SOOO SORRRY for the lack of updates, been busy and had a case of the writers block but I'm back and ready to go lol :) Here's the newest chapter...and I think this is my favorite story to write...just because I can go a lot of different ways with it :)
I hope ya'll didn't loose interest because I really enjoy writing this :)
Reviews are love so let me know if you want me to continue!!!
- Bethie
"I'm not sure about this last part..." Haley sat on Nathan's couch, writing in the notebook that had become glued to her side. It had been about a month since her meeting with Whitey. The studio time went great and Whitey wanted at least five originals from Haley before he was willing to sign anything long term.
Nathan walked out of the bedroom, wearing a pair of gym shorts and a t-shirt slung over his shoulder, "For the millionth time, it's FINE..." He leaned over the couch and kissed the top of her head, "I'll be back in a little while..."
Haley's head never lifted from the words she was writing, "K...have fun..."
Nathan amusingly shook his head, over the past few weeks Haley had been spending more and more time at his place. Something he cherished, even with his marriage to Rachel...they never had the moments of simplicity. Haley would wait for him to get back from the courts, usually with dinner made or dinner ordered. It was the those moments where he looked at her and knew this was the woman he would someday spend the rest of his life with.
Moments when she would pick off his plate and barely eat anything on hers. Moments where when she opened the newspaper she immediatly handed him the sports section without thinking. Moments of normalcy.
With Rachel, he never had that. Even though they had a basketball hoop outside their house, she wouldn't be willing to bring him a glass of water. Rachel wasn't a bad wife, Rachel wasn't a bad person, she just wasn't the woman to think of things like that.
At times Nathan found himself drenched with guilt. Guilt that he didn't miss his dead wife in the way that others thought he should. Rachel and his marriage was exactly what he thought he wanted. Was what he thought a marriage was suppose to be. He grew up in a house where marriage was more of a business deal then anything having to do with love.
As his relationship had grown with Haley they had managed to keep it a secret to those close to them, except of course for Lucas, Peyton and Brooke. A few of his teammates had caught on though and caused him a bit of grief, but they didn't understand the relationship between he and Rachel had just turned to pain. Pain that everytime he thought of Rachel he saw infidelity, lies and heartache.
He would never get the chance to understand his wife's actions and with Haley by his side, he found no need to understand anymore. His grandmother always used to say that "things happen for a reason" and he never thought those words to be truer.
No. He wished everyday that Rachel didn't have to die for him to realize that, but in her death he was brought the best gift. Hope.
He walked out the front door, glancing one last time at the blonde occuping his couch and smiled before closing the door.
About an hour later, Haley finally broke herself from her notebook. Walking into the kitchen she opened the fridge to grab a bottle of water. Closing the door she noticed the strip of pictures, held up by a magnet. She immediately smiled when she saw Nathan sticking out his tongue towards her ear...
"Stop it!" Haley giggled.
Nathan pulled her closer, "Oh come on, these are suppose to be funny..."
The two sat in the small booth at the street fair. They had been walking back from a movie when they stumbled across it. Nathan grabbed her hand dragging her towards the booth as soon as it came into view.
"They'resuppose to be SWEET!" Haley emphasized.
"Oh, I can be sweet..." Catching Haley off guard he pulled her into a kiss as the last flash went off.
Haley's daydream was interrupted by the knocking coming from the front door. She playfully ruled her eyes as she ran to the door, "Did you forget your key agai-" She stopped.
Nathan was not the one standing before her. She silently cursed herself and made a mental note to stop speaking before she knew who was behind the other side of a door. Her brow furrowed in confusion, "Sorry, can I help you?"
In front of her stood an older couple, mid 50's, the woman pretty much glaring at her in shock, "Is this Nathan Scott's apartment?
Haley took notice of the snobbishness of the woman's tone, "Yes...Yes it is. Can I help you?" Haley asked again.
The woman snidely reached out her hand, "I'm Marian Gattina...." She looked Haley up and down, "..and you must be the woman screwing my daughters husband."
Twenty minutes later the three still sat in an uncomfortable silence. Haley took the chair across the room from the couch as Nathan's mother-in-law stared her down and the father looked off in an uninterested bliss. Marian looked at her watch for the hundreth time, "And you say you're expecting him anytime?"
Haley faked a smile, in midst of biting her nails, "Yup...any minute.....god willing." She mumbled the last part under her breath. That dream of standing in a crowded room completely naked, Haley longed for that.
The sound of keys in the door made Haley's heart jump, "Thank god." She silently thought.
"Hales...I was thinking instead of a movie we cou-" Nathan stopped in his tracks when he walked into the living room, the basketball that once occupied his hand fell to the floor, "Mr. and Mrs. Gattina!" He could feel the color leave his face, "Wh-What are you doing here?"
The couple stood and for the first time Haley heard the man speak, "Good to see you Nate."
Marian shot her husband a glare, before fixing her skirt, "Well...we spoke with your mother and she gave us your new address...John had business and we thought we'd pay a visit."
Nathan had no words. This had to be a dream.
Marian continued and made her way towards him, "We should have called...but we didn't think you'd have..." She moved her eyes towards Haley, "company." The last word left her mouth filled with disdain.
Haley reached over to the coffee table, grabbed her notebook and headed towards the door, "I should go."
"Haley.."
Haley brushed past him, "No it's fine...I have some- I have to go." With that she was gone.
