"You're home now," the male voice was saying outside. "Where's the key?"
Eric pressed his ear closer to the door.
"The key is under the tree pot," Hailey replied, her words slurred.
"I told her that was a security risk," Eric muttered angrily. "But did she listen? No."
He heard someone moving around outside, likely looking for the hidden key.
"Convenient, she said," Eric continued. "Well, it's convenient for everyone, apparently."
The sound of a key being inserted into the lock made Eric move quickly.
He unlocked it from the inside and pulled it open just as the person on the other side was about to turn the key.
Noah stood in the doorway, his arm supporting a very drunk Hailey.
His red hair was slightly messy, and his clothes were wrinkled from the evening's activities.
But his grip on Hailey was steady and protective, and his eyes were alert despite the late hour.
The two men stared at each other for a moment.
"Who are you?" Noah asked, his voice polite but firm.
Eric didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked Noah up and down.
"Young," Eric observed silently. "Handsome. Protective. Great."
"And who are you?" Eric asked back, his voice cool and challenging.
Noah straightened slightly, his protective instincts kicking in at Eric's tone.
"I'm Hailey's close junior," Noah said, his voice growing firmer. "We went out to celebrate tonight."
"Close junior," Eric repeated in his mind. "How close?"
"Hailey was made drunk by her boss," Noah continued.
"Thank you," Eric said aloud, reaching out to take Hailey from Noah's arms. "I'll take it from here."
But Noah didn't release his hold on Hailey.
"I think I should help her inside," Noah said stubbornly. "She's pretty drunk."
"I said I'll take it from here," Eric repeated, his grip becoming firmer.
What followed was an awkward tug-of-war, with both men trying to support Hailey.
Hailey swayed between them, too drunk to fully understand what was happening.
"Look," Noah said, his voice determined, "I promised myself I'd make sure she got home safely."
"Promised yourself?" Eric thought. "What kind of promise is that?"
"I can't just leave her like this," Noah continued.
The situation continued for several long moments.
Finally, Eric's patience snapped.
"Hailey!" he said sharply, his voice cutting through her alcoholic confusion.
The sound of her name, spoken with such authority, made Hailey's head snap up.
She blinked several times, trying to focus.
"Eric?" she said, her voice filled with surprise and delight.
Without hesitation, she freed herself from Noah's supportive grip and stumbled toward Eric.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her face against his chest.
"Eric! I missed you," she mumbled into his shirt.
Eric's arms came around her automatically.
Over her head, he looked at Noah with smugness.
"Don't worry," Eric said, his voice dripping with false politeness. "I'll take very good care of Hailey."
"But—" Noah began.
Before he could finish, Eric guided Hailey inside and closed the door firmly behind them.
Noah stood outside for a long moment, staring at the closed door.
Inside the apartment, Eric guided Hailey toward the bedroom.
But as they walked, he noticed the strong smell of alcohol on her breath.
"You reek," he said quietly. "Cigarettes, beer, and God knows what else."
His jaw clenched as he thought about her spending the evening with Noah.
"Laughing and drinking and having a great time," Eric thought angrily. "While I sat here alone."
The image of Noah's protective grip on her played over and over in his mind.
"The way he was so reluctant to let her go," Eric remembered. "Like he had some kind of claim on her."
When they reached the bedroom, Eric's patience finally snapped.
Instead of helping Hailey onto the bed, he let her go.
She stumbled and fell onto the floor with a soft thud.
"Eric?" Hailey said, her voice confused and hurt.
But Eric was already walking away.
"I need coffee," he muttered. "Something to do with my hands."
He needed something to occupy his mind other than the jealous thoughts consuming him.
"Something other than thinking about her and that red-haired pretty boy," he said bitterly.
The night passed slowly.
Hailey eventually fell asleep on the floor where she had landed.
Eric sat in the kitchen, drinking coffee and staring out the window.
"She chose the floor," he told himself. "I'm not moving her."
His anger and jealousy had hardened into something cold and unforgiving.
