The Only Exception
Author's Note: The idea for this story came out of the blue and I just felt compelled to write it. This was only supposed to be a one shot, but it ended up being too long for that. So I decided to make it a three-part story. Here is part one and I really hope you like it.
Update: Due to some confusion, Bethany Joy's name will be changed to Sydney.
Haley's POV
I was standing on the curb trying to hail down a taxi cab. If one did not come soon, I was going to be very late. I cannot be late for Sydney.
Finally, a taxi cab stopped and I went to open the door, but I brushed hands with someone else.
"Oh, I'm sorry," we both said at the same time. That is when I looked up to see the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen.
Hot damn! Did it just get hotter out or was it just me?
The man standing in front of me had to be the sexiest man I have ever seen.
"Normally I am a gentleman and would let you take this cab, but I really need to be somewhere," he said looking forlorn.
"Here's an idea. Why don't we share the cab? I need to be somewhere important as well," I suggested feeling a little bit giddy.
"Sounds like a great idea. Ladies first," he said opening the door for me to get in.
The hot stranger told the driver where he wanted to go and I did the same as well.
The driver started the cab and began to take us to our destinations.
"I'm not really the type to sit in silence, so my name is Nathan Scott. It's nice to meet you," the hot stranger spoke trying to break the awkwardness.
"I'm Haley James, it's nice to meet you as well," I introduced myself.
"If you don't mind me asking, where are you headed?" he asked looking curious.
"I am heading to the Manhattan City Orphanage," I said hoping he wouldn't ask a million questions why.
"I thought you looked like a social worker. I'm guessing you are going to the orphanage to tell a child that a family wants to adopt them," he spoke and I felt my jaw drop.
"How…..how?" I stammered wondering if I was in a taxi cab with a stalker.
"I'm sorry if I scared you. I kind of overheard your conversation on your cell phone before the cab pulled up. I promise I'm not a stalker or a creeper," he apologized looking sincere.
I gave him a heated look and the look on his face was priceless. He looked like a kid that got caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar.
I began to laugh hysterically and I couldn't stop.
"You should have seen your face," I gasped trying to calm myself down.
"I guess that was pretty funny," he said with a smirk on his face.
My heart skipped a beat and it scared me a little bit.
"So, where are you headed to Nathan?" I asked curiously.
"I am meeting a client at my office in Manhattan. If you couldn't tell, I am a lawyer," he explained.
"What type of lawyer are you?" I asked.
"I am a pro bono lawyer. I worked with clients who can't afford to pay for an actual lawyer. Some days it can be pretty crazy, but for the most part I like my job. So do you like being a social worker? That has to be a tough job," he said.
"Like you said, my job has its good and bad days. I find it interesting that the two of us met like this. We are both trying to give back to our community and heading to places that are not far from each other. What types of things do you do besides work?" I said wondering why my heart began to beat even faster.
Nathan and I talked for the next 20 minutes about the leisure activities we do when we are not working.
I felt a little bit sad when the driver stopped the car. We were at Nathan's office now.
"Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Haley. I really enjoyed this cab ride with you and maybe I will see you again soon," he extended his hand out to mine.
"It was really nice to meet you as well Nathan. Good luck with your client. Maybe we will see each other again," I spoke hearing the sadness in my voice.
Nathan paid the driver, got out of the cab, gave me a smirk, and then walked into the building.
The driver drove away and I felt this weird ache in my heart. I wanted to see Nathan again and I felt like an idiot for not asking him his number.
I didn't have time to think about this because I had to get to the orphanage. Sydney is going to be wondering where I am.
Five minutes later, the driver stopped. I paid him and walked towards the orphanage. I can't remember how many times I have walked up this driveway. Until I found a home for Sydney, I would do it graciously every week.
