Hmm, so maybe I should try bribing more often, huh? Thanks for the awesome reviews, I hope I don't dissapoint in this one. It's personally my favorite...Oh, and the story outline is done so I know exactly how it's going to end, and someone hit the plot dead on in a review, ofcourse I can't say which one...but you'll find out soon enough :) Anyways, hope you guys enjoy this chapter!
The sun reflected from the windows to the bedspread as Haley yawned and stretched, reaching over to switch off the alarm clock.
Lying on the bed, Haley frowned, thinking of the night before. Lucas and her had enjoyed a deliciously cooked dinner, but the awkwardness had been almost unbearable. Neither had found anything good to talk about, and she hadn't laughed once genuinely throughout the whole night. It was almost as if she was putting up a façade for her own husband.
She remembered a time when Lucas used to make her smile, even when she felt like the world would crash down on her. They used to have dinner without a single awkward pause, with miles of things to converse about. They had gotten along so well, relishing in each other's happiness.
But now, as she brought herself to admit it, dinner last night proved to her that they could never go back to the friendly banter they had once shared. She was still the same girl, but he had changed more than she would imagine him to.
He used to be the ideal good guy that would've never hurt a soul, but now, as much as he was trying to prove to her that he had changed, she saw it in his eyes that he no longer contained the qualities that had made her fall in love with him.
Nathan. He had proved so different than she expected. When he had first shown up, she figured they would barely talk, and he'd barely acknowledge her. But, now she enjoyed talking to him, and his gesture last night was so unbelievably sweet, proving that he cared more than she ever expected him to. His gestures were so kind, something she could get used to. He was the kind of guy she wanted to spend her whole life with, and she could very well picture them living happily a few years down the road.
Hold up, she thought. Where had that come from? She didn't even have feelings for him. There was that almost kiss…but even the fact that she had almost gone there was more of a reminder that she didn't belong with Lucas anymore.
Today, she decided. Today she would talk to Lucas, and hopefully make him agree that she wanted a divorce. She would stand up for herself, and maybe for once in her life, succeed in gaining what she really wanted.
She sighed and pulled the covers off her, feeling a sheet of paper underneath her. Scrunching her eyebrows together confused, she unfolded the sheet of paper, frowning at it's content.
Haley,
Something came up with work. I don't know when I'll be back. It's an important business deal that I can't give up.
Lucas
Haley scowled. The least he could've done was at least tell her to her face, or wake her up before he had left. There wasn't a single caring word on the sheet of paper, like she would have expected. Rolling her eyes, she crumbled the sheet of paper into a ball and threw it outside the door in frustration.
…
Towel-drying her hair, Haley walked into the living room to find Nathan watching a basketball game.
"Don't you ever get, like, tired of it?" she asked referring to the TV.
Nathan looked up. "I thought you weren't talking to me. If I remember correctly, something had crawled up my ass…"
Haley rolled her eyes, and took a seat next to him, grabbing the remote from his hand. "Whatever," She said, holding up the remote to change the channel.
Nathan snatched the remote back from her hand. "I was watching that!"
Haley shook her head and handed him the remote. After a slight pause, she sighed and turned to look at him, contemplating her next words. "Thanks for dinner," she said after a moment of hesitation, and gave him a slight smile.
He turned to her and smirked. "I'm a good cook, huh?"
She groaned and rolled her eyes. "My mistake for saying anything to you, but I guess it was edible."
"If that's your word for delicious."
Haley scoffed. "A little full of ourselves, aren't we?"
"Just a little." Nathan stretched his arms, giving Haley an opportunity to take hold of the remote again.
"Hey!" Nathan exclaimed, reaching over to seize it.
Haley turned her back to him, and changed the channel, while Nathan tried to reach over her shoulders.
"You remember what happened last time this happened right?" he smirked at her.
She glared at him and handed him the remote without further discussion, walking out of the room without saying a word.
Nathan rolled his eyes and jumped off the couch, following her. Women.
"Haley! C'mon I was just kidding…"
"Whatever you say, Nate." She walked into the kitchen, putting on an apron and getting vegetables out of the freezer.
"Hales, you can't possibly be mad about this," he protested, standing behind her.
"I never said I was mad." She turned to face him with a smirk on her face, walking past him to the counter, "I just wanted some company in the kitchen."
Nathan chuckled, rolling his eyes "Since my meal was so delicious last night, huh?" He reached over and grabbed a chopping board and a knife, setting it on the counter.
Haley rolled her eyes, and handed him an apron and a chef's hat. "Man, get over it already."
Nathan raised his eyebrows in disbelief, as he raised his hands in protest. "Uh, you don't actually expect me to wear that thing…"
"Nathan!" Haley whined. "But, the guys on top chef look so cute wearing they're little…"
"I don't really plan on going on top chef Haley…" Nathan disputed.
"Please Nathan?" Haley pouted, sticking her bottom lip out.
