Sorry this took so long and thank you to everyone who liked the first chapter!


Pieces

Well, I love you, I love you

And all of your pieces

Several Days Later

It was ten o'clock Saturday morning and Hayley was still lying in bed. She usually made a habit of getting up before the day got too hot to go for a jog but today she was just exhausted. She had been so grouchy lately and couldn't pinpoint the reason why. Maybe it was the fact that her world was in total chaos. She was stretching herself too thin between her demanding boss at work and supporting her best friend, Rebekah, who was going through a rough break up with her boyfriend, Marcel. She felt like she had no time for herself. Not to mention things between her and Jackson had gotten even rockier since the incident at the fertility clinic. He slept almost exclusively at his office or at Oliver's apartment, leaving her and the dog home alone most nights. When he decided to sleep at home, he would come in after Hayley was in bed and sleep in the spare bedroom, then leave before dawn.

It had only been a few days since she'd gotten caught in the rain on the highway, and she tried so hard not to think about him, but Elijah's face was burned into her memory. Her mind would unintentionally wander back to that night and recall the way he'd touched her face and kissed her. She had to keep telling herself that he could never be a part of her life.

Her yellow lab, Gus, snuggled up in bed beside her and she lazily scratched him behind the ears.

"We should get up," she began, looking down at Gus. "What do you say, buddy?" The dog groaned and reluctantly rose up on his legs and jumped out of bed as soon as she turned back the comforter. "Me, too, bud. Me too."

She let him out into the yard through the back door and padded to the kitchen, tying her chestnut brown hair into a messy bun. She clutched her stomach momentarily as it grumbled, tasting the sour sting of bile as it began to claw its way up her throat. She stopped in the hallway and choked it back down into her stomach, then continued on to the kitchen.

Hayley went through the motions of making her morning coffee but stopped short of pouring the hot water in her French press. She decided she would get out of the house and head down to the Quarter for breakfast.

As she showered, she contemplated her day. Would this be the day that she ran into him? She didn't ask him specifics about his life or where he lived. Every time she set foot downtown, she wondered if she would bump into Elijah. Some days, she hoped she would see him and confidently say hello, and others, she knew she'd run and hide at the first sight of him.

Will I ever get him out of my head? she wondered as she got dressed.

With one last mirror check, she popped on her sunshades and headed toward town.

Hayley decided on Saint Cecilia since it was near her house. It was a nice day, not too humid, so she took a seat at one of the outdoor tables. She ordered coffee and a beignet and just watched as people passed. As she saw a man with dark brown hair wearing a black leather jacket - who weirdly resembled Elijah - pass by, her face flushed, and her heart hammered in her chest. She quickly looked down at her empty plate as to avoid eye contact with him. Then she peered over the top of her sunglasses at him and watched as he greeted a woman with honey blond hair and a large build by kissing her on the cheek. The man turned to look back down the street and Hayley saw that it wasn't him. She cursed her brain for conjuring him then shook her head and picked up her coffee mug for a sip. A wave of dizziness and nausea consumed her at the smell of it. She needed to get somewhere private before she threw up in front of an entire café full of patrons. She fished a few bills out of her purse and took off running toward the alley, reaching it just in time to bend over and vomit up the beignet she just ate. Once she puked again, she felt a bit better, and then reached in her purse for a tissue to wipe her mouth. Her breath came quick as the lightheaded feeling subsided, and leaned against the brick wall for balance, gulping the air and willing her stomach to settle.

Hayley stepped out of the alley and walked to the nearest corner market to buy a bottle of ginger ale. She made her purchase and sipped it slowly, hoping it would stay down and she wouldn't have to barf in an alley again. She walked slowly down Chartres Street and passed a movie theater, not thinking much of it. She paused and stepped back to read the marquee. The giant red letters advertised a double feature of The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca on Saturday night. Her heart fell into her stomach and she swallowed the lump in her throat. It was like the universe was toying with her by putting all these signs in her way, as if it didn't want her to forget her indiscretion – or him. She wiped a hand over her face and blew out the breath she'd been holding. She had to stop thinking about him.

"You interested in a movie?" a deep male voice said, making her jump.

Hayley whirled around to see Jackson standing there. "Jackson, hi." She tucked her hair behind her ear. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"I needed some food," he said, staring at the ground.

"The Quarter is the best place for it." Jesus, that was awkward.

He nodded toward the bottle in her hand. "You okay? You only drink ginger ale when you're not feeling well."

"Just feeling a bit queasy today. I think I had some bad Thai food last night."

"Ahh, gotcha."

"Jackson, I—"

"I think we need to talk."

Jackson slowly reached for her hand and she tentatively grasped it. A feeling of comfort enveloped her, and she reminisced to when they first began dating. He'd always bring her random little paper flowers he'd folded himself whenever he picked her up. She missed the sweet Jackson he'd been in the beginning, not the guy who turned into a manipulative monster. He led her to a bench in Jackson Square and turned to face her as they sat.

"Listen," he began. "I've had a lot of time to think. I feel awful about what happened at the doctor's office. I'm not going to pretend I wasn't out of line." He paused. "But, I'm not the only one who's noticed things have been tense between us lately."