Sydney Geller has been an orphan since she was eight years old. Her parents died in a terrible car accident. Unfortunately, there were no family members to take care of Sydney. She became a ward of the state and placed into an orphanage. When she was 12 years old, I took over her case. I've tried desperately to find her a family, but not too many are keen on raising a teenager. It's been three years already and I still can't find anybody. Sydney and I have become great friends and I still visit her as much as I can. I wish I could adopt her myself, but in order to adopt a child you have to be married.
I've had boyfriends but none of them seemed interested in marrying me and helping me raise a teenager.
So I am determined to find her a family because I feel bad that I cannot adopt her myself.
Sydney understands the situation and I know she wishes I would get married. If you saw the two of us together, you would think we were mother and daughter (or possibly sisters).
I entered the orphanage and was greeted by Kathy, the owner.
"Hey Haley, Sydney is waiting for you in her room. She has been going crazy waiting for you," she spoke in a motherly tone.
I walked up the steps and was greeted by the other children that live here.
I knocked on Sydney's door and she practically jumped on me.
"Haley, I'm glad you are finally here. What took you so long?" she exclaimed hugging me very tightly.
"I'm so sorry that I am late. It's a long story. How are you doing today?" I said as we sat down onto her bed.
"Who cares about me? Now tell me why you were late. Did you meet a guy? Please tell me you met a guy!!!" she exclaimed getting very excited.
"Calm down please. If you must know, I did meet a guy. We shared a cab ride into the city. He is a lawyer and his name is Nathan. And you can get that goofy look off your face because I am probably not going to see him again," I explained feeling sad for some reason.
"Come on Haley. Obviously you like this guy because you have a smile on your face. How do you know that you won't see him again? Please tell me that you got his digits," she demanded.
"Sydney Geller, we are dropping the subject now. Tell me about your week at school," I spoke trying to avoid the way I was feeling right now.
"Ugggh Haley, you need to take a chance every once in awhile. I know that Chris ended up being a jerk, but that doesn't mean every other guy in the world is too. Take the plunge and maybe this guy could be the one for you. Then you guys can get married and adopt me," she spoke sounding much older than a fifteen year old.
"Sydney, I love you to pieces but my love life is fine without your approval. I am not looking to date right now and I've explained many times I am not marrying someone off the streets just so I can adopt you. It wouldn't be fair to me or you to marry a guy that could hurt us both. So we are dropping the subject now and I want you to tell me how your week at school was," I explained trying to hide the smile on my face.
I spent the rest of the afternoon talking to Sydney and then I took her out to lunch.
Of course, we end up seeing Nathan Scott in the same restaurant.
I tried to play cool and pretend I didn't see him. Unfortunately fate is a cold hearted whore because Sydney caught me staring.
"What on earth are you looking at?" she asked.
"Nothing," I whispered turning my head to look out the window.
That is when Nathan caught my eye and the smirk on his face made my heart skip a beat.
He got up from his table and walked over towards us. I seriously wanted to die because Sydney was going to have a field day with this.
"Well I'm glad soon only turned into a few hours later. I feel like an idiot for not getting your number. This must be fate or something," he said and his beautiful blue eyes twinkled.
"You must be Nathan. Haley has told me so much about you. I'm Sydney and it is so nice to meet you," Sydney introduced herself and she was positively beaming.
"It's nice to meet you too Sydney and I hope Haley has only said good things about me," he chuckled.
"I sort of lied. She only told me your name and how you shared a cab ride together. I tried to get her to tell me more, but she refused to budge. Haley is so stubborn and tries to protect herself. I'm glad you are here because I need you to convince her to…." Sydney rambled on until I put my hand over her mouth.
"You will have to forgive her. Once she goes on a tangent, it is hard for her to stop. It's nice to see you again as well and if I give you my phone, you can put your number into it," I blurted out before I could stop myself.
I shouldn't be doing this. I shouldn't have let Sydney ramble on like that.
I handed Nathan my phone and he quickly put his number into my contacts.
