A/N: My lovely readers! I am back once again with a brand new chapter! Again, thanks again for you wonderful words. They all keep me motivated and inspired. You know, after reading them all last night especially Kate's three reviews, I couldn't help but feel a sense of happiness. You all describe my work as if it were a master piece and the compliments about being one of the few writers who updates on a regular basis is soo great to hear! Also I like this - Best Fanfictastic Writer of the Decade. That would be a complete honor. If only I could write a longer author's note praising you all for you kind words, but I have things to do and more chapters to write, so I really hope you enjoy this chapter. New directions! New Lies! You all keep me motivated as always. Oh and to answer one of your questions, Haley's feelings for Jake will be revealed in the next chapter or later. And I don't think Peyton will fit into the story, but now that you mention it, she might show up in a later chapter. So wait for it and enjoy!
Annie
Chapter 7 "Lie 7"
"Hey, guess what?" Brooke asked as Haley wiped the windows at the front of the house.
"What?" She sprayed a bottle of Windex onto the glass and noticed Nathan walking down the stairs in a pair of jogging pants and a jacket.
"We're coming to visit you," Brooke answered.
"You're what?" Haley exclaimed. "Visiting me where? You can't come here!"
"And why not?" She glanced over at Nathan who grabbed a pair of sneakers and started tying them on. It was obvious that he was getting ready for a run.
"Because you just can't! Where are you going to stay? You can't stay here that's for sure," she said, wiping down the windows.
"We can stay at that hotel your boss owns."
"You can afford that kind of hotel? Especially with your daughter?"
"Marley would love a place like that. It would be nice to let my daughter experience luxury."
"Do it another time. Not right now since I'm trying to gain money for my rent, which is due one and a half months from now. It'll only put more stress on me if you come."
"Haley, we're only going to visit you for a day or two. I promise that we won't bother you or your job. I know you hate it when we meddle into your life."
"Tell me about it," Haley sighed, breathing out against the glass to wipe off the one spot she missed. As she did that, Nathan walked up to her and sent her a strange look. She scowled at him and pretended to poke his eye from the other side of the window.
"We're actually packing up right now. I'll even bring some extra clothes for you since you'll be staying there longer."
She waited for Nathan to walk away to return to her conversation. "You got to be kidding me, Brooke. I seriously am begging you to stay in Tree Hill!"
"You're so bossy!" her best friend whined. "Can we do something for you just once?"
Haley groaned and placed her hand against her forehead. "Fine, you can come visit me but don't ruin anything!"
"We promise!"
"Good, just call me when you get here. I'll try to finish cleaning the house earlier so I can meet up with you guys," she stated.
"I'm so excited!" Brooke exclaimed. "Oh, and one more thing."
"And what is that?"
"You think your boss can give us a discount on one of the luxury suites?"
"Bye, Brooke!" Haley quickly hung up on the phone and turned to go back inside the house. Startled, she found Nathan looking at her with a curious expression.
"Who are you meeting up with later?" he asked.
"Were you eavesdropping!"
"I couldn't help it. You were talking really loudly."
"Ugh," she groaned. "Just some friends, is that okay with you?"
He shrugged his shoulders, "Sure."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I remember you telling me how lonely you get staying in this house with no one to talk to. Well other than me, so . . . I guess you can hang out with your buddies," he replied.
"That's so nice of you," she smiled.
He nodded. "But after you clean this house completely. I want it spotless."
"Of course, Boss," she stated through her teeth. Her eyes observed his outfit and placed her hands against her hips. "Where are you going, Richard Simmons?"
He gave her a look. "Nice joke there, genius. I'm going for a run around the neighborhood. I'd ask you to join me, but I don't think you can keep up."
She scoffed, amazed by his comeback. "I carried you up the fucking stairs. I'm sure I could keep up with your-,"she glanced at his butt and noticed how tight it was and shook away the ridiculous thoughts. "Weak ass," she finished.
Nathan couldn't help but smirk at the way she grew flustered at the sight of him. She wasn't really good at being subtle. He definitely saw her check him out. "Right," he replied. "Well I'm about to head off. Finish cleaning and maybe I'll let you hang out with your friends." He patted her shoulder and led his way down the driveway and onto the sidewalk.
She growled at him and squeezed the rag in her hands and stomped back into the house to continue cleaning.
