Summary: Two months didn't seem like a lot to some people, but to Nathan and Haley, two months felt like two years.
Disclaimer: I don't own OTH, Coach, the Bobcats or the Raptors.
"Nathan Scott goes for the three-pointer, the Bobcats tied with the Raptors. Nathan Scott shoots, 3 POINTS! The Bobcats win their eighth game of the season!" The commentator exclaimed.
"Yaaaaaaaaaaay!" Jamie shouted, jumping on the couch as if it was a trampoline. Haley's smile widened with Nathan's as his teammates englufed him, slapping his back and giving him high-fives. Haley would have given her right arm to be one of those guys, getting to touch Nathan, even if it was for a fraction of a second from a high-five. But then again, those guys weren't the ones that stayed up from 10:00 pm until 3:00 am talking to Nathan on the phone. Once Jamie was fast asleep, Haley would call Nathan, and almost every single night since he had left, they had talked until the wee hours of the morning.
"Nathan," she would say, muffling yawns with her hand. "You have a game tomorrow. No, you have a game today. It's two am babe. We should really stop talking."
Nathan would smile at his wife's rationale, but would never want to hang up. "Are you trying to get off the phone with me, James? That hurts."
"How can you even joke at this hour? I'm about to pass out." She would say, yawning loudly just to prove Nathan a point.
"Okay, okay. I guess I should get some sleep too. Clay's glaring at me anyways." Nathan sighed. He always hated hanging up with her. "I kinda like you, you know that right?"
Haley would smile at Nathan's jokes, always meant to make her smile. "Yup. I'm warming up to you too."
They would say their goodnights, er, goodmornings, their "I love you"'s, and hang up. And every single night, the same process occured. It had been two months since Nathan had left, and his next game was in Charlotte, where Haley and Jamie were going to stay in his and Clay's house they had there. The two of them until they could finally see Nathan. Two months didn't seem like a lot to some people, but to Nathan and Haley, two months felt like two years. Haley would get really lonley at some points, even stooping so slow as to crying herself to sleep some nights after her and Nathan had hung up. She never knew if Nathan was feeling the same emptiness without her with him, but she felt his absence down to her core.
"Mom! When can I start packing for our trip to Charlotte?" Jamie exclaimed, grabbing his mother's hands, motioning for her to jump up and down with him.
"At. The. End. Of. The. Week. Jame." Haley said inbetween jumps. Her and Jamie stopped in unison, both laughing while gasping for air after their mini-workout.
"Okay," Jamie sighed. "I have to wait until Friday?"
"Yup. We're going from Friday to Sunday bud." Haley said, patting Jamie's bum as they made their way up the stairs. Jamie stood in the doorframe of his bedroom.
"Okay. Goodnight momma," Jamie said, hugging Haley.
"Love you Jame." She whispered, kissing his forehead. Haley sprinted to her bedroom, her phone already in her hands. She sat down on her bed, and as she was just about to call Nathan, she got a text from him instead.
Hey. Can't talk tonight. Srry.Haley raised her eyebrow at Nathan's crypitc message. She checked over it a couple times, making sure there was atleast an "I love you" or a "Goodnight" or something. But nope, only 5 simple words, one of them being a short form of a word, and one of them using an apostrophe. She knew she couldn't take this personally, a lot of things got misinterpreted over text. He could be busy with press, or with a post-game speech from his coach. She would talk to him in the morning.
***The next morning
The next morning, Haley woke up with a weird sense of vertigo. She sat up in her bed, instincively moving her hands to Nathan's side of the bed. She felt the cool bed sheets as the previous days events came rushing back into her memory. Her and Nathan hadn't spoke last night. Haley checked her phone to see one missed alert. She opened it to read a text that Nathan had sent her earlier that morning.
Don't try to call me today."What the..." Haley trailed off, trying to come up with reasons for Nathans weird behaviour. She put her phone down, her heart sinking inspite of herself. She poured herself a cup of coffee and looked out the window, the sun rising above the horizon. Another beep came from her phone as her gaze fixed on the screen.
G' Morning Tutor Mom! wanna bring Jamie to COverB today? Julian wants to show him some movie equiptment since Jamie showed an interest in being a director whe Julian was still making his and Alex's movie. Text me back, xoxoxo.Haley sighed. At least someone had wished her a good morning. She typed back to Brooke slowly.
Yeah, sure. Jamie would love that. I'll bring him by after school.
