I've had some free time, and this story is just flowing for me. I like this chapter a lot as well. What can I say, I love the drama. I don't know, I just really enjoy writing this side of Nathan. He's supposed to be a little bit like how he was in the beginning of Season 5. Really, I enjoy writing from Haley's perspective a lot too. Thank you for reading and for all the reviews!
Chapter 25
"Are you sure, Nathan?"
Nathan looked over at his girlfriend, who was looking at him with concerned eyes, biting her lip nervously.
"Yeah," He said, sending her a small smile. He shoved his hands into his pockets, adverting his gaze from hers. "You need a break from me."
Haley shook her head, tapping her finger on his chest, "I don't need a break from you, Nathan," She scolded him, frowning.
He grabbed her hand, leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "You wouldn't phrase it that way, but that's how I'm going to," He chuckled, nodding at her.
Haley let out a deep breath as she felt his scruffy chin rub against her forehead, staring up at his face. He'd made the decision to fly home to New York, rather than to return to North Carolina with her the day before they were supposed to fly home.
The rest of their week had been a little stressful. Nathan tried to pretend like nothing was going on, but clearly he was having some issues. He hadn't shaved in a couple of days. He hardly ate but continued exercising a lot. And despite his previous excitement about basketball... He dismissed the idea quickly if she brought it up. The dark circles under his eyes just seemed to be getting darker, and the blue was fading fading fast into a grayish color.
It seemed like he was letting himself waste away, and when he told her he was going back to New York, she wanted to him not to. But he seemed set in stone, and anytime she would bring up him going to Tree Hill instead, he just shook his head and smiled at her.
"Come back with me," She said, resting her hand on his shoulders, tucking her fingers underneath his backpack straps.
"I can't," Nathan said, smiling down at her. He kissed her forehead once again, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "I'll see you soon though."
She looked around the airport, wrapping her arms around his neck, sighing softly. "I'll let you have the window seat. I know you hate the aisle..."
"My shoulders are too broad and they always bump into me," He laughed, looking down at her, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"Exactly. I'll let you take it," She said, nodding up at him.
"Risk you getting something spilled on you? No way," He said, resting his hand on her shoulder. "I'll just fly to New York."
Haley lifted the hat off of his head, placing it on her own. "Great, now I'm going to have to sit in the aisle and have no boyfriend with me."
Nathan smiled down at her, shaking his head. "You're going to be alright, I think," He said, patting her cheek lightly, glancing around.
"I haven't slept alone in my bed in a long time," She complained, stepping closer to him.
"You'll love it," He assured her, nodding at her. "I'm a bed hog."
"Yeah, you are," She said, smoothing her fingers through his hair. "I like it."
He let out a deep breath, sliding his hand down her arm, "You're making this hard for me, Haley."
"I just don't get why you don't want to come back with me," She said, grabbing onto his hand.
"You need a break from me," He commented, winking at her. "Don't worry, I get it. I haven't seen Clay in awhile anyways. I miss him."
"Would you stop saying that?" Haley asked him, letting out a frustrated sigh.
Nathan smiled at her, leaning down and kissing her lightly, "I'm sorry this week wasn't great," He said softly.
"I had an amazing time with you, Nathan. That's why I want you to come home with me," She said, resting her hands on his cheeks.
Nathan glanced at the watch on his wrist, shaking his head. "I need to go home, okay?" He said, shrugging his shoulders.
Haley looked up at him, scowling slightly, shaking her head, "I thought we were past this, Nathan..."
"What?" Nathan asked her, frowning. "What does that mean?"
She shook her head, pulling his hat off her head, setting it back down on his, "It means that when things get hard for you, you leave."
"Haley, I live in New York. I'm going home," He said, shaking his head. "I'm not leaving."
Haley looked up when they called that his flight was boarding, shaking her head and sighing. "Whatever, Nathan..." She trailed off, squeezing his bicep. "I'll call you when I land."
"Haley, wait..." Nathan sighed, grabbing onto her hand. "I..." He shifted slightly, feeling his voice catch in his throat. Was he really going to declare his love for her in the middle of an airport while she was annoyed at him? Definitely not the best time...
"You have to go," Haley said, gesturing him away.
"Yeah, right. Talk to you later," He said, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Have a safe flight. Fight for your window seat."
"Yep," She responded, squeezing his hand, taking a step back and watching him as he began to walk away.
"Hey, James," Nathan called back, offering her a smile as she turned around, "I miss you already."
