Chapter Text
Hailey couldn't stop staring. She'd seen him almost from the moment she'd walked in, or more accurately was dragged in by her new coworker, Vanessa Rojas, who'd decided that their last free night in town should be spent clubbing. They’d been a week in New Orleans for a conference that ended that afternoon and were scheduled to fly back to Chicago in the morning, which according to Vanessa meant they had to take full advantage of the free night, and that apparently meant going to what felt like every club in the city.
They were both already more than tipsy, but while Hailey felt ready to get back to her hotel room and the very inviting bed she’d left there, Vanessa didn’t seem anywhere near done with her night. Hailey had been wondering where she got all that energy from, they both had the same exhausting schedule for the whole week.
All those thoughts stopped the moment her eyes landed on him, sitting alone in a darkened area of the club, clearly trying to go unnoticed. As if such a thing was possible. As if the impossible sight of him, even in the dark, wouldn’t draw her eyes as surely as if he was seated right below a spotlight.
He looked exactly like she remembered, but at the same time different. That was odd. All the other times she’d picture him in her head or dreamed of him, he always looked the same. Exactly like the last time she’d seen him. With those beautiful green eyes full of love and that smile she liked to call her smile and a promise to “be back before she knew it” (the only promise he ever broke). That was how she always saw him.
So it was strange that now, in her drunken hallucination (because that was what this had to be) she’d see him with an unkempt stubble he’d never wore before, a melancholic (maybe lost) expression instead of the usual happy ones she’d see whenever he visited her dreams. And more confusing yet, why, for the love of God, was her boozed up mind giving his ghost a scar? Even from that distance, she could see the shadow of it.
Her staring didn’t go unnoticed by him or Vanessa. While he returned her attention, Vanessa kept going on about- Hailey had no idea what- until she noticed Hailey’s distraction.
“What’s got you in a trance just now? You haven't hear– Oh” Vanessa gives a little laugh when she follows her line of sight and sees what got her attention. “I see… He’s cute. A little creep, lurking at the edge of the party like that, all tall, dark and handsome, but if you’re into that sort of thing…” She shrugs and looks back at Hailey, noticing her pale face for the first time. "I’m kidding, mostly.” Another shrug. “Why don’t you go over, talk to him?
“No! That’s not… I’m not… He just looks like someone I used to know, that's all…” Hailey gives the most simple explanation she can think of. They have only known each other for a couple of months, there’s no way the brunette could understand the whole situation right now, or the chaos that’s going on in Hailey’s mind.
“Maybe it is him.”
“No, it’s not”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” Hailey answers too quickly.
“Kay, then… You’re still staring… He’s still staring.” Vanessa looks between Hailey and the guy again, and then she suddenly gets up. “Hold on a minute.” And before Hailey can say anything or react at all, she already over there, talking to him.
Hailey can’t hear what they are saying from where she sits, but she’s very sure of the subject of the conversation. If she could, she knows she’d be bright red from embarrassment, but the shock of seeing him doesn’t leave space for any other feeling. Before she fully processes what’s happening, Vanessa is walking back to her, Hailey’s hallucination just a steep behind her.
“Hailey, this is Ricky. Ricky, this is my amazing friend Hailey.” Vanessa introduces them with a glimmer in her eyes. Hailey can’t even blink anymore, she’s not even sure she’s still breathing.
Up close, the likeness is even more uncanny. If it weren’t for the scar that takes almost half of the right side of his face - coming from his hairline, crossing his right cheek, stopping just short of his mouth and descending below his chin - she could as well be looking at Jay and her heart aches with a mix of desperation and longing she’d tough she’d managed to bury within herself. Apparently not deep enough.
“Hi, Hailey, it’s nice to meet you.” He smiles while reaching out with a hand to her, she takes it without even realizing. Everything feels like a dream, and that smile on his face, the smile she’s seen so many times, the one she secretly thought of as her smile, the one he had specially for her. Seeing that smile again makes her want to melt into a puddle on the floor.
She’s aware she hasn’t said a thing, hasn’t done anything besides stare at him and hold his hand. She should do something, say something but she’s afraid she’s going to wake up from this dream any minute now and she’s not ready, so she stays completely motionless in hope of prolonging it.
“Okaaay, I'll let you guys get to know each other. If you need me I’ll be over there, kay Halles? I’ve also warned our new friend here what I’ll do to him if he misbehaves” Vanessa is talking and gesturing, but Hailey can barely tune in. She’s vaguely aware of Vanessa hugging and whispering in her ear. “You’re welcome. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.” And with that she’s off somewhere, and they’re alone.