"Well ladies, I have to get back to the office now. Haley, you can call me anytime and if I don't answer, just leave a message. Sydney, it was very nice to meet you and I hope to see you again as well. Have a nice afternoon ladies," he spoke so suave and cool.
He waved at us and then walked out of the restaurant.
Sydney had a real dreamy look on his face and I'm sure I did too.
"Oh my gosh, you definitely held out the fact that Nathan Scott is a FOX!" she exclaimed.
My face felt very hot and I was so embarrassed. I cannot believe this happened.
"Sydney Geller, do not get any ideas from this. I just met Nathan and there is no way in hell I am going to ask him to marry me. I've told you time and time again, I want to marry someone that actually wants to be with me and would love to raise you like a daughter. I might not know a lot about Nathan, but he doesn't seem like the type to stick around, if you know what I mean. So finish up your lunch because we have to get back to the orphanage," I demanded only really trying to convince myself.
Sydney remained quiet and didn't say a word on the way back to the orphanage.
I walked her to her room and I turned to leave but she wrapped her arms around me.
"I'm sorry Haley. I know this is hard for you and I know I'm not making it any easier. It's just I love you and I want to be your daughter. I really think you should at least give Nathan a chance. You shouldn't judge him based on the fact that he looks like a typical guy. He might surprise you and could be the guy you always dreamed about. But what do I know? I am a fifteen year old orphan who still believes in fairytales. Just please promise you will give Nathan the benefit of the doubt. I swear to never bring the subject up again," she said sounding much older than fifteen years old.
"Fine, I will at least consider the possibility of dating Nathan. I am not guaranteeing anything because I do not want to get your hopes up. We have to face reality that I may never be able to adopt you. So I will see you in a few days and call me if you need anything," I agreed and hugged her tightly against me.
We said our goodbyes and I walked out of the orphanage. I hailed a taxi cab and contemplated everything that happened today on the ride home.
Nathan is really gorgeous, nice, and he didn't run away when he saw Sydney sitting with me. The thing is do I only want to date him because I need to get married in order to adopt Sydney?
A small part is saying yes that is the only reason, but another part actually wants to date him for real.
I don't think my heart is ready for a serious relationship because I am still reeling from my breakup with Chris.
Chris and I dated for almost two years. He and Sydney did not get along at all. He became jealous because I spent a majority of my time at the orphanage. Also he knew how much I wanted to adopt Sydney and then gave me an ultimatum. He would marry me but he did not want to adopt Sydney. I was devastated because I was in love with Chris and it wasn't fair for him to pull something like that. I could have married him and just tried harder to find a family for Sydney, but in the back of my mind I knew I wanted to be the one to adopt her.
So our breakup was pretty messy and it will probably be awhile before I am completely over it.
I've had a disillusioned look on love ever since I was a little girl. My parents went through a nasty divorce and they put me in the middle of it. I was only 8 years old and I swore I would never speak of love if it does not exist. I don't even talk to my parents anymore because the lies, cheating, deception, and the pain became too much to bear.
When I turned 16, I began going to counseling. My therapist suggested breaking all contact with them because they caused a lot of psychological and emotionally harm. So I declared myself legally emancipated. It was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made but I'm glad I did it. I had to get out from underneath my parents. I refuse to let them hurt me anymore than they already did.
The only love I knew was the love I have for Sydney. I refuse to give up that love and I am determined to adopt her. No matter what the cost, I want her to be my daughter.
Three days passed and I didn't call Nathan at all.
Sydney practically tore my head off and told me I was making the biggest mistake of my entire life (she is such a drama queen).
I wanted to call him, but I had no idea what to say to him. I couldn't just blurt out, "yeah I want to date you and possibly get married because I want to adopt Sydney and I can only do that if we get married."
I'm sure Nathan will go running in the opposite direction and I don't blame him. This situation is so fucked up and I sometimes wonder why I put myself through this.
Then I remember that Sydney is the only person on this planet that I love and I refuse to give up on her.
