In case you missed it, this is the same day as the previous chapter, just from Haley's point of view.
Chapter 29
Haley looked up, a smile forming on her face as Quinn approached the table.
"Hi," Quinn greeted, sitting down across from her.
"Hey. I ordered for you, I hope that's okay," Haley hummed, winking at her.
The two of them came to the restaurant quite often, so whoever arrived first almost always ordered for the other.
One thing Haley enjoyed about being single is that she'd been able to spend a lot more time with Quinn. The constant need to be together might have faded as the relationship continued, but she wasn't sure if she saw her and Nathan ever letting go of that, had the relationship lasted.
"Oh, that is perfect. I am starving. I just came from Clay's office and he seriously needs to stock his snack bar," Quinn laughed, nodding at her.
"Maybe you should just do it for him since you're the one having the cravings," Haley hummed, shrugging.
"Oh please. I would have settled for anything. Except for raisins, which is all he had. You know, they person you marry should really tell you if they like raisins before you commit to them. That may have changed everything," Quinn said, making a disgusted face. "I want to throw up just thinking about it."
"When a pregnant woman says that, I have no choice but to take you seriously," Haley laughed, smiling at her.
"Good thing I'm kidding. This time," She grumbled, leaning back. "We told Nathan today."
"Oh?" Haley asked, taking a sip of her water.
Nathan Scott. The man that had been occupying her head, and if she thought it was bad before, it was nothing compared to now. Their moment last Monday had spurred it all up once again.
"He was really excited," Quinn informed her, smiling slightly. "Started offering up Nick's old stuff. Kind of sweet."
"That's nice," Haley agreed, leaning against the table and sighing.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Quinn asked, raising one eyebrow at her.
"They aren't worth it. Let's just keep talking about you and your baby," Haley said, waving her hand dismissively.
"I'll humor you for now because I want to talk about my baby," Quinn laughed, leaning back. "We googled it, our baby is the size of a plum."
"I had a book when I was pregnant with Macey that told you all the fruits the baby was the size of every week. I might still have it in my stuff somewhere," Haley hummed, smiling. "I can dig it out."
"That would just be awesome," The older sister replied, taking a drink of her water. "I'm so happy that I have Clay to share this with, Hales. And you, of course."
"I'm happy I get to be around you for it. It's really special," Haley agreed, nodding. "You're just making me remember so much about when I was pregnant with Macey."
Quinn reached forward and squeezed her hand lightly. "You've always been about ten steps ahead of the rest of us, haven't you Hales? Well, except Tay. You're like twenty steps ahead of her," She joked, winking at her.
"I don't know about that," Haley said, squeezing her hand back and letting it go.
"So... Let's talk about the handsome teacher," Quinn changed the subject, nodding.
"Oh, lord... I don't know what there is to talk about really," Haley said dismissively, shrugging.
For some reason it felt wrong to gush about Adam.
Well, it wasn't just some reason. She knew the exact reason.
"You asked him on a date, Haley," Quinn reminded her.
"It's not a date. You asked to take my daughter and I didn't want to third wheel Brooke and Julian," Haley laughed, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, right. Because you've never third wheeled them before," Quinn said sarcastically. "Come on, Hales... He's cute."
"He is," Haley confirmed, running her fingers through her hair. "But it's not a date."
Truthfully, she did not want it to be a date. It had the outward appearance of a date, but she was not going into it with any such intentions and she hoped the he wasn't either.
It was more of a clarity thing than anything else.
"What's stopping it from being a date? Nathan?"
"That's part of it," Haley said, looking down at the table. "I don't know, Quinn... Am I crazy? Nathan is just... Nathan. He does the wrong things for the right reasons. He's so frustrating, and stubborn, and he thinks he has to help everyone and protect everyone before even thinking about himself. But he's also kind, and loving, an amazing father. And he makes me feel secure."
"Haley, I don't think you're crazy," Quinn assured her, shaking her head. "He's a risk."
