Page 70 of Sidelined Love

Dad: We went to this little Italian place close to her house and then we strolled around the park for a bit to talk and get to know each other better. I liked it a lot and she said she did too.

Before I can type another word, I see something out of the corner of my eye, so I look up. Jade is a few yards away and she's power walking toward my car with a sheepish grin on her face. My irritation melts away because she's finally here.

With the click of a button, I unlock the doors and she slides into the passenger seat.

“I have to start setting, like, ten alarms,” she says with a sigh as she buckles up. “I need to tell Gran we're going to be a little late.”

“Okay and alarms would have been nice for today,” I respond as I start my car.

I pull out of the parking spot as Jade flips down the sun visor. She quickly swipes lip balm across her lips before turning back to me.

“Okay, spill. Something else is going on here. It's not just because I was running behind,” Jade says as I feel her stare on me.

“Nah, it's not you… well, not only you,” I admit. “I texted my dad about his date.”

Her eyes light up with excitement. “And? How did it go?”

“Sounds like it went well,” I reply, sparing a glance at her before turning my attention back to the road. “He said they both enjoyed themselves. I'm happy for him.”

Jade claps her hands excitedly, her curly hair bouncing with the movement. “Oh my gosh, that's amazing! And you're taking this well.”

I can't help but laugh at Jade's enthusiasm, releasing some of the tension that had been trapped in my body. “Yeah, I know. I'm proud of him, and I'm proud of myself.”

“As you should be. Plus, you have plenty of things to focus on when it comes to your own dating life.”

I purse my lips together to keep from blurting something out. “I have no idea what you're talking about.”

“Now we both know that's a lie. You didn't come home the night before last.”

I can feel the heat rising in my cheeks and I hate that I can't control it. We hadn't had an opportunity to talk about Thursday night because we hadn't seen each other on Friday. There was no doubt in my mind that Jade would know I wasn't home that night, but I hadn't been expecting us to talk about it now. I grip the steering wheel a little tighter, suddenly interested in a nonexistent spot on the windshield.

“Unsurprisingly, I was at Levi's,” I confess without looking her way.

Her response isn't immediate, and the pause stretches long enough that it has me stealing a glance at her. Jade's got this knowing smile playing on her lips, and I brace myself for what is going to fly out of her mouth.

“I knew it!” she exclaims, punching the air. “So? Details, Hailey! I need details! Was it romantic? Was he a gentleman? Did you…” Her voice trails off as she wiggles her eyebrows, making it easy for me to pick up on what she is referring to.

“It was… nice,” I begin, picking my words carefully. Nice is an understatement; it was more than nice. “He made dinner. We talked… a lot.”

“Talked, huh?” Jade winks at me, and I can tell she's not buying my PG-13 rated version of events.

“Okay, fine.” I chuckle a bit as I shake my head. “We might have done more than just talk. It was amazing, Jade. Everything was if you get my drift.”

Jade grabs my arm. “I'm hearing it loud and clear, trust me. This is HUGE, Hailey!”

I glance down as she holds on to my arm before looking back at the road. “J, I'm trying to drive.”

“Oh yeah,” she says as she lets me loose. “I'm sorry.”

I keep my eyes on the road but can't stop the small grin that forms on my face. “Yeah, it was definitely not what I expected. But I don't want to make a big deal out of it. Both of us agreed to not put any labels on this.”

I can feel the look she's giving me without having to turn toward her. “No labels, huh? You say that now. Maybe if you continue repeating it, you'll make yourself believe it too.”

Jade's comment hits its mark, and I don't like that she, knowingly or unknowingly, called me out. I have been repeating the no labels line in my head since Levi and I agreed to it. The agreement is meant to protect me, but it did little to fix the confusion I have about all of this.

I clear my throat to not only make it easier to speak but also to remove the thoughts from my mind. Or so I hope. “Look, I want to enjoy whatever this is without overthinking it.”

“Hailey Reed, not overthinking? Now, that's a headline.”

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