On my way to work, I stopped at the local coffee shop. I got my coffee to go and went to get some sugar and milk, but I literally ran into someone. I spilled my coffee all over their white button downed shirt.
"Oh my god, I am so sorry. I should have been paying attention to where I was walking," I apologized and that is when I realized I bumped into Nathan.
"Wow, this must be fate again. Why didn't you call me? I was looking forward to talking to you and maybe going out for a drink or something," he asked with a serious look on his face.
"I'm sorry, it's just that I've been busy with work and some personal stuff as well," I said lying through my teeth.
Nathan smirked at me and my knees almost gave out. God, that smirk is going to be the death of me.
"I've been busy too, but I don't think a simple phone call takes all that long. If you aren't interested in me, all you have to do is say so. Leading people on is not a good quality in a person. Now tell me the truth, did you not call me because you aren't interested or because you are afraid?" he demanded.
"Ummmm…..I didn't call because I'm not really looking for a relationship. You seem like a nice guy and you are probably looking for a serious relationship. I'm just not ready to put my heart on the line again. I am definitely interested in you Nathan and I'm sorry for not calling. It was more of an excuse than anything. I was just afraid, I guess," I explained.
Nathan gave me a look and I swear my heart melted. I've never had someone affect me like this before. I wasn't sure if I should run away from this feeling or not. A big part of me felt afraid to run away because Nathan already had me coming undone.
"Haley, you are right. I am looking for something serious and if you are not ready for that, I understand completely. If it's possible, I would like to get to know you. For the past three days, I haven't been able to get you out of my head. So I was hoping we could just take this slow. I don't think we should ignore this. It could be the potential for more in the future or maybe not. We won't know unless we give it a chance. So what do you say? To make up for not calling me, you can be my date to a party tonight," he tried to convince me. I hate to say that it worked.
"Sure, I'll be your date tonight," my voice sounded shaky.
"Great, give me your address and I will pick you up at 8pm," he said eagerly with a big smile on his face.
"Actually, I am working late tonight. Just give me the address to the party and I will meet you there," I said trying to stay in control of this situation.
"Are you really working late or do you not want me to pick you up?" he asked with a sour look on his face.
"I am not lying. I am working late and normally I would be all for you picking me up," I said coyly.
"Alright, getting you to agree was a start. I am not backing down though. I usually get what I want and what I want is you Haley James. For the most part, I am a pretty great guy and I promise to take care of you. I will listen to whatever comes out of that pretty mouth and I will wipe away every tear that falls down your beautiful face. I will always have your back and keep you safe in my arms. I really like you Haley and I can definitely see the potential of a great relationship between us," he clarified very sincerely.
I was utterly speechless and my heart was beating like crazy. Nathan was definitely full of surprises and I couldn't resist him anymore.
He wrote down the address to the party and made me swear to be there at 9:30pm or he was going to track me down.
I smiled at him and he smiled back. I wanted to hug him, but I wasn't sure if we were ready for that yet.
Nathan must have read my mind or something because I was suddenly in his arms. He felt so warm and inviting and I loved the feel of his arms wrapped tightly around my waist.
I heard him breathe a sigh of relief that I didn't push him away.
I snuggled myself closer against his chest and I could hear his heart racing. He ran his fingers through my hair and I happened to look up real quick. He closed his eyes and sniffed my hair.
I never wanted this moment to end, but we both had to go back to work.
Nathan reluctantly let me go and we said our goodbyes.
"I will see you at 9:30 and absolutely no later please. I am going to be very bored and I need you to keep me company," he smirked at me.
"I already promised and I always keep my word. I will see you at 9:30," I said wondering what I got myself into.
He gave me a quick hug and left me standing in the coffee shop alone.
I took a cab back to my office and was greeted with a mountain of paperwork.
I worked through my lunch and dinner break. I had to finish because I cannot be late for the party.