Rachel was sitting on a comfy red couch at one of the magazine buildings for an interview featuring her and a couple of her co-stars. She was a bit upset about Nathan cutting her out of his life completely, but she didn't let it affect her job. Even if he was one of her best friends, she knew at some point that Nathan was going to come crawling back to her. He always did. This was just one of their fights, just an even more intense one.
Nancy handed her a bottle of water before one of the interviewers sat across from her with a recorder and a clipboard in hand.
"Welcome to Charlotte, Miss Gatina," she lady greeted.
Rachel smiled and shook the woman's hand. She crossed her legs and placed her hands gracefully on her lap.
"How do you like the city?"
"I love it here," she stated. "I've been here a few times, even before I became famous."
"Really? This isn't your first time here?"
"Oh no. I came here for a photo shoot when I was modeling and there was just something about this city that I loved so much. I don't think I could ever forget it. I have so many memories in this place."
"Could it be the fact that your man lives here?"
Rachel's eyes widened and shook her head. "I just love the people. That's all." It was obvious that the interviewer was trying to get some information about the rumors that were going around. She was smart enough to not even say a word. Even one word or sentence can be used in a completely different way in a magazine. It would be completely out of context, so Rachel remained silent.
"So the rumors about your hotel boyfriend aren't true?"
She let out a fake laugh. "Rumors are just rumors."
While Nathan was jogging down the sidewalk a street away from his house, he noticed a familiar car drive past him. He stopped in his tracks and glanced at the man in the behind the wheel. It was Jake.
"Where is he going?" Nathan questioned himself, and turned around to jog back home. He didn't call him about coming over, so what was he doing?
As Haley was vacuuming the inside of the couch, she heard a card door close from the front. She turned off the vacuum and hurried over to the window and found Jake climbing out of the car. Her eyes furrowed and glanced at the clock.
It's not even ten yet. What's he doing here so early?
As she watched him carefully, she noticed a golden envelope in his hand as he walked up to the front steps. She tilted her head in curiosity and stood by the door, waiting for him to door bell or knock. When he did, she took a few seconds to open it so she didn't seem so anxious.
She swung the door open with a smile. "Jake!" she greeted.
"Hey," he replied. "Are you busy?" he asked, glancing behind her and found a vacuum.
"Oh not at all," she laughed dryly. "I'm just vacuuming the living room because I like it."
He chuckled. "Right, well. I wanted to come over to give you this." He held out the golden envelope that she saw in his hands and glanced at the fancy writing.
"Wedding invitation?" she questioned.
"Yeah, I want you to come," he smirked. "It's in one and a half weeks, so find a nice dress to wear or I'll buy you one."
Shocked, she slowly looked up at him. "Dress?"
"I bet you'd look pretty in one. If you don't have anything to wear, I'll let you go on a shopping spree. It's all on me."
"I can't let you do that," she answered, aware of Jake's flirty compliments. "I'd love to go, but I'll probably be working that day."
"Nathan will be there. I can convince him to let you go especially when you're my date."
"What?"
He nodded, and looked around the house he created and said, "My mom wants me to bring a date to the wedding. She wants someone lovely and conservative. Not trampy and covered in tattoos." His eyes fell back on her. "And I thought of you."
"You want me to be your date? I don't think Nathan will let me go to the wedding. You know how he is- so demanding about having his precious house cleaned and his laundry done. If he finds out that I'm going to the wedding, he'll probably make up stupid reasons for me to stay like – I don't know- retile his kitchen floor, or something of that sort."
Again, she made Jake laugh. "Then let's keep it a secret," he whispered. "Don't tell him anything about it."
"Wouldn't he be at the wedding though, he'd bust a nut if he saw me there."
"Well, he'll get over it."
She slowly put on a smile and glanced at the beautiful invitation. "Then I guess I'm going!"
"That's what I wanted to hear," he replied. "Well, I just wanted give this to you personally before I head back to wedding planning with my mother," he added, obviously annoyed that he had to be stuck with wedding preparations instead of Billy. Since he was off on a business trip, Jake had to replace him.
"I'll try to find a pretty dress," Haley stated.
"I still have that shopping spree offer, so anytime you need it, just call me."