Her phone buzzed almost immediately after.
No need, I'll just swing by and pick him up after. Have a good day, love you Tutor Mom. 3333.Haley put down her phone, too confused and hurt to type back an "I love you" unless it was to Nathan. She heard someone bouncing down the stairs, so she turned her head to see Quinn looking quite chipper.
"It's 6:50 am, why are you awake?" Haley asked. Quinn was known for sleeping in until at least 2:00 pm. The two sisters usually used it as a punch line, calling it "teenage girl syndrome".
Quinn hopped over to Haley, taking a seat beside her. "Because you and me are going shopping today!" She exclaimed. Haley's eyes widened at her sister's suggestion. "Come on Hales. I know that you and I have been in a weird funk lately without Nathan or Clay here. I mean, we're crossing the two month mark, and it's hard. And with the," Quinn lowered her voice, "baby, it's especially hard on you. But shopping is fun, and I think it will put you in a better mood!" Quinn flashed her one million dollar smile, and before Haley knew it, she was in the Tree Hill shopping mall with Quinn by her side, holding atleast 4 bags.
"Oooooh, Coach! I love this store, come on Hales!" Quinn exclaimed, grabbing Haley's hand. Haley sighed, checking her phone for the 100th time that hour. Still no word from Nathan. Quinn dragged her into the store, where Haley immediately went to sit down on the couch, a trick she had learned after the first 5 stores they entered that day.
"Look at this purse. Oh I have just got to have this one!" Haley heard Quinn gush. She checked her phone clock. 4:00 pm. They had officially been shopping for 7 hours.
"Quinney, I'm really tired, can we please go home?" Haley called from the couch, too lazy to stand up. Quinn checked her phone quickly before responding to Haley.
"Not for another half an hour!" She said, way too enthusiastic. She kept on smiling at Haley to the point that Haley had to look away.
"Why are you smiling at me all creepy?" Haley laughed, her hand covering her face. She watched Quinn do a little twirl before smiling cutely at her.
"You'll see."
Haley raised an eyebrow at Quinn, but Quinn ignored it, choosing to run over to another purse instead, asking the lady who worked there a question about it. Haley shook her head, looking down at her phone. A new message had arrived from Nathan.
Hey. Sry, I had press.Haley huffed, shoving her phone in her purse. Nathan had specifically told her not to contact him that day, so she was going to follow his rules.
"Hey, you ready to go?" Quinn asked, holding a large Coach purcahse bag. Haley peered inside and saw 3 Coach bags stuffed in.
"You do know how much Coach bags cost, right?" Halry clarified.
"Coming from the girl who's husband gets at least twenty million dollars a year."
Haley flinched. "Ugh, don't mention Nathan right now."
Quinn became concerned. Haley was usually the one to want to talk about her husband. "Why not?" She tapped her finger against her temple for a second. "Oh, I get it. You miss him so much that you don't even want to hear his name, I understand. Only one more week, Hales. You can do it."
Haley shook her head. "No no. He's just been acting weird lately. Like he doesn't want to talk to me? I don't know, I guess I shouldn't be taking it personally. I'm over thinking it too much."
Quinn touched her sisters arm. "He loves you Hales."
Haley sighed. "I know."
"Okay, let's go to one more store!" Quinn siad, sticking her index finger in Haley's face. Haley groaned.
"Argh, okay."
Quinn and Haley left Coach, Haley trailing behind Quinn. She saw Quinn check her phone at least 3 times in one minute.
"Someone's popular." Haley obsereved. Quinn looked over her shoulder at Haley, looking startled. She quickly put her hand over her phone screen, her eyes wide, as if she just got caught commiting a crime.
"What? Oh, uh, yeah, sure, haha," Quinn said nervously. Haley eyed her sister suspicoiusly. What was she up to?
"Mmmm. Do you smell that, Hales? The food court. Let's get something to eat!" Quinn exclaimed, her demeanor completley changing from a couple seconds ago. She towed Haley to the food court, and sat her down at a table. Her eyes scanned the area before landing on something. Haley turned to see what she was staring at, but Quinn started speaking before she had a chance to see who or what she was looking at.
"Okay, you stay here, and I'll go get us something."
Haley noddedd her head. "And then we can go home?"
Quinn smiled that creepy smile again. "Yes, we can." She piveted towards the food selections before Haley had a chance to question her again. Haley, dazed and confused, checked her phone once again. No new message.