By 8:30 I was finished and I quickly grabbed my belongings. I hailed a cab and made it back to my apartment by 8:50. I took the fastest shower of my life. I put on a little black dress with black six inch heels. I twisted my hair up with a silver clip. I quickly put on some makeup, earrings, and a necklace. I grabbed my black sweater, purse, and keys. I almost fell down the steps because I was walking very fast. Luckily I found a cab right away. I told him the address and I took my phone out of my purse. It was 9:20. I texted Nathan and told him I was on my way.
His response was: I can't wait to see you. I'm sure you look gorgeous.
My face turned a thousand shades of red and I smiled a little bit.
The driver arrived at my destination. I paid him and got out of the cab.
Damn, this house looks amazing. It was a mansion with a giant courtyard.
There were people everywhere and I had to squeeze by most of them.
I made it inside of the house and there were tons of people in here too.
I found a punch bowl and did not care that it was spiked. I definitely needed a drink.
"Don't have too many of those. You know what happens when you drink too much," I heard a voice say.
I turned around and saw Chris Keller staring at me.
"What are you doing here?" I asked defensively.
"I should ask you the same thing. I didn't know Saint Haley came out after dark," he spoke angrily and rudely.
"Wow that's your game now? Insulting me isn't going to work. I told you we were over and you seemed fine with it," I explained.
"Oh sweetie, I am fine with it. I dodged a bullet because I would have been stuck raising an orphan teenager. Are you still obsessed with Susie?" he said angrily.
"Her name is Sydney and I am not obsessed with her. She is a great kid and I love her very much. If you took the time to get to know her, I'm sure you would have loved her too. But no you just became insanely jealous because I spent most of my time with her. I won't apologize for that because Sydney is the only person in this world that I am willing to fight for. You knew how horrible my childhood and teenage years were. Sydney can kind of relate to that. That is why we get along so well. If only you could have seen that. You only care about yourself. So in reality, I dodged a bullet. I didn't have to marry such an egotistical jerk," I defended myself and Sydney.
"Listen to me you little bitch. You are nothing without me. I told you time and time again. Sydney doesn't love you. She is just using you to get what she wants. I still can't believe you are falling into her trap. You need to get out before it's too late," his words were filled with rage and jealousy.
That is when he grabbed onto my arm very tightly.
"Ow, Chris please let go of me," I screamed trying to run away from him.
"I am not leaving until you admit that Sydney is poisoning you. She is a two-faced cunt who got what she deserved. You need to stop feeling sorry for her and move on with your life," he screamed at me.
He grabbed my arm even tighter and tried to drag me away from the party.
I can't believe this is happening. I never wanted to see Chris again and of course, he had to be at the same party I was at.
I wanted to cry, kick, and scream for the awful things he said about Sydney.
I tried to free myself from his clutches but he was too damn strong.
"HEY!!! You better let go of Haley right now," I heard a voice growl.
I opened my eyes and saw Nathan standing in front of Chris with his fists clenched together.
"Listen asshole, you can't tell me what to do. Haley was mine first and I need to teach her a lesson," Chris fired at Nathan.
"No you listen asshole. Haley is not going anywhere with you and you need to let of her NOW," he yelled at Chris.
Nathan managed to pull me out from under Chris' clutches.
He walked the two of us into a different room and wrapped his arms around me.
"Are you alright?" he whispered tenderly.
I nodded my head and before I knew what was happening, Chris ran into the room and head butted Nathan into the wall. Luckily Nathan pushed me out of the way and I landed on the floor.
A fight broke out between Nathan and Chris. They were scrambling around on the floor throwing punches at each other.
I began to cry hysterically because I wanted both of them to stop. I didn't like that they were fighting over me.
Someone came into the room and yelled, "The cops are here."
Everybody ran like hell out of the house. I tried to break up the fight between Chris and Nathan.
"Please, please stop. The police are going to be here any second. Please stop," I cried and pleaded.
About three minutes later, the police did show up and they broke up the fight.