"He is! This whole thing could have been solved if he would have just said that things were moving kind of fast for him, and he liked me a lot but he just needed to slow down a little bit. I would have been fine with that! I'm a reasonable person. I understand that he had not been in a relationship in years, and we were moving kind of fast, despite the fact that we didn't really tell that many people," Haley pointed out.
"You deserve someone that wants to be with you, Haley..."
"He did want to be with me, Quinn. He just got scared. He does want to be with me now... Why can't I just let myself give in and be with him?" She asked, shaking her head frustratedly.
Quinn thought for a moment, nodding slowly. "Why don't you treat this as a trial run? I know that sounds bad, but if you let yourself have fun with Adam and don't think about Nathan, then you can try a move on. But if you think about Nathan the whole time, you can start taking steps back together?" She suggested, smiling slightly.
"This whole thing makes me feel like such a bitch," Haley complained, looking at her sister. "I mean- Nathan walks around like I kicked his puppy and now I'm essentially just dragging Adam along for the ride."
"You're not being a bitch, Hales... You're allowed to be confused," Quinn assured her, frowning. "Leaving Nathan out of all of this, how do you feel about Adam?"
"I enjoy talking to him. We have similar interests," She said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I think he's really cute, and nice. He texts back quickly, except when he's at school, of course. But he's also Macey's teacher, which will things kind of weird."
"Let's leave Macey out of it too," Quinn said, shaking her head. "Do you think you'd like him if you put all of that aside?"
Haley had to think on that.
Would she like him if there was nothing stopping her? No Nathan, if he wasn't Macey's teacher?
Macey really liked him, but she probably wouldn't like him if they started up anything. She's pretty sold on Nathan.
Leaving Macey out of it too though... She did think that he was a really great guy. They'd known each other for about three weeks, and they texted but it was so different.
He made her smile and laugh, but not the kind that brings tears to her eyes. He had great taste in books, and all other interests were pretty similar. On paper, this was her guy probably.
But did she like him? The same way she'd liked Nathan? Would Macey like him the same way she liked Nathan?
It was impossible to them out of it because they were so relevant to her life.
But it was just one date. Not a date even. Just one time hanging out without it being the morning before school or the time after school.
Brooke and Julian would be there. There didn't need to be so much pressure on it. She was allowed to try and be happy, wasn't she? Allowed to have a good time with her friends?
"Maybe," Haley answered, looking at Quinn. "But I don't know. I really don't. Because I can't just cute Macey or Nathan out of this. Everything I do makes a difference to Macey. And Nathan is... Nathan."
Quinn nodded, smiling at her. "Well, I've got your back, Hales. So if tonight you want to pretend like your date with Adam never happened, I won't speak a word of it to Nathan and I'll make sure Clay doesn't either."
"Not a date," Haley corrected, smiling gratefully. "You're a good sister."
"Not as good as you," Quinn responded, winking at her. "Now let's stop talking about your messy love life and go back to my baby."
"Good plan."
xxxx
"Wait... What are you doing tonight?" Macey asked Haley as they were getting ready to go to Clay and Quinn's house.
"I'm just going somewhere with Aunt Brooke," Haley informed her, smiling slightly. "Uncle Clay and Aunt Quinn just really wanted to hang out with you."
"But why?"
"Because you're so awesome," Haley laughed, beginning to pack Macey's bag.
"Why can't I go to Nathan's house?" She questioned.
Yes, because asking Nathan to watch Macey while she hung out with another guy would go over so well. That was a fantastic idea.
"Because Aunt Quinn asked and Nathan didn't," Haley hummed, looking at her. "What pajamas do you want?"
"I want the batman ones," Macey said, gesturing to the top drawer in her dresser.
Haley sighed, picking the Batman pajamas out of her drawer and setting them in the bag.
It was always the Batman ones. She was outgrowing them, but that was always her choice.
Nathan had gone shopping with the kids a few months ago, and when they came back, Macey was wearing Batman pajamas and Nick was wearing Robin pajamas.
Those kids.