She nodded and said their goodbyes before he stepped down towards his car. As he was about to enter his vehicle, they both spotted Nathan jogging up the driveway. She quickly hid the invitation under her shirt and walked back inside.
"Where are you going?" Nathan asked as he stepped next to Jake.
"I'm going back to the hotel. I just needed to tell Haley something," he answered.
"Why couldn't you have called her?" he replied curiously.
Jake looked at Nathan's face and smirked. "I needed to tell her this personally."
"What did you say?" he questioned again, curious to know what his visit was for.
"I'll talk to you later," Jake replied, ignoring his question and climbed inside his car.
"What, you can't tell me what you told her? You have secrets now?" Nathan asked, as he watched Jake shake his head at him and drove off.
He scoffed; stunned that his cousin refused to tell him why he was here. He glanced at the house and noticed Haley vacuuming the living room. His eyes furrowed, and all of a sudden grew interested in their blossoming friendship.
He jogged back up the steps and shut the door, startling Haley from cleaning.
"What was he doing here?" he asked.
She glanced up at him and noticed the little sweat on his neck. "He just wanted to say hi," she lied.
"Just hi?"
"Yeah, just hi," she nodded with an annoyed face. "What's the big deal?"
"Why would he come here to tell you hi? There's got to be a reason."
She quickly finished vacuuming the last of the dirt in the couch and positioned the cushion back to its rightful place. "It was nothing, Nathan. He just wanted to tell me something personally. Don't pop a blood vessel."
He huffed out a rough breath and observed her as she turned to the next couch. She removed the cushions from it and placed them on top of each other on the floor.
"You two have been really close lately," he stated.
"Yeah and so?" she replied, not even taking once glance at him. "Are you jealous?"
Nathan stood there stunned. "Jealous? Yeah right, why would I be jealous of him?"
"I don't know," she answered as she picked up a penny from the creases of the couch. "You're acting like you're jealous."
He chuckled dryly, obviously trying to hide the truth even if he didn't know about it yet. "He's my cousin. I just wanted to know why he came over. I thought he was here for me, but instead he came for you, my personal assistant."
"Mmmhmm, if that's what you think."
"Just-," he began furiously," – keep cleaning! I'm going to get a drink of water."
She paused from the couch, and watched him disappear into the kitchen. She couldn't help but be amused by his random questionnaire. It was pretty obvious that Nathan was curious about her friendship with Jake.
"This is exciting, isn't it, Luke?" Brooke asked as they drove on the highway to Charlotte.
"Yeah, I'm surprised that Haley actually let us visit," he responded as he switched lanes behind a blue car.
"I know right? Hopefully they'll have a nice place where Marley can sleep."
"That's why we brought the crib, babe. But I'm sure that they have some place for toddlers. It's a five star hotel, they have everything."
"That's true," she stated. "I bet Haley's loving the luxury life right now."
"I bet that she hates it. Remember she used to live that way before she moved out?"
"If only she never got in that fight with her dad, then maybe she wouldn't have to worry about her stupid rent."
"It was her choice, Brooke. She was miserable then."
"I wouldn't be miserable if I were her," she groaned and glanced at the backseat to check on her sleeping daughter.
"Well you're different. You're the kind of person who'd enjoy a whole lifetime in riches with a smile even if you had no friends."
"Hey!" she snapped, looking away from Marley. "That's not true. I'd rather have this family and loving friends than a bunch of jewels and money. You know that?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "But I know you dream about it all the time."
"I do not."
"Yes you do," he laughed. "You always whisper 'money, money, money' around midnight while you sleep."
She lightly slapped him on the shoulder and said, "You're such a liar!"
Haley had just finished sweeping Nathan's room and the stairs when she realized that he hadn't even left for work yet. So she stopped cleaning for a second and observed him reading a newspaper in the living room – probably the sports section.
"Aren't you supposed to be at work?" she asked. "It's almost twelve."
He looked up from the paper, and glanced at his watch. "Oh, I'm taking a day off."
"Oh right, I forgot," she nodded. "You finished everything early."
"Yup," he replied without looking at her and continued reading.
Haley dragged the broom across the floor and hovered over the couch to see what he was reading.
"Who's winning?" she asked.
"Who's winning what?"
"You know, the team who's . . . playing that sport with the ball," she replied.
Nathan grew puzzled and slowly turned around and met up with her face above him. "What are you doing?"