"Two freaking months apart, and all of a sudden, silence." Haley whispered under her breath. "Unbelievable."
Even though on the outside, Haley was clearly angry with Nathan, she didn't show the hurt that was spreading through her body. Why wasn't he talking to her? What did she do wrong? If he didn't call her that night, she would, with out a doubt, call him.
Haley sat there, trying to find Quinn in the crowds of people. She never noticed, but the food court was awfully crowded. She tried to find the source of the crowd, her gaze landing on a large herd circulating around a table. She squatted up from her chair, trying to get a better look at who was getting all this attention. The crowd moved it's way around the food court, as if the person in the middle was trying to move to a certain spot. The cluster of people inched closer and closer to Haley, until they were no more than two feet away from her.
And then she heard his voice, frustrated and impatient, but still recognizable - only to her.
"Yes, hello everybody. I really appreciate all of you guys, and I thank you for your support, but I'd really like to see my wife right now. She's literally right infront of me. I haven't seen her in over two months." Nathan shouted over the cries from screaming fan girls and the "woots" from the boys. Haley's eyes widened, her heart pounded strongly in her chest. She stood up, but was still a head shorter than half the crowd. She cursed her short genetics as she decided to bravely stand up on her chair shakily, trying to get a better view of Nathan.
On the chair, she towered over everyone.
"NATHAN!" She shouted, her hands cupping over her lips. Nathan's head whipped up at the sound of his wife's perfect voice.
"Hales!" He exclaimed, pushing through his hyperactive fans. He quickly made his way to Haley, standing infront of her as she was still firmly planted on the chair. He put is hands securely around her waist and pulled her down into his chest, spinning her around.
"God, I missed you so much, Hales," he whispered in her ear, kissing any visible part of her skin. Haley buried her face into his chest, a few tears squeezing out of her eyes.
"Your texts?" She mumbled, moving her face infront of his. He wiped the few tears that were tumbling down her cheeks, smiling at her.
"Were to throw you off," he winked. He smiled over at Quinn, who had her arm wrapped around Clay.
"Thanks for keeping her distracted!" Nathan called out to Quinn, who acknowledged him by simply waving and kissing Clay on the cheek.
"So you don't hate me?" Haley whispered tearfully when Nathan turned his attention back to her. When he heard her words, his eyes went from horrified, to angry, to soft, pulling Haley's head into his shoulder again so talking in her ear was easier.
"Hate you? Silly girl. I could never hate you, even if I tried. It took all my will power to not text or call you last night or this morning. Clay had to take my phone and put it in his pillowcase. I have about 12 drafts of me saying 'I love you', that Clay cancelled before they had a chance to send. I love you, Haley, don't ever doubt that."
Haley pulled back, her eyes bloodshot. She rested her chin on Nathan's shoulder, well aware that he hadn't set her down yet. She peeked at the mob that used to surround Nathan. They were all standing around the couple, taking pictures and "awwing". Haley blushed as she felt Nathan's index finger pulling her face towards his, only to capture hers in a sweet kiss, a kiss they hadn't shared in two long months. Haley wrapped her arms around Nathan's neck, toying with his short hair as Nathan set Haley on the ground, lengthining their kiss. They wouldn't have stopped for a while unless they heard Clay shout out, "Hey, get a room!"
Nathan pulled back from Haley reluctantly, glaring at Clay. Haley laughed into his chest, moving her arms to wrap around his torso. She peered up at him, her eyes glossy.
"I missed you."
Nathan's pure blue eyes bore into hers as he kissed her forehead. He wanted to ask about the baby, but with all the people surrounding them, it was probably a bad idea. So instead, he took her hand, squeezing it before they faced the swarm of crazy fans.
***At Home
Nathan and Haley sat on their living room couch, Nathan's arm hanging loosley around Haley's shoulder. His fingers played with her hair, causing shivers through her spine. Clay and Quinn sat across from them on their other couch, their position simliar.
"So, tell me again why you're at home now?" Haley asked, looking up at Nathan.
"Well, the Bobcats didn't have a game this whole week, and instead of sitting in Charlotte, doing nothing for a whole week, Clay and I decided to take a road trip to Tree Hill." Nathan explained, smiling at Haley.