"I think you might be getting too big for these ones. You grew a lot this summer," Haley pointed out, glancing at her.
"Nick didn't grow that much. Do you think he'll be tall like Nathan? He's shorter than me now," Macey hummed, picking up her pillow off her bed.
"I don't know, maybe," Haley replied, kissing her forehead. "You're getting so tall though. Pretty soon you'll be tall like Nathan."
Macey giggled at her words, reaching up and hugging her. "I love you, Mom."
"I love you too," She whispered back, squeezing her tightly.
"Are you still sad?" Macey asked quietly.
"No," Haley reassured her, stroking her hair lightly. "I'm never sad when you're around, Mace. You're my girl."
Macey smiled up at her, "You're my girl!" She repeated back.
Haley nodded, letting go of her, grabbing a set of clothes for tomorrow and setting them in Macey's bag.
"What are you doing tonight?" Macey asked her, laying down and looking over.
"We're going to watch the sunset," Haley informed her.
"Do you think tomorrow night we can watch a movie?"
"Honey, tomorrow night we can do whatever you want," She said, nodding. She walked out of the room briefly, returning with Macey's toothbrush and toothpaste, setting it in the bag as well.
"Really?" Macey hummed, grinning at her. "Can I pick the snacks?"
"Absolutely," Haley laughed, "Think of what you want and we'll go to the store tomorrow and get it."
"I'll write a list!"
"Things like that bring tears to my eyes," Haley joked, tapping her leg. "Get up. I'm on a time crunch. I need to see that sunset."
"What's so great about it?" Macey questioned.
Not the sunset. Maybe the clarity that will come with the sunset.
"It's just going to be pretty," Haley hummed, smiling at her. "It always is, isn't it?"
"I guess," Macey said, shrugging.
"Come on, let's get in the car."
Haley followed Macey down the hall and into the garage, opening the car door for her, before getting in herself.
She was picking everyone up, and since Brooke was closer to Quinn, thankfully she'd pick Brooke up first.
Once they arrived at Quinn's house, Haley got out of the car, opening up Macey's door for her and hurrying up to the front door.
Clay opened the door after a moment, smiling slightly.
"Hey Macey!" He greeted, waving at her.
"Hi Uncle Clay!" Macey said, waving back. "I get to spend the night here tonight."
"I know, we're so excited to have you. Quinn is making some cookies just for you. They're on the counter," Clay said, looking over his shoulder when Quinn walked up.
"Macey!" She said, smiling at her.
"Hi," Macey replied, looking up at Haley. "I'll see you later, Mom. Have fun with Brooke," She said, before rushing into the house.
"Mention of cookies and she's gone," Haley said, shaking her head. "I better get going too."
"Haley!" Clay said loudly, shifting slightly. "Have fun tonight."
She sent him a weird look, nodding. "I will."
"Are you still going to that same place we went that one time?" Clay asked, clearing his throat.
Why did he all of the sudden have sweat on his brow? Why was Clay so curious?
"Um... Yep," Haley answered, glancing towards her car.
"Cool!"
He was talking loud. What?
"Have fun," He said again, "Bye!"
Haley was about to say goodbye to Quinn when the door was shut in her face.
That was weird.
Whatever, Clay was always weird.
She sucked in a deep breath, walking back to her car and suddenly feeling very nervous.
It wasn't a date. But it kind of was.
They'd talked for like two weeks. Why did this feel like such a big deal?
Why? Because it wasn't Nathan.
Deep down, she knew she could go on fifty dates with Adam and he still wouldn't be the man she wanted.
But this was okay. This was the first step to moving on.
And if she still wanted to move on after tonight... That would be good.
If she still wanted to be with Nathan after tonight... That would also be good, right?
She'd been so conflicted. She just needed a clear head, which was something she had not had in three months.
Brooke would be there. And Brooke was always good at keeping her focused.
Haley pulled up in front of Brooke's house shortly after leaving Quinn's, sighing softly. She quickly texted her friend that she was here, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel.