"I'm done cleaning and they haven't even called me if they're here yet. I have nothing to do."
He placed the newspaper back on the coffee table and thought about something.
"Cook something."
"Cook? That's the last thing that I want do."
"I'll help you. Since it's my day off and you're friends are coming to visit, let's cook them dinner."
"You want me to invite them over?"
"What? Is that a bad idea?" he asked.
She thought about her friends, and knowing what they know about her, she was afraid that they'd say something. Like the fact that she's actually from a wealthy family or that she had a famous father. If he found out that fact, he would definitely get pissed off especially since she was mooching off him when she could've easily asked her father for money. And she really didn't want that to happen.
"No, it's not a bad idea, but-"
"But what?" he cut in. "Are they hustlers too?"
She scoffed. "Excuse me? Don't you dare say that anything about my friends."
"I was just asking. If they are, don't invite them, but if they aren't, call them up and tell them to come over."
"Fine, I'll call them." She slowly turned away and placed the broom back in the closet. Then she remembered Nathan's Ramen noodles and wondered if he could make something better than that. So she walked back over to the couch where he sat and asked, "Can you cook? Like really cook?"
"I can make pizza," he answered.
"Putting frozen pizza in an oven doesn't count," she retorted.
"Well if you help me, then I could learn. You know how to cook."
She looked at him and smirked. "Then let's go grocery shopping. You don't have any of the ingredients I need."
"How do you know?"
"I've raided your pantry and fridge since I've been here, Nathan. I think I know every single condiment you have."
He raised his eyebrows at her and chuckled out loud. "Fine, let's go."
"We need some of this," Haley stated as she grabbed a pack of tortillas. "And this," grabbing a pack of mozzarella cheese.
"What are you planning on making?" he asked, pushing a cart around while Haley added all different kinds of ingredients for the dinner tonight.
"I'm making chicken and cheese enchiladas. So hopefully you're not allergic to anything."
"I'm not," he replied. He looked to his side and noticed Haley skipping towards the meat section and grabbed a packet of boneless chicken. She looked too happy to be picking up a pack of meat. With her stomach and eating habits, it wasn't so surprising. She probably smelt it from miles away.
He pushed the cart next to her as she placed the packet on top of everything else.
"I think that's about it," Haley said as she glanced at the items in the cart. "We have everything especially the dessert. Oh! I can't forget." She ran quickly down the store, glancing in between aisles. He looked at her oddly, wondering why she was prancing around a grocery store like it was her play house. Then she disappeared.
He looked around and followed her path. There was no sight of Haley at the desserts section, chips sections, not even the dog section, but when he went down the baby section, he found her ogling over some Gerber food. He grew curious at the sight and wondered if she had a baby back home that her friends were bringing along.
"Baby food?" he questioned, as he came up to her.
"Yeah, it's for my God daughter," she answered, picking up a jar of apple sauce. "My best friends can't leave her, you know."
Relieved to hear that she didn't have any baggage, he asked, "They have a baby?"
"Yep," she replied, adding a few jars into the cart. "She's six months old. She so cute," she smiled. "Is that a problem?"
He imagined his kitchen filled with baby bottles and half empty jars of apple sauce. The sight of throw up made him cringe. "No, that's fine," he lied.
She lifted an eyebrow at his disgusted expression and smiled. "Okay, then. Let's get going. I want to get this dinner started!"
After checking out everything, they both headed back to his SUV – a car that was big enough for groceries. When they finally went back to his house, they started grabbing all the bags inside. When Haley came back outside to the trunk, the cans out of peaches fell through a hole and rolled down the driveway to the streets.
"Great!" she groaned. As she placed the broken bag back into the trunk, she chased after the cans. Nathan just finished placing half of the groceries inside when he noticed Haley standing in the middle of the road. And there was a car speeding by, so he quickly ran over to her and pulled her out of the way while the car screeched to a halt at the sight of them, but then continued to drive along.
They both rolled towards the curb of the sidewalk, and groaned from the pain on their shoulders. He held her close to him when he pulled her away from the street, like he was afraid of her getting hurt. He quickly sat up to see if she was okay.
"Ow," she groaned.
He looked at her, watching her wince at some kind of pain that he wasn't aware of and asked, "Are you okay?" With his hands holding her close, his back aching, he wandered his eyes around to see what was hurting her.