“Your friend is something else, isn’t she?” The guy - Ricky, she struggles to remember the name - laughs. “She did threaten me, you know? Said I better not be a serial killer, or she’d- Hailey?” He stops, realizing she hadn’t said anything yet. “Are you ok?” He waits, no answer. “Am I bothering you?” Again, no answer. “I’m sorry, I thought you were- and then your friend came over-” He searches her face, still no answer. “I’m sorry, I’ll let you be.” He gets up to leave, and that’s what finally wakes Hailey from her stupor.
“NO!” She says a little too strongly, holding the hand she has yet to let go of. “I’m sorry, I don’t want you to go. Please stay. I’m... I was just...” She’s struggling for words, desperate to keep him there.
“In your head?” He completes with a soft expression on his face.
“Yeah, that’s it” She agreed, relieved.
“It’s ok, I know how that is.” He searches her face again. “You sure you want me to stay?”
“Yes, I just need-” She looks around for a minute, her eyes landing on the bar. “I just need a drink, then I’ll be ok.” She gets up to go to the bar, then turns back to him. “Give me a minute. Don’t move ok?”
He nods his head silently with that smile again.
“You want something?” He just nods again. “Anything in particular?”
“Surprise me.'' The smile is still on his face, and Hailey can’t help but laugh back, with a lightness she hasn’t felt in a long time. She doesn’t know what's going on, how this is possible, doesn’t care anymore, the only thing she cares about is making sure this night never ends. So after taking a deep breath at the bar, she comes back with their drinks and the determination of making this night last forever. And that starts with actually talking to him.
Who would have imagined that, after that rocky start, they would end up here? Hailey. Hailey would. Here was exactly where she wanted their night to end. Pressed against the door of her hotel room. J-Ricky’s mouth firmly against hers, his hands sliding down to grasp at her waist through her dress. Hailey threads her fingers through his hair and pulls just hard enough to make him gasp against her mouth. Taking advantage of the opening, she deepens the kiss, slipping her tongue inside his mouth. His hands grasp at the material of her dress, pulling it up and off her body before picking her up. She immediately wraps her legs around him as he takes her to the bed and sits with her on his lap.
They both moan at the pleasure of being pressed so close together. She pulls back momentarily to work on undoing the buttons lined down the center of his shirt. He takes the opportunity to start pressing open-mouthed kisses against her exposed neck and shoulder, lips finding the soft spot on her neck, his light scurf scratch her in the most delicious of ways, doing sinful things to her body, As J-Ricky lips continue to explore her neck, at that special place he seemed to have found almost instinctively, like he had a map to her body and already knew exactly where to go, Hailey hastily pulls his unbuttoned shirt from his arms and discards it somewhere on the floor, just like her dress.
She only gets a quick glimpse of his torso in the dark, they didn't bother turning the lights on: strong arms, abs to die for, and a dark shadow on his left side, right above his heart. It’s too dark for her to make out what it is - another scar, maybe? - She doesn’t get much time to look, for soon he’s on her again. Touching her face, asking one more time.
“Are you sure?” he asks, just like he did when they left the club. And when they got an Uber to her hotel. And when they arrived at the lobby, and just after they entered her room. Her answer hasn’t changed. Will not change.
“Yes.” but it is nice that he still asks, is another reminder of him.
“We can stop at anytime if you want”
“I don’t want to stop.” she grabs his shoulders and pulls his lips to hers again, while reaching to unbuckle his belt and unzip his pants. From the first moment she saw him tonight, there’s no going back for her. Sensing her urgency, Ricky maneuvers Hailey on the bed beside him while quickly getting up and discarding his pants before joining her again, positioning himself just above her.
Ricky resumed his ministrations, his right hand sliding slowly down her body, his thumb tracing the curve of her breast as his mouth trails down her neck. She lets out a moan when he pulls down the cup of her bra, his lips barely grazing her nipple, the scruff of his beard scratching against her skin. Hailey finds her back arching to assist him as he unhooks her bra and throws it behind him. He hungrily takes her in and Hailey gets a minute of doubt then, no one has seen her like this since- her body isn’t the same, she’s got-
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispers, cupping one breast in his hand and leaning down to latch his mouth to the other. She inhales sharply at his words and at the sensations. His teeth bite down on her nipple, only to be replaced by his tongue soothing circles around it. Then he moves and gives the same attention to her other nipple, making her eyes flutter shut, and her hips buckle in search of some relief.
His lips work their way down her body with feather-like kisses that make goosebumps arise on her skin, and then he somehow finds one of her stretch marks in the dark and kisses it on his way downward. And she’s melting in a puddle underneath him.
