Disclaimer; I still do not own anything
Chapter Fourteen
Haley stopped and glanced around the empty room. It looked completely different, now that all of her stuff was gone, and all that was left was the furnitures. It was going to be weird never coming back here again. This place held a lot of memories, both good and bad. Unfortunately, the bad ones had emerged back to the surface, now that Damian was back in town, after her finally being able to let them somewhat go and move on. However, all in all, most of her memories were all good from the years she'd been staying in this apartment. And that was what she was going to try and focus on now, well that, and the future of course.
She had spent most of the morning, packing her stuff into boxes, and throwing away the stuff she didn't need anymore. She had finished in her bedroom, the bathroom and most of the stuff in the kitchen was packed. But she still hadn't touched the living room.
She turned and walked into the bathroom, just to check one last time that she hadn't forgotten anything in there. When she saw it was cleared she went back out to her bed and grabbed one of the boxes standing on top of it, and carried it out to the living room. She placed it on the floor next to the other boxes she had packed and labelled, all ready to go. She silently sighed when she saw all the boxes she had to move out of there. She sure did have a lot of crap, and now she had to move all of it by herself. This was going to take all day, but she was eager to finish this now, while she actually had time to do it. At least she wanted to get all of her things and clothes ready and out today. She needed someone to help her with the furnitures, so she couldn't move those today anyway.
But more importantly, this kept her mind off of things, as she kept busy with going through all of her stuff. This was good, instead of hanging around the house all day by herself, thinking about Nathan and her other issues with Damian and work. Work. She wasn't that happy about work anymore, with his presence at the hospital. She would walk around all day, constantly worrying if she was going to bump into him, or if he would come to see her and torture her with his remarks and disturbing stares. It really sucked, because she loved her job. But now, he made her hate the place. And she hated him for depriving that away from her, and the way he made her feel, so uncomfortable and insecure. It was like he took away the one thing she was good at, and the one thing she loved doing the most. And if he didn't stop the psychological torture he was doing, she had to make a change before she went all crazy. Maybe she should start looking around for a job elsewhere? The thought had been in the back of her mind for a while now, but if she did change her job, then that would mean that he would win, again. He would still have the upper hand and control, like he always had with her, and she didn't want that anymore. She wanted to fight back and take control over her own life again and her own mind. But it was hard, it was all hard. Especially with Nathan away most of the time, making her feel scared and alone when she was around in the house.
Her mind kept wandering while she boxed the rest of the stuff in the living room, and carried them out to the car a little later. She was glad she had Nathan's SUV, because it looked like she would be able to get all the boxes in the car and make it with a single trip.
She smiled happily as she carried the last box down to the car and placed it in the backseat. She closed the door and let out a satisfied sigh. Now she could finally drive back to the house and start unpacking. She felt a tingle in her stomach as she climbed into the car behind the steering wheel. This was it, she was finally making it real. From now on she would actually live under the same roof with Nathan. They would share everything, see each other every single day when Nathan wasn't away. It was almost surreal, but all the feelings that ran through her body right now, told her that this was in fact happening. She had the biggest grin on her face as she pulled out from the parking lot, and turned towards the house, their house.
Nathan glanced lazily around while twisting the bottle around in his hand. He tapped his foot up and down as he noticed a couple in the corner at the other side of the room, practically having sex with each other. The guy had his hand far up the girls dress, which had ridden up her thighs so he could almost see her panties. He smiled and rolled his eyes as he took a big gulp of his beer. What's wrong with getting a room, he thought and moved his gaze away from them and over to the dance floor. He could easily differentiate between the people who was here to hook up and who was here just to have some fun and dance. Some of the girls were practically acting like sluts, as they were grinding themselves all over the guys that had dared themselves out on the dance floor. But he figured they probably didn't mind. It wasn't that long ago, when he'd actually been one of those guys. He was one of those guys that went out to clubs and bars, trying to find an easy one night stand, and then just kick them out after he'd gotten what he wanted. But as he watched these people now, and saw how they acted, he seriously couldn't believe himself back then. Was he really that bad? He wasn't exactly proud of himself when he thought back at his past behavior. He softly shook his head and inwardly cringed at the thought. He was glad that he'd finally gotten another perspective on life, and that he now knew what he wanted with his future.