Brooke and Julian came outside, their hands interlocked between them.
They got into the back seat quickly, each of them sending Haley a grin.
"Hey," Brooke greeted, waving at her.
"Long time no see," Julian said, reaching forward and tapping Haley's shoulder.
"Yeah, it's been a few weeks," Haley hummed, smiling at them.
Julian had just gotten back from filming in California a few days ago.
"So... Are you ready?" Brooke asked, buckling her seatbelt.
"It's just four friends hanging out," Haley reminded her.
"Sort of," Brooke said, shrugging. "Watching the sunset with a couple is a little more intense than that. But don't be nervous, Hales. We'll be there. If you want, I won't even talk to Julian and I'll only talk to you."
Haley laughed, shaking her head. "I think it's going to be weird at first, but I think I can handle it. It will be fine."
"For what it's worth, I've probably spent more time with Adam than you and he's a really great guy," Brooke said, nodding.
"Don't worry, Hales. I'll keep an eye on him," Julian joked, grinning at her.
"Oh, a true hero. Didn't you chase butterflies with my daughter last month?" Haley asked, pulling up Adam's address.
"You're right. You'll have to keep me safe," Julian replied, laughing.
"Brooke will keep both of us safe," Haley corrected, glancing at the dark haired woman in her rear view mirror.
"Hales, I always have you back," Brooke assured her, smiling. "So if you want us to separate at any time tonight, just give me the sign?"
"What's the sign?" Julian asked, smiling at his wife.
"When Brooke wanted to hook up with a guy while we shared an apartment, she tug on her ear, and that meant I should go study at the library," Haley informed him. "But the sign won't be necessary."
"You never know, this clever and discreet method you two invented might come in handy," Julian said, patting Brooke's leg. "Will you be using the sign tonight?"
"Yeah, I don't think so," Brooke joked, winking at her husband, before kissing his cheek. "I don't want to scare Adam."
"I've only ever used the sign once. There is a zero percent chance I'll use it tonight," Haley said, laughing.
"Who did you use the sign with?" Julian asked, grinning at her.
"Peter," Brooke and Haley answered at the same time.
"But nothing ever happened with it. He just wanted to do his biology homework with me," Haley said, shaking her head.
"That guy and his love for biology," Julian said, laughing. "Poor college aged Haley. The one time she used the sign it backfired."
"She learned a lot about science, just not anatomy like she was planning," Brooke joked, reaching forward and poking Haley lightly. "I, on the other hand, think that may have been the only reason I passed my test I had the next day."
Haley laughed, rolling her eyes at the conversation.
She loved spending time with Brooke and Julian. They were so easy to be around.
"In one hundred feet, your destination is on your right."
The navigation system in her car rang out.
Haley looked over when she pulled up to the house.
"Should I text him or knock?" She asked, sighing softly.
"Oh, just go to the door. You're so dramatic," Brooke said, pointing at the house.
Haley stuck her tongue out, getting out of the car and walking up to the front door, knocking quickly and taking a step back.
Hopefully this was the right house. Sometimes navigation systems weren't always the most reliable.
After a moment, the door was pulled open, and she was met with the handsome teacher with a grin on his face.
"Haley!" He greeted, stepping aside and opening the door wider. "Come on in. I'll be ready in just one second."
Haley smiled slightly, stepping into his home, letting out a deep breath.
There were still moving boxes stacked around the place.
"Sorry... I'm the worst at unpacking. I hate it so much," Adam admitted, shifting slightly. "I just need to fill up my water and I'll be good to go. Is that okay?"
"That's totally fine," Haley said, following him into the kitchen as he gestured for her to come along.
"Should I bring a blanket or anything else?" He asked, raising his eyebrows at her.
"No, I have some in my car. You could bring a backpack though, that is one thing I forgot. That way we don't have to carry it," She said, leaning against the counter.
"I think I can swing that," Adam replied, smiling at her. "Will you fill this up for me? I'll go find one."
She nodded, taking the metal bottle from him, stepping over to the fridge, putting some ice in it, then filling it with water.