Haley sent him a closed mouth smile, waving at him, then crossing her arms, watching him turn and walk away.
She sunk down in one of the seats near her once he was gone, shaking her head and letting out a frustrated sigh.
She better hear from him when he lands, dammit. She felt like her eyes had been opened a little more this week. A relationship where one person worries they won't hear from the other is definitely not a healthy relationship.
Maybe Nathan wasn't very far off when he said she needed a break from him. Those weren't the exact words she would use, and it wasn't as harsh as it sounded, but she could feel some of her own energy draining from her. But she was so damn worried about him, she didn't want to risk separating herself from him.
She shouldn't lay awake at night and stare at him, hoping that he'll still be next to her in the morning.
They had to find a way to get past this. She had to help him climb over this wall, and the next one, however many it took. They had to start finding a way to work together, or else she couldn't take it anymore. She wasn't going to take it.
She suspected that he figured out that he'd been a weight on her shoulders the previous week, so he was cutting himself off from her to help ease her burdens.
He was so aware of her, and how she was feeling for the most part, but sometimes he didn't act the correct way. He did what he thought would be best, instead of what really would be best.
Haley cared for Nathan so much. He made her feel like she was floating. But she wasn't going to allow herself to fall down a hole for him, and she knew that he wouldn't let her do it either.
She looked up a short while later when she heard her flight being called, standing up and letting out a deep breath. She shut off her phone, and began to head in the direction of her gate.
xxxx
Haley lifted her head up from it's resting spot on her bed, looking around quickly. It took her a moment to register that she was in her own bedroom.
She let out a deep breath, pushing her fingers through her hair, glancing over at the clock. Good lord, she'd slept for like five hours. As soon as she'd arrived at home and her head hit her pillow, she was out like a light.
She sat up slowly, smoothing her hand over the side of the bed that Nathan would have been laying on. She let out a small, slightly disappointed sigh at his absence, before standing to her feet. She'd completely spaced calling him, or even checking to see if he'd called her.
Haley stepped out of the room slowly, looking into the dark kitchen, letting out a quiet sigh. She grabbed her carry on bag up off it's spot on the floor, pulling her phone out of one of the pockets. She turned it back on, walking over to the fridge and pulling it open.
She sighed softly, shaking her head at how empty it was. She'd need to go to the store after work tomorrow, that's for sure.
She looked over at her phone on the island, watching the screen light up with text messages she'd gotten over the last few hours. A few of them were from Nathan, some from Brooke and from Quinn and her mother. She had several missed calls from Nathan, raising her phone to her ear to listen to the messages he'd left.
'Hey, Hales, it's me. Just give me a call back when you get this,' His voice rang, causing a smile to form on her face.
She tapped the next message, that he'd left about an hour later, sucking in a deep breath.
'Hey baby, it's me again. I'm sure you're just busy. I don't really like the way we left things at the airport. Give me a call when you have the chance. Thanks.'
She clicked on the final message, holding the phone beneath her ear and shoulder, pulling open her freezer. She grabbed the carton of ice cream out of it, dropping it on the counter.
'Hey, sorry if you're busy. Just want to make sure you're alright. I'm going over to Clay's house so I don't know if I'll answer my phone, but I'll try to check it. If I don't get the chance to talk to you, sweet dreams. Have a great day at school tomorrow.'
She smiled at his sweet words, grabbing a spoon and opening up the carton, digging the spoon in. She tapped on Nathan's contact, holding her phone up to her ear.
'This is Nathan Scott, you know what to do.'
Haley bit her lip at the disappointment that bubbled within her at the sound of his answering machine.
"Hi, Nathan... It's Haley. Sorry I missed your calls, I took the longest nap of my life. I think we need to talk, so call me when you have a minute," She hummed into the phone, dropping her phone onto the counter, tucking her hair behind her ear, picking up the carton and walking over to the couch, sitting down and turning on the television.
xxxx
"Take that you zombies!" Quinn yelled, dropping the controller.
"I need help, woman! I'm drowning over here," Clay said, his eyes wide as he stared at the screen.
"Me too, Quinn!" Chase said loudly, his fingers working expertly at the controller in his hands, tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth.
"I can't save both of you," Quinn groaned, glancing over at her husband. "I'm so sorry, baby," She said, shaking her head.
"No, do not let me die," Clay argued with her, leaning forward slightly.
"Chase is closer to me," Quinn said simply, shrugging. "You can join Nathan now."
