A/N: Hi readers! I'm sorry I didn't get to update last night. I was revising a lot, thinking of good ways to write this chapter. And I could see that all of you hated Rachel in the last chapter. And some of you also sympathized her for trying to be a good friend which I'm glad people got to see as well. People have different ways to cope with losses, Rachel just chose the wrong way to reconcile with her bff Nathan Scott. hehe. Anyways here's a few shout outs. Angela - I'm so glad that you finally got a chance to review my story. I'm glad that the story has become more than you expected. And I am so happy that you like it. Christina - Hi, love I missed you. And I totally understand your reasons for not reviewing haha. Sometimes reality catches up to you and oh, I'm glad that my story isn't predictable. I hope not, but if it is, I'm not really ashamed of it haha. But I applaud you for sensing the future. :) Thanks again for the long review. You know I always appreciate them. Intrigued - Ha, I'm glad you're very intrigued with my story. I think the whole problem about Haley's lie is because it was a lie. And no one likes to be lied to. I think this chapter will kind of explained that for you, but if you still don't understand, I'll explain it in the author's note ha. And oh, I did think of making Haley get hit by a car, but that's too melodramatic for my story. PLL is not really meant to be melodramatic. :) Miessa - AWWWWW my baby cakes! Oh how I miss you! I'm so happy to see that you've been drawn to my story. You're even addicted to it. I was so so so thrilled when I saw your comment. I was literally smiling. I hope I didn't keep you waiting for this chapter! I'm glad my writing pulled you in. be-u - hi hun! I would like to welcome you in to the Pretty Little Liar world. I'm happy that you've come to admire the characters. That's what I like to hear the most from my readers. I was able to create fictional personalities that people could love. And I'm so so so happy to hear you say they're "real and lovable". Sometimes loving all the characters in a story is better than hating half of the characters Kate - Aww it's sad to hear that you'll be a little late on reviewing my chapters, but I understand that you'll be away. That would be fun, Europe is so much more exciting I'm sure. :) And I'm so glad that you liked how I built and unraveled all the secrets and lies. It took a while to think of ways to do it. And yes, I really didn't want to do a very big outbreak scene of him finding out. My story's simple and I'd like to keep it that way. haha. At least we , filipinas, can relate to each other. We're both sad sad pinays. But thanks for the advanced warning and amazing review. I hope you enjoy your trip!
And to all the rest of my readers who reviewed and those who have read but not reviewed, I'd like to thank you for all the amazing support and encouragement you all have given me. Again, as I say in every author's note, I am very blessed. And I'm so glad to have given you a story like this. I'll be sure to thank each and every one of you after I finish the story. Because I appreciate and love you all so much for being so kind to me.
-Annie
Chapter 14 "Lie 14"
"Are you ready?" her father asked from outside the bathroom.
Haley finished combing her hair in front of the mirror and walked out refreshed from taking a shower and brushing her teeth. Since Nathan kicked her out of the house last night, she stayed at her father's suite. They no longer had any reason to stay in Charlotte, so they got prepared to leave for Tree Hill. Jimmy was willing to give her enough money to pay her rent, bills and other survival needs like food, gas, clothes, and what not. But that was the only time she was ever going to accept any kind of money from him. She was so used to living independently that working for money was the only way to live. Being over twenty five years old, Haley believed that money should not be handed to a person who didn't work hard for it.
Jimmy looked up from zipping up his suitcase and noticed how puffy his daughter's eyes were. She could not stop crying last night. He feared that she'd get dehydrated from losing so much water. Seeing his own daughter cry like that wasn't easy. Honestly, it was the hardest thing to watch. He hadn't seen her cry like that in ages. The last time he saw Haley cry as much as she did last night was the day of her mother's funeral. After that, her tears were nonexistent.
"You okay?" he questioned as he watched her walk lifelessly towards her suitcase on the floor.
"I'm fine," she answered lowly. She placed the last of her clothes into her luggage and zipped it up. Then she paused for a second to fight away the tears again.
"If you want to stay a little longer to resolve this, you can stay," her father stated. "I can go back to Tree Hill and take care of your rental problems."
Haley shook her head. "No, I don't want you to do that, dad."
"Haley, you don't get to decide that anymore," he stated. "I'm going to pay for your rent and that's final." He turned around to grab his shoes from the living area and said, "It's not like you have a job to rely on anymore. It's impossible to find one that will pay for everything this close to your rent. "
She sighed deeply and stood up from the floor. "I'll find a job that will," she stated.
"Where? Here or Tree Hill?" he asked curiously. "I don't think there's another job that will pay you on the spot like your latest one."
"Dad," she complained.
"I'm only being honest with you, Hales. Once I pay the rest of your rent, then you can work your ass off for the money," he replied, slipping his feet inside his brown shoes.
Haley groaned, knowing that she wasn't going to win this argument and picked up her suitcase. Her father was right. It was way too close to her rent date. There was no way she could find a job that could pay her enough money in time. The only solution was to accept her father's offer. Even if she didn't verbally say it was okay, it was the obvious answer. But it was going to be the only time she'll accept his money. Last time.
"Do you want to eat breakfast before we go?" he asked.
