Joe nodded once before he looked away.
“Man,” I said, my tone still friendly despite the awkward handshake. “You look completely different.”
“Five years will do that,” Joe said sharply.
He didn’t bother to meet my eyes. He didn’t make it a secret he wasn’t happy to see me. I watched him for a second before I turned my attention back to Hailey.
I stood up even taller and smiled my best smile. Pushing my hair out of my eyes, I looked into her hers deeply and took a step forward.
“It’s really great to see you again,” I said softly.
Hailey cleared her throat and shifted awkwardly. She looked down at her feet.
“Do you think we could get together and catch up? Maybe talk over coffee or something?” I still asked even though her body language was screaming back off. I had to try.
Hailey looked up at me with an expression I didn’t recognize. She didn’t answer. I stepped closer to her again and watched her closely. I knew she wanted to see me again. I could tell by the way her eyes were roaming around nervously. I still made her nervous. Good.
Nervous was an emotion I could work with. It let me know she still felt something for me.
“Hailey, your class is about to start,” Joe said loudly. “You should probably get going.”
“Right,” Hailey said, shaking her head. The spell that began to build between us was broken abruptly.
She flashed Joe a grateful look. “I’m sorry, Wyatt. I can’t. I’m just really busy with classes right now.”
“Me too,” I said quickly. Hailey took a step away from me like she was going to leave, but I blocked her path. “Come on, you know you want to. Just coffee. We can meet somewhere on campus.”
I sounded pushy but I couldn’t help myself. I felt panicked that she was leaving already.
“No,” Hailey said firmly. I blinked in surprise. She had never used that tone with me before.
“It’s good to see you, Wyatt, but I don’t have time. Sorry.”
With that, she moved around me and headed down the path.
Joe shot me a glance before he followed her.
“Hailey,” I called again, impulse driving me again.
She stopped in her tracks and look back at me wearily.
“This is not the end of this,” I promised. “I’m not letting you get away from me that easy.” I tried to make it sound light and joking, but it wasn’t. She would be mine again.
Her mouth opened by nothing came out.
I had shocked and surprised her. Hailey’s wasn’t good at hiding her emotions, she had never been. Her face was an open book most of the time. I was glad to see that hadn’t changed.
I smiled, knowing I had rattled her.
It was only fair since she had definitely shaken my world.
She closed her mouth then just to look at me for a few seconds before turning and walking away without a word.
I stood still, watching them go until they disappeared. My class about to start as well, but I couldn’t bring myself to move. I stared after Hailey, hoping she would reappear and say she changed her mind.
I should have known she would turn down my offer though. It had been five years and we hardly parted way on amicable terms. She had always been prickly, the charm that worked on other women was not as easy to play on her. The history between us would understandably make her weary.
Her refusal was still a hard pill to swallow though and every one of my instincts was screaming at me to follow her and convince her to change her answer, no matter what.