One of the officers asked me what happened. I explained that Chris was my ex-boyfriend and he was still holding a grudge against me for breaking up with him. I showed the officer my arm which had some nasty bruises on it. I said that Chris grabbed onto me and tried to drag me away from the party. Nathan tried to save me, but Chris is the one that started the fight.
The police had to take Nathan and Chris downtown for questioning.
I felt so awful because this was my entire fault.
I took a cab to the police station and waited anxiously.
About three hours later, Chris was charged with two counts of assault. Nathan wasn't charged because he defending himself and myself.
When Nathan walked out with the police officer, I seriously wanted to cry.
His eye was black and blue, his lip was swollen, and he had some nasty scratches on his face.
I ran up to him and wrapped my arms around him so tightly.
"I am so so so sorry. Please forgive me," I cried into his chest.
He wrapped his arms around me and didn't say a word. We walked out of the station and I wasn't sure what was going to happen now.
"Well this was not the type of night I was hoping for," he chuckled lightly.
I began to hysterically cry and I couldn't stop.
"Hey Hales, its ok. My face looks pretty bad but I can take it. Please don't cry," he whispered pulling me into a tight embrace.
"This was my entire fault. I never should have come to the party. My instincts were screaming at me and I let you talk me into it anyway. If I just said no, none of this would have happened. How can you stand to look at me? I must be like the worst person in the world," I sobbed and rambled.
Nathan put his hands on my face and forced me to look at him.
"Do not talk like that Haley. Even though we didn't get to hang out tonight, I am still glad you showed up. I'll admit I wasn't looking to pick a fight with Chris. It's just that as soon as I saw his hands on you, all I saw was red. The only thing that mattered was he didn't beat you up. I can take care of myself but I refused to let him hurt you. I would gladly take another punch if it kept you safe. I usually a lover and not a fighter. However, I am willing to fight for the people I love. I'm not in love with you yet, but I like you enough to fight for you. Now let's get the hell out of here," he convinced me and the look in his eyes let me know what he was saying was real.
I nodded my head and Nathan hailed down a cab. We both got in and I told him my address. I convinced Nathan to come home with me so I could take care of his face.
We got to my apartment ten minutes later. I tried to pay for the cab fare but Nathan wouldn't hear of it.
We walked up the stairs to the third floor and made it to my apartment. I led Nathan into my bathroom and I began to clean his face.
"I never did thank you for what you did. I'm sorry you got hurt but thank you for rescuing me," I spoke as I put ointment on his cuts.
"No problem, Hales. I would gladly rescue you again in a heartbeat," he said making me smile.
"I'm not really into the whole damsel-in-distress thing and I am for the most part pretty independent. However, I'm glad you were there to protect me and save me from danger. I greatly appreciate it and if there is anything I can do to make up for this, please name it," I explained.
Nathan grabbed onto my hands and stopped me from what I was doing. He looked at me with his beautiful blue eyes and I felt myself get lost in them.
"I liked being the one that rescued you and if you go out to dinner with me tomorrow night, we can call it even," he said.
"O.k. I can definitely do that. Instead of going out, how about I cook dinner for you?" I asked.
"That sounds perfect," he exclaimed.
We remained quiet as I finished cleaning up his face.
I left the bathroom to get Nathan ice for his eye and he followed me.
I told Nathan to lie down on the couch and to keep the ice pack on his eye.
"Can I ask you a question?" his voice barely a whisper.
"Sure," I sad cautiously.
"Why was Chris so angry at you? Was it because you broke up with him?" he asked.
"It's a really complicated story and I think you should just rest right now," I said dodging his question.
"O.k. I won't pressure you to tell me, but will you tell me one day?" he said sincerely.
I shook my head as a yes and I turned to leave, but he stopped me.
"I should probably get going. Thanks for everything," he said handing me the ice pack and tried to stand up to leave.
I pushed him back down onto the couch and pressed the ice pack onto his eye.
"No, you are staying here. It's too late for you to go home by yourself. You can sleep on the couch," I demanded and went into my room to get him a pillow and blanket.