"You should have heard him, Hales," Clay said, sighing heavily. "If we weren't talking about basketball, it was all 'I wonder how Haley's doing?' or, 'Should I call her? Maybe I'm annoying her if I do. She's probably busy anyways', I swear, it's like we were in highschool and he was going on a first date with a girl or something. And at night, after you two hung up from your like, 5 hour phone calls, he would sometimes -"
"CLAY, I think we've heard enough." Nathan raised his voice, giving Clay a warning look. Clay smiled sweetly at Nathan, taking a sip of his beer. Haley eyed Nathan, but decided to not push the answer out of him, it would just get him worked up. The four of them sat in comfortable silence for a couple minutes until they heard the front door open. Jamie came walking in, still wearing his school backpack at 7:00 pm.
"Hey bud," Haley said cautiously, waiting for Jamie's reaction to having Clay and Nathan home. Jamie looked around at the room, his gaze landing on Nathan, then Clay, then back to Nathan.
"DAD!" Jamie shrieked, launching himself onto the couch. Nathan moved his arm from around Haley to his son, catching him just in time. He kissed his head, messing up his hair as he patted his head.
"Hey, Jame! I missed you!" Nathan enthused, hugging his son.
"I missed you too!" Jamie turned his head to see Clay. "Uncle Clay!" Jamie exclaimed with the same exctiedness in his voice. He attacked Clay the same way he did Nathan, causing laughs from everyone. Nathan looked down at Haley, watching her smile and laugh. Man, he missed her.
***That night
"Oh man, what a day!" Haley exclaimed, throwing herself on her and Nathan's bed. Nathan came in after her, closing their door softly. After Jamie came in and said his hello's, they all talked about Nathan's succesful second basketball season so far, Haley's music, and Jamie's school. Soon, it was 9:00 pm, and Jamie unwillingly went to bed, being promised that Nathan would be there when he woke up. He was there the whole week.
"How many stores did Quinn drag you to anyways?" Nathan asked, climbing onto the bed to join Haley. Her body was sprawled out, covering three-quarters of the bed. "Uh, a little room," Nathan laughed.
"Oh, sorry. I'm used to only one person being in this bed," Haley chuckled, re-positioning her body so she could lie against Nathan's rock hard abs. "Oh, and about 50 stores?"
"Overexaggeration?" Nathan mumbled in Haley's hair, smiling. Haley shook her head.
"Hmm. Okay maybe a little. But it felt like 50. Especially with this one," Haley pointed to her stomach.
"How is she, anyways?" Nathan asked, angling Haley's face up to his.
"She or he is great. I've had three appointments since you've left, and I actually have one this week, so you can come." Haley said, her eyes dancing with happiness. Nathan mirrored her gladness, kissing Haley shortly.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Nathan promised, playing with Haley's hair. "So, how's it been in this large, empty bed?"
"Cold." Haley responded automatically, chuckling sadly at how pathetic that sounded. "And lonley." Okay, not much better on the pathetic meter.
"Mhhm?" Nathan hummed, his eyes closing sleepily as he rested his head on top of Haley's.
"Yeah," she replied, smiling up at her sweet husband. 24 hours ago, Haley sat cold and lonley in this bed. Now, she lay in Nathan's warmth, his scent intoxicating her mind. 24 hours ago, Haley was confused and hurt about Nathan. Now, their feelings were mutual and crystal clear. His love for her was undeniable and unconditional, as hers was for him. A lot can change in 24 hours.
"Well I think I can fix that," Nathan murmured, pulling the blankets over them, moving Haley's body so she was unshakebly wrapped in his arms. He pulled her lips up to his, kissing her warmly before Haley slowly drifted off into a deep slumber. Nathan was dead tired, but he forced himself to stay awake, loving to watch his wife sleep. They way her chest rose and fell at the same tempo, how she kept a small smile on her perfect lips all through the night.
"I love you." He whispered almost unaudible before sleep took over his body.
With Nathan's strong arms around Haley, and Haley's tiny frame enclosed in those arms, the couple had the best sleep they both had in two months.
Woot. Another chapter complete. Exams suck, and studying takes up the precious time I have to write this, but exams are inevitable, so I really gotta buckle down and study in the next couple of days, so chapter 9 may not be out for a couple of days, sorry!
Also, I need your guys' help! This is going to sound lame, but I don't know what sex to make Nathan and Haley's baby! Suggestions are open! I know a lot of people are going to say a girl, but I just want some opinions. (: Also, sorry for making this two months in advance! *runs and hides* Thanks for reading!