hand on my arm stopped me.

I glanced down at Celine, who smiled at me encouragingly even as she warned, "Don't fuck this up."

She immediately turned back to the conversation she was having with Mac. I didn't take offense. Clearly, she was only looking out for her friend. Besides, there was nothing—and there wasn't going to be anything—for me to fuck up.

Hailey and I were just going to dance. Certainly, I could allow myself that little pleasure without having to worry about complicating things, couldn't I?

Hailey whirled towards my direction as soon as she found a spot that she liked on the dance floor. She was surrounded by strangers, but they all blurred into the background as I watched the beautiful redhead invitingly hook her finger at me.

The two of us danced loosely, laughing over one insignificant thing or another as we enjoyed ourselves. Upbeat music swelled around us, and I tried to convince myself it was harmless even as our hands fell against each other's waists. I told myself it was just a dance even as our skins touched more and more frequently. The crowd unwittingly created a small circle around us, securing this temporary world where only Hailey and I existed.

And then we accidentally turned our heads towards each other at the same time and the moment shifted. Our faces were so close that the tip of my nose grazed hers, but neither of us looked away. Gradually, our movements stilled until we were just standing there, holding each other.

Hailey's breathing turned ragged as I held her gaze, my heart pounding against my chest. Her eyes dropped to my lips for a fleeting moment before she brought them back to mine, and my grip on her waist tightened. I knew an invitation to kiss when I saw one, and I closed my eyes as I took it without a second thought.

Her mouth was soft. So soft as my lips fitted themselves against hers in a slow and gentle kiss. They parted a little and I felt the tip of her tongue trace a path across my lower lip. I met it with my own, drawing it in and tasting the sweet, fruity cocktail she had been drinking. I felt Hailey's hands across my back as my arms wrapped themselves around her waist and our tongues danced in a wet, luxurious kiss.

I didn't know how much time had passed before Hailey drew her head back, her lids low as she met my gaze. Her sigh was audible as she shivered beneath my own trembling hands, her blue eyes swirling with an emotion I couldn't name. It hit me then: Whatever Hailey felt, she felt it for Claire Diaz, and Claire Diaz wasn't real.

I stepped away, my hands lightly pushing against her to create a safe distance between us. Whether it was to protect her or myself, I didn't know.

"I'm sorry," I told her, making sure that my voice cut through the loud music. I tried, but the only excuse I could think of was the truth, which was the one thing I couldn't say. "I can't." I finished lamely.

She stepped back as well and closed her eyes briefly, as if my words had burned her. Her smile was brave when she opened them again, however, even if a little forced.

"No, it's fine," she said, nodding as if that would lend more truth to her words. "I'm sorry."

And then she turned and hurriedly walked away, leaving me alone on that dance floor. I ran a frustrated hand through my hair, mentally kicking myself. Why did I have to go and fuck things up?

Five

I could not stop thinking about her kiss.

I tried to make myself productive that Saturday—spending time with my grandmother, working on other cases, and even finally fixing the leak on our kitchen sink. But as busy as the day had been, Hailey's kiss kept repeating in my mind, always a companied by a flutter in my stomach and then followed by uneasiness. I couldn't help thinking that I could have handled it better.

Exactly how I could have done that, I wasn't sure.

By late afternoon, I had given up trying to ignore those thoughts. I called Angie, grateful that she was available to stay with my grandmother on such short notice. Less than a half hour later, I was softly knocking on Hailey's door, trying to calm my nerves while I racked my brain over what to say.

The door opened and Hailey appeared, wearing an apron over the blue tank top and light-colored shorts that she had on. A surprised look briefly registered on her face upon seeing me, and her smile faltered a little as an embarrassed little flush spread across her cheeks.

"Claire!" She said. "What are you doing here?"

I stood there looking at her, absently wringing my hands while I spoke. "Look, Hailey. I'm really sorry about last night—"

"No, really," Hailey's blush deepened slightly as she interjected. "Don't worry about it. I understand. I mean, I get it. Really. No hard feelings."

I opened my mouth, but again she cut me off.

"In fact," she told me, glancing inside her apartment before looking at me again. "How would you like to stay for dinner? I'm cooking."

I shifted uneasily, unsure if I could trust myself not to muck things up any worse if I were to be left alone with her.

"Relax!" Hailey laughed, reading me correctly. "It wouldn't be just the two of us. Cels and Matt are coming over and, well I figured you might like to get to know him yourself, instead of having to ask me questions."

"Oh." I said, actually feeling a little disappointed by that and frustrated over my own contradictions. Then I remembered the bug in Hailey's living room, and knew that this was a chance I couldn't pass up. Get Matthew to admit to something bad on tape and that would be gold.

"Okay," I told Hailey, and she stepped aside to let me in.

"Make yourself at home," she told me, gesturing towards her sofa. "I was just about to put lasagna in the oven."