He returned a moment later, tapping the backpack lightly. "Hasn't been used since college, but this baby will carry anything."
"Impressive," She joked, winking at him. "Ready to go?"
"Ready," He replied, leading the way out of his home, locking the door behind them.
He let her take the lead to her car, quickly grabbing her door for her and smiling.
She whispered a quiet thank you to him before getting into the car.
He was really nice. So far this wasn't that awkward.
Haley could do this. She had a cute, fun, awesome guy sitting next to her. One that she really enjoyed talking to.
She didn't need to think about Nathan, right?
No, wait... Thinking that was still thinking about him.
This was such a mess.
"Hi, I'm Brooke, nice to meet you," Brooke greeted Adam as he got into the front passenger seat.
"Oh, hey Brooke! I'm Adam," He responded, reaching back and shaking her hand. "Hey, you look really familiar..."
"Yeah, I was thinking the same..." She trailed off. "Wait? Mr. Strong, is that you? I didn't recognize you without a tie and a name badge!"
Adam laughed, shaking his head. "It's me, yes. Mrs. Baker?"
"The one and only," Brooke laughed, tapping Julian's arm.
Haley rolled her eyes at the joke.
The funnies thing about it was that this was not the first time Brooke had done that same bit with other teachers she'd run into outside of school.
"This is my husband, Julian," Brooke said, smiling.
"Julian. Nice to officially meet you. All of the kids that are in my class that were in Brooke's class last year think you're awesome. I guess you showed them a secret Christmas movie that had not come out yet around the holidays?"
Julian laughed, nodding his head. "That's me. Honestly, I only did it because Macey begged me to do it," He informed him.
"Ah, yes. I could see how her brown eyes could have manipulation powers," Adam agreed, grinning over at Haley.
"You're talking to the queen of being manipulated by her," Haley said, pulling away from Adam's house, heading in the direction of the hike.
xxxx
"Okay..." Haley trailed off as she pulled into a parking spot.
There were a few other cars there, but there were also a few different trails so who really knew how busy this would be?
Haley got out of the car slowly, rubbing her hands together nervously and looking at Brooke as she also exited the vehicle.
This felt crazy to her for some reason.
It all felt so, so weird.
It felt a little wrong. But that might also be guilt and nerves mixing together.
"You're okay," Brooke whispered, winking at her. "You look hot, if that helps."
Haley rolled her eyes at that her words.
It did help. But not the comment exactly, but just having Brooke around.
She'd keep Brooke around 25/7 if she could.
She stepped around the car, meeting Adam at the front and smiling up at him.
"I think the sunset is going to be beautiful tonight," He commented, nodding at her. "The perfect clouds for the perfect sunset."
Haley felt her smile falter slightly at his words.
Clouds made her think of Nathan. His desire to know any information she did about clouds just because he wanted to listen to her talk.
"Yeah, it's going to be really pretty," Haley agreed, nodding slowly and glancing at Brooke and Julian, who were already standing behind them, hands interlocked.
"Why don't you two take the lead?" Brooke suggested, smiling at them.
"No funny business," Haley teased, winking at her friend and looking at Adam. "You want to?"
"Sure," He said, gesturing for her to go in front of him. "I'll follow you."
Haley nodded, choosing the trail they desired, beginning to head up it.
After about two minutes of walking, Adam tapped her shoulder lightly.
She looked over at him, smiling. "Hm?"
"So... We forgot to put the blanket in my backpack," He said, pulling an 'I'm sorry' face.
Haley laughed, shrugging. "I knew we forgot something. There's a bench up there, but I think it would be better if we just turned around and got it. Is that okay?"
"Yeah, that's fine," Adam agreed, slowing his steps as she did.
Haley turned to look at Brooke and Julian, "Hey, so... We have to run back down to the car and grab a blanket. You two can just go on ahead."
She was feeling a lot more at ease after spending just these few minutes with Adam. He had not said much on the hike, but he'd occasionally tell her something about the landscape or a quiet little joke.