I returned and my mouth literally fell to the floor.
Nathan was lying on the couch and he was only wearing boxers.
"Thanks," he smirked as I handed him the blanket and pillow.
My heart was fluttering and beating very fast and I knew I had to leave the room. I was about to do something I might regret later.
"Good night Nathan. Thank you again for what you did. I really appreciate it," I said before leaving the room.
I went into my bathroom and splashed cold water on my face.
I changed my clothes and put my pajamas on. I climbed into bed and fell asleep. I had many hot dreams involving Nathan and myself.
In one of them, he had me pinned against the shower wall. The water was cascading down onto us but neither one of us cared. The feel of his cock inside of me felt so damn real that I never wanted to wake up from this dream.
The next one, we were making love on the kitchen counter. I had my legs wrapped around his waist and I could literally feel his hot breath and growling in my ear.
The final dream had me and Nathan making love in my office. I could literally hear our screams and moans. Also I could feel how much the desk was moving with each thrust Nathan made inside of me.
I woke up crying because these dreams confused the hell out of me.
My alarm went off at 7am and I jumped into the shower. I took the coldest shower of my life and tried to get the naughty thoughts out of my head.
I found an outfit to wear and put some makeup on.
Eventually, I left my room and made my way into the living room.
Nathan was sleeping peacefully and I saw the horrible bruises on his face.
That is when the guilt came rushing back and I knew I would spend the rest of my life making this up to him.
I knelt beside him and lightly touched his cheek. I couldn't help to look at his chest and it definitely looked like he worked out.
"Like what you see?" he said making me jump.
My face turned a thousand shades of red and I quickly got up from the floor.
Nathan stretched and got up from the couch. Oh my god, his body is major eye candy. I just can't stop looking at it.
"Umm, I 'm sorry I woke you up. It's just I have work soon and I didn't think you would want to hang out here by yourself," I stammered trying to erase the lust filled haze in my brain.
"Don't worry about it Hales. I was going to leave anyway. I'm gonna go home and crash for a little bit longer. Thank god I am off today or I so would have been calling in sick," he said grabbing his clothes and putting them on.
"How is your face feeling?" I asked.
"It hurts a lot more than it did last night. Please don't worry because I am a fast healer. Have a good day at work and I hope we can get together for dinner tonight," he convinced me.
"Sure, that would be great. I should be done work around 6 or 7pm. Do you want me to cook here or at your place?" I asked.
"You can cook at my place if you want to. So I will see you later and thanks for letting me crash here," he said as he kissed my hand.
Then he placed his hand on my cheek and leaned in to kiss me.
I wasn't expecting this (and a part of me didn't want this either), so I moved his hand away. I walked into the kitchen and made us some breakfast. Neither one of us said a word about the almost kiss.
Ten minutes later, we walked out of my apartment together and then bid our farewells.
I spent the rest of the morning in my office filing paperwork. Of course I couldn't get Nathan out of my mind.
Around 12pm, I went out to lunch with my best friend Brooke.
We met in high school and she was there for me when I emancipated myself. I lived with her in her beautiful mansion because her parents were hardly ever home.
She is the one that convinced me to become a social worker and I convinced her to become a fashion designer.
Her clothing line Clothes Over Bros' is becoming an international sensation and I am so proud of her.
She is proud of me for finding homes for many of my "children." Also she knows how much I love Sydney and how much I want to adopt her.
I didn't want to tell Brooke about Nathan but it was like word vomit. I couldn't stop myself from telling her and she reacted exactly like I thought she would.
"So you're going to marry this guy right?" she asked nonchalantly.
"Oh my god you sound just like Sydney. No I am going to marry him. We only met four days ago and I'm sure he has a girlfriend," I said making excuses like I always do.
"Haley Elizabeth James, I can tell by the look on your face how much you like this guy already. I'm just teasing about the marriage thing. I really think you should give him a chance," she said.