"Nathan died four seconds into the game, he can handle being on his own," Clay argued with her, "Come save me."
"Forget him, Quinn," Chase said, letting out a victory shout as Quinn followed his advice. "Suck it, Clayton!"
Nathan chuckled quietly, rolling his eyes at the scene that was playing in front of him. His friends were idiots.
Clay sighed as his screen went red, dropping the controller to the ground, crossing his arms and pouting. "I can't believe this."
"None of you even bothered to save me," Nathan said, shaking his head and hugging a pillow to his chest, picking up his beer bottle off the coffee table, taking a drink from it.
"We've been saving your ass for years, Nate. You'd think eventually you'd get good at this game," Chase responded, shrugging his shoulders.
"Sorry, Nathan, I was making my way over there but I had to help Clay," Quinn said, glancing in his direction.
"And then when it comes down too it, she lets me go anyways," Clay groaned, leaning back and letting out a deep breath. "Whatever, let's let them play. Nate, do you want to go get another drink with me?"
Nathan looked at him, sighing softly and standing up. "Sure," He said, pushing his hand through his hair.
"Great, I have some more in the fridge in the garage," Clay said, standing up and gesturing for him to follow.
Nathan followed him outside, shoving his hands into his pockets, watching as Clay pulled open the fridge.
"So, you didn't tell her," Clay commented, staring into the fridge, tapping his fingers on the door handle.
"I almost did," Nathan said, letting out a deep sigh. "It was on the tip of my tongue almost all week."
"What happened, buddy?" Clay asked, finally looking over at him. "You look like ass."
"She's going to break up with me," Nathan said softly, sitting down on the concrete steps that led up into the house.
Clay raised his eyebrows, looking down at him and frowning slightly. "What makes you say that?"
"I'm becoming a burden. She's giving me a little longer, because she still cares about me," He said, pushing his hand through his hair.
"She told you that?" Clay asked him, shaking his head, closing the fridge and sitting down next to him.
"No," Nathan responded, letting out a deep breath. "I'm doing exactly what I told her not to let me do. I'm breaking her..."
"Haley's a strong woman, Nathan... Trust me. It'll take a lot more than your bad attitude to break her," Clay laughed, patting his shoulder.
"She's better off without me, y'know?" Nathan said, pushing his hand through his hair.
"So what if she is?" Clay asked, shrugging his shoulders.
"I did something crazy," Nathan said, kicking his foot at the ground.
"What did you do?" Clay asked him curiously, resting his elbows on his knees.
"So... I told her that I had to go see Rachel, and told her about the time capsule thing and everything, and then she forgave me. That surprised me, but the more I think about it... I think she just did it so I would stop arguing with her," Nathan said softly, looking at Clay's car.
"Okay..." Clay trailed off, nodding for him to proceed.
"And I went over to Rachel's with her, and my stress level was high, my anger levels were high... Rachel didn't answer the door, and something just kind of snapped in me, and I went inside and started searching through her house," Nathan said, pushing his hand through his hair.
"Oh, Nate..." Clay groaned, shaking his head and letting out a deep sigh.
"I know, I know..." Nathan responded, rolling his eyes at himself. "She talked me down a little bit, but I was pissed and jittery. We went downstairs, and I figured out that she had to have been outside since she couldn't hear the door, and there she was, swimming in her pool," He said, looking down.
"Did you drool over her this time?" Clay asked him, looking over at him.
"No," Nathan said, pressing his face into his hands. "I keep screwing up, and I just... I'm tired of being that guy that everyone just expects to screw up."
"Yeah," Clay said, patting his back and sighing softly.
"I started yelling at Rachel. Full on shouting at her," He said, shaking his head. "Rachel had brought in some beers, and I just started downing them."
"Shit," Clay commented, shaking his head. "Sounds a lot like you six months ago."
"I know," Nathan groaned, rubbing his eyes and letting out a deep breath. "There was one point where Haley had to tell me to sit down."
"This doesn't sound good," Clay commented, clearing his throat.
"Yeah, no shit Sherlock," Nathan grumbled, pushing his hand through his hair. "I wouldn't let a damn thing Rachel was saying her through to me, and I just kept shouting at her. Haley was not impressed."
"What eventually happened?" Clay asked, raising his eyebrows and looking at him.
"I tossed my keys at Haley, picked up the beers, and got the hell out of there. I don't know what Haley said to her after that," Nathan said, shaking his head and letting out an annoyed sigh. "I'd been so careful not to let myself be that guy around her, and in four seconds, Rachel messed-"
"Hold on," Clay said, shaking his head and looking at him, raising his eyebrows. "Who messed it up?"