"Let her sleep it off," he decided. "Maybe she'll think twice about getting that drunk with other men."
Morning came with pale sunlight streaming through the bedroom windows.
Hailey slowly began to wake up, her head aching.
"Oh God," she groaned. "What did I drink last night?"
She tried to move and immediately regretted it as pain shot through her skull.
"Why does everything hurt?" she asked herself.
Her hand hit the hardwood floor.
"Floor?" she said, suddenly confused. "Why am I on the floor?"
She looked around in confusion, trying to piece together the events of the previous night.
"I remember the pub," she said slowly. "Walter making toasts."
Eric was sitting on the foot of the bed, fully dressed and holding a fresh cup of coffee.
His expression was cold and distant.
"Eric?" she said, her voice rough from sleep and alcohol. "Why am I lying here?"
Eric took a slow sip of his coffee before answering.
"You stank of alcohol," he said matter-of-factly. "The floor suits you."
Hailey tried to process his words.
"The floor suits me?" she repeated. "What does that mean?"
Her head was still unclear from the drinks. She pushed herself up into a sitting position, wincing.
"Who dropped me off last night?" she asked, rubbing her temples. "I don't remember anything."
"You don't remember?" Eric asked mockingly. "How convenient."
"Was it Walter?" she continued.
Eric's expression became even colder.
"Someone a lot more handsome than that," he said, his voice sharp.
Hailey's memory began to return in pieces.
"Oh, Noah?" she said, realization appearing on her face.
She quickly moved to explain, sensing Eric was upset.
"He used to be on my team before," she said, her words rushing out. "But now he's an idol in Korea."
"An idol," Eric repeated flatly. "How impressive."
"He just came back from his tour," Hailey continued. "And we were celebrating with the team."
Eric's expression didn't change.
"Well, it was kind of him to drop you off here," he said, his tone suggesting anything but gratitude.
Hailey smiled, relieved that Eric seemed to understand.
"Right?" she said. "He's always been protective of everyone on the team."
But Eric wasn't finished.
"If I wasn't here last night," he continued, his voice becoming sharper, "you two probably would have done it."
Hailey's smile faded as she tried to understand what he was implying.
"Done what?" she asked, genuinely confused.
"It," Eric repeated meaningfully.
The word hung in the air between them, filled with accusation. They stared at each other in silence. Eric's face was cold and challenging, Hailey's confused and hurt.
Finally, understanding appeared on her face.
"Oh," she said quietly. "Oh, you think we would have..."
Instead of becoming angry or defensive, Hailey smiled. The accusation was so ridiculous, so far from the truth.
"What's wrong with you?" she asked, her voice still carrying traces of amusement. "Are you jealous?"
Eric's reaction was immediate and explosive.
"Who's jealous?" he snapped, his voice rising.
"You are," Hailey said, her smile widening. "You're totally jealous of Noah."
She looked at him with the fond annoyance of someone dealing with a child.
"If you weren't jealous," she said reasonably, "then why would you be mad?"
But Eric's next words wiped the smile from her face completely.
"Talk nicely," he said, his voice dripping with contempt. "What's in you to make me jealous?"
The words hit Hailey like a physical blow. She felt her heart stop, her breath catch in her throat.
But Eric wasn't done.
He stood up from the bed, looking down at her with complete contempt.
"Don't be so full of yourself," he said, his voice cold and final. "You're just a stand-in."
The words hung in the air like poison. Hailey sat frozen on the floor, unable to process what she had just heard.
"A stand-in," she repeated quietly.
With that, Eric walked out of the bedroom.
She heard the front door open and close. Then she was alone with the echo of his words and the destruction of her heart.
The morning sun continued to stream through the windows, painting golden rectangles on the floor.
But Hailey couldn't see the beauty in it.
"Just a stand-in," she whispered again. "Just a replacement for someone better."
All she could see was the truth of what she was to Eric.
"Just someone who would never be enough on her own," she realized.
She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.
The hangover that had been bothering her earlier was nothing compared to the pain in her chest.
The feeling that she would never be more than a substitute for someone else.