Catch Me When I Fall (h.g.)

Chapter 24

I spray my favorite perfume all over my body before fixing my messy bun. Hayes is taking me on a cute Valentine's Day date. He didn't say where he was taking me; he just said to dress casual. So I grabbed a pair of black jeans, a soft, loose t-shirt, and Hayes' jean jacket that he left over here a few days ago. I hear the doorbell, so I flip the light switch off and make sure I put everything away.  I grab my phone off of my bed and race to the door, calling a 'bye' to my parents. I open the door to reveal my gorgeous boyfriend. Beautiful and gorgeous aren't words to usually describe guys, but those words seem to fit Hayes perfectly. Because it's true; he is a beautiful man.

"Hey, baby," he says before kissing my cheek. "I thought I left my jacket over here."

I close the door behind me. "Yeah, I'll give it back after our date. It's cold, and I'm too selfish to give it up now," I say wrapping my arms around his middle.

Hayes smiles softly at me and pulls me closer. "It looks better on you than it ever did on me."

I roll my eyes while pink stains my cheeks. "I'm damn near drowning in it. I look like a toddler."

He chuckles lightly. "You look adorable in my clothes," he says before kissing the tip of my nose.

I blush again and take notice of his fit; jeans that fit him oh so well, a thick black 'Thrasher' hoodie, and a pair of black high-top vans. Hayes can always make the simplest of outfits look good; because it's him. 

"How do you make the most simple outfits look so suave?" I ask as he opens my door for me.

He scoffs. "I'm wearing a hoodie and jeans. Not that extravagant."

"Yeah, but I wear that all the time, and I don't look nearly as good," I respond before he closes the door.

He jogs around to his door and slides in. "I 100% disagree. You could wear a potato sack, and I'd still have trouble keeping my eyes off of you."

Hayes backs out of the driveway and begins the drive to our destination. It's not until I go to plug my phone into the USB that I notice we aren't in Hayes' jeep. I look out the rear window and see a truck bed with a few items that I can't make out. 

"How come you're driving a truck?" I ask turning back around.

"It's Johnnie's. I asked if I could borrow it for tonight," he answers while reaching over to place his hand on my thigh.

"What for?" I ask lightly scratching the top of his hand.

"You'll see. I want it to be a surprise," he says while I slip my hand up the sleeve of his hoodie to continue lightly scratching his arm. 

Hayes loves when I do this along with scratching his head. Sometimes when we have our usual movie dates, he'll lay his head on my chest while I lightly run my nails over his head. He always wants to cuddle with me, and I'm more than happy to oblige. Both of our love languages are physical touch, but quality time is a close second for me. 

Music plays softly on the radio while we drive. By the time we get on the highway, I hear a familiar song play through the speakers. Hayes sends a knowing smile at me as he turns up the volume. He reaches over to lace his fingers with mine and brings my hand to his lips. We both sing along softly to Russel Dickerson's song "Yours." 

After driving for another 10 minutes, Hayes pulls into what looks like a drive-in movie lot. A man comes up to the window, and Hayes gives him some money. The man smiles and waves us through. Hayes drives around the lot for a minute, looking for a place to park. He finally backs into a space, so that the bed of the truck is facing the big screen. I'm guessing a movie just ended cause the credits are rolling, and there are a couple of cars leaving.

"Hayes, I think we missed whatever movie just played," I say.

He shakes his head with a cheeky smile. "They play different movies all night long. It's 80s night, so they're playing a bunch of movies from the 80s," he says before climbing out of the truck.

I smile as he runs to my side to open my door. 80s movies are some of my all-time favorites. It was such a great decade for movies and music. If I could live during any time period, I would be in the 80s. The 1800s would also be an option, but only so I could have a Pride and Prejudice, Darcy-declaring-his-love-for-me, moment. Not so much of a fan of the misogynistic men telling women what they can and can't do with their lives and bodies or the "justified" racism during that time period. 

Hayes walks to the back of the truck, and I'm finally able to see what he put back there. My mouth drops as I gasp at the view in front of me. He unfolds blankets and lays them in the bed of the truck before propping up a few pillows for us to lean back or lay on. I notice our favorite snacks in a cute little basket that he places in the middle. A warm, fuzzy feeling spreads over my entire body knowing Hayes did all of this for us, for me. 

"You like it?" he asks when he steps back to look at me.

"Are you kidding me?" I respond and gesture to my dream date set up. "This is amazing. Hell, it's perfect. I love it."

He lifts both of my hands in his and places a kiss on both of them. How Jane Austen of him? Scratch that idea. I don't need to go to the 1800s for a Darcy, I already have him. 

Hayes helps me climb in the truck bed and follows after I'm settled against a soft, squishy pillow. The next movie doesn't come on for another two minutes, so we dig into some of the snacks while we wait.

"My dad called me the other day, asking when Nash and I would come up to visit him," Hayes says tossing a gummy bear into his mouth.

"Well, next month we have a week off for Spring Break. That'll be the perfect time to go see your family in North Carolina," I say as I shovel in more Goldfish.

He nods and reminiscent a smile appears on his face. "Yeah, I haven't seen my dad or grandparents in a while. It'll be nice to be with them for a week."

"Of course, he asked about you, and I think we ended up talking for about an hour, working out the arrangements," he continues after switching to a bag of Lays.

I sit up more and look at him confused. "What arrangements?"

"Well, you've gotten to know my mom and stepdad and met my mom's side of the family back in November. My dad really wants to meet you and so does the rest of my family. So I was wondering if you wanted to come to North Carolina with me during Spring Break to meet my dad," Hayes explains raising his eyebrows in question.

"I would love to!" I exclaim. "I'll need to tell my parents of course, but yes, I would love to go to North Carolina with you!"

He chuckles at my excitement and leans on his side with his head pressed against his knuckles. I lay back down on my side; my head on top of my arm. Hayes stares down at me with a look of adoration plastered on his face. I give him the same look in return. I reach my free hand up to gently run my fingers against his soft face. My fingers trace over the three freckles in the shape of a perfect triangle on his cheek where his dimple rests. My hand trails down to his neck, and I rub my fingertips over the necklace I bought him for Christmas. It warms my heart every time I see him wearing it. At first, I thought he wouldn't like it a lot because he's not big on jewelry, but he wears it every day. Just like he said he would.

My eyes travel to his hand that he's leaning against, and my chest fills with pride when I see my purple scrunchie wrapped around his wrist. It's like my own way of claiming Hayes as mine, just like he claims me with his hoodies. 

"You mean everything to me, Hayes," I say softly, my voice thick with emotion.

He leans his head close to mine and cradles my face. "You are my everything."

My heart melts at his words. Hayes leans his head closer and kisses me. He continues to give me little pecks all over my face drawing giggles out of me. I'm broken away from our moment when I hear the familiar tune of Stevie Wonder's "Stay Gold."

The beginning credits of The Outsiders roll through, and I'm grinning so hard my cheeks hurt as I snuggle into Hayes' chest. He places a soft kiss on the top of my head as Dally, Johnny, and Ponyboy come into view on the big screen. Best date ever.