"Why?"
"Because no one ever has before."
How could her ex boyfriend not have told her how beautiful she was on a daily basis? Did he really not see how lucky he was? "What about your ex boyfriend?"
"No. He'd call me sexy sometimes. Or hot. But never gorgeous."
"Well, he sounds like an asshole. I hate to break it to you, but you're the most beautiful girl I've ever met." I swallowed hard when she didn't respond. It had just kind of spilled out. But it was true. The only reason I wanted to unsay it was because of how she was staring at me.
She leaned her head back on the headrest. "What about Penny?"
What about Penny?The question seemed to echo around in my head. I used to think about her all the time. But I hadn't thought about her once since Hailey and my conversation this morning. She hadn't even crossed my mind. For a second I let myself feel guilty. I should have been worried about her. I should have been wondering how she was. But I didn't feel guilty. I felt...free. I exhaled slowly.
"Sorry," she said with a laugh. "That was a dumb question." She turned her head to stare out the window.
"Hails?"
"Really, Tyler, it's okay." She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I've seen her on TV and in magazines and...everywhere. She's stunning."
Apparently Hailey was as blind as her ex boyfriend. "I meant what I said. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever met."
She laughed.
"I mean it, Hails. It's hard driving because all I want to do is stare at you."
Her cheeks flushed. "You're not so bad yourself."
I laughed. "It's probably the bowtie."
"For sure."
Missing Pieces - Chapter 35
Hailey
Wednesday
Gorgeous.Did he really think I was gorgeous? I had always considered myself lanky. But the way he stared at my legs made it seem like he admired them. What was I supposed to do with that compliment? I tried to keep my eyes glued to the window instead of on him. Was he purposely making it hard for me to say goodbye to him tomorrow?
I bit my lip. Or maybe my plan was working. Maybe he was reconsidering. I understood his concerns. Three years was a really long time. But I was pretty sure he'd get a few days away from the marines every now and then. It's not like I wouldn't see him for three years. Unless he got shipped off. I suddenly realized why he had said his greatest fear was death a few days ago. A chill ran down my spine.
But I didn't get a chance to ask him, because he interrupted my train of thought. "Geez, look," he said.
I turned my attention to the windshield. There were lights everywhere. We must have just turned onto the Las Vegas strip. The sun was setting, but instead of the buildings looking dull, they popped in a million different colors with lights blazing.
"It's...bright," I said.
Tyler laughed. "That's exactly how I was going to describe it."
We slowed down from the volume of traffic on the strip. My eyes stayed glued to the window. It was like we had just driven into a whole other world.
We suddenly stopped. I hadn't even realized that Tyler had pulled over.
He turned off the ignition. "Do you want to just walk around and explore?"
I smiled. "That sounds perfect." I stepped out of the car. There was an electricity in the air. "Is this how New York is?" I asked when he came to my side of the car.
"It's different. I don't really know how to explain it."