"I don't have an appetite," she answered. "You can. I'll just head off before you. My car's here anyways," she added.
"I figured that was yours," he stated. "But why do you have a piece of card board hanging on your rear view mirror?"
Haley lifted her eyebrow and smiled a bit. "It's a long story," she said. She dragged her luggage down the little hallway to the door. "I'm going to head out, I'll meet you back in town," she stated and opened the door.
"Wait," he called out. Pulling out his wallet, he handed her some money. "For gas and food if you're hungry."
"Thanks," she smiled. "Bye again."
He nodded and watched as his daughter closed the door behind her. Haley placed the money into her pockets and continued walking down the hall. She couldn't help but think about the day Nathan chased her down these very halls. She remembered being scared of him. The fear of getting caught. The panic that occupied her body. Taking picture after picture. Tripping on her shoe lace. And running away from him. It was funny and sad to think about it. That was the start of everything that happened between them.
Once she reached the elevator, it opened, revealing none other than Nathan. They both looked at each other, stunned by each other's presence and grew tense. At first, Haley was hesitant to walk in but then she eventually stepped inside.
Both of their throats became dry. Nathan quickly glanced at her suitcase. It was obvious that she was leaving soon. If he wasn't overwhelmed with anger, he would've cared. But the fact that she lied to him kept running through his head over and over again. He was cold. Almost ice cold. Eleven floors down was a pretty long trip.
She started rocking forward and backward to distract herself from the awkward energy between them. Then she slowly glanced at him and observed his expression. He was definitely still mad at her. She wasn't surprised though, she lied to him after all.
"Nathan," she finally spoke. He refused to look at her. "Can I say something?" she asked.
He didn't respond. His eyes were glued to the glowing numbers in front of him. She took that as a no, but continued to talk anyways. So she swallowed the lump in her throat, played with the sea shell necklace she was wearing and began.
"In the beginning of our arrangement, I never thought you'd ever fall for me. Your heart still belonged to Rachel. She was beautiful, elegant and relaxed. I can never compare to her. I wasn't drop dead gorgeous or elegant. I'm okay and clumsy. I always thought you were cold and bitter by birth, but when I saw how sad and heartbroken you looked all those days . . . it made me realize that you weren't. You were just heart broken and lonely. So I comforted you and hoped that I could make you smile again. And I never expected to actually fall for you," she said. Nathan didn't really show it, but he was listening carefully. "Then you told me that you admired me for being happy even if I was living an unfortunate life. And you called me your sister. It hurt when you said that, but I accepted it. I wanted to stay by your side even as a sister. It was like you actually appreciated my company. You appreciated my lifestyle. And I just couldn't tell you the truth. I never thought I had to from the way we started out," she stated.
"But we got closer," he stated. She looked up at him, surprised that he actually spoke. "You had many opportunities to tell me. You could've told me the day I apologized to you and brought you out to get ice cream. What about during the thunder storm? And the lake, what about then?" he questioned, glancing at her with furrowed eyes. She didn't respond. Instead of looking him in the eye, she looked down at her feet, trying her hardest to hide her tears. "But you never did," he continued. "Is it because you couldn't trust me? Was it because of that?"
She lifted her head up with watery eyes and shook her head. "No, it wasn't that," she replied. "It was because I wasn't able to trust myself," she cried.
Nathan could feel his heart racing at this moment. He was nervous, scared and angry. Looking at her, he said, "When I realized that I was falling for you, I thought I was going insane. You weren't the type of girl I'd ever see myself with. You were stubborn, witty and obnoxiously outgoing. And it was hard to have you around especially at the time when I was struggling with my feelings for Rachel. I was hurting for a while until you decided to break the rules. You comforted me. You made me feel better. You made me less miserable. You made me believe that someone actually wanted to be with me either as a sister or a friend. And I thought that we were being honest with each other this whole time. I told you about my past and how it felt to be kept away from the rest of the world. I trusted you, but you didn't trust me."
"Nathan, it wasn't because I didn't trust you. It was because I was afraid that you'd lose all your appreciation for me. You admired me as a poor girl and I just thought that if I told you that I wasn't really poor, you'd change your perception of me. Once my feelings for you grew, I was scared to tell you. I knew you'd kick me out because I had a family with money who could've helped me. But I wanted to stay by your side. I didn't want to leave you," she cried, feeling her chin tremble.
Staring at her with eyes full of fury and pain, all he wanted to do was hurt her. "You knew I'd kick you out?" he asked, roughly. "You really thought I'd be that cruel to you for telling me the truth? What am I to you? A soulless man?" he questioned again, this time with his jaw clenching from anguish. "I would've been okay if you told me the truth. Things wouldn't be this way if you told me the damn truth!"
"I was scared of this," she said quickly, tears welling up in her eyes. "I never thought I'd have to tell you since you were leaving anyways. So I just never said anything. We were both leaving, so it wasn't going to matter."