But what was even worse than the supposedly single guys on the dance floor, was the guys he saw with a ring on their fingers. They were scattered around the club, with a girl in their lap, which clearly was not their wives. How could anyone ever cheat on their wife? If what they had was so horrible, then why wouldn't they just end it, instead of going around behind their back like that, and most probably end up hurting them eventually? He could never understand people that were unfaithful.
He had always been a monogamous guy whenever he'd been in a relationship, no matter how bad it had been. Even though he'd never really been in love with any of them, he'd never cheated. He might've been close to being an ass in his younger days, but he was still a gentleman when it came to treating a girl the right way. The mental image of Haley entered his mind, and he smiled softly to himself. The girls in this bar had nothing compared to his girl. She was a natural beauty, and sexy as hell, but in a subtle way. He loved how unaware she was of her own beauty. He couldn't understand that she didn't see just how beautiful and sexy she really was. He loved to remind her all the time that she was, which always ended with her shyly brushing off the compliment and blushing like crazy. However, in his eyes, it actually made her even more sexy. And he could spend the rest of his life telling her that she looked sexy, he didn't have a problem with that. It's not like she had low self esteem or anything, but outward she was kind of shy, and she wasn't like other girls that constantly talked about their looks and appearances. She was simply being herself, and that was one of the things he'd noticed early about her, and one of the reasons why he fell in love with her.
He turned back around and faced the bar. He decided he was gonna finish this beer and then go back to his room when he noticed two girls at the other end of the bar, eyeing him up and down, and clearly discussing whether they should go over to him or not. He wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone right now, and especially not two young, drunk girls that was here for one reason, and one reason only.
Earlier that morning he'd been in Vegas dropping off a client and booked the weekend for Lucas and Brooke, before he'd headed to Boston, where he was now. He was supposed to pick up a guy right away and fly him to New York, but something had happened and he had to cancel the trip. So now, here he was, alone in the bar that was right next to the hotel he'd checked in to. And he was bored out of his mind. He could've just gone straight to New York, but after the early departure from Seattle this morning, he was beaten, and he needed to rest. He dragged his hand through his black, thick hair and let out a small yawn.
He was just about to take the last sip of his beer when he felt the phone vibrate in his pocket. He fished it out and saw his girlfriends face flash over the screen. He stared at her picture for a couple of seconds before he answered.
"Hey baby."
"Hi Nathan. What are you doing? There's a lot of noise in the background." She asked when she heard the loud music blasting through Nathan's phone.
"Oh, yeah. I'm just having a beer in the bar next to the hotel. I was just about to leave though. It's been a long day and I'm tired." He spoke up, so that Haley would hear what he was saying. He quickly downed the last sip of the beer and placed the money next to the empty bottle, before he got up and walked towards the exit.
"Boston? I thought you were going to be in New York tonight?" She was sure he'd told her that he was supposed to stay in Boston for like an hour or something before he had to continue to New York.
"I was, but the guy had to cancel the trip, because something came up. And I figured I might as well stay here for the night and get a good night sleep before I move on tomorrow morning." He stepped outside and the cool, frisk wind that hit him made him shiver. "What are you doing tonight?" He added and walked those few feet that was between the bar and the entrance of the hotel.
Haley was walking around in the living room, placing some of her stuff around to make it a little more homey. It's not that Nathan had bad taste when it came to interior and decorations, but he was still a guy, and there was a limited amount of ornaments and candles before she came into the picture. So a feminine touch would only brighten up the place. She smiled when she picked up a framed photo of Daniel and Sarah sitting on a swing-set at the playground, with Nathan behind them laughing at something.
"Actually, I've been packing and moving my stuff out of the apartment today, and now I'm unpacking." She paused for a second. "In our home." Her heart fluttered the second the words left her mouth.
Nathan pressed the elevator button in the lobby and felt his chest warm. "Our home." He spoke softly and let the words linger for a moment. "I like the sound of that." He smiled and stepped into the elevator when the doors opened. "But I would've helped you with all the boxes you know. Or you could've asked Lucas or Brooke to help you. I hope you didn't strain yourself."
