HAYLEY'S POV:
Some days, we were happy. Others, we were sad. Mostly me, that is. There was always something missing inside our band, and that of course was Jeremy. Things were just not the same without him--there were rarely anymore times Zac was as lively as he used to be with his best friend, and I begun wondering whether or not we'd make it through without him. I've rarely had contact with the guy, and everytime I picked up the phone with my trembling fingers against the buttons, I just couldn't bring myself to call him up. He had said that he needed space, and if he needed it, we'd give it to him. But there was something just so wrong about him not with Paramore at all.
We went through Warped Tour without him. It was now five months without Jeremy at our side. Of course, I loved performing and Paramore was doing fabulous, but if we didn't have Jeremy, we weren't fully Paramore, and even the other guys had acknowledged this. I had to act fast before we lost him forever.
It was all the same again--I picked up that phone with a more than hesitant stance, yet with the tour bus wall there for me to lean against for support, I could just make it through this. With a gallant facade I dialed his number and tried convincing myself I was going to go through this correctly.
"Hello?" A voice I had not heard for five months answered.
"Hey Jeremy. It's Hayley."
"Oh. Uh...hi, Hayley..." His tone was sad, surprisingly, almost with an ashamed tone that I could not ignore. I would have broke out with all my emotions right then and there, but we were barely minutes into the conversation yet.
"Is something wrong? I just wanted to say hi."
"Yeah, I know. Um, hi," Jeremy stuttered.
"Okay. Are...you doing good?" Wow, Hayley. Pathetic. So completely useless. This was not a time to really catch up, it was a time to just come out with it and tell him that we needed him desperately. Of course, that was easier said than done.
"Yeah. I'm good," Jeremy said calmly. "Paramore's doing good, too," he added. I nodded, though he couldn't see acknowledgement, I just did it for my own sanity.
"Jer, I think we need to talk. Seriously."
"I was just about to say the same thing," Jeremy said unexpectedly. I nearly choked on my spit, if it was because of the nervousness or the surprise, I didn't know.
"About what?" I asked eagerly.
"About Paramore. The band. I..."
"Jer, are you ready to come back?" I asked blatantly. I could hear Jeremy hesistate before speaking. There was a momentary pause, and for a moment I considered the fact that he had hung up on me, despite the lack of dial tone ringing in my ears.
"Yes. I am."
The simple revelation had my spirits soaring. It was so simple, it was even over the phone, but it felt as if all the confined stress was pouring out of me. "Josh!" I called.
"Wait, Hayley..." I heard Jeremy call.
"What?" I asked.
"I don't know what the guys will think. I just ditch then come back...how do you think they will take that?"
I heard Josh walk into our tour bus living room. "What up, Hayles?" Josh asked.
"It's Josh, isn't it?" I heard Jeremy ask.
"Yep," I replied.
"Who is it?" Josh mouthed at me silently. "Jeremy!" I mouthed back. Josh nodded, taking a seat next to me. "What's he saying?" He whispered.
I hushed him and continued to speak to Jeremy.
"Don't worry about it, Jeremy, you are always welcome back."
"Welcome where?" Josh asked. I hushed him again.
"Where are you guys off to next?" Jeremy asked.
"We're heading home tonight, Jer. You think you can be in Franklin soon?"
"Where in Franklin?" Jeremy asked. Despite the excitement I could hear in his voice, it was obvious there was a mix of fear and anxiety in there.
"My house. We'll be there around tomorrow, so just wait around at a hotel or something. I'll call you. Then our band can talk properly," I replied.
"Thanks, Hayles. Thanks for giving me another chance," Jeremy said.
"No problem. You deserve it," I replied. He hung up shortly after that.
"What in the world was that, Hayles?" Josh asked, his eyebrows raising.
"Jeremy wants to come back to the band. And I agreed."
"Without asking any of us about it?" Josh asked, his voice raising a little.
"You should be okay with it, and I bet Zac and John will be too," I replied.
"Well of course I am, but what? We ask John to leave because we want our old bassist back?"
"It's our band, Josh, and Jeremy was our original member. I guess we're going to just have to break it to John. I'm sure he'll understand."
"You better be right," Josh huffed. He had a right to be angry--I wasn't completely certain in my plan either, no matter how confident I sounded.
Around night, the stress and excitement about the night's events were becoming clearer to me. Although the distant sound of the boys' snoring would have calmed me, in this situation, it failed to suffice. There was only one solution. Cereal, and quiet in the bus's kitchen. Problem was, I could barely reach the cereal cupboard.