She slowly sat up from the rocky road, and lifted her arm. There was a gash on her forearm that was bleeding and stinging at the same time. Along with the discomfort of her wound, she felt something electric between their bodies which scared her. There was even warmth developing in her chest because of the touch of his hands on her back. Ignoring the pain, she grabbed the cans of peaches and stood up to cross the street.
"Hey!" he shouted after her. He watched her grab the rest of the ingredients and hurried up the steps. There was no telling what was going on with her, but all he knew was that he was worried. He shut the trunk and locked his car before he headed back into the house after her.
She winced at the cut on her arm as she began to prepare the ingredients. He walked in, full of concern, when he noticed the blood streaming down her skin. He quickly grabbed her by the wrist and observed the wound.
"What was that all about?" he asked. "Are you trying to get killed?"
She quickly pulled her arm away from him and continued grouping everything together on the counter.
"Haley, you are hurt! Do you not feel any pain?" he asked again, watching her.
"It doesn't hurt. You're just overreacting," she replied, walking over to the cupboards to grab a pan. "You didn't have to do that over there."
"There was a speeding car, what else am I supposed to do?" He ripped off a paper towel, watered it and pulled her away from the counter. He lightly cleaned off the blood that was drying on her arm.
She observed him as he wiped her wound and began to admire the creases in his forehead. It was always there when he was confused, startled, sad, or scared. It showed so much emotion, so much negativity like it was his signature expression. And all she wanted to do was smooth her fingers across it so he didn't look so grouchy.
"You know, I've never got so many wounds at one time before," she stated, glancing back at her knee where she slipped by the pool.
"It's because you don't know how to take care of yourself. You're a born klutz," he replied. "Be right back." He quickly hurried over to the bathroom to grab the familiar first aid kit and came back with a band aid and medicine.
"Don't you have two feet?" he asked, dabbing on the painful medicine above the opened wound.
She winced at the stinging sensation and answered, "Of course I do."
"Then why can't you keep yourself away from harm? You know how to deceive people, but you can't stray from solid surfaces?"
"Maybe it's because of you," she stated. He slowly looked away from her arm and met up with her eyes. He grew curious from her answer. "You're moodiness keeps me from thinking straight because it's so annoying," she continued causing him to shake his head at her response and placed a band aid over it.
"There," he stated. "Let's hope that this is the last time you'll ever get hurt."
"I'll try," she replied as he walked back to the counter. Looking at her arm and smoothing her fingers along the band aid, she remembered a memorable time when she was younger.
"When I was eight years old, I had so many scabs and cuts because I was just learning how to ride my bike." Nathan looked away from ingredients as she spoke and listened. "And there was this time where I was riding around my drive way. I was still kind of shaky, but I thought I was a pro. So I decided to try it with no hands. And I fell, scraping my knee and my elbow in the process. I think I cried instantly after that," she laughed, embarrassed at the memory.
"See, born klutz," he stated with a smirk.
She ignored him and continued on with her story. "My mom was there. I could still remember the look of panic on her face when she saw the blood on my skin. She wiped my eyes, blew on my wounds, and said the exact same thing you told me. This better be the last time you'll ever get hurt. Since then, I never gained a single scratch on my body . . . until now," she laughed.
"Then it means you won't get hurt for a while since I told you that," he replied.
She rolled her eyes and smiled. "I don't think it's going to work with you saying it. She said it differently."
He leaned forward against the counter and grew curious. "Did she have magical powers or something?"
"Close," she replied. "She loved me."
Love. The thought of it scared him.
When she said that, his eyes shot up to glance at her with a strange flicker inside of his chest. Sitting there with a band aid on her arm and the sad expression on her face – which he hasn't seen on her before – made him realize how fragile she actually was. He never thought of her in that way.
"It's not like you love me," she laughed, sneaking a peek at his expression, wanting to know how he reacted to that.
He let out a dry chuckle. "Come cook your enchiladas. Your friends might be here soon," he ordered, quickly changing the subject.
"Where did Haley say her boss lived?" Lucas asked as they drove around Charlotte. They arrived a few hours early and they called Haley so they could meet up, but since Nathan suggested they have a dinner together, she forced them to drive around town until the meal was cooked.