Nathan furrowed his eye brows at her. "So you were planning on never telling me anyways? You were hoping I'd leave so you wouldn't have to suffer anymore, right?" he asked roughly. He could tell that he was hurting her with his angry tone. And that's what he wanted to do. "You're nothing but a selfish, spoiled girl, you know that? You only thought of yourself. You reached a multitude of highs and lows to get what you wanted. You wanted to prove something to your father by deceiving other people in the process."
"Nathan," she began, fighting away the tears that kept coming. "I know what I did was wrong. This whole blackmailing arrangement and forcing you to give me a job. Making you feel uncomfortable and confused. Lying to you. I'm sorry for all of it. I did all of that for my own selfish purposes. I had complete control of that, but I didn't have complete control of how I felt for you. I wanted to protect you from harm. I guess it didn't work out that well. So I understand if you hate me, but I . . ." she paused and looked at him sadly and intensely. "I love you," she stated. He looked at her, startled by her words and closed his eyes tightly to beat the pain underneath his chest. "I wish that things didn't turn out this way."
The elevator finally stopped and opened. "I wish it didn't either, but it's too late to change things now," he said coldly and walked out of the elevator, leaving her there to weep some more.
Haley and Nathan spent the next several days moping over each other. Both still in evident pain from their last encounter. It was a very sad sight for their friends and family to see them this way. While Nathan was trying his best to focus more on work, Haley was locked in her apartment with nothing to do.
Her father finally paid for everything that she owed Chancelor and gave her extra money to live off of. She didn't put it to use though. She rarely went out, bought food or clothes. All she did was keep it in a little box with the money she received for working for Nathan. Money didn't matter to her anymore. It had no meaning except deceit.
Sometimes Brooke and Lucas would visit her now and then, but it was miserable. Haley was obviously mad at them for telling her father where she was. If they hadn't said anything, maybe she would've had a chance to tell Nathan herself instead of Rachel. But unfortunately things didn't work out that well for her. She wasn't sure if she could completely forgive her best friends for what they did. It really didn't matter to her. She couldn't really focus on anything lately.
On stormy nights, Haley would cook mac and cheese because it reminded her of him. Sometimes she even bought herself some ice cream and watched the sports channel even though she wasn't a big sports fan. She'd even wake up early in the morning to clean her house over and over. She had no job and no man to love. There really wasn't much to do anymore.
Back in Charlotte, Nathan would wake up in the morning expecting to smell the sweet scent of special pancakes and bacon, but when he'd enter the kitchen there would be nothing there. Not even a person. And it was depressing to realize how empty the house had become since Haley left. He no longer heard airy snores from down the hall. He no longer heard washing machine doors slamming in the morning or greeted someone after a long day at work. It was lonely and he was beginning to miss having her around despite her lies.
He lay sprawled on his bed at seven thirty in the morning, watching the fish tank across the room with the fishes Haley bought him. He kept watching and gazing at it. And he couldn't stop thinking about her every time he glanced at it. He remembered how happy she was when she showed it to him and how mad she was when he was rude to her. It made him wonder if his decision to kick her out was the right one. He wasn't thinking clearly when he did that because he was full of anger and pain. It was starting to irritate him. His decision to officially end his friendship with Rachel was easy because he knew it was the right thing to do. But he didn't think that when he pushed Haley out of his life. He felt like he had some unfinished business.
Still lying there, unable to move, he heard someone knock on his door. He lifted his head up from his pillow and adjusted himself to where he could peek over his balcony. He saw someone outside, but he couldn't quite see their face. And so they knocked again. He rubbed his eyes and climbed out of bed lazily. He grabbed a shirt to put on and went downstairs to answer the door. Glancing out the window, he realized it was Jake. He sighed deeply and opened the door for him.
"Hey cousin," he greeted.
Nathan nodded and dragged his feet across the floor towards the kitchen. Jake could tell that Nathan was still having a hard time getting use to living at home without Haley. It would be hard for him to handle too if he had to go through what his cousin had to go through.
He entered the kitchen and watched as Nathan pulled out two water bottles for them. "What do you want?" Nathan asked, clearly not interested in having a conversation with Jake.
Nathan slid the bottle across the counter and he caught it. "I just thought I'd come by. I'm leaving later today for South Carolina. Mom and Billy are back, so I should be heading home."
"Well that's great," Nathan stated coldly, taking a sip from his bottle.
Jake took offense to that and sighed deeply. "Nathan, can I tell you something?'
"You didn't do much of that when she was here," he replied.
"Well just listen, okay?" Nathan avoided his cousins' stare and leaned forward on the counter with his bottle in hand. Jake took that as a positive response even though he looked annoyed, so he continued. "You were right about me wanting to make her happy because I liked her. I wanted her to be able to trust me, but then I found out that she liked you. She really liked you. I couldn't really do anything about it except keep my promise. I wanted to at least do that for her. The moment she told me how much she liked you, she started to feel bad for what she'd done to you."
Nathan groaned at his story. "How long do I have to listen to you?"
"Long enough to convince you that she's really sorry for what she did," he answered.
"Did she tell you to tell me his?"
"No, I came here on my own, Nate. I wanted to let you know that she didn't intend to hurt you. She was afraid that this would happen if you knew. She wanted to stay by your side even as a sister. She wanted to stay with you even if she was risking so much. Can't you at least appreciate her for why she did it instead of thinking of the negative parts? She did it to get away from her old lifestyle, to prove that she could do something for herself without any help. So what if she did lie to you about being wealthy, she is still the same Haley she's always been, just richer," he finished.
