The Marshall home rose into Klaus's view, familiar with its green shutters and creamy white siding. The house was small from his remembrance, containing only three small bedrooms, a large kitchen and adjoining living area. In his high school years, Klaus had spent many days –and great nights, he thought – in that house. He parked his truck in the driveway alongside the Jeep Hayley had driven to his mother's house. Toys were scattered outside the house in the front lawn, a bike leaning against the railing of their small porch, and the screen door that still hadn't been fixed was flapping in the breeze, banging against the front door.
Taking a deep breath, he exited the truck and plunged his tremoring hands into the pockets of his jeans. Luckily, his mother had returned shortly after Hayley had left and he been able to find some of his old clothes in the attic, though they fit kind of snug. He stepped easily onto the porch, checking his watch for the time. 5:57. She'd said six, but suddenly Klaus wondered if the invitation had been sincere. Perhaps she'd only said it because that was what you were supposed to say to someone you hadn't seen in years and someone you knew wouldn't stay long enough in town to follow up on the offer? Klaus wasn't sure, but he could feel his hands beginning to sweat against the lining of his pockets.
Before he'd built up enough courage to ring the doorbell, Hayley's face was in front of his, her long, slender arm pushing against the screen door. She was dressed the same as earlier, the only difference now was the loose bun she wore atop her head instead of the free-flowing mane of hair she'd worn when he saw her last. Her glasses were nowhere to be seen, though that was no issue to Klaus; she was beautiful to him no matter what she wore. The thought suddenly struck him that perhaps he'd made a mistake by leaving her here in Paisley. By the looks of things, however, she'd done quite well for herself. Previous marriage, notwithstanding.
"I didn't think you'd show," she said, her face flushed. She backpedalled suddenly and smacked the palm of her free hand against her forehead. "I am so sorry," she said, shaking her head, loosing bits of hair from her bun. "I didn't mean to say that out loud."
Klaus laughed easily. "You never were one for tact, were you?"
His laughter was echoed from her elegant throat. "I guess not. Please come in." She pulled the door open wide, giving him enough room to step around the shoes and backpacks that lay scattered by the front door.
"Sorry that I haven't had a chance to clean up," she said, bending down to neatly align shoes and to pick up the backpacks. She slung one of her shoulder and smiled. "You know were the kitchen is. I'm gonna go put these in Annie's room and I'll be back in a jiffy."
Klaus watched her walk down the hallway and turn left into a bedroom that he knew all too well. Suppressing a smile at the memories that flowered in his mind, he made his way into the kitchen. Everything was the way he remembered it to be; cabinets lined the walls and they'd fixed the spot on the counter that he'd broken years ago. The small dining table that sat in the middle of the room was decorated with a floral table cloth with an open pizza box on top of it. Klaus laughed easily to himself at the thought of Hayley trying to cook. Though it had been ten years since they'd been together, he had a feeling that her cooking skills hadn't improved all that much, but it was nothing that couldn't be solved with a quick call to the Mystic Grill for takeout.
Hayley reappeared behind him and smiled. Klaus could see the faint line of a wrinkle in between her eyebrows and he knew that that meant she was anxious about something. He felt compelled to ask. "So, what's going on?" He said. "Where's the kid?"
"Oh," she said and Klaus could see a slight flinch. "The kid is in her room."
"Is she going to join us?" Klaus gestured to the delicious pizza on the table and suppressed a laugh. Hayley's eyes dropped from his and she wrung her hands together nervously.
She shook her head. "No," she said as she crossed the room and grabbed two drinks from the refrigerator. Klaus watched as she sat them on the table and tucked some fallen chunks of hair behind her ear. "She was supposed to go to her dad's tonight, but he hasn't shown up yet. I can't get her to come out of her room."
Klaus felt a pang in his chest. "You never told me who it was you ended up marrying," he noted as he took a seat at the table. Hayley followed suit and pushed a can of Coke toward him, along with a plate.
"You never asked," she said as she opened the box and placed a slice on her plate. "It was Jackson. We got married about two years after graduation, I think, and then Annie was born a couple years after that."
So, she hadn't waited long before finding someone else. Klaus felt the beginnings of jealousy rise up inside and fought hard to keep from saying anything. This was their first reunion after ten years, he didn't want to make her hate him more than she must already after he left her. "What happened between you two?" He asked.
Hayley sat down the pizza she was about to bite into and folded her hands on the table. "Let's get one thing clear, okay?" She began. "You don't get to ask questions like that, alright? You left me here for ten years, no calls, no emails, nothing, and then you show up here and expect me to be your best friend and tell you all my secrets, but it doesn't work that way, Klaus. We are merely two people who knew each other once and if that doesn't sit well with you, then I'm sorry, but that's all I can do for you."
Klaus was taken aback by her abruptness, but he wasn't about to tuck his tail and run from her. "I just asked a simple question, Hayley," he fired back at her. "Jackson, really? That was your rebound? And you had a kid with that piece of ..."
"Just stop it, right now!" Hayley cried as she pushed herself from the chair. A small, curly-haired girl ran into the kitchen in a pink nightgown with a terrified look on her face.
"Mommy, what's wrong?" The little girl cried out as she clung to her mother's leg. Hayley bent down a picked her daughter up, cradling her.
"Nothing's wrong, Sweetie," she cooed, smoothing down the little girl's unruly hair. "Everything's alright. Mommy's friend was just leaving."
Klaus could have kicked himself. He was always ruining something. His stupid jealousy had gotten in the way of them having a nice dinner. Surrendering, he pushed himself from the chair and made his way for the door. "I'm sorry, Hayley," he said.
"You haven't changed a bit, have you?" She said as she opened the door and gestured for him to go. "Have a safe trip back to wherever it is you live now."
Klaus walked out into the cold of the night and turned to say something else, but the door was already shut. How could he have been so stupid to screw this up again? When he had seen her on his mother's porch, everything had come rushing back to him. He still loved her, but that didn't matter now. He was with Jess and Hayley had completely moved on from him. Klaus sighed as she entered his truck. Perhaps she was better off without him. She looked happy with Annie and, much to his chagrin, it seemed that, even though they weren't together anymore, she had found someone else after him to make her happy as well.
Klaus started the truck and backed out of the driveway, heading for his mom's house. He would stay the night with her, but in the morning he was going back to him apartment. Far away from the longing he had felt with Hayley near him. He needed to go and fast.