Nathan hung his head a little, not knowing what to say.
John Gattina broke the silence, "She seems nice."
Marian sent her husband yet another glare and Nathan just shook his head.
Haley slammed the door to her and Brooke's apartment and began a mini-hissy fit.
Brooke turned from the dress she was hemming to her roommate, "Whoa...I'm on it" She immediately rose from her seat and ran to the kitchen.
Haley made her way to the couch and collapsed, putting her face in her hands, "That did NOT just happen."
Quickly after Brooke emerged with a tub of ice cream and two spoons, "Thank god I went to the store today..." She held a spoon out to Haley.
Haley waved her away, "I don't want any."
Brooke stood frozen, "Ok...I don't know what to do with that. This is what we do...we get sad...the ice cream makes it all better..." She began waving the spoon vigorously, "It's Cookie-dough..." She added in a childlike tone.
"Brooke this is BEYOND ice cream..."
Brooke stopped and simply stated, "Ok I don't even know who you are right now..."
"I met her parents..." Haley snatched a spoon from her friends hand.
"Who's parents?"
Haley opened the carton of ice cream and grabbed a big scoop, "Rachel's..."
"Rachel? Who the hell is Rach- OH!"
Haley answered with a mouth full of ice cream, "Ya OH..."
"What'd you do?"
"I SAT there..."
"You...SAT..there?"
"Ya, what exactly did you want me to do!?"
"I don't know but...really you just sat there?"
"No Brooke we opened a game of monopoly and talked about our life aspirations!"
Brooke scooped a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth, "Note to self...Haley's a bit pissy..."
"I'm not pissy Brooke...I'm mortified! Do you even understand the way they looked at me!? They looked at me like I was some kind of dirty mistress-"
"Well they have their facts a little-"
"Brooke!"
"What!? I'm just saying..."
Haley collapsed farther onto the couch, "These were just two people I never wanted to have to meet..."
"Damn it..." Brooke looked down at her tank top that was now covered in ice cream. She began trying to wipe it off when a knock on the door was heard.
Brooke continued to try to clean the mess off of as she opened the door, "Can I-" She stopped when she saw the man infront of her. She took a deep breath and just looked to the ceiling, "You have GOT to be kidding me!"
"So Nathan...how are things?" Marian inquired.
Nathan sat in the chair where Haley had been, nervously rubbing his hands together, "Ah-There going."
"We got a little worried...we hadn't heard from you since the-" Marian cleared her through, "..since the funeral."
"Ya I've been meaning to call-"
"Well you've been busy..." Marian took a sip of the coffee Nathan had given her.
Nathan's annoyance began to build at his ex mother-in-laws remarks, but he continued to let them roll of his back. He cleared his throat and turned his attention to John, "So Mr. Gattina how's business?"
"Good Nate...good. The Ad Agency has slowed a bit but...we're still going..."
"That's good to hear. I was-"
Marian's voice overpowered Nathans, "So Nathan, who...who was your little friend."
Nathan looked to his feet before answered, "Her name is Haley..."
"Ah, well...You guys seem to be serious...her answering your door and all." Marian slyly smiled.
"Yes-Yes...we're getting there."
There was an awkward moment of silence before Marian spoke again, "She seems...very-"
Now it was Nathan's turn to interrupt, "Very what Marian?" His voice fueled by irritation.
Marian was taken aback by his tone, in all the years she had known Nathan Scott he had never called her by her first name, "Nothing Nathan I was just trying to say-"
Nathan stood, "Ya I know exactly what you were trying to say and...you just better not."
Marian rose to meet him, "Well if you want to be frank I just find it a little unsettling to see you moving on so quickly."
"Well to be frank, I don't care what unsettles you."
"Nathan. There's no need to be rude."
He ran an aggravated hand through his hair, "Rude, Marian? I'm sorry that this isn't easy for you. I wouldn't expect it to be. But..."
Now it was John's turn to rise from the couch, "Nate..."
"No Mr. Gattina...I'm sorry but I won't sit hear and be pressured to feel guilty about the decisions I've made."
Marian crossed her arms, "All I'm saying is that I think we deserve a little explanation."
Nathan let out a devilish chuckle, "You deserve an explanation!?" He instantly stopped, "No I deserve an explanation...for a lot of things that I will never GET an explanation to!"
"I understand you're grievi-"
"No! You don't get it...I'm NOT grieving!" Nathan took a deep breath to calm himself before looking back at the people he once though of as family, "I loved your daughter. You know that. But there are also things that you have no idea about..."
Marian grabbed her jacket from the couch, "No Nathan...there is only one thing I don't know...I don't know how a man can loose a wife and have a live in girlfriend in less than six months...that is one thing I don't know!" Marian began walking towards the door, "Come on John..."
Nathan was about to shout out to them to stop. Stop so he can explain everything about Rachel's affair. About how he met Haley. About how he wasn't the guy that would disrespect their daughters memory by moving on the way he had.
But by proving that he would still be disrespecting the memory they had of their daughter. For him they didn't need to know about Rachel's infidelities and flaws, for him he figured the loss of respect he would endure would be worth the cost of them keeping their daughters perfection.
For that he just watched them leave.
Let me know! :)
And for you Brooke fans, in the upcoming chapters she won't JUST be the comic relief :) She's gonna have a storyline lol :)
- Bethie