"No it's okay. I wanted to get it over with, and besides, I was able to make it all in one trip. Well, except for the furnitures and the heavier stuff. That I saved for you." She smiled when she heard Nathan chuckle on the other end.
"You're too generous, Hales. Thank you." He chuckled softly. "I'll take care of it before I go to France. Did you give your notice to your landlord by the way?"
"Yes, I called him to let him know. And he told me to just leave the keys when I've moved everything out, and then let him know. He was really nice about it." She spoke and walked into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine.
"That's good. What about everything else? Are you okay being home alone? You sounded upset last night, and I'm sorry I was so out of it that I couldn't talk, but I'm listening now, if you still want to get it off your chest." He spoke softly as he locked himself into his room with the keycard. He heard her sigh and got a little worried.
"It's okay Nathan, that was my fault for calling you so late and waking you up. But I'm okay, kind of…" She trailed off and raised the glass to her lips and took a tiny sip before she continued. "It's just work…and…Damian." It was still hard to say his name out loud, especially when she was talking to Nathan about him, because she knew how much he hated him.
"What? Did he hurt you again?" Nathan halted in the middle of the room. His jaw was already clenching by the sound of that pricks name.
"No, he didn't hurt me. Not in a physical way at least. But I had to work with him yesterday, and I don't like the way he talks to me or looks at me. I feel really uncomfortable just being at the hospital knowing that he's also there, and that wherever I go, there's a chance of me bumping into him. The hospital isn't that big, and it's not like I can hide away all day." She sighed and sat down by the dining table, pulling her knees up close to her chest.
Nathan didn't like this at all. He felt the anger rise within himself when he heard her speak. He could picture that asshole checking out his girlfriend and look at her like a piece of meat, and that bothered him to no end. "What did he say to you Hales? Did he threaten you or something?"
"No, nothing like that. But it's his undertone when he talks to me and his intense stares that kind of scares me. And I'm almost sure that he thinks that I'm going to forgive him and let him back into my life. He always tries to touch me and stand too close to me, when no one is around, and he keeps telling me that he misses me and that I should just forget about the past. Or that I should just get over it, to more precise."
Nathan was fuming now. His body was shaking from the anger that boiled through his veins as Haley told him about Damian's behavior towards her. He wanted to get on the plane and go straight to that asshole and tell him to stay the hell away from her. He could hear in her voice that she was scared and unsure about the way he was behaving, and she was probably scared of being alone right now too. He breathed deeply and tried to control his anger, so that he didn't give Haley any additional stress and worries. There was nothing he could do about it from Boston anyway, so he just had to try and block it out the best he could. But what he wouldn't give, to be able to beat some sense into that jerk, just to let him know how things were supposed to be, if he was still going to be around. Of course, the optimal situation would've been if he could leave and never come back, but it didn't seem like that was going to happen any time soon.
He sat down at the edge of the bed and dragged his hand over his face.
"I'm sorry Hales. Is there anything I can do for you? Do you want me to come home? I can just ask Vince to take…" He started out, but was cut off by Haley.
"No, Nathan. You don't have to do that. I'm fine. I'll be fine. I don't have to work tomorrow either, and on Monday Peyton will come and stay here until you come back. So really, it's fine." She reasoned softly. Her heart rate picked up in speed by his consideration and care for her. Of course, she really wished he could be here, but she refused to be that helpless and needy. She could take care of herself, and she was safe in this house with the alarm system and locks on the doors.
"Are you sure? Because it wouldn't be a problem, really. I would come in a heartbeat if you asked me to. And I hate the idea of you being home all by yourself, when he's clearly in an unstable condition." He kept pushing for reassurance.
Haley smiled into the phone when she heard Nathan's worried tone. There was no wonder why she loved him so much. She suddenly felt a big ache in her chest. She wished he could've been here right now, just to hold her. She missed the physical contact of him, the feeling of his strong arms tightly around her, and the way he made her feel so safe, and most of all loved.
"It's okay, I lock the doors and I have the alarm if anything were to happen. But I don't even think he knows where I live right now either, so I don't think he's gonna be a problem. You don't have to worry about me, okay? I love you for it though." She spoke with a tiny pout on her face as the yearn for him increased.