"Rachel-"
"No."
Nathan let out an annoyed sigh, pushing his hand through his hair. "I messed it up," He said quietly, shaking his head.
"There you go. If you want to be in a committed relationship, you have to take responsibility for your actions. Shape up, Nate..." Clay said, looking at him and nodding.
"We got back to my house, and I just kept drinking," Nathan said, looking down. "I started freaking out because I couldn't get the smell of Rachel's house off of me, and I made myself sick. Ran into the bathroom and hurled my guts out," He grumbled, rolling his eyes. "And she just sat outside the door, waiting for me to finish, and then took me upstairs and made me take a hot bath. I fell asleep, and eventually she had me just go to bed."
"Sounds more like a babysitter to me," Clay said, shrugging his shoulders and looking over at him. "How much do I need to start paying her?"
"Right?" Nathan groaned, running his fingers through his hair. "I appreciate her so much, but she should've just kicked me in the stomach and told me not to be such a jackass next time."
"So what happened next?" He asked, raising his eyebrows and looking over at his friend.
Nathan let out a deep breath, kicking his foot lightly, "I tried to make the rest of the week more fun for her, y'know? Hung out with Lucas a little, with Lily... I let her show me the places that she used to go. I tried to make sure she was having fun, but I couldn't shake the feeling of needing something to drink. I just felt like how I used to feel all the time. I didn't drink anything else, but I-"
"You wanted to," Clay finished, nodding his head. "Not to mention you decided to stop taking care of yourself."
"What does that mean?" Nathan asked him, raising his eyebrows.
"It's Pancake Sunday and you haven't asked me about it once. You haven't eaten anything I've put out. Don't think I don't notice these things, I lived with you for a long time." Clay said, nodding at him, reaching over and rubbing his cheek. "You're all scruffy too."
"That's just because it works for me," Nathan joked, pushing Clay's hand away. He let out a deep breath, looking down, "She deserves better."
"Nathan, come on..." Clay sighed, looking at him. "She's human too. She understands that people make mistakes, okay?"
"She told me what she's looking for, and at the moment... I don't meet any of the qualifications. I knew it was a bad idea to take her to California, I knew it," He groaned, pushing his hand through his hair. "We're over. I can feel it."
"Chill, man..." Clay said, patting his back lightly. "So what if it's over, right? You're Nathan Scott, you can bounce back."
Nathan sighed, pushing his hands through his hair, "I don't want it to be over, Clay. But I'm tired of making her miserable."
Clay nodded his head, looking at the ground and sighing softly. "Nathan, I figured out very early on that Haley doesn't put up with bullshit. So if she didn't care about you enough to see past your mistakes and see the real guy underneath, she wouldn't waste her time. She's tough, Nate."
"I know she is," Nathan sighed, closing his eyes, rubbing his neck lightly. "I just feel like I need her so much more than she needs me."
"Buck up, buddy. You're going to be alright," Clay said, standing up slowly, holding out his hand.
Nathan grabbed onto Clay's hand, allowing him to help him up to his feet. He nodded at him, shoving his hands into his pockets, "Enough of the sappy talk. Let's go destroy some zombies."
xxxx
"How did my boyfriend do at your house tonight?" Haley asked, sitting in her bed, letting out a deep breath.
Quinn laughed, shaking her head, "He passed out on my couch about an hour ago. I think him and Chase are spooning. It's like I live in a frat house sometimes," She informed her.
"Did he seem okay?" Haley asked her softly, pushing her hand through her hair, lifting up her comforter, sliding underneath it.
"He seemed alright to me. Looks a little rough on the edges," Quinn informed her, sighing softly. "Kind of like how he used to look."
"Yeah..." Haley trailed off, brushing her fingers through her hair. "We had a little bit of a rough week."
"So I've heard," Quinn hummed out, letting out a deep breath. "My husband talks in his sleep, and well... When he's awake."
"Those two have the weirdest friendship," Haley laughed quietly, biting her lip and shaking her head.
"You're telling me, all three of them do. I wouldn't be surprised if I wake up and they're all laying in my bed with me," Quinn laughed, shaking her head. "Let me pass my wisdom onto you, Hales."
Haley bit her lip, letting out a deep breath, "I don't know why I'm calling you, Quinny... I just need my big sister."