It was actually fun so far, and they were only a couple minutes into it.
But she wasn't feeling anything, really. Maybe the so called butterflies she thought she had with him were just nerves.
"Sounds good," Julian commented, raising his hand and tugging on his ear casually, before sending both Haley and Brooke a grin.
Haley rolled her eyes, shaking her head. Brooke had married her match, that was for sure.
Brooke laughed, nodding at her. "Okay, Hales. Hurry though, you don't want to miss anything."
"Not even a little bit," Adam agreed, stepping aside so Brooke and Julian could pass.
Haley did the same, glancing over her shoulder and meeting Brooke's eyes briefly after they'd already passed.
And then there were two.
Adam smiled at her, raising his eyebrows. "Front or back?"
"I'll follow," She replied, beginning to walk back down the trail after him.
"You know, Haley, I have to tell you, I was pretty excited when you invited me," Adam informed her, clearing his throat.
"Yeah? Well I'm glad you could come. Sorry it was so last minute," She said, smiling slightly.
And she meant it. She was glad he could come. She did like him. But maybe not the way she originally thought she might.
"A day in advance is hardly last minute when it comes to stuff like this," He laughed, looking back at her.
"Agree to disagree," She hummed, biting her lip lightly.
"So what is Macey up to tonight?"
"She's with my sister and brother-in-law," She told him, watching him as he walked.
"Oh, nice. I think I met your sister? She picked Macey up one day, didn't she?" He asked, looking back at her again.
"She did, yes," Haley confirmed, nodding slowly.
"She's nice," Adam complimented, adjusting his backpack straps. "So tell me what your career is again?"
"Well, I kind of work in advertising. I do the little jingles that play in the background of commercials and stuff," She informed him, clearing her throat. "But I'm actually in the process of stepping away from that right now. I have a book that's coming out the middle of next month?"
"You're kidding?" He asked, stopping and looking at her quickly.
"Nope!" She said, grinning. "I can get you an early copy if you'd like?"
"Uh, hell yeah I want one!" Adam said, highfiving her quickly. "You're so cool, Haley. Why don't you start with stuff like this? You know Lucas Scott, you're releasing a book of your own... I'm sure there's more."
She laughed at his reaction, shrugging.
She felt genuine with him. He was really excited, and he actually meant it. She liked it, a lot.
Not to mention, this good looking guy was telling her how cool she was.
But why didn't it make a big difference to her? It didn't make her heart skip a beat. It made her feel happy, sure. It was just so different from Nathan.
There he was again. Popping up in her thoughts. He needed to go away.
"Tell me a little bit about it. Please?" He asked, smiling at her.
She nodded, continuing down the trail as she began to give a summary of her novel to him.
She'd finished just before they arrived at the car, unlocking it quickly and pressing the button to open up the back.
He quickly stepped forward, picking up a blanket and shoving it as neatly as possible into his backpack. "Thinking one or two?" He asked, glancing at her.
"Probably just the one. I don't think it will get cold enough to need a blanket," Haley said, nodding at him.
"Need anything else while we're down here?"
"Um... Nope. I think we're good," She said, giving him a thumbs up.
"Sorry for making you come back down," He said, closing the back of her car and gesturing for her to go ahead of him once again.
"Oh, please. Brooke and Julian have been married for years and they are still one of the cheesiest couples on earth. It's better to break away from them," Haley joked, beginning the trek up the trail once again.
"Brooke is fantastic," Adam said, clearing his throat. "You two went to high school together? Is that what you told me?"
"Yes, but we weren't friends until college," Haley said, smiling. "Now she's my daughter's godmother and one of the most important people in my life."
"How did Macey like having her as a teacher?"
"There were times when it got annoying for her. She really struggled with calling her Mrs. Baker instead of Aunt Brooke."
"I can imagine," He replied, laughing. "She's a good kid."
"She is," Haley confirmed. "Brooke and Julian pretty much helped me raise her. She's really close with them."