I nodded, taking a seat on the sofa as Hailey moved behind the kitchen counter. I saw a stack of photo albums under her coffee table and took one. "May I?" I asked as I held it up towards her direction.

Hailey glanced at what I was holding and nodded. "Sure! I'll be with you in a minute!"

A single photo fell on the floor as I opened the album and I picked it up. It was a black-and-white photo of Hailey with her head tilted back in laughter while a pixie-haired blonde smiled at her adoringly.

I felt Hailey approaching and I looked up. She had taken her apron off and I made a conscious effort not to stare at her legs as she sat down beside me, keeping a safe amount of distance between us.

"This is beautiful," I told her, showing her the photo. "You look so happy."

Hailey glanced at the photo as she took it and smiled. "We were." She nodded.

She didn't say any more, so I prompted, "What happened?"

"We dated for about a year and a half. It didn't work out." Hailey shrugged without any hint of bitterness in her voice.

Again, I found myself prying. "How come?"

"I had a problem with saying three important words to her, and she got tired of waiting." Hailey said. She seemed resigned, as if that was something she couldn't change. "It all worked out for the best. She just married her girlfriend a few months ago."

I didn't know what to say after that, so I just nodded and began looking through the other pictures in the album. A lot were from Hailey's childhood and teenage years, and she affirmed that their family was a close-knit bunch as she talked about some of the photos.

"This one's cute!" I said pointing at one of her and Matthew as teenagers, smiling at the camera with the unmistakable mountains of Colorado Springs behind them. "Was this on vacation?"

Hailey shook her head, her smile looking less fond of the memories that this particular image brought back. "No, we moved to Colorado when I was 15 and lived there for about 2 years."

This was new information that told me I might be searching in the wrong data bases. Before I could ask any more, however, there was a knock on the door and Hailey instantly moved to answer.

Hailey led Celine inside towards where I sat, letting her friend know that I was joining them for dinner. Then she told us that she was going to check on the lasagna and my gaze couldn't help but follow Hailey as she walked away.

When I was finally able to look away, it was to find Celine watching me with her eyebrow raised and her arms folded across her chest. She seemed a lot less friendly and encouraging than she did the night before, which told me she already knew about the kiss.

"What are you doing, Hotshot?" She asked pointedly, but another knock on the door saved me from having to answer. I stood up quickly, offering to get the door so I could escape from Celine's suspecting glare.

Matthew Byrne wore a simple forest green shirt and a pair of jeans, looking far from the politician that he was. He smiled at me, even as he seemed a bit confused to find me there.

"Hi!" I told him. "Hailey's just checking up on the food."

He went straight to the kitchen and gave his sister a hug before joining Celine and me at the living room. Soon, Hailey called out that dinner was almost ready and the three of us stood, each of us doing our part to help set up the table. I felt a little out of place, with Matthew and Celine knowing each other longer and better than either of them did me.

I was relieved when Hailey finally joined us, proudly holding a tray of lasagna in her mitted hands and placing it on the table. We all sat down as she began cutting us a piece.

"Dig in!" She declared as she settled down on her own chair, and it wasn't but a few seconds later that Matthew began coughing after taking his first bite.

"Hails, this is torture!" He said between coughs as he desperately reached for his glass of red wine. "You can't keep doing this to us!"

"It can't be that bad!" Hailey protested. She looked at Celine, but her best friend was already spitting out the bite she had taken onto her napkin and coughing as well. Hailey then turned her hopeful blue eyes to me, who had yet to try her dish.

I looked uneasily at Matt and Celine, their faces both red and their eyes watering, and then I glanced down at the food on my plate. I looked back up, this time at Hailey, and felt the sudden desire to please her. I went ahead and gave her lasagna a try.

It was a little salty and the middle layer was a bit undercooked, but it wasn't until I started chewing that the overpowering taste of too much pepper hit the back of my throat. I tried to hold the cough in and keep chewing, not wanting to make Hailey feel any more bad about herself.

The three of them stared at me as I felt my face getting red. The spiciness of the pepper hurt my nose and my eyes began to water. My hand gripped my fork tightly as I forced myself to swallow, when all I wanted was to spit it out and drink something to soothe my burning mouth.

"Oh my God, spit it out before you throw it up!" Hailey demanded, quickly moving towards me as she held out her napkin. Gratefully, I did as she told and Hailey began rubbing my back as I coughed. I desperately drank my wine, but my tongue still burned even after I had finished the whole glass.

The four of us looked at each other after I was done coughing, all uncertain how to react. And then Hailey broke the awkward silence.

"Sooooo..." she drew out, a slightly embarrassed and guilty look on her pretty features. "Pizza?"

"Pizza!" The rest of us empathically agreed at the same time, and we all laughed.