Nathan turned to Jake as he finished and thought about Haley's reasons. He didn't really know about Haley's side on this. He was so overwhelmed with everything that he had forgotten about her reasons.
Haley lay on her living room floor, balancing a cushioned pillow on her feet with a Cheeto in her mouth. She spent the whole day being lazy and emotionless. Her thoughts were impacted with sorrow and pain that nothing else seemed to matter. She was starting to become like her father and Nathan. Moping after a loss of a loved one was miserable. It was probably the hardest thing any human being could go through.
"Haley!" she heard Brooke call out from outside her door.
The pillow fell on her face causing her to choke on the chip. She quickly grabbed her glass of orange juice to clear her throat and walked over to the door while patting her chest. She swung the door open, revealing her best friend and God daughter.
Brooke glanced at Haley's outfit and hair. It was a lazy mess. Her hair was up in a bun and she wore pajama pants and a graphic t-shirt. It didn't even look like she tried to look pretty.
"You look gorgeous!" Brooke complimented while pushing her way in with Marley's stroller. She glanced around the apartment and noticed the cluttered bowl of Cheetos on the coffee table, an empty drink from McDonalds and a blanket on the floor. "And I see you've also didn't bother to clean up. The last time I saw you, you were cleaning like crazy."
"I ran out of energy," Haley replied as she knelt down to play with Marley.
"Well get some energy cause we're going somewhere," Brooke stated as she walked over to pick up the blanket and pillow off the ground.
"Where are we going?" she asked, fixing Marley's bow on her head.
"Lucas is busy all day at work. His stupid boss wanted him to stay a little bit longer in the office, so I decided to bring Marley to the amusement park."
Haley slowly looked away from her God daughter and turned to Brooke who was cleaning up her mess. "Which amusement park?"
"The one in Charlotte," she replied cheerfully. "I thought it'd be nice to go back to the city and spend the day with my daughter and best friend."
"Brooke, I can't go back there," Haley stated, standing up from the floor to give her full attention to Brooke.
"Stop being selfish. This isn't for you, this is for Marley," Brooke replied as she walked over to the kitchen with the empty cup and bowl of chips. Honestly, Brooke wanted to go to Charlotte for both reasons. Her and Lucas noticed Haley's lifeless behavior in the past several days that they needed to do something to help her out. Now that Haley's rent is paid for, they had to clean up the mess that they created. And Marley was a good reason to visit Charlotte.
Haley sighed, and glanced at her best friend's sweet, charming daughter. It reminded her of the days when her mother would bring her to Charlotte and thought that it wouldn't be so bad to go back for Marley's sake.
"I guess I can go," she replied.
"You don't guess, you're going," Brooke stated as she started washing her hands under the faucet. She applied some soap on her hands and glanced at Haley who was still standing there, doing nothing. "So go and dress up. It's a long ride there."
"Right," she replied lowly and walked down the hall towards her room.
Nathan was writing up a few documents when he noticed a familiar old woman walk into his office. He lit up at her cheerful sight and stood up from his chair to embrace his grandmother close to him. She patted him lightly on the back and led them towards his desk. She sat on the couch across from him as he settled into his chair in his desk.
"How are you these days?" she asked, sympathizing with him. She noticed how heart broken he'd been in the past several days. She wasn't quite sure what it was truly about, but she had a feeling that it had something to do with Haley. She hadn't been around lately. Not with Jake or with Nate. And it was possible that something happened between them. She just wasn't sure what it was.
"Um," he began, picking up his pen again. "I've been well."
She nodded and placed her hands on top of her purse. "If only that sweet, charming Haley was still here to cheer you up. She could help you," she stated. Nathan paused before continuing to write and twirled the pen between his fingers. "Where did she go?"
"She went back home," he replied.
"Oh," she said, surprised. "She didn't even say goodbye."
Nathan removed his eyes from his papers and examined his grandmother's expression. He felt bad that he kicked Haley out. She left a pretty good impression on every one in Charlotte. He had forgotten how much it would affect everyone she met in the city. There was his mother, his grandmother, Emily, Jake's mom, Roger, and it was pretty obvious that she left a big impression on Jake as well. She probably even became friends with the bus driver, knowing how many times she had to take it.
"She didn't say goodbye to me either, so what can we do," he replied bluntly.
"Nathan," his grandmother began, noticing his cold behavior. "What happened between the two of you?"
He took a moment to think about the conversations they had with each other before she left. It was all overwhelming and hard to think of without feeling his chest tighten.
"Things just didn't work out for us," he answered.
"Did you two have something going on?" she asked curiously.
"It's a really long story, Gran," he began. "I don't think you'll even like it that much considering what I've done to cause it."
"Tell me."
"I don't think your fragile heart can handle it. It's pretty chaotic. You might go through cardiac arrest again."