"Do you mind if I ask about her father?" Adam asked, clearing his throat.
"Not at all," Haley said, waving her hand dismissively. "He passed away when Macey was young."
"Oh, god... Haley, I'm so sorry," Adam said quickly.
She could hear the panic in his voice.
"No, don't. It's okay. It's hard, but I can talk about it," Haley said, glancing over her shoulder at him and smiling.
"You're so tough. Wow," He pointed out, "Maybe you should take my last name- Oh, wow. That sounded weird."
Haley let out a laugh at his comment. That was one way to break the tension that had formed around the subject of her late husband.
After awhile of more walking, along with continuous conversations that were surprisingly easy to have, they reached the end of the trail.
Haley could hear Brooke and Julian talking, but there was a big boulder blocking the view.
She stepped aside of it, Adam close behind her.
Her jaw clenched at who she saw.
"Nathan?"
His gaze turned to her quickly.
What the hell was he doing here?
She felt so confused. There's no way this was a coincidence, right?
How had he found out about this? She sure as hell didn't drop any hints.
She suddenly realized how close she was to Adam, taking a small, barely noticeable step away from him.
Nathan would probably be the only one to notice it.
"Hey," He greeted, before looking to Adam. "Mr. Strong."
"You can call me Adam," The blonde man corrected, laughing. "I'd have the kids call me it if it was allowed. Mr. Strong makes me sound way tougher than I am."
Haley laughed at his joke, ignoring the look from Nathan.
It was funny. She wasn't going to pretend it wasn't just because Nathan was there.
Oh shit. Nathan was there.
Nathan was on her date. Not date. Whatever it was, he was there.
She couldn't help but send him a glare. Yes, she'd thought about him a lot. Did that make this automatically okay? No way. This was a total violation of her privacy.
Somehow, Adam had invited Nathan to join them.
Which made things feel even more complicated.
The only saving grace she had was Brooke asking her quickly if they could talk and they grabbed her hand and pulled her away.
"What the hell?" Brooke whispered to Haley, looking over her shoulder to where Julian, Adam, and Nathan were all standing.
"I have no idea," Haley said quickly, crossing her arms and glaring at the back of Nathan's head.
She wanted to rip the damn hat off his head and smack him with it.
What did he think was going to come out of all of this?
"How did he even know you would be here?" Brooke asked, scowling.
Haley had a pretty good idea on how he found out the more she thought about it. She told Quinn, who told Clay, who told Nathan.
But she wasn't going to bring Clay and Quinn into this.
"No clue," Haley mumbled, pressing her hands to her face.
"He is such a jerk, Haley. What is the matter with him?"
That was the question of the hour. Or the month.
"This is totally overstepping, right? I mean, did he think this was going to be some big romantic gesture?" Haley asked Brooke, scowling.
"I'll kick his ass back down the trail if you want," Brooke mumbled, crossing her arms and looking back over at Nathan again.
Haley watched as Adam and Julian began to lay down blankets in the clearing. She looked over at Nathan once again, who was standing off to the side.
She hated how no matter how angry she was, when she saw him, she felt her heart start to beat a little faster. It was so stupid. His plan should not be working.
No. It wasn't working.
"He can't stay," Haley said, shaking her head and looking at Brooke. "There's no way."
"No," Brooke agreed, sighing softly. "What an ass, Haley."
"What did he think was going to come out of this? I was going to run into his arms?" Haley asked, letting out a sigh. "He's so..."
"Arrogant," Brooke finished for her.
Haley sent her a look, nodding slowly. She then looked over at Nathan, making eye contact with him briefly before tearing her gaze away.
He looked so tired. Had the trek been that exhausting for him?
No. No concern right now. He pretty much stalked her here. He wasn't going to get her compassionate side.
She could hear the three men talking between themselves, and she was positive it was completely awkward over there.
"What's our game plan here?" Brooke asked, clearing her throat. "Because I'm not sure we can handle Nathan staying."
"No. He won't stay. I know Nathan, and he's not going to stay. He just came here because he wanted to remind me that he wants to be with me."