We enjoyed the rest of the night in the living room, eating pizza and drinking beer while we played a silly game of Monopoly. There seemed to be an unspoken 'no politics' rule as we talked, and the three of them rehashed new and old stories. While some of it may have been embarrassing, none was career-ending, specifically for Matthew.

By the end of the night, I still hadn't gotten the information that I needed. I should have felt frustrated about it but, instead, I was inexplicably relieved.

Six

"I just need a little more time," I told Ross Colbert over at G&P, Monday morning. He was the PR lawyer assigned to Radnor, and I was explaining to him why I still did not have the information he was asking for.

"What's up, Torres?" He ribbed good-naturedly, looking like the sleazy middle-aged lawyer that he was. "You're usually done with a case in less than a week. Losing your touch?"

I gritted my teeth. He knew I took pride in how quickly I worked. "Or maybe Byrne's actually clean." I told him.

"No such animal," Ross scoffed. He pondered for a moment and leaned back in his chair before asking, "Should I bring Collins in?"

"No!" I said too quickly. Collins was one of the other contractors who were much more willing to entrap their marks than I was. They also charged more expensive fees than I did, which was why the firm always sent cases my way first.

"I mean, why even?" I tried to dial down my objection. "Byrne has a small campaign and very little budget—"

"You want us to go soft on the guy? What are you, in love with Byrne now or something?" Ross laughed, finding his own quip funny.

"I'm just saying, I think Radnor's better off going after bigger competition." I said, unable to meet his eyes.

"Who says he isn't?" Ross smirked. He regarded me for a moment before speaking with finality. "One more week, and then I'm giving this to Collins."

***

I worked on the campaign for the next couple of days, making streamers along with the others in preparation for Matthew's first campaign rally this weekend. Hailey was still friendly towards me, but also a bit distant. It was as if there was now a invisible line between us that both of us knew we shouldn't cross. Still, I found my mood considerably lighter whenever she was around.

I had run Matthew's name on the Colorado database and was waiting for the results but, deep down, I knew my heart was no longer in it. I just didn't want the case to go to Collins. I mean, it was one thing if Byrne actually did something wrong and it just happened to come to light, but quite another to set him up just to manufacture a scandal.

My ambivalence became a moot point on Wednesday afternoon. I was at HQ, making yet another banner along with Hailey and the others, when my phone began vibrating inside my pocket. I fished it out, saw Angie's name on the caller ID, and immediately answered the call.

The older woman was in a panic, asking me to come home immediately. I could hear my grandmother yelling as things occasionally crashed in the background, and I assured Angie I'd be there as soon as I could before hanging up. I turned to Hailey, who was now looking at me like the rest of the group.

She stood up quickly and walked over to where I stood as I told everyone I had an emergency and that I had to leave.

"Give me your keys." She said softly. I opened my mouth to protest but she didn't let me. "Look at you, you're shaking. You're in no condition to drive."

I didn't have the time to argue with her so I just nodded and handed her my keys. Hailey drove in silence, allowing me the time I needed to pull myself together. I got out as soon as the car had stopped and rushed towards our little 2^nd floor apartment.

Angie greeted me when I opened the door, looking very scared. Behind her, the apartment was a mess, littered with broken plates and turned-over furniture.

"I'm sorry, Claire—" Angie started as we both dodged a rubber slipper that was aimed at her.

"Carmen! Carmen!" My grandmother yelled as soon as she saw me, looking dazed and distraught. I met her as she hurried towards me and wrapped my arms around her protectively.

"Carmen," she cried. "Tell this strange woman to get out of our house!"

"Shh, Lola," I told her, keeping my voice low and calm. I stroke her hair as I spoke. "It's okay. Angie, here, she's here to help. She's our friend."

I glanced back at Angie and saw that Hailey had followed me and was now standing by the door behind her. There was a stunned look in the deep blue eyes that stared at me, but I turned my gaze away.

"Has she taken her meds?" I asked Angie as my grandmother started sobbing against my shoulder.

The older woman nodded. "Yes, but I couldn't give her the sedative. We were doing okay, and then she just started—"

"Get it now," I instructed and Angie moved quickly.

"Carmen, where have you been?" My grandmother wept, once again calling me by my mother's name. "I had missed you so much."

"Shh. It's alright," I continued to soothe her. "I'm here, Lola. Claire's here."

Angie soon returned with the syringe and I helped her administer the sedative. It wasn't long until my grandmother began to relax in my arms. I guided her towards her bedroom and made sure she was comfortable, staying with her until she finally slept.

I looked around as I gently closed my grandmother's door behind me. Angie was in the kitchen, trying to clean up the mess there while Hailey kneeled on the living room floor. She had her back turned to me as she picked up pieces of broken glass, putting them in a small cardboard box beside her. I chose the one that was easier to deal with and walked over to the kitchen.