She laughed and leaned forward to hold his hand. "Nate, I'm fine. I've been eating healthier and exercising more just like the doctor told me to do. So forget about my heart problems and tell me what's bothering yours. I'd like to know what's been going on in my grandson's life," she stated, patting the top of his hand.
Still fearing another collapse, he hesitated to start the story. So he held his grandmother's hand in his tightly.
"Haley wasn't just a girl that I met in the city," he began. He didn't want get into great detail of their arrangement, so he tried to be a little vague. "She was just a girl who had a little of trouble going back home four hours away. I helped her one day and she never left me alone after that. I didn't really like her that much in the beginning. She was stubborn and outspoken. She was fearless," he stated. His grandmother smiled at the thought of Haley. "We were always bickering with each other. It was never ending. Then one day I realized that I had fallen for her. I thought I was going insane because I was infatuated with a girl like her."
"Because you liked the poised and elegant type," she cut in.
"Exactly," he smiled. "And I tried to fight those feelings away, but they just kept growing more and more every time we spent time together. Then I finally told her, I made my move, but I learned that she lied to me the whole time. So now I here I am," he finished. "I pushed her out and I don't know if I like it that way or not."
Rubbing his hand in comfort, she said, "You know when I was just starting out with your grandfather, I lied to him a few times. Actually I lied to him a lot, she laughed.
"You did?" he questioned surprised.
"Yeah," she smiled. "I made him so frustrated because I would never admit the truth to him. I just had the tendency to lie. But then I saw how much it hurt him. He was so heart broken and cold. So I confessed and apologized for everything I caused him. I thought he'd never forgive me for all the fibs that I told him. I thought he erased me but then one day he told me that he couldn't stop asking himself 'Can I live without her? Can I live without her?' And he said that he couldn't live without me, not even for a second," she finished. "So, ask yourself if you can live without her. Maybe you'll find your answer."
Driving back into the town she was born to love and grew to hate was hard for Haley because so many things happened in Charlotte. In a time span of two months, she disliked a man and fell in love with him at the same time. It wasn't often for things to happen that way, but if you were living in the same house as the opposite sex - just the two of you- emotions will go crazy.
They rode in Haley's convertible to the city. This time it was filled with enough gas in the tank. So no more unexpected events could occur.
As they finally entered the city, Haley felt her stomach turn when she saw the tall building that said "Regalien". Brooke stopped enjoying the cool wind against her skin and turned to Haley when she noticed the hotel. Reading her best friend's expression, she could tell that she felt down.
"Let's not go to the amusement park," Brooke stated.
Haley turned to her curiously as she drove and asked, "Why not?"
"What can we do with a baby at the amusement park?" Brooke questioned.
Haley focused back onto the road and tried to think, but couldn't quite come up with an answer. "I don't really know," she said slowly as she glanced at her mirrors so she could change lanes.
"You've been here a while, what are some good places to visit?"
Remembering her nights and days in the city of Charlotte, she thought of one particular place that could probably help her heal from the pain and sorrow she had been going through. Plus, it was a good place for Marley and Brooke to enjoy as well.
"I know where," Haley stated and turned on the next exit.
It took about twenty minutes to arrive to the aquarium. Haley parked in the crowded parking lot and sighed as she glanced up at the beautifully designed aquarium building. She turned to her best friend who appeared very pleased by the sight and Marley, who was sitting in the back, with a very surprised and amazed expression.
"This is perfect for Marley," Brooke stated.
"I knew it would be. Too bad Luke can't be here to spend the day with us," Haley sighed deeply, ashamed that her other best friend couldn't be here.
"He'll get over it," Brooke replied as she climbed out of the vehicle. Haley shook her head at Brooke and climbed out herself. She popped open the truck to grab the stroller while Brooke unbuckled Marley from her car seat. She placed her daughter into the stroller and they both headed off to the amusement park.
As they entered, Brooke glanced at Haley and noticed her gloomy expression. She was still in that unhappy state. She just wished she could fix it.
"If people looked at us, they'd think we're a couple," Brooke stated, hoping to put a smile on her face.
Haley let out a tiny laugh as. "It wouldn't be so bad," she mumbled. "We're best friends. I like having you by my side despite the things you've done. At least I can forgive you."
Brooke was quiet for a while and pushed Marley around in her stroller until they finally made into the dim, water filled museum. There were all kinds of fish and sea creatures that swam in different tanks. It was fascinating and it blew Marley's mind. They could tell that she was enjoying the view of all the beautiful animals in the water.
And that's what Haley hoped for. When she came here with Jake, she was relaxed and calm. It reminded her of Nathan so much. Even if they weren't talking, she still missed him and wanted to keep him in her memory.
As Nathan was walking around the hotel with his hands in his pockets, and Emily by his side, he saw Rachel checking out by the desk. He hadn't spoken to her in several days either. He didn't think he'd want to. She was the one who told him about Haley in the first place. He figured that if she hadn't told him about it, then maybe Haley would've had a chance. That moment just went by so quickly that it was hard to completely understand and soak in.
