The Book of Me and You

It’s been four days since John saw her face. Her beautiful hazel eyes. He remembered that once those eyes were his favorite features, but now he felt nothing. He was empty inside.

John drove to the closest Starbucks to get some caffeine, since sleeping wasn’t an option for him these days. When his mind finally found some peace and he could fall asleep he dreamt of her. Not about the good times, it was the same scene from the bar. Her cold eyes staring back at him without any emotion on her face. She was always good it.

John stood in the line to order his precious coffee feeling a bit annoyed by the women in front of him nagging about her life on the phone. When the door opened and a costumer walked in he looked in that direction with a bored face. And then he saw Hayley walking in looking fine with her red lipstick and ray-bans. John panicked and turned back. Maybe she won’t notice me.

He ordered his drink and didn’t dare to look behind him. But after he got it in his hand he had to turn around and face her. God, she’s still beautiful.

Hayley was texting someone on her phone when she felt someone stare at her. Of course she saw him the minute she walked in. She just didn’t know what to do. Now was the time to chin up and look into his sad eyes.

“Hi John.” Was all she said.

“Hi.” She thought it was the end of the conversation, so ordered her coffee and paid for it. When she was ready to leave, Hayley saw John just standing there…waiting for her?

“Can we talk?” He asked when she reached him.

“Sure.”

They sat down at the furthest little table from the exit. The awkwardness could have been funny from an outsider’s point of view, but the two at the table didn’t find it funny at all.

“So..” Hayley couldn’t finish the sentence because of John’s raspy voice.

“Why are you here?”

“I wanted coffee.” She shrugged.

“Hayley. Why are you here in Tempe?”

“John. It’s a free country.”

“You said...You wrote me a letter saying that you’ll never come back.”

“I said I wouldn’t come back until there’s even a tiny part of me that loves you.”

Hayley stopped talking. John was silent. There they sat in the crowded coffee shop, trying so hard to act like they were fine. Hayley and John were everything but fine. They were broken.

“I didn’t come back because of you John. And you don’t have to worry I’ll leave as soon as possible.”

“Then why the fuck are you here?” He was getting mad. He needed some answers.

“Like I said, I wanted coffee.” She stood up and looked at him. “Goodbye John.”

“Please stay.” John spoke those words so quietly he taught she won’t hear them. She did. Hayley stood there for a minute then sat back with tears in her eyes.

“I don’t know what to say.” She spoke softly.

“Why are you here?”

“Kevin’s in the hospital.” His facial expression changed from mad to sad and looked into the girl’s eyes.

“What happened?”

“Leukemia.”

“Oh God, Hayley I’m so sorry.” He reached across the table to touch her hands but she didn’t let him. “How is he?”

“He’s weak, but really brave like always.” She said with a sad smile...

John couldn’t understand how Hayley’s little brother could win every time they played FIFA. Kevin was only 11 for fucks sake.

They were sitting in the Johnsons’s living room just playing and fooling around. This house was basically John’s second home since her mother’s best friend was Hayley’s mom. They lived across from each other. Every Sunday the two family would get together to have dinner and play board games. This Sunday the Johnson family was the host of the “party”.

Hayley’s mom, Gabrielle was already cooking the meal in the kitchen when John came over with some stuff his mom asked him to bring over. He wanted to leave but then Kevin begged him to play with him, and of course he couldn1t say no to the little kid. Kevin was the same age as his little brother Shane.

After the countless rounds they played, John gave up. He watched as Hayley came down the stairs with a beautiful smile on her face when she noticed him sitting on the couch.

“O’Callaghan! What brings you here?” she asked sitting down close to him.

“Your brother just kicked my ass in FIFA.” It was so hard not to touch her, but until Kevin was in the room and her mom in the other he couldn’t risk it. She must have taught the same things because she looked at her brother and said:

“Hey, Kev! Why don’t you go outside and help daddy fix the car?” She patted his head. “You know that you’re the smartest kid in this house.”

“Of course I am. I’m so much smarter than John” Kevin said with a cute laugh and ran out to help their father.

“Hey!” John shouted after him with a smile.

“He did kick your ass in the game.” Said Hayley in a teasing voice.

“Yeah? Don’t make me kick your ass Johnson!” John put his hands on her waist and pulled her closer, their faces just inches apart.

“I’d like to see you try, O’Callaghan.” And with that she leaned in and gave the boy a lingering kiss on the mouth. He deepened the kiss and pushed Hayley down on the couch hovering over her body. When they broke apart to breathe their eyes found each other for a nice staring contest while both of them smiled.

“Sneak up to my room tonight?” She asked as she pulled John and herself up into a sitting position.

“Of course Bub.” John smiled and caressed her cheek before standing up. “I should leave. There’s a tons of homework I have to finish before the game night.”

“See you in a couple hours, big boy.” She winked and gave him a peck on the mouth, then headed to kitchen.

John watched her perfect body walk away with too many dirty thought in his mind. He needed to calm down; still he couldn’t stop thinking about the girl. This new relationship they had was really weird at first, but then he convinced himself that it was really what they had discussed at the beginning; pure sex. Nothing more and nothing less. Two friends discovering the world of sex together without any serious attachment. It was every guy’s dream, right?