"Okay, if you say so, then I'll stay put. But promise me you'll tell me right away if anything happens, okay? It doesn't matter what time of the day it is. In worst case, I'll get Lucas to come over and check on you." He sighed and paused. All he could think about was how much he wished he was home right now. This is what he'd come to hate about his job after he'd met Haley. The amount of time he had to be away from her, it was hard enough as it was, and this deal with Damian didn't make it any better. He had this nagging feeling that something was going to happen, and he didn't like it one bit.
"I promise I'll let you know if he tries something again. But I doubt that he will, so please don't worry any more than necessary." She spoke softly. "These next few days will probably fly by, and before you know it, you'll be home again. Just try to relax and get some sleep, I'm sure you must be tired from the long day you've had." She added in an attempt to turn the conversation over to something else, she didn't want to think about Damian anymore. She didn't want him to be the controlling subject of their frequent phone conversations. It just made her miss Nathan more than she already was.
"Yeah, you're right. I'll let it go, for now, I promise." He smiled tiredly into the phone. "So what does your day look like tomorrow? Do you have any plans?" He asked and let out a small yawn. He started to feel the extent of this day, as he slowly calmed himself after the rush of anger that had pulsated through him just now.
"Umm, I think I'll finish unpacking my boxes first of all, and then I don't know. At least I want to make the study downstairs into a temporary bedroom for when Peyton is coming. I don't want her to climb the stairs with her crutches." She reached for the wine glass and took a sip.
"That's a good idea, I didn't even think about that. You're actually a lot smarter than you look Hales." He said jokingly and felt a rush of tingles shoot through him by the sound of her laugh.
"Oh, you'd be surprised of my capabilities, there are no limits up here." She continued laughing.
"Well good for me, that I finally managed to find a girl with brains." He said and joined in on her laughing.
"Oh, really? So you're telling me that up until now, you've only been dating brainless bimbos? I'm not sure what to think of that." She said with a hint of playfulness in her voice, after her laughter had subsided.
"Ugh, never mind, I shouldn't have brought that up." He groaned. It was too late in the day for him to dig into his list of ex's right now. So he elegantly steered the conversation away from that. "You should be happy that I don't find you too intimidating, now that I know you're smarter than me. I mean, most guys would probably kick you out, because it's a well known fact that they can't handle it when the girl is smarter or more successful than them." He added with a playful tone.
"Ha! I can't argue with you on that, because it's true. Sadly enough. But good for me too then, that you happen to be smart and successful on your own, so that you're not intimidated by my brilliant mind."
Nathan chuckled. His girl was amazing in every single way. "I love you, you know." His tone turned soft and more serious.
"Hmm, I love you too, Nathan." Haley spoke low and felt the tiny ache slowly making it's way back. "I wish Thursday would come sooner. I miss you. Everything is better when you're here."
"I miss you too, Hales." He sighed. "And like you said, I'll be home before you know it, and then we'll spend the entire holiday weekend together. It'll be great." He said to make her feel better. He slowly got up from the bed, when he felt another yawn resurface, to go and find his toothbrush.
Haley let out a sigh and heard him yawn again. She automatically yawned herself before, she too, got up from the chair by the dining table. "I know for a fact that it'll be great!" Her tone turned lighter and she felt better just by thinking about it, even though Thursday was still far away. "But how about we get some sleep before that, we both had a long day, and you know we'll talk more tomorrow." She slowly padded through the kitchen and living room and started to turn off the lights and blow out the candles she had lit. She also checked every door and window to make sure that they were locked as well.
"That sounds good. I'll call you tomorrow when I'm in New York."
"Okay, call me when you land. I want to know when you're safe and on stable ground again, you know that." She spoke and headed upstairs after she'd made sure everything was locked and all the lights were off.
"I know, and you don't have to tell me that. You know I always text or call you."
"And that's another thing I love about you, that you always think of me. But tomorrow I want you to call, and not text me, okay?"
Nathan let out a chuckle as he applied a dash of toothpaste on the brush. "I will, don't worry. Go to bed now, you goof." He said when he heard Haley yawn for the third time in a short amount of time.
"You don't have to ask me twice." She said tiredly and walked into the bathroom suite. "Sleep tight Nathan, I love you." She spoke softly.