He didn't care to say goodbye or greet her hello. Once he passed her, he quickly caught her attention. She handed her hotel key to the receptionist and continued watching him as he disappeared into a room with Emily. It was obvious that he didn't want to talk to her. Even though she tried to protect him from any kind of swindling act, they still weren't friends – just acquaintances. Nothing had changed for them. But she figured that she messed with something that shhe shouldn't have meddled with. She noticed how miserable he looked for the past several days. He was in pain. Kind of like the same pain she caused him. This was partially her fault. And she felt ashamed for being a part of his misery.
She sighed, thanked the receptionist and walked up to Nancy who had been waiting for her at the revolving doors. She pulled out her sunglasses, placed them on her face and got ready to walk out and fight through the paparazzi.
Nathan sat in the meeting room, listening to everyone talk about schedules, pre-opening teams, training teams, codes, and systems, but he couldn't concentrate. He tried to focus, but his mind would drift off somewhere else. He was exhausted and tired from working so hard, that he didn't think he could focus anymore.
He had more than a month left before he had to leave for Europe. Just one more month and he'd be done with Charlotte for two years at most. And he wasn't quite sure if he was ready for that. There were so many things he was going to miss about the city. The people, the memories, the adventures, the businesses, the restaurant. And the girl.
It had been an hour since they visited the aquarium. They watched a few mini shows of scuba divers playing with the dolphins and fishes in the tanks. They even watched a seal show that really amazed Marley. She couldn't stop wiggling her arms and feet at the sight of the sea creatures.
Haley kneeled down next to the stroller and pointed at the glass window filled with baby fishes.
"Look, Marls, see that fish right there," she stated, pointing at a black and white fish. "That's a mean one. You don't want to mess with those." Brooke glanced away from glass tank and smiled at the sight of her best friend and daughter bonding. Then she turned back to the tank and watched the fishes swim in groups together.
As she continued whispering things to Marley, she felt her phone vibrate in her purse. She stood up and pulled it out, revealing Jake's name on the screen.
"Hello?" she answered.
"Haley," he greeted. "It's been a while since we've spoken."
She nodded. "I know. It's been rough these past several days," she mumbled.
"Yeah, I figured," he replied. "I just wanted to call to tell you that I was leaving soon. This is my last day in Charlotte before I head back to South Carolina."
Haley's eyes widened as she glanced at Brooke who was looking at her curiously. "Are you still here?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Because I'm in town right now. Come see me before you leave," she suggested.
"You're here?" he questioned, surprisingly. "I can't believe you're in town. Where are you? Are you staying the night?"
"I'm at the aquarium with my best friend and daughter. Unfortunately, we're only here for the day,"
"Then we better meet up before my flight," he stated. "Meet me at the Italian restaurant by the Regalien."
She didn't respond immediately. The Regalien. She didn't think she could be any where near that hotel without fearing to see Nathan. But Jake was leaving soon, and she didn't want to miss the opportunity to tell him goodbye. Because she'll never know when will be the next time they'll ever meet.
"Okay," she finally said.
"I'll see you there." Haley hung up and sighed, already feeling her nerves working her body.
"Who was that?" Brooke asked curiously as she stepped behind Marley's stroller.
"A friend of mine from here. He wants to meet up at the Italian restaurant near the Regalien."
Brooke's eyes widened. "The Regalien?"
"Near it, not in it," she corrected. "Today's his last day in town and I –"
"Then go," Brooke cut in. She could tell that Haley really wanted to go. Whoever this person was, he really made a big impression on Haley. "Marley and I can stay at the aquarium for a while until you come back."
"I'm not leaving you here," Haley refused.
"Well, where else could we go? I don't want to interfere with you and your dinner date with your friend."
She thought for a second. Then she glanced at her watch and realized that it was later in the afternoon. She was going to have dinner with Jake and she wasn't sure how long that was going to last. And the ride back home was four hours long. The only reasonable solution, for Marley's sake, was to stay the night and leave in the morning.
"We can stay one night at the hotel," she suggested.
Shocked, Brooke asked, "Really?"
Haley shrugged her shoulders. "Since this is the first time Marley's ever been to Charlotte, it wouldn't be so bad to stay the night too."
Brooke literally jumped in excitement and grabbed Haley into a firm embrace. "I'm so glad you're not broke right now, or I'd just die."
Haley lightly pushed her friend off her so she could breathe and said, "Calm yourself, woman. My dad didn't give me that much money so don't expect me too much from me."
A few hours later, Nathan finally finished working for the day. The meeting lasted longer than he had expected. They had to take three breaks in between to eat and use the restroom, but it wasn't that long. They had to go back inside the meeting room and continue conversing about the plans for the European hotel overseas.
"I'll send you the e-mails and codes in the morning," Emily stated as she wrote something down on her clip board.
Nathan nodded. "Good. We really need those to get things flowing," he stated as they stood in the lobby.
Emily finished what she wrote and looked up at him. "I will get right on it," she said. "I have to head back home. My fiancé' has a candle lit dinner waiting for me," she bragged.
Nathan chuckled in amusement. "I hope that goes well for you," he stated. "And congrats on the engagement, Em."
"Thanks, boss," she replied. She said her goodbyes and headed out the doors of the hotel.
When she walked out the doors, he noticed the darkness of the night sky. He didn't think it would take all day to work in that room with all those people. He needed a day off. He needed to release some stress. He needed a good laugh.