"No, you aren't." She stared at an old cannon that was parked by the fence and felt like one of the cannonballs had lodged itself in her gut. "It's been lonely without you. Gus misses you."

"I know. I miss him, too." He looked up at her with his puppy dog eyes. "I miss both of you."

"Oh, Jackson." Hayley melted and embraced him in a hug, looking off into the distance, wishing she could forget Elijah and that night in the motel so her life could go back to normal. She desperately wanted things to go back to the way they were, to be them again, but she felt as though they were destined to stay adrift in a sea of uncertainty.

"I want to come back home."

"I want you to come back, too."

"I'm so sorry, baby. I love you so much." He released her and kissed her cheek. She pulled away and cupped his cheeks, looking into his dark eyes.

Jackson didn't sleep at the office that night.

The next morning Hayley woke to the sound of pots and pans clanging in the kitchen and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee in the air.

"Jackson?" she called, moving to get out of bed, but stopped when he came racing into the room. She bit her lip as he appeared in the doorway, wearing only pajama pants. The sight of him shirtless still thrilled her.

"Don't move," he cautioned, smiling shyly. "I'm doing something for you. Please. Stay in bed."

"Okay," she smiled, wondering what he was up to.

She grabbed her phone from the nightstand and leaned back against the fluffy pillows whilst paging through her Instagram feed, looking at pictures of her friends and their kids and their food and their dogs. She wanted to be able to do the same someday, but it looked as though that wasn't going to happen, and adopting was too expensive, even with both of their decent incomes. She dropped her phone into the duvet when Jackson came in carrying a bed tray, with a bud vase teetering on it. He set it down in front of her and smiled.

"Voila! Breakfast in bed."

Hayley's eyes grew wide at the plate of pancakes, eggs, bacon, fruit and even a beignet blanketed in powdered sugar. He even fixed her coffee the way she liked it – two sugars with lots of half and half. He always teased her, asking her if she wanted some coffee with her cream. They would both always collapse into peals of laughter.

"Jackson," she sighed, and her eyes suddenly grew weepy. "This is –"

"Don't say anything. Just please, enjoy it." He ran a hand through his long, dark locks. "I've got to get dressed and run. I'm meeting Oliver at the gym."

Hayley clapped her hands on his cheeks and pulled him in for a soft kiss. "This is amazing. Thank you." She playfully smacked his butt. "Tell Ollie I said hi."

He nodded, then kissed her on the forehead and bounced into the dressing area in their closet. She gleefully dug into the pancakes and slurped the coffee. She warily allowed herself to feel happy in this moment, even if it could be short-lived.

Later that night, Hayley took Rebekah out for drinks and some girl time. She figured she could use it since Rebekah and Marcel were officially over – for today at least. They always fought and claimed this time it was permanent, but Hayley knew better. They were destined for each other, no matter what got in their way.

"So, what's it like having him home again?" Rebekah asked, taking a long pull off of her bottle of Heineken.

"Who?" Hayley replied, signaling the bartender to order two shots of tequila. "Jackson?" Rebekah nodded. "It's a little weird. He made me breakfast in bed today."

"Probably thanking you for giving him that booty." Both girls laughed heartily as Hayley playfully shoved her.

"You're so bad." They both downed the shots and giggled. "I don't think things can ever be the same between us again."

"Why do you say that?"

"I just –" Hayley couldn't possibly tell Rebekah about Elijah or what had transpired between them. "I've realized that ever since he freaked out on the doctor, I feel like I never knew the real him." Rebekah cocked an eyebrow. "I knew he had rage issues in the past, but this was on a whole different level. It's like he became this person I didn't recognize."

"I tried to tell you. I went to school with the guy. He's a ticking time bomb."

Hayley shrugged and drank her beer. "Have you heard from Marcel since he moved out?" she asked, changing the subject.

Rebekah shook her head, tossing back another shot. "Radio silence. Serves the lout right."

"He will come crawling back. Don't you worry." She playfully shoved her bestie. "He always does."

"I'm irresistible. What can I say?"

The DJ put on their favorite song and they both headed to the dancefloor and started jumping around, not caring who was watching or if they spilled beer all over the floor. Hayley, in her inebriated state, finally felt guilt she'd been carrying around on her shoulders for the past week leave her body.

The alarm blared in Hayley's ear, shaking her from sleep the next morning. She raised her head in the direction of the sound, glaring at her phone through the curtain of dark hair blocking her vision. She shoved the strands out of her view, and a pale arm extended out with the hand holding a glass of water.

"Rough night?" came Jackson's deep voice.

"Can you not talk so loud?" Hayley groaned, taking the glass from him.

"What happened?"

"Rebekah and too many shots of tequila." He sat down next to her as she sat up in bed and slowly sipped the water. Her head throbbed, and the light hurt her eyes.

"I told you she was a bad influence."

"You're full of shit," she replied, rolling her eyes. He handed her two aspirin. "She needed a shoulder." She glared at him. "She's my best friend, and it's about time you got over that."

"You're touchy this morning," he grumbled, getting off the bed and walked to the hall door.

"Then just leave me alone."

Hayley flipped over onto her side, facing away from him, and pouted. He wasn't back two days and already back to his usual manipulations. Was letting him back in a mistake?