JOSH'S POV:
I awoke to a faint grunting sound that was coming around somewhere in the bus. I turned to look outside towards our kitchen, and surely enough, there was Hayley. She was jumping, trying to reach the cereal cupboards and working a genuine amount of effort to accomplish this. I watched as she let out an angry huff and gave up, just grabbing a hot pocket from the freezer. For a moment I considered falling back into quiet sleep, but the mere truth that Hayley was there alone in the bus's kitchen had me sliding out of my bunk and walking toward her.
"Hungry?" I asked, yawning.
"Yeah. I tried getting cereal, but I guess I'll settle for microwavables," she answered, smiling.
After eating a quick midnight snack with Hayley, we both rushed back into the bunks. Hayley stood there as I climbed into my bunk. "Anything you want, my love?" I asked gallantly and cheesily, as she kneeled down on her knees and looked at me. "My bunk is uncomfortable," she whined.
"Okay," I said, without much choice in the matter, moving over to the side and lifting my blanket. "Get in." Hayley smiled, and the weight of her body sinking into the mattress made it a lot more comfortable and warm. "Your bed is way better than mine," she mumbled. I smiled and kissed her forehead. I could feel Hayley smile into my chest as she dug her head into it. I wrapped both arms around her tightly. As I observed her, I realized just how right this was--just how this one gorgeous girl personified everything I needed and wanted in a person. She was so completely perfect for me--and the truth was so amazing that it almost overwhelmed me.
"I'm still not sleepy," she whispered, snapping me out of my reverie.
"I know. Me either. But just close your eyes and drift off, I know you can do it."
"Yeah, you can too," Hayley chuckled. She let out a yawn.
"See? You're getting more tired already. Sooner or later you'll be asleep, in my arms."
"Yeah...in your arms..." Hayley said, stirring around a little. When she finally calmed down and was still, I unwrapped my arms from her. "Hey," she mumbled, her eyes still closed. "I can't sleep without your help."
I grinned and took this as encouragement to keep my arms around her all night. "Thank you," Hayley whispered, falling into the state of peace she was in again.
I smiled. God, I loved this girl.
Some days, we were happy. Others, we were sad. Mostly me, that is. There was always something missing inside our band, and that of course was Jeremy. Things were just not the same without him--there were rarely anymore times Zac was as lively as he used to be with his best friend, and I begun wondering whether or not we'd make it through without him. I've rarely had contact with the guy, and everytime I picked up the phone with my trembling fingers against the buttons, I just couldn't bring myself to call him up. He had said that he needed space, and if he needed it, we'd give it to him. But there was something just so wrong about him not with Paramore at all.
We went through Warped Tour without him. It was now five months without Jeremy at our side. Of course, I loved performing and Paramore was doing fabulous, but if we didn't have Jeremy, we weren't fully Paramore, and even the other guys had acknowledged this. I had to act fast before we lost him forever.
It was all the same again--I picked up that phone with a more than hesitant stance, yet with the tour bus wall there for me to lean against for support, I could just make it through this. With a gallant facade I dialed his number and tried convincing myself I was going to go through this correctly.
"Hello?" A voice I had not heard for five months answered.
"Hey Jeremy. It's Hayley."
"Oh. Uh...hi, Hayley..." His tone was sad, surprisingly, almost with an ashamed tone that I could not ignore. I would have broke out with all my emotions right then and there, but we were barely minutes into the conversation yet.
"Is something wrong? I just wanted to say hi."
"Yeah, I know. Um, hi," Jeremy stuttered.
"Okay. Are...you doing good?" Wow, Hayley. Pathetic. So completely useless. This was not a time to really catch up, it was a time to just come out with it and tell him that we needed him desperately. Of course, that was easier said than done.
"Yeah. I'm good," Jeremy said calmly. "Paramore's doing good, too," he added. I nodded, though he couldn't see acknowledgement, I just did it for my own sanity.
"Jer, I think we need to talk. Seriously."
"I was just about to say the same thing," Jeremy said unexpectedly. I nearly choked on my spit, if it was because of the nervousness or the surprise, I didn't know.
"About what?" I asked eagerly.
"About Paramore. The band. I..."
"Jer, are you ready to come back?" I asked blatantly. I could hear Jeremy hesistate before speaking. There was a momentary pause, and for a moment I considered the fact that he had hung up on me, despite the lack of dial tone ringing in my ears.