"I love you too. Sweet dreams Hales." Nathan finished and hung up.
He looked at his tired face in the mirror as he brushed his teeth, and let his thoughts go back to what Haley had told him about Damian. He sighed and finished up in the bathroom. He decided not to let it get to him again, at least not tonight. Still, he felt like he needed to take care of this in some way or the other. He really didn't like the way this affected Haley, he knew how strained and stressed out she got from it. But again, it was something he had to take care of later. Right now he needed sleep to be able to function the next day, so he quickly stripped out of his clothes and climbed into the bed. He took a mental note about calling Lucas in the morning, before he gave in to the exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep.
It was Sunday night and Haley was curled up at the end of the couch, wrapped up in a blanket, reading a book. The house was silent except for the soft crackling sounds coming from the fireplace she had lit up earlier.
She had spent most of the day unpacking more of her stuff, cleaning and getting the room downstairs ready for Peyton. Nathan had been in the air most of the day, but he'd called her every time he had the chance, to let her know he was okay, in which she was grateful for.
Now she actually enjoyed her own company and the book she was reading. It wasn't often she had time to sit down like this and open a book, and simply escape from the rest of the world. It was heavenly. She'd also made a cosy atmosphere for herself, with candles scattered around the living room and a big cup of tea in addition to the burning fireplace. She thought it was amazing how fast she'd adjusted to the idea of her living here, and she was already feeling content about staying in this house permanently. She looked forward to what was coming and what they were going to share together, it was an exhilarating thought, and she felt her blood course through her veins, making her all warm and tingly.
Already the upcoming week, they were going to spend their first holiday together, and they were going to celebrate it with Nathan's family. She was also really excited about that. They were all such wonderful people, so sweet, caring and lovable. There was no wonder why Nathan had become the man he is today. She was truly lucky to have found him. For once she felt loved, and she felt like she had a family now. A real family, not just with Nathan, but the way she felt so welcomed and accepted by his parents and his brother too. It was actually a little overwhelming in the beginning, because the only one she'd had since her parents passed away, was Peyton. But now she couldn't imagine her life without either one of them, but more importantly, she couldn't imagine her life without Nathan. He'd become her everything. Her love, her best friend, her strength, her passion, her laughter, and her soulmate. She felt like they connected on every single level, even though they didn't necessarily liked all the same things. But that was what she loved about their relationship. It didn't matter if they were different in opinions from time to time, or had different likes and dislikes. All that mattered was, that in the end they worked perfectly together, and by the way she felt right now, she knew that nothing could ever come between them.
She almost jumped out of her own skin, when the doorbell rang, and preyed her out of her thoughts. She froze for a short moment, before she placed the book down on the table, and carefully got up. Who could it be this late at night? She felt her heart rate increase slightly, as she slowly walked over to the front door. She peeked through the tiny glass window, next to the door to try and see who it might be. She got even more curious when she saw what it was, and went over and unlocked the door, before she slowly opened it up.
"Haley James?" The large man with a dark green uniform and hat looked at her.
Who knew that she was living here? She was totally confused. "Umm, yes…that's me." She replied hesitantly and wrapped her arms around herself when she felt the cool breeze from outside.
"I have a delivery for you. Could you please sign here." He said and held out the board for her to sign.
"Umm, sure." Haley took one step closer and scribbled her signature across the screen.
"Thank you miss. And here you go." He said politely and handed her, what seemed to be a bouquet of flowers. She couldn't see what kind, because they were wrapped up in paper to protect them from the cold, but she was sure it was flowers.
"Thank you very much." She accepted and took one step back into the hall, and pushed the door closed and locked it.
She felt a hint of excitement as she walked into the kitchen to unwrap the flowers, and hopefully reveal a card that said who it was from. But she was pretty sure it had to be Nathan, because no one else knew she was living here, except Peyton, Jake and Nathan's family. And neither of them would send her flowers like this, would they?
She carefully pulled the paper off, and gasped when she saw a rather large bouquet of white lilies, her favorite flowers. She smiled and put them carefully down on the kitchen counter to find a vase to put them in. She found one that was appropriate in the cabinet next to the large windows that lead out to the backyard. After she'd put them into the vase and filled it with enough water, she placed the vase at the dining table across the kitchen counter. She turned them once, and noticed a small card on the other side. She quickly pulled it out and read what it said.
