Chapter 31
Nathan woke up to the tingling sensation in his arm.
A feeling he hadn't had in awhile, but not one that was unwelcome.
A smile formed on his face as he looked at the woman laying on his arm next to him.
She was so beautiful.
He missed her and this.
There was a warmth that spread across him that he had not felt in months.
Nathan replayed the previous night in his mind, his smile only growing.
He was getting another chance with her. Maybe now he should thank Adam for being a terrible date.
No, no. Thank Adam for being a great date and her still not feeling anything for him.
She came to his house last night to reconcile, not to fight like he'd previously thought.
Haley James wanted to be with him.
As friends. Of course.
For now. But not for long probably.
He was going to prove to her that it was different. They'd keep things secretive for awhile, but once she wanted to pick up the kids together, he'd do it proudly with his head high and his hand in hers.
Nothing was going to stop him from showing the world that they were together. Not himself, or his phobia of commitment, nothing. He'd lived in a world with and without Haley and he definitely preferred the former.
He squeezed his hand into a fist, trying to remove the annoying tingles that shot through his system.
It would go away eventually, as his arm grew used to having her there again.
He looked over his shoulder at the night stand on the side of the bed that he was laying on, carefully rolling onto his back to grab his phone and check the time.
"Holy shit," He mumbled out loud when he saw exactly what time it was. He felt Haley shift, mentally shushing himself.
It was 10 in the morning. He was pretty sure he had not slept in this late since he had a nine a.m. class in college.
He felt so refreshed.
Haley was a wizard or something like that.
He very carefully slid his arm out from under her, standing up and flexing his fingers, taking a moment to allow the feeling to return to them.
Might as well ensure she wakes up in a good mood by making her breakfast.
After brushing his teeth as quietly as possible, heading out of the room and down to the kitchen.
He stepped up the the fridge, pulling it open and sighing softly.
Okay. He had nothing. Cool.
He ran his hand through his hair, pulling open the freezer.
Frozen waffles would have to do.
Hopefully this wasn't lame.
He slid the waffles in the toaster, letting out a deep breath.
Haley had perfect timing (as usual) and came down the stairs right as he was putting whip cream on top of the waffle.
Yes, he didn't have eggs but he definitely had whip cream in the fridge.
"Hey," He greeted, smiling at her.
"Hi," Haley replied, returning his smile. "You know, I would have preferred you next to me when I woke up."
"Well, I had to make you the impressive breakfast of frozen waffles," He said, winking at her and setting it on the bar.
"I appreciate it," She said, stepping into the living room where her phone was resting on the coffee table, picking it up.
"What's the damage?" He asked, raising his eyebrows at her.
"One missed call from Brooke and two from Quinn," Haley said, walking back into the kitchen and sitting down at the bar.
He leaned against the countertop across from her. "Sorry, didn't mean to keep you so late in the day."
"It's okay. I haven't slept like that in... I don't even know how long," She said, smiling at him.
"Same here," He said, setting a fork and knife in front of her.
It was still a little awkward. But they'd transition past that easily.
"I better call her," Haley said, finding Quinn's contact and lifting her phone to her ear.
"Well, well, well,,," Quinn answered the phone, laughing. "What have you been doing?"
"I have been sleeping," Haley informed her, looking at Nathan and shrugging.
"Wow." Quinn stated, humming softly.
"I know... I really slept in," She said, "I'm so sorry. Has Macey been okay?"
"Yes, she's been so great. I was just checking in to make sure you were okay since I hadn't heard from you yet."
"Yes, yes. I'm good. Sorry... I, um, left my phone downstairs and I literally just woke up," Haley replied, brushing her hand along the countertop. "I can come pick up Macey at eleven. I just have to run to the store first. Will that work?"
"Sure," Quinn hummed. "I guess I'll ask you about last night when you get here."
"Sounds good. Thanks, Quinny!" Haley hummed, hanging up the phone and leaning back in her chair.
Nathan cleared his throat, smiling at her. "So..."
"So..." She repeated back to him, picking up her fork.
"What happens now?"
"Well... I think I should go get my daughter, and you should probably go get your son," She said, shrugging.
"Well, yeah, I know that," He laughed, rolling his eyes. "But... Where do we go from here? With us?"
"Why don't we just... Let it happen? I don't have a plan," She admitted, smiling sheepishly at him.
"Haley James without a plan?" He gasped, walking around and taking a seat next to her, grabbing the fork from her hand, shoving a bite into his mouth.
"Well, clearly there are some things we're going to have to figure out," She informed him, looking over at him.
"Like what?"
"You know... Like boundaries? I just- as fun as last night was, I really don't think we should just dive head first," She said, nodding at him. "Is that okay?"
"I agree with you," He assured her, placing his arm around the back of her chair. "I think we still have to work through some stuff."
"And I also think it's going to be really difficult," She informed him, shrugging.
"I agree with that too," He laughed, smiling at her.
Despite being just friends to kick it off, he felt on top of the world. Haley had seen what else was out there and decided that she didn't want anyone but him.
He could handle waiting.
"But..." He began, smirking at her. "Does that mean that I can't spend the night? Or you can't spend the night here?"
She laughed, looking over at him. "Hm... I guess we might have to figure a few things out still."
"Maybe," He said, glancing over at the clock on the oven, before looking back at her. "This is so awkward," He groaned, pressing his face into his hands. "Why is it so weird?"
Haley shrugged her shoulders, laughing. "I don't know... Because it's been awhile?"