"Yes. I am."
The simple revelation had my spirits soaring. It was so simple, it was even over the phone, but it felt as if all the confined stress was pouring out of me. "Josh!" I called.
"Wait, Hayley..." I heard Jeremy call.
"What?" I asked.
"I don't know what the guys will think. I just ditch then come back...how do you think they will take that?"
I heard Josh walk into our tour bus living room. "What up, Hayles?" Josh asked.
"It's Josh, isn't it?" I heard Jeremy ask.
"Yep," I replied.
"Who is it?" Josh mouthed at me silently. "Jeremy!" I mouthed back. Josh nodded, taking a seat next to me. "What's he saying?" He whispered.
I hushed him and continued to speak to Jeremy.
"Don't worry about it, Jeremy, you are always welcome back."
"Welcome where?" Josh asked. I hushed him again.
"Where are you guys off to next?" Jeremy asked.
"We're heading home tonight, Jer. You think you can be in Franklin soon?"
"Where in Franklin?" Jeremy asked. Despite the excitement I could hear in his voice, it was obvious there was a mix of fear and anxiety in there.
"My house. We'll be there around tomorrow, so just wait around at a hotel or something. I'll call you. Then our band can talk properly," I replied.
"Thanks, Hayles. Thanks for giving me another chance," Jeremy said.
"No problem. You deserve it," I replied. He hung up shortly after that.
"What in the world was that, Hayles?" Josh asked, his eyebrows raising.
"Jeremy wants to come back to the band. And I agreed."
"Without asking any of us about it?" Josh asked, his voice raising a little.
"You should be okay with it, and I bet Zac and John will be too," I replied.
"Well of course I am, but what? We ask John to leave because we want our old bassist back?"
"It's our band, Josh, and Jeremy was our original member. I guess we're going to just have to break it to John. I'm sure he'll understand."
"You better be right," Josh huffed. He had a right to be angry--I wasn't completely certain in my plan either, no matter how confident I sounded.
Around night, the stress and excitement about the night's events were becoming clearer to me. Although the distant sound of the boys' snoring would have calmed me, in this situation, it failed to suffice. There was only one solution. Cereal, and quiet in the bus's kitchen. Problem was, I could barely reach the cereal cupboard.
JOSH'S POV:
I awoke to a faint grunting sound that was coming around somewhere in the bus. I turned to look outside towards our kitchen, and surely enough, there was Hayley. She was jumping, trying to reach the cereal cupboards and working a genuine amount of effort to accomplish this. I watched as she let out an angry huff and gave up, just grabbing a hot pocket from the freezer. For a moment I considered falling back into quiet sleep, but the mere truth that Hayley was there alone in the bus's kitchen had me sliding out of my bunk and walking toward her.
"Hungry?" I asked, yawning.
"Yeah. I tried getting cereal, but I guess I'll settle for microwavables," she answered, smiling.
After eating a quick midnight snack with Hayley, we both rushed back into the bunks. Hayley stood there as I climbed into my bunk. "Anything you want, my love?" I asked gallantly and cheesily, as she kneeled down on her knees and looked at me. "My bunk is uncomfortable," she whined.
"Okay," I said, without much choice in the matter, moving over to the side and lifting my blanket. "Get in." Hayley smiled, and the weight of her body sinking into the mattress made it a lot more comfortable and warm. "Your bed is way better than mine," she mumbled. I smiled and kissed her forehead. I could feel Hayley smile into my chest as she dug her head into it. I wrapped both arms around her tightly. As I observed her, I realized just how right this was--just how this one gorgeous girl personified everything I needed and wanted in a person. She was so completely perfect for me--and the truth was so amazing that it almost overwhelmed me.
"I'm still not sleepy," she whispered, snapping me out of my reverie.
"I know. Me either. But just close your eyes and drift off, I know you can do it."
"Yeah, you can too," Hayley chuckled. She let out a yawn.
"See? You're getting more tired already. Sooner or later you'll be asleep, in my arms."
"Yeah...in your arms..." Hayley said, stirring around a little. When she finally calmed down and was still, I unwrapped my arms from her. "Hey," she mumbled, her eyes still closed. "I can't sleep without your help."
I grinned and took this as encouragement to keep my arms around her all night. "Thank you," Hayley whispered, falling into the state of peace she was in again.
I smiled. God, I loved this girl.