Nathan rolled his eyes. "But the hat has to go," he compromised.
Haley started to protest, while Nathan chuckled and took both of them out of her hand, putting them on. "Happy now?"
"Totally." Haley gave him a huge grin, and handed him tomatoes and onions.
Nathan simply smirked, dicing up the tomatoes into little small squares at a very fast pace.
"How the heck do you do that?" Haley asked suddenly, looking at him in awe. "I've been cooking for like, 6 years, and I still can't chop that quickly."
"It's called talent, young one."
"Oh dear, He's going to get all cocky on me now, isn't he? Dear god." Haley lifted her head speaking to the ceiling. Shaking her head, she went over to open the refrigerator.
"Me? Cocky?" Nathan put a hand over his chest, feigning surprise.
Haley swatted his hand, and went back to retrieving vegetables. "Like you don't know it."
"I seriously have no idea what you could possibly be taking about, Hales."
Haley stood up, the joyous grin disappearing from her face into a small smile. "You know Lucas used to call me that all the time?" she said in a low voice, looking up at him. "And now, it's almost like we're strangers."
Nathan, surprised at her sudden admittance, reached over to wipe a falling tear off her cheek, and tucked in a stray hair behind her ear, wanting to smack his brother across the head at that moment. "You really loved him, huh?"
"We used to talk so much about everything for hours at a time, and last night…god, Nathan, we had like nothing to say to each other. It was so awkward…like everything that was there in the beginning simply just disappeared, you know? I can't believe it could change so much, and you think you know a person, but," she broke off. "Wow, I'm just being really stupid, aren't I?" She chuckled through her tears, facing her back to him and wiping them away hurriedly.
"Hales…" Nathan put an arm on her shoulder, forcing her to face him. "You're not stupid. He's the stupid one for not realize something so precious that was right in front of him."
Haley looked up, and gave him a genuine smile, as he enveloped her into a hug. "Thanks Nathan. That must be the nicest thing anyone's said to me in a while." She let out a small laugh.
Then, trying to lighten up the mood, Haley smacked him on the arm. "Now, Let's get back to cooking, mister."
Nathan shook his hand and smiled, watching her under go a mood change in less than a minute. He spoke up after 5 minutes of silence. "So, where is he anyway? I thought you guys were getting things back on track."
Haley sighed, dropping her knife. "Honestly, Nathan, I wish we could, because I hate to give up so easily, but I've come to accept the fact that things just aren't the same anymore."
She paused, as Nathan nodded slowly in understanding and waited for her to continue. "Oh, and he's at some business trip. I'm almost shocked that he at least had the courtesy to leave me a note." She laughed bitterly and rolled her eyes, reaching over to grab a peeler.
"It was like a sentence long," she continued, "No I'll miss you, I love you, I'm sorry about informing you through a note. It wasn't even signed Love Lucas," she spat sarcastically. "But then again, what does it matter? I should've known he wouldn't have changed so easily. My fault for believing a few sweet words and thinking things could go back to the way they were."
Nathan listened quietly, careful not to interrupt her as she let her frustration out.
"But you know what, I don't even feel like wasting my time talking about him anymore," she decided, drastically changing the subject, "So what're we going to do tonight?"
"It's okay to care, you know," he assured her.
"Nathan, I really don't want to talk about it," Haley stated, pleading with her eyes.
Nathan sighed. "Well if you ever need to talk…"
"I know," she smiled at him. "So, plans? Tonight?"
"Uh, I thought we'd just be having dinner here?"
Haley scrunched up her nose. "I'm so sick of eating my own food…"
"So let's go out for dinner," Nathan proposed.
Haley raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "You know it's really not proper to ask out married women on dates," she said playfully, turning on the stove, and grabbing a pan out of the cupboard.
Nathan looked flustered for a minute. "No-o…I meant…well I meant that…well you know what I meant-"
Haley laughed, smiling. "Relax, Nate, I was kidding."
"Oh," he said relieved. "Yeah, I definitely knew that."
"Now, back to making lunch." She dumped the variety of vegetables into the pan and handed Nathan cucumbers to chop up.
He groaned. "You know I can do other things than cut vegetables…"
…
"Are you serious Nathan?!" Haley exclaimed, after hearing him confess that he had never seen Casablanca.
"As serious as a heart attack," he blatantly replied. "It's just not my kind of movie."
"Nathan! Oh my goodness." Haley put a hand to her chest trying to digest the information. "It's a classic! Everybody has seen it."
Nathan shrugged. "Apparently not."
"We are so watching it together. Gosh, what a disgrace. I can't believe I'm eating dinner with someone that has never seen Casablanca! Oh my goodness," she repeated.
Nathan laughed quietly. "You're not going to leave me alone until I watch it, huh?"
Haley nodded. "If you thought anything else, I'd say you were seriously delusional."