"She said somewhere around this neighborhood," Brooke pointed out. He turned the corner and discovered a large amount of gigantic houses. Both were bewildered at the sight of all the mansions and beautiful landscapes on each piece of land.
"Damn," Lucas exclaimed as he observed every house as he passed them.
"That's exactly what I was thinking," Brooke stated. "She said his house wasn't hard to find. It stands out like a sore thumb." So they continued to drive along the street until they finally found the house with a slanted roof, tall glass windows, and an abstract shape. "This. Is. Where. She's. living?" obviously stunned by the artsy mansion before her eyes. "You have got to be kidding me!"
"This looks like something you'd see in a Picasso painting," Lucas stated.
"I don't have the right outfit! I need to find Victoria Beckham so I can steal her dress!"
"You look fine. We're just having dinner, not going to a cocktail party."
From inside, Nathan and Haley were fixing up the dining table with the main meal and appetizers. It wasn't so bad to learn off each other while cooking. Even if they did bicker in between flipping the chickens and stirring the sauce, they actually enjoyed each other's company. Nathan learned a few tips about boiling and simmering, chopping and slicing. If only he learned this before then he wouldn't to go out to restaurants to eat dinner. Even then, he had no one to eat with, but now that Haley was around, he wasn't so lonely anymore.
The door bell rang and Haley quickly placed the last plate on the table.
"They're here," she jumped. "Pour the sauce over the enchiladas," she ordered and quickly ran to the front door.
As she opened the entrance revealing her best friends, she noticed the surprised expressions on their faces. They were in complete awe over the place.
"Hey, Cinderella!" Brooke greeted, embracing her into the tightest hug possible. Lucas stepped in to do the same as he handed the stroller to Brooke. Her best friend glanced at Haley's outfit and lifted her eyebrows. "What are you wearing?" She had on the red tank top and jean shorts that Jake bought her. She had been wearing it often since she really didn't have any clothes to put on.
"Obviously nothing compared to what you're wearing," Haley stated, glancing at Brooke's fancy dress. Marley even wore something nice. "I didn't think you'd be dressed up for dinner," she stated.
"You never told us it was going to be casual. I was worried that I was underdressed."
"Apparently, you're over dressed," Lucas stated, wearing his polo shirt and jeans.
She ignored her husband and observed the house some more. "I can't believe this is where you're staying." Brooke leaned her head back to glance at the large painting on the wall.
"Yep, please don't act too naïve," Haley ordered. "I'm begging you both to not say anything about my background, okay?" she whispered.
"What do you mean?" Brooke questioned, glancing at her.
"You know," Haley mumbled through her teeth.
"Oh," Lucas nodded. "I know what she's talking about." His wife was clearly confused so he whispered it in her ear about Haley's wealthy background and her father.
"Gotcha! I have my lips zipped." As she said that, Nathan stepped out of the kitchen wearing nothing but a regular t shirt and jeans. To her surprise, Brooke expected a man in a suit, her expectations were wrong. But she did noticed how extremely attractive he was.
"Hi, I'm Nathan," he greeted, he grinned.
Brooke quickly stepped closer to Haley and whispered, "He is hoooot!"
Haley elbowed her away and gave her the meanest glare. Nathan chuckled at the sight and led them all into the dining room where the delicious smell of Mexican food filled.
Nathan and Haley sat next to each other while Brooke and Lucas sat across from them. It was kind of awkward at first because her best friends weren't really acquainted with Nathan. They were both kind of intimidated by his wealth, well Brooke was. Lucas was irritated by the way Brooke was acting around him – almost like he was jealous of the guy.
Then soon enough they started to eat the delicious food that Nathan and Haley created and began to talk about Nathan's home, Marley, the hotel, and then Haley's financial issues which made Haley a bit uncomfortable.
"She's done this before," Brooke smiled.
"What? Black mailed someone?" Nathan asked.
"No, she's always been on the verge of getting evicted a billion times. But oddly, she never fails to pay for her rent because she's always coming up with stupid schemes like this."
"Brooke," Haley stated through her teeth.
"I'm not surprised, she's really good a conniving people," Nathan stated as he looked over at her.
She scowled at him and picked at her food. Lucas scooped a spoon full of apple sauce and fed it to Marley.
"I think it's a good thing that Haley can deceive people so well," Luke stated.