"Do you want me to get on a plane and head over there? Because I will..." Quinn said quickly.
"No, no..." Haley assured her, "I'll be fine. Really," She said, looking across the room at the TV mounted on the wall. "I don't know if I'm ready for this."
"Yeah..." Quinn let out a deep breath, squeezing her eyes shut for a minute. "I don't blame you."
"That's all you've got for me?" Haley asked her, laughing quietly. "Great."
Quinn laughed, "That's not what I meant. I don't care if you date Nathan or not, Haley. Clay doesn't care either, okay? He loves Nathan to death, but he knows he's a handful."
Haley sighed, shaking her head, crossing her legs. "When I broke up with Chris, it was like being set free. I wasn't looking for another relationship." She let out a small sigh, rolling her eyes. "But when I'm with Nathan, and he's acting like himself, I feel like I'm walking on sunshine. I mean, he's the best boyfriend. He brings me flowers, takes me to lunch, and I know it's a little too much information, but he's a god in the bedroom, I swear... He makes me so happy, Quinn," She said, letting out a deep breath. "I just don't know what to do."
"The question is, where does the problem stem from?" Quinn asked her, raising her eyebrows.
"I can handle him in dazed out states he gets in to. I can handle his anxiety attacks, Quinn. Those things don't turn me off from him," Haley assured her quickly, shaking her head. "I don't know, I guess I sort of had an out of body experience this past week. We were arguing, and then we went to his old high school and ended up staying there with one of his buddies that was putting on a basketball camp with their old coach. We obviously weren't going to fight in front of everyone, so we ignored it for awhile. And then when he came out once it was over, he was so giddy because he made a free throw, and I just couldn't tear that away from him."
"Hold on," Quinn stopped her quickly, "He did what?"
"He didn't tell Clay?" Haley asked her, frowning. "He made a free throw. He was practically jumping for joy, he was so happy."
"He definitely did not tell Clay," Quinn said, letting out a deep breath. "Clay would've been freaking out. He still would be freaking out. I'm waking him up."
"Wait- you can't do that," Haley said quickly, sighing. "He'll know I told him. And I really didn't know that Clay is asleep in bed next to you, you can go if you need to. I don't want to wake him."
"Oh, he's fine. Sleeps like a rock. I can't believe that Nathan didn't tell him," Quinn said, letting out a loud sigh. "Okay, okay. Then what happened?"
"I couldn't go right back to arguing with him when he was so happy. So we spent the rest of the evening together, going to dinner, he took me to this secluded spot on the beach and we went skinny dipping," Haley said, letting out a deep breath. "And then, we went home and y'know, he was so excited still, and pretty handsy..."
"Wow. How often do you two go at it?" Quinn laughed, shaking her head. "I mean, seriously..."
"Shush," Haley said, rolling her eyes and sighing softly. "Anyways, when I woke up, he was outside in the driveway, shooting some more baskets, and we started talking about Rachel, and he told me more about there history. And I guess the things he was saying made sense to me, and I just... Forgave him. Just like that."
"Oh," Quinn said, clearing her throat. "Interesting choice."
"I know," Haley sighed softly, pushing her fingers through her hair. "And then, after we went and saw Rachel, which is a whole long complicated story with a lot of yelling involved on his part, and some drinking, which I'd never seen before, I was laying in bed next to him, holding him... And I wondered why the hell I was in this position? Why was I holding him? He'd been a jerk, and I couldn't figure out why I was cradling him like he was damaged goods. I watched him trespass after I told him not to, followed him in anyways, and watched him yell at a girl, who remained pretty calm if you ask me, yet here I was, holding him," Haley shook her head quickly, biting her lip.
"Sounds like a busy week," Quinn laughed, shaking her head. "What was your thought process after that?"
"I was kind of kicking myself. Because I really like Nathan, a lot. But like I said, I had an out of body experience where I was looking down at myself, wondering what the hell I was doing. And I realized that it stems back to when I saw him again the day before your wedding. I understand that his past is something he doesn't like to delve into, but I told him all about me right away, and he told me almost nothing. And I guess I just excused the little things, and eventually, it started turning into big things," She said, letting out an annoyed sigh, "Him disappearing from my house in the middle of the night and then ignoring my calls for weeks and then showing up at my house again asking for forgiveness. I have it to him so quickly, because I felt so happy to see him," Haley informed her, shaking her head. "I just feel like I dismissed too many things right off the bat, and now it's getting out of hand."