HAYLEY'S POV:
Some days, we were happy. Others, we were sad. Mostly me, that is. There was always something missing inside our band, and that of course was Jeremy. Things were just not the same without him--there were rarely anymore times Zac was as lively as he used to be with his best friend, and I begun wondering whether or not we'd make it through without him. I've rarely had contact with the guy, and everytime I picked up the phone with my trembling fingers against the buttons, I just couldn't bring myself to call him up. He had said that he needed space, and if he needed it, we'd give it to him. But there was something just so wrong about him not with Paramore at all.
We went through Warped Tour without him. It was now five months without Jeremy at our side. Of course, I loved performing and Paramore was doing fabulous, but if we didn't have Jeremy, we weren't fully Paramore, and even the other guys had acknowledged this. I had to act fast before we lost him forever.
It was all the same again--I picked up that phone with a more than hesitant stance, yet with the tour bus wall there for me to lean against for support, I could just make it through this. With a gallant facade I dialed his number and tried convincing myself I was going to go through this correctly.
"Hello?" A voice I had not heard for five months answered.
"Hey Jeremy. It's Hayley."
"Oh. Uh...hi, Hayley..." His tone was sad, surprisingly, almost with an ashamed tone that I could not ignore. I would have broke out with all my emotions right then and there, but we were barely minutes into the conversation yet.
"Is something wrong? I just wanted to say hi."
"Yeah, I know. Um, hi," Jeremy stuttered.
"Okay. Are...you doing good?" Wow, Hayley. Pathetic. So completely useless. This was not a time to really catch up, it was a time to just come out with it and tell him that we needed him desperately. Of course, that was easier said than done.
"Yeah. I'm good," Jeremy said calmly. "Paramore's doing good, too," he added. I nodded, though he couldn't see acknowledgement, I just did it for my own sanity.
"Jer, I think we need to talk. Seriously."
"I was just about to say the same thing," Jeremy said unexpectedly. I nearly choked on my spit, if it was because of the nervousness or the surprise, I didn't know.
"About what?" I asked eagerly.
"About Paramore. The band. I..."
"Jer, are you ready to come back?" I asked blatantly. I could hear Jeremy hesistate before speaking. There was a momentary pause, and for a moment I considered the fact that he had hung up on me, despite the lack of dial tone ringing in my ears.
"Yes. I am."
The simple revelation had my spirits soaring. It was so simple, it was even over the phone, but it felt as if all the confined stress was pouring out of me. "Josh!" I called.
"Wait, Hayley..." I heard Jeremy call.
"What?" I asked.
"I don't know what the guys will think. I just ditch then come back...how do you think they will take that?"
I heard Josh walk into our tour bus living room. "What up, Hayles?" Josh asked.
"It's Josh, isn't it?" I heard Jeremy ask.
"Yep," I replied.
"Who is it?" Josh mouthed at me silently. "Jeremy!" I mouthed back. Josh nodded, taking a seat next to me. "What's he saying?" He whispered.
I hushed him and continued to speak to Jeremy.
"Don't worry about it, Jeremy, you are always welcome back."
"Welcome where?" Josh asked. I hushed him again.
"Where are you guys off to next?" Jeremy asked.
"We're heading home tonight, Jer. You think you can be in Franklin soon?"
"Where in Franklin?" Jeremy asked. Despite the excitement I could hear in his voice, it was obvious there was a mix of fear and anxiety in there.
"My house. We'll be there around tomorrow, so just wait around at a hotel or something. I'll call you. Then our band can talk properly," I replied.
"Thanks, Hayles. Thanks for giving me another chance," Jeremy said.
"No problem. You deserve it," I replied. He hung up shortly after that.
"What in the world was that, Hayles?" Josh asked, his eyebrows raising.
"Jeremy wants to come back to the band. And I agreed."
"Without asking any of us about it?" Josh asked, his voice raising a little.
"You should be okay with it, and I bet Zac and John will be too," I replied.
"Well of course I am, but what? We ask John to leave because we want our old bassist back?"
"It's our band, Josh, and Jeremy was our original member. I guess we're going to just have to break it to John. I'm sure he'll understand."
"You better be right," Josh huffed. He had a right to be angry--I wasn't completely certain in my plan either, no matter how confident I sounded.
Around night, the stress and excitement about the night's events were becoming clearer to me. Although the distant sound of the boys' snoring would have calmed me, in this situation, it failed to suffice. There was only one solution. Cereal, and quiet in the bus's kitchen. Problem was, I could barely reach the cereal cupboard.