"Why is that?"
"Because if she didn't, she'd probably be on the streets by now, and I know that I don't want to see that happening any time soon," he answered, glancing at Nathan seriously, hoping he got the message. It was obvious that Lucas was very protective of Haley. She was like a little sister to him, and he never wanted to see her hurt. Although she was a very strong-willed woman, he didn't like it when she was having some issues with money or life in general. And now that he's seen her boss, he was completely aware of his motives. He was still a man after all. And realizing that Haley was living under the same roof as a man that looked like Nathan, he knew something might happen.
Nathan nodded and again, glanced at Haley who was visibly feeling uneasy. He didn't want to see her on the streets either.
"You know Haley wants to be a successful photographer," Brooke stated.
"I know," he replied, remembering the photos she took of them. "She has a keen eye for that kind of stuff."
"Oh right, I forgot that she took pictures of you and Rachel."
"Which she will never reveal to anyone because I'm paying her not to," Nathan stated.
"They are a pretty great threat to use on him," she replied. "He get's so flustered when I talk about posting them on the internet," she laughed as she reached over to pinch him in the cheek. He glared at her and quickly poked her in the head.
"Hey!" she retorted.
Brooke and Lucas looked at them strangely, noticing their little banter. It looked more playful than hateful.
"Are they going to say anything?" he whispered over his shoulder.
"No, you can trust them," she replied.
Overhearing their conversation, Brooked cut in and said, "Don't worry. Your secret will never be revealed."
Haley still hasn't told them that Nathan and Rachel weren't really a couple. She didn't want reveal so much information about Nathan's personal life to them. All they knew is that she black mailed him into giving her a job by threatening him with photos that could affect his career.
"So where are you two staying?" Nathan asked.
"We don't really know, we're still deciding on a hotel," Lucas replied. "Unless you want to offer us a room."
Haley quickly kicked Lucas on the shin under the table causing him to wince. "Don't listen to them. I'm sure they can find another place to stay."
"Hey, it's fine. I'd be happy to give them a room."
"Huh?" she responded, shocked. "Why?"
"They're your friends. If they want to have a nice stay in Charlotte, they should definitely stay at the Regalien."
Haley hated the idea. She really didn't want them meddling into her job. Jake and Rachel were staying at the hotel and Nathan worked there. There was a possibility that something could slip from their mouths. Plus, they were obviously taking advantage of the situation.
"It would be a good experience for Haley," Brooke stated.
"You know what else could be a good experience? You two finding another hotel to stay in. Somewhere you can afford."
"I can pay for half of it," Nathan offered.
"What?"
"How sweet of you!"
"Wow, thanks man! Our daughter, Marley, would love that."
"No problem. I'll call up my assistant at the office and ask her to book a room for you two."
"Wait!" Haley cried out as she pulled on his arm, but he wiggled it out and headed for the living room.
As soon as he left, her head snapped over to her best friends with the deadliest glare they have ever seen.
"What are you two doing? I told you not to be so naïve!"
"Haley, he offered it. We didn't beg for it," Brooke replied. "He's really nice. He's not grouchy at all. I don't see what you see. Rachel is a lucky girl."
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You were supposed to refuse the offer. Now it looks like we're all schemers. Stop taking advantage of the situation. You don't have any reason to."
"He's paying half of it, how could we refuse that?" Lucas stated.
"Easy, say NO!"
"How many days are you planning on staying here?" Nathan called out from the living room.
"TWO!" they both yelled in unison.
"I'm going to kill you both," Haley threatened.
"You're going to love us later when you're done working here," Brooke smiled.
"And why is that?" Haley asked, completely drained from their visit.
"We'll never tell."
"Geez, I love you! Thanks for telling so much information there, Brookie," she replied, using her dry humor.
"Stop being like that, Hales," Brooke begged.
"I have it booked at the hotel. It's under my name so when you get there, just say that you're my guests and they'll give you the key and hotel room," Nathan informed as he walked back into the dining room and settled himself back beside Haley.
"That's great! I'm so excited!" Clapping her hands, Haley stabbed the last of her enchilada with her fork, startling everyone in the process.
"This was a great dinner, you guys. Really delicious," Lucas complimented. "But I think we better head off. Our daughter is getting really tired."