"What if he does?"
"He won't. He can't," Haley said simply, nodding her head as Julian walked over.
"So... Things are getting a little awkward over there," Julian said, sending them a sheepish smile. "The only thing all three of us have in common at this point is Haley, so that's where the conversation is turning. And I don't think that Adam and Nathan should be having that talk."
"I agree," Haley said, shaking her head. "If he doesn't go, I'm going to pull him aside and tell him to leave."
"I can do it," Brooke volunteered.
"No, I have to do it myself," Haley said softly, looking at Nathan once again.
"We'll follow your lead, Haley," Julian said, clearing his throat and nodding.
Haley sucked in a deep breath to prepare herself, before walking over and standing next to Nathan.
They made eye contact with one another and Haley could tell that he knew exactly what was going to happen.
"Are you staying?" She asked him politely.
He understood what the answer he had to give was. Thankfully.
Had it just been her, Brooke, and Julian, she probably would have secretly wanted him to stay. But she needed him to go.
And he understood that.
"I just remembered I can't," Nathan said slowly. "I'll see you tomorrow though."
"Yeah, I'll text you," Haley answered, sitting down on the blanket next to Adam, looking away from him.
"Bye guys," Nathan said, before heading away from the group.
He may have been gone, but the pit in her stomach wasn't.
xxxx
The rest of the night had gone okay.
They had fun, the sunset was beautiful, and the conversations were fairly light and easy.
But of course, the nagging in her head never stopped.
The look in Nathan's eye when she sent him away never disappeared from her mind.
It felt so wrong making him leave, but it was the right thing to do.
Haley had dropped off Brooke and Julian first, with a promise that she'd call Brooke tomorrow, which actually meant later tonight.
And now she'd arrived back at Adam's house, getting out of the car slowly to walk him up to his door.
It was nearing ten o'clock at this point.
She was grateful to have Adam around, honestly. He was funny and very smart, and she appreciated the small jokes he made that would pull her back into reality.
He was a really good guy. She wished that she felt something for him but she didn't.
That was kind of what she needed from this night. She needed to know if it was the right time for her to move on and it clearly wasn't.
Clearly she was still very much hung up on Nathan Scott.
"I had a great time tonight, Haley," Adam said once they reached his door step, smiling down at her.
"I did too," Haley agreed, crossing her arms and looking up at him. "Thanks for coming with me."
"It was beautiful. And Brooke and Julian... They're really funny," He said, nodding and laughing quietly. "Brooke is so quick on her feet."
"Yeah, they're really great," Haley hummed, smiling slightly.
"You're really great," He informed her, nodding slowly. "I mean that."
"Well I think you're pretty great too," She told him, tapping his shoulder lightly.
"But..."
They both said at the same time, each of them beginning to laugh.
That was slightly unexpected, but also very much of a relief.
"Why don't I talk first?" Adam suggested, smiling at her.
"Sure, go ahead."
"I think that you're incredible," Adam informed her, nodding. "And I had a really good time with you tonight... But I don't think it's a good idea for me to date my student's mom. I know this is a first date or whatever and that sounds premature, but you're the kind of girl that you don't just go on one date with... And I just don't think I can do it," Adam said, smiling at her. "And clearly you have some other stuff going on with another student's father."
It was that obvious, huh?
"You know, that pretty much sums up what I was going to say..." Haley trailed off, smiling up at him.
"Maybe I'll take you on a second date next June," He said, shrugging his shoulders. "I'd like to still be friends if that's possible? I'm really interested in your opinions. I also want to read your book."
"I'd like that too," Haley said, nodding at him.
"Great," Adam said, leaning down and hugging her. "Thanks for a great night, Haley. I'll see you on Monday."
"Good night," Haley said, patting his back lightly before they parted from each other.
He smiled at her again, unlocking his front door, offering her a wave.
Once the door was closed, she walked back to her car.
She actually felt better. A lot better.
Now it was time to clean up another mess.