Hailey’s Realization

Back at the house, Hailey sat alone in her room, scrolling through her phone. She had been trying to ignore the nagging feeling in her gut, the one that kept telling her that Daemon and Faith were getting closer. She had known from the beginning that getting involved with a guy like Daemon was risky, but she had thrown caution to the wind and let herself fall for him anyway.

Now, as she looked back on the past few weeks, she realized that she had been foolish to think that Daemon would choose her over Faith. Faith was everything Hailey wasn't: stable, mature, and able to offer Daemon the kind of future he deserved.

Hailey sighed heavily and set her phone down on the bed beside her. She knew what she had to do. She had to let go of her feelings for Daemon and move on. It wouldn't be easy, but she couldn't keep torturing herself like this.

Taking a deep breath, Hailey stood up and walked over to her window. She looked out at the stars, feeling a sense of peace wash over her. She knew that things would be okay in the end. She just had to trust that everything would work out the way it was supposed to.

With that thought in mind, Hailey made a decision. She would focus on herself and her own goals for the future. She would let go of Daemon and the love triangle that had caused her so much pain. And who knows, maybe one day she would find someone who loved her just as much as she loved him.

Hailey had been avoiding Daemon for days, but they finally found themselves alone in the kitchen. The tension between them was palpable as they stood there in silence, each trying to avoid eye contact with the other.

After a few uncomfortable moments, Daemon broke the silence. "Hailey, we need to talk."

Hailey looked up, her eyes meeting his for the first time in days. "Okay," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Daemon took a deep breath. "I know things have been weird between us lately, and I just want to say that I'm sorry for the way I've been acting."

Hailey looked at him, surprised. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I know I've been distant and I haven't been talking to you as much as I should be," Daemon said. "It's just that things have been complicated lately, and I haven't known how to handle them."

Hailey nodded slowly. "I understand," she said. "Things have been complicated for me too."

There was another long pause, and then Daemon spoke again. "Hailey, I don't want things to be weird between us anymore. I value our friendship too much to let it fall apart over something like this."

Hailey's heart skipped a beat at the mention of their friendship. She knew that she needed to let go of her feelings for Daemon, but it was easier said than done. "I don't want things to be weird either," she said softly.

"Good," Daemon said, smiling at her. "Because I think we make a great team, and I don't want anything to get in the way of that."

Hailey couldn't help but smile back at him. Maybe they could never be anything more than friends, but at least they could still work together. "Agreed," she said, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders.

As they both turned to start making breakfast, Hailey couldn't help but feel grateful for Daemon's understanding and their shared commitment to their work. Maybe things would never be completely normal between them, but at least they could move forward and work together as a team.

The following day, It was early in the morning, and Hailey and Daemon were the only ones in the kitchen. They were both standing there silently, making their coffee, when Savage stumbled in, clearly drunk from the night before.

"Hey, look who it is!" Savage slurred as he stumbled towards them. "The lovebirds themselves!"

Hailey's face turned red as she looked down at the ground. She knew that she and Daemon had been trying to keep their relationship a secret, but it seemed like everyone in the organization knew about it.

Daemon didn't seem fazed by Savage's comments, though. "What are you talking about, man?" he asked, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

Savage chuckled. "Come on, man, everyone knows about you and Hailey. You can't hide it forever."

Hailey rolled her eyes. "It's not like that," she said, her voice shaking slightly. "We're just friends."

Savage laughed again. "Yeah, okay," he said, taking a swig from his bottle of whiskey. "Whatever you say, Hailey."

Daemon shot Savage a warning look, but Savage didn't seem to notice. He stumbled out of the kitchen, still laughing to himself.

Hailey let out a sigh of relief. "That was close," she said, turning to Daemon.

Daemon shrugged. "It's not a big deal," he said, taking a sip of his coffee. "We'll just have to be more careful from now on."

Later on, as the day went by - Hailey sat alone in her room, the silence of the night surrounding her. She was deep in thought, contemplating her life and the decisions she had made. She had been avoiding Daemon ever since their awkward conversation in the kitchen the other morning, and she was starting to feel like she had made a mistake.

She knew that she had been acting distant with the rest of the group as well, and it was starting to show. Jake had noticed and had been giving her the cold shoulder all day. Babushka had been busy with the organization's operations, and Savage was always drunk or high. Hailey felt like she was alone.

As she sat there, lost in thought, she started to realize that she had been trying to deny her feelings for Daemon. She had been pushing them away, telling herself that they were wrong and that she should move on. But the truth was, she couldn't. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about him.

Hailey knew that she had to make a decision, but she wasn't sure what it should be. She couldn't continue living like this, feeling lost and alone. She needed to confront her feelings and figure out what she wanted.

Taking a deep breath, Hailey stood up from her bed and walked out of her room. She didn't know what she was going to do, but she knew that it was time to face her problems head-on.

Hailey was feeling miserable, so the next morning - Hailey sat at the kitchen table, staring off into space as she absentmindedly played with the sleeve of her hoodie. Daemon walked in, pouring himself a cup of coffee before sitting down opposite her.

They sat in silence for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Hailey spoke up.

"I've been thinking," she said softly, not looking up from her hands.

"About what?" Daemon asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

"About us," she replied, meeting his gaze. "About the fact that we could never work."