JOSH'S POV:
I awoke to a faint grunting sound that was coming around somewhere in the bus. I turned to look outside towards our kitchen, and surely enough, there was Hayley. She was jumping, trying to reach the cereal cupboards and working a genuine amount of effort to accomplish this. I watched as she let out an angry huff and gave up, just grabbing a hot pocket from the freezer. For a moment I considered falling back into quiet sleep, but the mere truth that Hayley was there alone in the bus's kitchen had me sliding out of my bunk and walking toward her.
"Hungry?" I asked, yawning.
"Yeah. I tried getting cereal, but I guess I'll settle for microwavables," she answered, smiling.
After eating a quick midnight snack with Hayley, we both rushed back into the bunks. Hayley stood there as I climbed into my bunk. "Anything you want, my love?" I asked gallantly and cheesily, as she kneeled down on her knees and looked at me. "My bunk is uncomfortable," she whined.
"Okay," I said, without much choice in the matter, moving over to the side and lifting my blanket. "Get in." Hayley smiled, and the weight of her body sinking into the mattress made it a lot more comfortable and warm. "Your bed is way better than mine," she mumbled. I smiled and kissed her forehead. I could feel Hayley smile into my chest as she dug her head into it. I wrapped both arms around her tightly. As I observed her, I realized just how right this was--just how this one gorgeous girl personified everything I needed and wanted in a person. She was so completely perfect for me--and the truth was so amazing that it almost overwhelmed me.
"I'm still not sleepy," she whispered, snapping me out of my reverie.
"I know. Me either. But just close your eyes and drift off, I know you can do it."
"Yeah, you can too," Hayley chuckled. She let out a yawn.
"See? You're getting more tired already. Sooner or later you'll be asleep, in my arms."
"Yeah...in your arms..." Hayley said, stirring around a little. When she finally calmed down and was still, I unwrapped my arms from her. "Hey," she mumbled, her eyes still closed. "I can't sleep without your help."
I grinned and took this as encouragement to keep my arms around her all night. "Thank you," Hayley whispered, falling into the state of peace she was in again.
I smiled. God, I loved this girl.
Some days, we were happy. Others, we were sad. Mostly me, that is. There was always something missing inside our band, and that of course was Jeremy. Things were just not the same without him--there were rarely anymore times Zac was as lively as he used to be with his best friend, and I begun wondering whether or not we'd make it through without him. I've rarely had contact with the guy, and everytime I picked up the phone with my trembling fingers against the buttons, I just couldn't bring myself to call him up. He had said that he needed space, and if he needed it, we'd give it to him. But there was something just so wrong about him not with Paramore at all.
We went through Warped Tour without him. It was now five months without Jeremy at our side. Of course, I loved performing and Paramore was doing fabulous, but if we didn't have Jeremy, we weren't fully Paramore, and even the other guys had acknowledged this. I had to act fast before we lost him forever.
It was all the same again--I picked up that phone with a more than hesitant stance, yet with the tour bus wall there for me to lean against for support, I could just make it through this. With a gallant facade I dialed his number and tried convincing myself I was going to go through this correctly.
"Hello?" A voice I had not heard for five months answered.
"Hey Jeremy. It's Hayley."
"Oh. Uh...hi, Hayley..." His tone was sad, surprisingly, almost with an ashamed tone that I could not ignore. I would have broke out with all my emotions right then and there, but we were barely minutes into the conversation yet.
"Is something wrong? I just wanted to say hi."
"Yeah, I know. Um, hi," Jeremy stuttered.
"Okay. Are...you doing good?" Wow, Hayley. Pathetic. So completely useless. This was not a time to really catch up, it was a time to just come out with it and tell him that we needed him desperately. Of course, that was easier said than done.
"Yeah. I'm good," Jeremy said calmly. "Paramore's doing good, too," he added. I nodded, though he couldn't see acknowledgement, I just did it for my own sanity.
"Jer, I think we need to talk. Seriously."
"I was just about to say the same thing," Jeremy said unexpectedly. I nearly choked on my spit, if it was because of the nervousness or the surprise, I didn't know.
"About what?" I asked eagerly.
"About Paramore. The band. I..."
"Jer, are you ready to come back?" I asked blatantly. I could hear Jeremy hesistate before speaking. There was a momentary pause, and for a moment I considered the fact that he had hung up on me, despite the lack of dial tone ringing in my ears.