"Do you still have feelings for him, Haley?" Quinn asked her softly.
"Yes! That's the thing, I still feel the butterflies when I'm around him, I feel my heart race. I feel it all for him," Haley said, letting out a deep sigh. "I just think he needs to realize that he's not broken, and before he does that, I don't know if I'll be able to do anything to help him."
"To be fair, I did warm you," Quinn hummed, clearing her throat.
"Not the time, Quinn..." Haley grumbled, pushing her hand through her hair. "Even right now, I'm annoyed at him, but I can't help but miss having him next to me. Waking up next to him, coming home to him... I just know I'm going to miss that while he's gone."
"Want me to go wake him up?" Quinn asked her, chuckling quietly.
"No, no... That's okay. I'll talk to him tomorrow. I just need to figure out what I'm going to do, y'know?" Haley said softly, shaking her head. "I guess I just needed someone to vent to. I'm sorry for calling you so late."
"I wasn't asleep yet anyways," Quinn hummed in response, letting out a deep breath. "Haley... You don't have to do this, you know... You don't have to be his girlfriend, or take care of him. You can cut your ties right now, and never look back. Of course, that's not saying you'll never see him again, because I can guarantee he'll be the fun Uncle Nathan that brings our kids ridiculously outrageous presents on their birthdays, but you don't have to do this."
"Everyone keeps saying that to me," Haley commented, letting out a deep breath. "But I want to do this. I know the real Nathan, Quinn... I spend the majority of my time with the real Nathan. But sometimes it just gets hard."
"Have you ever thought that maybe you spend the majority of your time with the Nathan that puts on a mask, and the real Nathan is the drunk idiot that's drooling all over my nice couches as we speak?" Quinn asked her younger sister, raising her eyebrows.
"No. Because that's an act, Quinn," Haley said, shaking her head and leaning back against her headboard. "He's so amazing, Quinny... He just doesn't see it, so he doesn't let anyone else to see it either."
"I believe you, Haley, I do... I just don't want you to get hurt," Quinn told her, letting out a deep breath.
"I just need something to change, or else I don't know if I can proceed with this relationship. I really was hoping that going to California with him would make things stronger, but I felt like it had the opposite effect," Haley informed her, pushing her fingers through her hair. "I don't know, I'll figure it out..."
"Hey, I'll break up with him for you if you need me to," Quinn joked.
"Hopefully we don't break up," Haley responded, shaking her head. "We both just need to figure some things out, probably. Maybe it would be easier if he didn't leave when things feel a little rocky."
"I'm sure his intentions were good," Quinn said softly, letting out a small sigh.
"Yeah, he says I need a break from him," Haley said, rolling her eyes and sliding down her bed, laying back against her pillow, looking at the empty spot next to her. "Maybe he's not wrong, but right now... I just wish he was here with me."
"Tell him fly to Tree Hill during the night, and leave in the mornings after you go to work, then fly back when Tree Hill for night again," Quinn laughed, shaking her head.
"Great idea," Haley hummed out, smiling slightly. "I guess I'll let you go to sleep now, Quinn. Thanks for letting me vent."
"Of course," Quinn responded. "If you need me, Haley... I'm there. I can handle a week away from my husband, especially now that Nathan's back, I probably won't see him much anyways."
Haley laughed, letting out a deep breath, "Yeah, well I'm never opposed to you visiting," She informed her. "I'll talk to you later."
"Yep. I love you, Hales. Talk to you later," Quinn responded, before hanging up the phone.
Haley sighed, plugging her phone into the charger next to her bed, shutting off the lamp on her night stand. She shifted slightly so her head was rested on the empty pillow next to her, closing her eyes tightly.
Even after a week of sitting untouched, the pillow still smelled like Nathan.
She felt a tug at her heart strings, shaking her head slowly.
They had to fix something, because she knew one thing for sure, after not even one night apart, she missed his strong arms wrapped around her, his face nuzzling into the crook of her neck.
Her house had felt a little lonely without his cheesy comments, or his eye rolls at the TV show she'd chosen to watch, despite the fact that she knew that he was invested in them as well, though he wouldn't admit it. It felt weird when she was brushing her teeth, not to have him standing next to her.
After months of being together almost all the time, it was weird to know that he was states away, asleep on her sister's couch, instead of in bed next to her.
Their little routine was broken. Really, she just hoped things didn't stay broken.
She couldn't handle a week, or a month, however long it took for him to figure out what he needs.
But she wasn't going to wait around forever.