The Good That Won't Come Out

"Hi," he said awkwardly giving her a tentative smile.

"What are you doing here? I thought I made myself clear," she sputtered.

"Hailey, will you please talk to me?"

She paused for a moment and then nodded. He took her hand and led her outside. They both stood there uncomfortably. She scuffed her toe on the ground. He cleared his throat. Her heart was breaking inside, but she couldn't let him know. All she wanted to do was throw her arms around him and kiss him, but she couldn't.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

"James called me. He told me everything about your parents and what was going on."

"Oh."

"Hailey, I need to know, truthfully, how do you feel about me?"

There was more embarrassed silence. She struggled over her options, not knowing what to say. Should she tell the truth, or lie? He knew what she felt, but needed to hear it from her mouth, not her ex-boyfriend's. She looked up into his eyes.

"Patrick, I…I love you," she whispered. "But, my parents, they don't understand. You don't understand."

"I know that I love you too. What else do I need to know?"

"My father is a prominent cabinet member. It's almost as if the child of your vice president started dating some rock star. The next thing you know, his political career is falling apart because all the rags are printing lies. That's why James and I were together. He is a politician's dream: an Oxford graduate, old money, his own political career, doesn't drink, doesn't smoke."

"But, I'm not even famous!" he spat.

"Yet. You will be, I've heard that new album, Patrick. You maybe small time now, but it won't be long after MTV gets their hands on that new video. You are an incredible man, but it might not stay that way with fame."

"I won't change."

"Wait a second, you still love me?" she asked, suddenly realizing what had been said.

He looked at her oddly seeing as it was a total change of subject.

"Yes, Hai, I love you. That just doesn't go away, even with a broken heart."

There was another spot of silence. Patrick could see her thinking. She pursed her lips and knitted her eyebrows. Then, with a determined look, she pulled out her cell phone.

"James, we're leaving, ok? Yeah, have fun. Thank you."

She then hailed a cab and pulled Patrick into it.

"Where are we going?" he asked her.

"To see my parents."

"Oh, God, I'm not ready to meet your parents yet!" he cried.

"Do you want to be together?" she asked smartly.

"Yes."

"Then this is the only way."

She looked at him and smiled weakly. She brought a hand up and touched his face. He smiled nervously in return.

"Patrick, love..."

"Yes?"

"You have to lose the hat, just for now."

"But, I never go without a hat! My hair looks like shit."

"You are so handsome, you don't need it. My dad won't take you seriously with that baseball hat on."

Defeated, Patrick took off his hat and ran his hand through his shaggy blonde hair. She tucked a piece of hair behind his ear and kissed his lips softly. A shock of electricity ran through both of their bodies. It had been almost a month since they had been together.

"I promise I'll make it up to you," she whispered, lips brushing his ear.

The hair on the back of his neck stood up and he wrapped an arm around her. They pulled up to a huge house. Hailey leaned out the window and punched a code into the guard box. The cab pulled up in front of the doors and they got out. There were lights on in the house.