I miss you
She smiled and felt warm tingles down her spine. She really couldn't ask for a better boyfriend. It was such a romantic gesture, and she felt all giddy as she took another look at the nicely arranged bouquet, while she clutched the card close to her chest. Thursday needed to come now. She missed him too, like crazy, and she couldn't wait to be in his strong, warm embrace again.
She stood like that for a few minutes and took it all in, before she decided to bring her book back upstairs and continue reading in bed, before she fell asleep. She also had to remember to thank him tomorrow when she got to talk to him again, since she knew he was in the air and unavailable at the moment.
"Is they finally asleep?" Brooke asked as she heard Lucas enter the living room.
"Yes, finally." He sighed and sat down next to her on the couch. "Daniel was out like a light, but Sarah was pretty wired up after my parents left, and she wouldn't stop talking about Thursday when Nathan and Haley are coming here." He turned his head and looked over at Brooke, which was resting her head at a pillow on the armrest at the end of the couch, and feet curled up close to her body. He placed his hand on her leg and gave it a light squeeze. "You should go to bed, you look tired."
"Mmm, no I want to finish this movie." She answered sleepily without taking her eyes away from the TV.
Lucas chuckled lightly when he saw her heavy eyelids starting to drop. He knew that she would never be able to make it to the end of this movie, but he knew there was no point in arguing with her. Instead he pulled out her legs and placed them in his lap, and started to rub his hands up and down her calves. He knew how this would go down. She would fall asleep pretty soon, and then he had to carry her upstairs into bed. But he didn't mind though, it was something he was used to after all these years together.
"By the way, before I forget and before you fall asleep on me. Can you pick up the kids tomorrow after work? Nathan called me earlier and asked me to help him with something."
Brooke finally turned her head away from the TV and looked over at Lucas. "Sure. What does he want you to help him with?" She asked curiously.
"It's a surprise for Haley, he didn't want me to tell you. Or anyone else for that matter." He added quickly, so that she wouldn't think that it was only her Nathan didn't want him to tell. Even though he especially asked him not to tell Brooke, because of her so-called "blabber-mouth". It was Nathan's words, but he sort of had a point.
Brooke narrowed her eyes at him. "He asked you not to tell me in particular, right? You don't have to lie, I know Nathan well enough by now." She said and turned her eyes back to the movie.
"Yeah, I'm sorry babe. But you have to admit, you do tend to spell when you should've kept your mouth shut. Sometimes." He smiled and met her smiling eyes when she faced him again.
"Fine, you're right. I probably wouldn't have been able to keep my mouth shut this time either. So it's okay, I'm better off not knowing. And so is probably Haley." She chuckled softly. "But does this take all night, or do you still want dinner?"
"I'll probably be a little late, but if you could save me some that I can warm up, that would be great." He smiled lovingly at her.
She smiled back and held his gaze for a moment. "Of course I'll save you some." She said and stroked her heel up and down his thigh.
"Perfect." He said and turned his eyes at the TV when he saw Brooke do the same.
But he didn't pay attention to the movie. Instead he was thinking about the surprise Nathan was planning for Haley. It was a good idea, and he couldn't help but be a little excited about this. And he was glad that Nathan had asked him to help him out. He certainly was excited about seeing Haley's reaction to it.
AN; I know, finally, right? I actually should be studying right now, but ugh...I figured this is much more fun to do, and besides, we all need to break once in a while. My lazy part tells me, there's always tomorrow..
So, what's the verdict on this chapter? Finally Haley is moving out of her apartment, which is a good thing. Damian is still making her life difficult, especially with Nathan being away most of the time. Will Nathan do something about it when he comes home? He's kind of angry right now, not that I blame him.
Do you think Nathan was the one to send her the flowers, by the way? Or do could it be someone else? Aaand then there's the surprise, wonder what that'll be...this will all be continued when I'm finally done with this exam period! And it's just one more week, thank God! I look forward to finally getting into this story again, for real.
Seriously, thank you, to those of you that still sticks with this story, and have patience with me. I really appreciate it!