Nathan shook his head, taking a bite out of his cheese ravioli.
"So this was a good idea," Haley stated after a moment of silence, sipping her 2nd glass of wine, and reaching for a garlic knot to pop in her mouth.
Nathan nodded, chewing the food in his mouth thoroughly before speaking. "Yeah, I mean I am pretty good company."
Haley rolled her eyes. "I should've known."
Nathan smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Simply stating the truth."
Haley groaned. "How do you get off being so cocky?"
Nathan grinned. "It's simple, I'm not."
"Oh, goodness. I can't argue with you," Haley decided. "So what do you have planned after this?" she asked casually, a split second later.
Nathan coughed. "I was supposed to have something planned?"
"Or we can just do whatever." Haley shrugged. "But, since you're the one that asked me to go out with you…"
…
"Nathan! No way!" Haley crossed her arms firmly, refusing to budge from the passenger seat of Nathan's red Lexus. "I can't believe this, ugh. I'm not moving."
"Hales, what's the big deal?"
"That!" she practically screamed, pointing towards the building they were right in front of. "I'm not stepping in there on a Friday night, where it's going to be super crowded, and totally embarrassing myself. No way."
"C'mon, it can't possibly be that bad."
"Oh, Nathan. You have no idea. No idea, I tell you." Haley shook her head again.
"Haley…"
"Ugh, I can't believe you even had the nerve to bring me here!"
"I didn't think there was anything wrong-," he defended.
"Wrong! You didn't think there was anything wrong? This is like the worst possible thing you could've done."
"Haley, I had no idea, but now that we're here, we might as…"
"No! I already told you that I'm not going in. Gosh, you do not know the embarrassing events that have taken place here." Haley shuddered thinking about it. "I already told you I'm not stepping foot in there, Nathan."
"All the more reason to make new memories. I've never heard someone fuss so much about going into a bowling alley."
"That's because you haven't seen me bowl," she put her hands up in frustration. "What don't you understand about 'I don't want to go'?"
Nathan sighed. "C'mon. Just give it a try. I promise it won't be that bad."
"And the shoes are so ugly too, not to mention I'm wearing a dress…"
"A pretty nice-"
"Nathan. Do not complete that sentence if you know what's good for you."
"Hales-" Nathan started again.
Haley turned to look at him, and almost burst out laughing at the sight of Nathan's face, but went right back to the face she was holding earlier. "Fine." She pursed her lips together, and stalked out of the car, demonstrating she wasn't happy with it at all.
Nathan grinned and hopped out of the drivers seat, locking the car.
"But you totally owe me for this," she stated, as Nathan held the door open for her.
"Of course."
…
Haley rolled her eyes looking at Nathan trying his hardest not to laugh but failing miserably, walking back to their spot after her 2nd turn.
"Maybe I should've listened to you," he said, bursting into another round of laughter.
Haley rolled her eyes again. "You-" she wagged a finger at him, "are the one that forced me to come in here, and now your laughing at me!" she exclaimed, sitting down.
Nathan wiped a tear from his eye from laughing so hard. "Haley, when you said you were bad…I expected no spares and strikes, but I never imagined you wouldn't be able to knock down a single pin," he managed to say before laughing again.
Haley pursed her lips. "I'm not playing again. I want to go home," she stated.
"C'mon Hales, I'll teach you." Nathan held out his hand, which she hesitantly accepted.
He led her over to the lane with a bowling ball in one hand, and the other on her waist. Haley tried to ignore the shiver that went up her body, and the goose bumps on her stomach from his lingering touch.
"So first you need to-" Nathan started explaining techniques, while Haley dozed off, looking at his face. His lips were moving, but she could barely hear anything as he gestured to the ball and the lane. He had a really nice face structure, which she hadn't really noticed before. His skin looked soft, with a few stubs of hair growing in from his last shave. His usually gelled hair was left free today, looking soft enough to run her hands through.
"Haley? Earth to Haley?" Nathan waved a hand in front of her face, shaking her out of her trance.
"Huh-oh sorry. I dozed off." She shrugged sheepishly.
"Ok, as I was saying, you need to find the perfect spot to stand in. Since your short, stand about 2 to 3 inches behind the lane." He led her back a few steps. "Then hold the ball, but not too tightly, as if you're afraid to drop it." He handed her the ball, which she took. "Then just let it go slowly, not placing it too high, but just mere inches off the lane…right there." He positioned her arm, "and now, just let it go."
Haley braced herself as she let the ball go, and it moved straight through the center knocking off all the pins but two.
"Oh my gosh," she screamed, jumping up and down. "I actually hit some pins." She clapped her hands giddily, while Nathan grinned.
"See? I told you it wasn't that bad."
I really hope I didn't dissapoint. I love writing Naley banter. lol. So you guys know what to do...the next chapter is nearly finished, I'll have it up as soon as possible.
xx
Sneha