He reached into his pockets for his car keys but found that nothing was there. He groaned and realized that he must've forgotten them in the meeting room. So he turned around and walked back into the conference room. It was on the floor next to the chair he was sitting on. He quickly grabbed it and walked out the room, closing the door behind him. Once he did, he noticed a familiar woman sitting in the lobby with a baby in a stroller. She was reading something off a magazine to the little girl.
He couldn't quite catch who she was until he remembered that one night Haley's friends came over. That woman was Haley's friend. If she was here that meant Haley was here too.
Shoving his keys into his pocket, he quickly walked passed the lobby and headed towards the entrance. Looking up from her magazine, Brooke noticed Nathan's figure disappear through the revolving doors. She saw him earlier, talking to Emily and she read the expression on his face. He was exhausted and tired. She knew that he wasn't feeling well.
"Typical," she whispered. "Lost in love."
Back at the Italian restaurant, Jake and Haley were finishing up their meal. She had about two plates of pasta that actually she paid for. It was evident that Haley hadn't been doing well. Jake could tell from the dark circles in her eyes and the puffiness of her lids. Her color seemed to have faded a little too and her cheerfulness was a little less . . . well . . . cheerful.
"He's only angry because he likes you," Jake stated as Haley ate the last of her spaghetti. "Nathan is a really romantic man. Trust me, I know. I was there when he courted Rachel for years. He might not seem like the romantic and affectionate type, but when he gives his heart away, he gives it all away. So it might take some time for his anger to disperse. I know that everything will be fine, because I know how he feels about you. He's fallen for you, Haley," he said. "I'm sure he'll start to understand your reasons. Just don't tell him about our kiss."
"You mean your kiss," Haley corrected. "I never kissed you back," she said bluntly.
Jake chuckled. "I mean my kiss."
She smiled and asked, "Why can't we tell him?"
Jake took a sip from his glass of wine and said, "Because telling someone the truth to ease your own guilt can only cause the other person pain. And we both know that we don't want that to happen to Nathan again."
Realizing that it was very true, he nodded. "I won't tell then." Haley placed her fork on the edge of her plate and sighed deeply. "I'm glad we got to see each other," she said.
Jake nodded. "Me too. I'm glad you came in town today."
"Thank Brooke. She forced me to come here."
"She must be a good friend then."
"Yeah, despite the things she's done, I can't be mad at her for long," Haley replied as she played with the napkin on the table.
"Same goes for Nathan," he stated, leaning forward and clasping his hands together on the table. She looked up at him, aware of the name and waited for him to continue. "I think that since he likes you so much, he can't be mad at you forever. You two don't hate each other, just a little bit of faith was lost."
She slowly moved her eyes back to her plate, unable to respond with something decent and nodded. Jake didn't think much of her response and asked, "Are you done?"
Haley nodded timidly and drank some of her wine. "Obviously," she replied with a smile. "I licked the plates clean."
He chuckled and nodded. He pulled out his wallet to leave a tip, and so did Haley. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"I'm leaving a tip," she answered.
He looked at her confused. "You leave tips now?"
"I have money now, Jake. At least for the mean time," she replied placing a few dollars underneath her wine glass. "Once I have a well-paid job, I'll buy you dinner. So come visit Charlotte or Tree Hill whenever you're free."
"I think I might stay," he replied.
"Huh?"
"While you were gone, I sent in applications for jobs. I got a few call backs," he answered.
"Then why the hell are you leaving, you fool!" she joked.
He chuckled. "My mom and Billy just got back from their honeymoon. I'm going to spend time with them for a while then come move back here later."
"Does Nathan know about this?"
"Not yet but once he sees me strolling the streets on a random day, he'll figure it out."
"Always keeping secrets," she mocked.
"Look who's talking," he joked
She playfully glared at him and threw her napkin across the table.
Instead of going back to his empty home, he decided to go to the aquarium. He's been visiting it a lot since Haley left. It helped ease his pain and stress. And it reminded him of Haley. Every time he looked at the water, he remembered the night he held her hand for the first time. Her surprised expression was still clear in his mind and he couldn't stop thinking about it.
People passed by as he stood there, staring at the tank of crystal blue water. He almost looked like a statue; frozen in time. Then he pulled out his cell phone and flipped it to his phone book so he could look at her name. Just staring at the word "Swindler" with "Haley James" written under it made his heart ache. He didn't even have a picture of her in his phone to keep her beauty in his memory.
As he looked up from his phone, he turned to the side and found someone walking around the corner. His chest tightened at the sight of her. She looked a little thinner than the last time he saw but none the less pretty.
Haley walked slowly around the corner when she found him standing there with his phone in his hand. After dinner with Jake, she wanted to come back to the aquarium one more time hoping that she'd spot him there. But she didn't expect it to really happen. It was just wishful thinking. Her expectations were low, but seeing him in front of her eyes again was relieving. He was still alive and well.
She slowly walked over to him timidly, but then she tripped a little bit over her feet. Nathan quickly ran over to her to catch her before she fell. And he helped her find her balance.