Daemon nodded slowly, understanding dawning on his face. "Yeah, I've been thinking about that too," he said.

"It's not just because of Faith," Hailey continued. "It's our work too. We can't let our feelings get in the way of what we do."

Daemon took another sip of his coffee, his eyes never leaving Hailey's. "I know," he said. "It's not worth risking everything we've built for something that might not even work out."

Hailey nodded, a sense of relief washing over her. "I'm glad we can come to this realization together," she said.

"Me too," Daemon agreed. "We'll always be friends, but that's all it can ever be."

Hailey smiled faintly, her heart heavy but her mind clear. It was time to move on, and focus on the work that mattered most to her.

Moments later, Hailey was sitting on the couch in the living room when she decided to call Maya. She picked up her phone and dialed her number, hoping that she would answer.

"Hey Hailey, what's up?" Maya's voice came through the phone.

"Hey, I need to talk to you about something," Hailey said.

"Hey, I need to talk to you about something," Hailey said.

"Sure, what's going on?"

"Well, things have been pretty crazy here lately. I don't know if you know this, but I'm in an organization with Daemon and some others. We've been trying to keep our relationship a secret, but it's been really difficult."

"Okay, go on," Maya said, her voice serious.

"Earlier on, I had a talk with Daemon, and we both came to the realization that we could never work out. Our work and his relationship with Faith make it impossible. So, I wanted to call you and explain the situation. We have a spare room here, and I was hoping that you could come and stay with us for a while. It would really help us out."

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and Hailey held her breath, waiting for Maya's response.

"I understand, Hailey. I'm sorry things didn't work out between you and Daemon. But I'm happy to come and stay with you. When do you need me to come?"

"Thank you, Maya. That means a lot to me. Can you come tomorrow? We'll pick you up at the airport."

After the call, Hailey decided to go to the next room where the other guys were sitting, she stepped in, took a deep breath and looked around the room. Everyone seemed to be paying attention to her, waiting for her to continue or say something.

"So, I've called in a favor from an old friend of mine," Hailey said. "Her name is Maya, and she's really good with technology. I've asked her to come and stay with us for a while to help us with a few things."

Babushka raised an eyebrow. "And who is this Maya?"

"She's an old friend from college," Hailey said quickly. "We were in the same computer science program together. She's been working for a tech company, and she owes me a favor, so she's agreed to come and help us out."

Savage let out a laugh. "What kind of favor did you do for her, Hailey?"

Hailey rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter. The point is, Maya is going to be staying with us for a while. I need you guys to be on your best behavior and make her feel welcome."

"Of course," Daemon said, giving Hailey a small smile. "We'll make sure she's comfortable."

Hailey nodded, feeling a small sense of relief. She knew that Maya was the key to helping them with their latest project, and she was glad that she had agreed to come and stay with them.

After Hailey explains the situation to everyone, Savage speaks up, "So, this is the same Maya we knew from back then?"

Daemon nods and chuckles, "Yeah, it is."

Savage's face lights up with a mischievous grin, "I remember having a huge crush on her in high school. Wonder if she still looks the same."

Daemon shakes his head, "You never change, man. But yeah, she looks pretty much the same."

Hailey rolls her eyes, "Can we please focus on the task at hand and not get distracted by old high school crushes?"

Savage grins, "Hey, I can multi-task. I can help with the operation and still check out Maya."

Daemon laughs and shakes his head, "Good luck with that, man. Maya is off-limits."

Savage looks disappointed but nods in understanding, "Got it. Off-limits." He still couldn't believe it and was in awe.

Again, Savage: "Wait, you mean the Maya that I had a crush on back in the day is the same Maya that's coming here to help Hailey out?"

Daemon: "Yep, that's the one. Small world, huh?"

Babushka: "Interesting. So, what can you tell us about her?"

Daemon: "Well, she's really good with technology, just like Hailey. They used to work together on some jobs back in the day. And she's always been reliable and efficient."

Jake: "Sounds like a valuable addition to the team. Is she aware of our line of work?"

Hailey: "Yes, she is. I filled her in on what we do, and she's okay with it. She knows how to keep things discreet."

Savage: "I'm excited to see her again. It's been a while since I've talked to her. I wonder if she's still as beautiful as I remember."

Hailey: "Savage, behave yourself. Maya is coming here to help us with our work, not to be objectified."

Babushka: "We don't have time for distractions, we have work to do. Let's focus on the task at hand and get ready to pick up Maya from the airport tomorrow."

That night, Savage lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. His mind was consumed by thoughts of Maya, the new girl that Hailey had mentioned and may be indicted into their organization. He had heard about her before from Daemon, who had mentioned her briefly in passing. But now that she was going to be living with them, Savage couldn't help but wonder what kind of person she was now.

He tried to push the thoughts out of his mind, reminding himself that he had no business getting involved with someone like her. They were all criminals, and Maya was just another member of their organization. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something different about her.

Savage sighed heavily, running his fingers through his hair. He had always been attracted to strong, independent women, and from what he had heard about Maya, she certainly fit the bill. But he knew that getting involved with her would only complicate things, and he couldn't afford to let his emotions get in the way of his work.

He closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind and get some rest. But even as he drifted off to sleep, the image of Maya lingered in his mind, teasing him with the possibility of something more.