"Yeah, thank you again for the meal and the hotel, Nathan," Brooke stated as everyone stood up from their seats to leave. Lucas held the stroller in his hands as they all walked to the front.
"It was nice meeting you all," Nathan stated.
"You too, and we'll see you later, Hales. Don't cause too much trouble," Brooke advised as she came in for an embrace.
"Keep her from harm," Lucas stated to Nathan. "And thanks again."
"I hope you enjoy your stay at the Regalien!"
When they finally disappeared from the driveway, Haley flopped backwards on to the couch and groaned into her palms. Nathan walked over to the couch with his hands in his pockets and smirked at her.
"They aren't different from you," he stated.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, her hands still on her face.
"They came in here knowing I was rich and took advantage of my kindness by asking me for a hotel room."
"That doesn't sound familiar to me."
"I remember that time when I helped you get out of a ticket and in return, you asked me for gas money because you thought I was nice enough to give it to you?"
She quickly sat up on the couch and looked at him. "You didn't even give me the money. You gave them a freaking hotel room!"
"They seemed nice," he replied, turning away to go pick up the dishes.
She punched the cushion beneath her and followed him into the dining room. He stacked the dishes on top of each other while Haley grabbed all the utensils. And they both walked over to the sink.
"I told them not to do that, but no, they still did it anyways," she complained as she started the faucet. She noticed that Nathan was still standing next to her with a sponge in his hand. "What are you doing?"
Pouring soap onto the sponge, he said, "What does it look like I'm doing?"
She grew surprised. "I never knew that Princesses like you would want to wash dishes."
He made a face at the Princess comment and wet the sponge until it foamed. "I thought it'd be nice. Since I helped cook dinner, I might as well help clean the plates."
Haley was impressed. He was becoming a softy and she kind of liked it. He was no longer as cold and stiff as he used to be. She watched him as he made slow circles along the plates to wipe off the gunk on it and couldn't help but laugh.
"Why are you cleaning them so slowly?"
"Is that the wrong way?"
"It'd be quicker if you scrubbed it faster," she advised while taking the plate from him and wiping it clean. "If you wash dishes at your pace, you'd get wrinkly fingers. No one wants wrinkly fingers." She put the dish she was working on under the faucet and placed it on the dry rack.
"I've never had to hand wash them before," he stated. "I depend on the dishwasher to do all the cleaning."
"Sometimes those machines don't clean them all the way. So it's better to hand wash them. Now you do it."
He did exactly what she did while she placed them under the faucet and added them on the dry rack. And they did that over and over until all the dishes were done.
"Wonderful! You've successfully cleaned dishes!" Haley smiled as she patted him on the back. Then she glanced over at the table and noticed some apple sauce and meat on it. "Oh, the table's dirty. I think since you're on a roll, you should wipe the counters. Now all you have to do is get a spray bottle and-"
"I'm not that stupid, Haley. I know how to clean the tables."
She nodded, and heard knocks at the door. "I'll get that. Just wipe the tables, Boss."
Nathan chuckled as he watched her skip away from the kitchen. He grabbed the spray bottle and rag then walked over to the table to clean it off.
At front, Haley glanced at her watch and wondered who could be visiting at this hour. It was probably Jake because he had the tendency to show up whenever he liked or it could be her best friends asking for directions since Charlotte was a pretty big city. But by surprise, she revealed someone that didn't even cross her mind.
When she swung the door opened, Rachel was already speaking as she kept her eyes focuses on a container of food in her hands. "I thought I'd surprise you with food, so I came by to-"she looked up and noticed Haley standing there, just as shocked as she was.
"Um, hi," Haley greeted nervously.
"Is Nathan home?" Rachel asked, curious as to why some girl was at his house at this hour especially wearing a red tank top and blue jean shorts.
"Y-yeah he's in the kitchen," she replied.
"You can go –" Rachel stepped inside before Haley could finish and walked towards the kitchen.
This is not good at all! Closing the door, she followed Rachel.
"Haley who's at the door?" Nathan called out, wiping the table. When he heard foot steps by the entrance, he turned around and found his ex best friend standing there as if she saw a ghost.
"Rachel? What are you doing here?"
"I came by to surprise you with some food I had at the set, but obviously you already ate," she replied.
What you do you think? Ask me questions and I'll be happy to answer them. Keep my inspired!