"Why are you so clumsy?" he asked, pulling away from her. Haley didn't say anything in response. She was too embarrassed. She just straightened her shirt and looked down at her feet nervously. He noticed her silence and cleared his throat. "Can we talk?" he asked.
She looked up at him and nodded without a word. And so they both walked over to the nearest bench and sat there awkwardly, unable to say anything to break the ice.
They sat side by side in front of the large tank and watched as a Manta Ray swam by the window past the sea coral.
"I'm still upset about the whole situation," Nathan began. Haley looked away from the water and turned to him, curiously. "I'm still trying to get over the fact that you lied to me. It's disappointing to find out that the person you were falling for was lying to you. Not for a day but for months. I thought I could move on from you, but I couldn't. And I asked myself if I could live without you. I asked it more than once. And it turns out that I couldn't."
Haley's eyes welled up in tears and closed them to stop the tears from falling, but one had already fallen down her cheek. He turned to her and noticed that she was crying. "Hey, stop crying," he chided as he leaned over to wipe her eyes. "I hope you didn't cry like this in front of Jake." Haley opened her eyes and looked at him curiously. "Because I don't want you crying like this in front of other men. From now on, you can only cry like this in front of me."
She didn't laugh or smile; she just nodded and looked down at her hands. He pulled away from her and noticed her silence. He could tell that she'd been going through as much pain as he was. It hurt him to see her that way.
"I'm sorry for keeping my wealth a secret," she finally spoke. "I was only thinking of myself at the time. I wasn't thinking about how much you had to give up to please my wishes in the negotiation. You were honest with me despite the fact that I was black mailing you. Then you kissed me and I didn't want to ruin what we already had. I didn't think about how much you had to give up for me. Your pride, your money, your best friend. And I'm sorry for that."
Nathan nodded as he listened to her apologize. It didn't take long for him to say his apology too.
"When I called you selfish in the elevator and a conniver at the house, I was mad. I was so angry that I wasn't thinking straight. I didn't mean it. I was just upset with you. I was disappointed in you. I didn't even get to listen to your reasons. I was wrong for not thinking about how hard it was on you to keep this secret from me," he said. "I'm sorry for being cruel. I want to apologize. I hope you can forgive me."
Haley didn't look at him. Tears flooded her eyes from relief and happiness. Nathan was apologizing to her and she didn't think she'd ever see the day. Wiping her tears, she nodded.
"It was my fault in the first place. If I hadn't fooled you or annoyed you in the beginning, it wouldn't have been this way. So it's okay," she whispered.
Nathan was happy that she forgave him. It was a relief to know that she wasn't pushing him away. So he scooted closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. She closed her eyes at the warmth of his embrace and buried herself into his chest. It felt good to be in each other's arms again.
"I missed you," he whispered.
Her heart began to speed faster and faster beneath her chest. She smiled shyly and looked up. She lowered his chin down and quickly placed a small kiss on his lips. And she hurriedly buried herself back in his arms. Even though it was just peck, Nathan was glad that they could be like this again without any mistakes, secrets, or lies. And so he moved his hand up to her hair and cupped it, holding her even closer to him.
"Where were you last night?" Brooke asked, sitting up from her bed next the morning. "You came home a little later than expected.
Haley was sitting by the window with a cup of coffee in her hand and said, "I went to the aquarium."
"What were you doing at the aquarium?" her best friend questioned. She looked to her side and readjusted Marley on the bed. She was still sleeping.
Haley was about to answer her when she heard her phone ring. It was on the side table near Brooke, so she reached over to grab it. But before she tossed it over to Haley, she read the screen.
A grin appeared on her face. "Jerkface? Did you two make up?"
Haley didn't say anything. She just looked at Brooke with a serious expression and said, "Give me my phone."
"Not until you tell me what happened last night," she said, flipping her phone open.
Haley lifted her eyebrows and stood up from her chair. "What are you doing? Give that back!" she whined as she reached over to grab it from Brooke's hands.
"Hello?" Brooke greeted with the phone up to her ear.
"Haley?" Nathan replied.
"No, this is Brooke."
"Oh, well is Haley awake?"
She pushed Haley away and laughed. "She's busy right now but you can a leave a message. I'll be sure to give it to your sweetheart."
"Brooke!" Haley cried out. Nathan chuckled on the other line.
"Sure," Nathan answered. Haley quickly snatched it out of her best friend's hands and stuck her tongue at her. Then she walked over to the living area for a little privacy.
"Don't mind her," Haley stated. "She's a little loony."
"I don't mind. I just called to ask if you wanted to have breakfast before you leave."
"Brooke and Marley can come too?"
"Of course."
"Okay, I'll see you in a bit," she smiled and hung up the phone. She could finally breathe easy again and she couldn't be happier. She flopped back against the couch and wiggled around in it.
"I heard we're having breakfast with your baby!" Brooke called out. Haley stopped moving around and glared at Brooke who was still sitting in bed. "So stop doing that and let's go."
She chuckled and climbed off the couch slowly. Then she ran across the room towards the bed and jumped on it happily, embracing Marley and Brooke in her arms.
What did you think? You like? Keep me inspired! :)