She doesn’t get to think on that much because, after another questioning look at her, he’s slowly pulling her lace panties down her thighs, his eyes locked with hers the whole while.
Before she gets a chance to be embarrassed again, his mouth is pressing hot kisses up her inner thigh, his beard scratches roughly against it while his hand braces her thigh, his thumb drags against her center, sliding up to her clit.
His mouth follows in his thumb path, tongue darting out to glide against her, moaning at the first taste of her. The hazy of pleasure quickly overcomes Hailey. All that she can think about is Ja-Ricky between her legs, all she can feel is him and the way he seems to know exactly what she likes, how to be gentle yet firm, hard but also soft. How to move his lips just so. And his tongue? His tongue is everywhere, circling her clit, tasting every bit of her, moving inside. Right where she needed it, right where she needed him, right there.
Hailey cries out some unintelligible noise as she climaxes, her back arching up from the bedding beneath her. She sinks into the mattress, so spent she can’t quite feel her legs, in all honesty she can’t even tell if they’re still attached to her body, and she doesn’t care. All she cares about is the man still between her legs. Ricky slows his ministrations as he coaxes her down from her climax.
He gives one last gentle kiss to her sex. “Still sure?” he asks as he makes his way up her body again. Hailey thinks she nods, but she can’t be sure, her body still feels like it’s made of jelly. She closes her eyes for a minute, humming in satisfaction as his hand skims against her sides, rapidly tracing a stretch mark before circling one of her breasts lazily.
When Hailey opens her eyes again, she finds him looking at her with unmasked lust. Her body comes back alive in no time, wrapping her hand around the back of his neck and pulling his mouth to hers once more, where she can taste herself on his lips.
Hailey pushes him over, straddling his still covered length as their mouth moves hungrily against each other until they need to come back for air. Ricky's mouth goes to her neck, earning him a loud moan when he nips and sucks at her neck, no doubt leaving a mark.
She slips her hand beneath his waistband, stroking his length, feeling it twitch against her. “Hailey,” he groans, “this will be over embarrassingly quickly if you keep going.”
She nods and pulls back, quickly ridding him of his boxer briefs before sinking down on him. Hailey looks her eyes on his as she rises and falls on top of him, surrendering to the feeling of him inside her. Ricky moans beneath her and his hands come up to grip at her waist. He guides her movements, quickening the pace and rolling his hips up against her.
She can feel herself climbing again, their pace in time with her ragged breaths. Ricky lets go of her hips momentarily to sit up, immediately tangling his hand through her hair and latching his mouth on her neck. Their movements become erratic, and she can feel him tensing beneath her. She drags her nails down his back, leaving her own marks against his pale skin. Ricky’s hand that is not tangled in the hair roams across her sensitive skin. He runs his thumb across her nipples, before his hand lowers to the place where her body meets his.
“I’m close,” she whispers between gritted teeth as his thumb circles at her clit.
“Good,” he answers simply, voice thick with lust, eyes gleaming. He pulls her lips back to his, slipping his tongue in her mouth, swallowing her moan as she climaxes again, her eyes fluttering closed as she rides out the waves of pleasure.
When she stills, Ricky flips them over, and she wraps her legs around him as he thrusts into her a few more times before moaning his own release. He rolls them over again so that he lays on his back with Hailey's head resting contently on his chest, her ear pressed to the comforting beating of his heart as their breathing evens out.
When Hailey wakes up the next morning, the first thing she sees is his strong back as he slips into his discarded underwear. The sight alone is quite distracting, and the fact that her head hurts so fiercely is probably why she says without thinking.
"Jay, come back to bed"
He turns at the sound of her voice, there's some confusion in his eyes, but his face seems odd, hiding an emotion she can't place at first.
"I didn't mean to wake you up. Sorry." his voice is so apologetic, like he's apologizing for more than that, and it is then that she realizes what the emotion on his face is. Guilt.
"You're leaving."
"I have to. I'm sorry. Last night- it was amazing, but I shouldn't have- I'm married.” his eyes seem incapable of meeting hers now. All his focus on putting the rest of his clothes on.
Hailey stays silent, just watching him. And while a part of her wants to say, “Of course you’re married. To me.” she doesn’t say anything. The whole thing still feels too much like a dream. And that was never the truth either way.
Just before he puts his shirt on she sees that the dark shadow in his chest is a tattoo, she’s too far to see clearly, but she can tell it is a name. She wonders whose. Maybe his wife's. The idea makes her stomach turn, and she suddenly doesn't want to know. A small voice in her head screams at her to look closer, though. She doesn’t listen, must be just hungover.
“I’m sorry.” Ricky says one last time, then he's out of the door, out of her life again. Like a dream that's finally over.