"Yes. I am."
The simple revelation had my spirits soaring. It was so simple, it was even over the phone, but it felt as if all the confined stress was pouring out of me. "Josh!" I called.
"Wait, Hayley..." I heard Jeremy call.
"What?" I asked.
"I don't know what the guys will think. I just ditch then come back...how do you think they will take that?"
I heard Josh walk into our tour bus living room. "What up, Hayles?" Josh asked.
"It's Josh, isn't it?" I heard Jeremy ask.
"Yep," I replied.
"Who is it?" Josh mouthed at me silently. "Jeremy!" I mouthed back. Josh nodded, taking a seat next to me. "What's he saying?" He whispered.
I hushed him and continued to speak to Jeremy.
"Don't worry about it, Jeremy, you are always welcome back."
"Welcome where?" Josh asked. I hushed him again.
"Where are you guys off to next?" Jeremy asked.
"We're heading home tonight, Jer. You think you can be in Franklin soon?"
"Where in Franklin?" Jeremy asked. Despite the excitement I could hear in his voice, it was obvious there was a mix of fear and anxiety in there.
"My house. We'll be there around tomorrow, so just wait around at a hotel or something. I'll call you. Then our band can talk properly," I replied.
"Thanks, Hayles. Thanks for giving me another chance," Jeremy said.
"No problem. You deserve it," I replied. He hung up shortly after that.
"What in the world was that, Hayles?" Josh asked, his eyebrows raising.
"Jeremy wants to come back to the band. And I agreed."
"Without asking any of us about it?" Josh asked, his voice raising a little.
"You should be okay with it, and I bet Zac and John will be too," I replied.
"Well of course I am, but what? We ask John to leave because we want our old bassist back?"
"It's our band, Josh, and Jeremy was our original member. I guess we're going to just have to break it to John. I'm sure he'll understand."
"You better be right," Josh huffed. He had a right to be angry--I wasn't completely certain in my plan either, no matter how confident I sounded.
Around night, the stress and excitement about the night's events were becoming clearer to me. Although the distant sound of the boys' snoring would have calmed me, in this situation, it failed to suffice. There was only one solution. Cereal, and quiet in the bus's kitchen. Problem was, I could barely reach the cereal cupboard.
JOSH'S POV:
I awoke to a faint grunting sound that was coming around somewhere in the bus. I turned to look outside towards our kitchen, and surely enough, there was Hayley. She was jumping, trying to reach the cereal cupboards and working a genuine amount of effort to accomplish this. I watched as she let out an angry huff and gave up, just grabbing a hot pocket from the freezer. For a moment I considered falling back into quiet sleep, but the mere truth that Hayley was there alone in the bus's kitchen had me sliding out of my bunk and walking toward her.
"Hungry?" I asked, yawning.
"Yeah. I tried getting cereal, but I guess I'll settle for microwavables," she answered, smiling.
After eating a quick midnight snack with Hayley, we both rushed back into the bunks. Hayley stood there as I climbed into my bunk. "Anything you want, my love?" I asked gallantly and cheesily, as she kneeled down on her knees and looked at me. "My bunk is uncomfortable," she whined.
"Okay," I said, without much choice in the matter, moving over to the side and lifting my blanket. "Get in." Hayley smiled, and the weight of her body sinking into the mattress made it a lot more comfortable and warm. "Your bed is way better than mine," she mumbled. I smiled and kissed her forehead. I could feel Hayley smile into my chest as she dug her head into it. I wrapped both arms around her tightly. As I observed her, I realized just how right this was--just how this one gorgeous girl personified everything I needed and wanted in a person. She was so completely perfect for me--and the truth was so amazing that it almost overwhelmed me.
"I'm still not sleepy," she whispered, snapping me out of my reverie.
"I know. Me either. But just close your eyes and drift off, I know you can do it."
"Yeah, you can too," Hayley chuckled. She let out a yawn.
"See? You're getting more tired already. Sooner or later you'll be asleep, in my arms."
"Yeah...in your arms..." Hayley said, stirring around a little. When she finally calmed down and was still, I unwrapped my arms from her. "Hey," she mumbled, her eyes still closed. "I can't sleep without your help."
I grinned and took this as encouragement to keep my arms around her all night. "Thank you," Hayley whispered, falling into the state of peace she was in again.
I smiled. God, I loved this girl.