"Now you really sound like Sydney because she told me the same exact thing. I swear the two of you are conspiring against me," I spoke sarcastically.
"I knew I loved her for a reason. Well besides the fact she loves to shop just as much as I do. You should take our advice and jump the guy's bones. It is clearly written all over your face how much you want him. Do not deny it Haley. I've known you for a very long time," she whispered not wanting to cause a scene.
"Brooke Davis, this is not the time to have this type of conversation. Just to make you happy, I will admit that I do like him. Can we please drop the subject now?" I pleaded with her.
"Absolutely but I'm not done yet. We can talk about this later. So I guess I could tell you that Julian asked me to move in with him," she said.
"Oh my god, really? Brooke, this is great. I hope you said yes," I said feeling happy for her.
"Of course I did silly. Julian and I have been together almost a year now and it feels like the right time for us. Plus it will give us a test run to see how well we live together if we ever get married," she said.
"That is great news Brooke. I am so happy for you and Julian. How is his new movie doing?" I asked feeling a tad bit jealous that Brooke has such a hot, talented, and amazingly sweet boyfriend.
"It's been going very well. He loves being the director and even though he is gone all day and night, he still finds time to call me. I swear I found my prince charming and I am holding onto this one for dear life. Haley James, you need to do the same," she said with a grin on her face.
We spent the rest of our lunch talking about the house Brooke and Julian are moving into.
Then around 1:30pm, we parted ways. Brooke had a photo shoot to get to and I had to head to the orphanage to see Sydney.
As soon as I arrived, she bombarded with me with a million questions.
Eventually, I calmed her down and tried to answer them as best as I could.
I told her a little bit about what happened last night. I left out the part where Nathan spent the night on my couch, the hot dreams, and the fact that he almost kissed me.
"Oh my gosh, you are so lucky. The damsel-in-distress thing is so romantic. I'm glad you didn't get hurt because I would roam the streets of New York looking for Chris Keller and totally kick his ass," she demanded with a serious look on her face.
"Language Sydney and this is nothing to swoon over. It is my fault that Nathan got hurt and I will spend the rest of my life making it up to him," I spoke with tears in my eyes.
I began to cry and for some reason, I couldn't stop.
Sydney wrapped her arms around me and it was so sweet of her to comfort me.
"Haley, you like this guy. Please stop denying it. You are allowed to be happy and I want you to be happy. Don't do this for me; do it for yourself. I hope you plan to see him again because he is a hottie mchottie. Hang onto him and do not let him go. I mean it Haley James. Fight for what you want and be fearless," she spoke convincingly.
"You're right honey. I do like him and I should be allowed to. You will be happy to know that I am cooking dinner for Nathan tonight. Speaking of, I should go home and get ready. I will call you later with all the details," I finally admitted to Sydney and myself.
"You better call me or there will be hell to pay Ms. James," she joked.
We said our goodbyes and I headed back to my apartment.
I called Nathan's cell phone and he answered on the second ring.
"Hey you, I was hoping you would call soon," he said.
"Hey, I wanted to see how you were feeling. Are you still up for dinner tonight?" I asked.
"My face is still sore and really cold from all the ice I've putting on it. However, I cannot wait to see you. What time did you want to come over?" he exclaimed.
"I need to go to the store to get things to make for dinner. What would you like to eat?" I asked.
"Whatever you want to make is fine with me," he said.
"O.k. I should be at your place within the hour. I can't wait to see you too," I admitted feeling bashful.
"I guess my hot body left an impression on you," he joked sounding very cocky.
I laughed out loud and he laughed as well.
He gave me his address and then we said goodbye.
I took a quick shower, changed into jeans and a t-shirt, and headed for the supermarket.
I bought all the ingredients I needed for dinner and headed for Nathan's apartment.
I wasn't sure what was going to happen tonight, but I honestly could not wait.
I never believed in love and happiness. Nathan might be the only exception to that rule.