"It wasn't awkward last night," He reminded her, shaking his head.
"I have an idea..." She hummed, swiveling her chair so that she was facing him. "Kiss me?"
"Is that allowed?" He laughed, sending her a questioning look.
"I'm pretty sure the deal we made last night was until I left this morning... And what do you know? I'm still here," She hummed, winking at him.
He pretended to weigh his options, tilting his head from side to side, before grinning down at her. "I think you're right," He hummed, leaning forward and kissing her quickly.
Haley rested one hand on his knee, the other holding the side of his face to pull her in close to him.
"That definitely helped with the awkwardness..." He informed her, pulling back and grinning at her.
"You know... When Julian is out of town, sometimes Brooke and I will stay the night at each other's house," She informed him, brushing her thumb along his cheek.
"Cool?" He said in a questioning tone, raising his eyebrows at her.
"Brooke is my friend. And you are my friend," She stated, squeezing his leg lightly.
"This is true," He laughed, shrugging his shoulders.
Haley let out a sigh, resting her forehead against Nathan's.
"Spend the night at my house tonight," She said plainly, lifting her head and smiling.
"Oh," He replied, rolling his eyes at his own inability to pick up the hints she was dropping. "Okay. As friends though, right? No more of this?"
"Nope. I just... missed you," She said softly, brushing her hand through his hair.
"Are you going to be able to handle sleeping next to all this?" He asked her, smirking.
"Okay, I take it all back. Everything I said yesterday, it's off. I'd rather keep fighting," She joked, leaning away from him.
"Wait, wait. I didn't mean it," He rushed, shaking his head and turning her back towards him.
"That is what I thought," She said, glancing over at the time. "What if we... Make use of the next few minutes before I have to leave? We can talk all we want tonight."
"I like that idea."
"Just until I leave."
"Of course, yeah."
xxxx
Haley raised her fist to knock on Clay and Quinn's front door, but was quickly stopped by the former opening the door quickly and stepping outside.
"Clay?" She asked, taking a step back. "How did you know I was here?"
"I saw you on the doorbell cam," He said, sending her a sheepish grin.
"You are on my hit list," She informed him, crossing her arms.
"I was hoping that you would not connect the dots," Clay said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I should have known you would... It was stupid and I knew it but you know how he is."
"Yeah..." She sighed, rolling her eyes.
"Are you..."
"No, I'm not going to tell Quinn. But I'm looking forward to using this as blackmail in the future," She said, shrugging.
"You are my hero- wait... Why aren't you mad?" He asked, sending her a questioning look.
"I just had a nice night," She said simply, "Now, can I get Macey?"
"You're so cool..." He said, frowning at her. "Why are you acting so cool, Haley?"
"What?" She laughed, rolling her eyes. "You let my ex stalk me and I agree not to tell your wife and you ask me why I'm acting cool?"
"No, it's just... I was expecting to beg," He informed her, eyeing her suspiciously. "Did it work?"
"Excuse me?" Haley responded, shaking her head.
"Did Nathan's plan work?"
"No," She answered honestly, sighing softly. "It didn't. It was bad idea."
"I tried to tell him that," Clay informed her, glancing over his shoulder. "Sorry."
"It's alright," Haley said simply, gesturing to the door. "I have some groceries in my car though so I need to get Macey."
"Nick is still here," Clay said, pulling open the door once again. "Hey Quinn, Haley is here!" He called out, walking inside.
Haley followed behind him as they walked into the living room, where the kids were sitting on the couch, watching TV.
Quinn stood up, smiling at her. She walked over, before stopping in her tracks.
"Isn't that what you were wearing on your date yesterday?"
"It wasn't a date," Haley said quickly, shaking her head.
"Okay, I think Clay can handle the kids on his own for fifteen minutes," Quinn said, grabbing onto Haley's hand. "We should go talk. Like... Now."
"Wait-" Haley began, only to be pulled away to Clay and Quinn's bedroom.
"Spill. Same clothes? Teacher was that smooth?"
"I didn't even get to say hi to Macey," Haley said, laughing and rolling we eyes.
"Come on, Hales," Quinn whined, shaking her head. "Tell me everything."
"Well... I picked up Brooke and Julian, then Adam, and then we hiked and watched the sunset together. It was fun," Haley said simply.
"It was fun? That's it? You really know how to keep me on edge," Quinn groaned, sitting down on her bed, leaning back on her hands and looking at her younger sister. "Tell me more of you can't be godmother."
"Hey!" Haley laughed, folding her arms. "I've earned that spot."
"You're right, don't worry. That was too far. I just really want to know."
"Clearly. You didn't even give Clay a chance to respond," Haley hummed, sitting down on middle of the bed and folding her legs underneath herself. "It was fun. I mean... Adam is good company, and Brooke and Julian are always interesting."
"But did you like him?" Quinn asked, letting out a sigh. "Don't leave me hanging."
"I had a lot of fun, the conversation was easy right up until the moment I dropped him off at his doorstep, we decided to just stay friends, and then I went and spent the night at Nathan's house."
Haley watched as Quinn's mind ran a mile a minute to catch up with what she just said.
"Wait- what?" She responded after a second, furrowing her eyebrows together.
"I left Adam's house and went to Nathan's house," Haley informed her, a smile spreading across her face. "We fought for awhile but I told him that I want to get back together."
"So... You're dating Nathan again?"
"Not yet. We're going to take things slow," She said, shrugging slightly.
"But you spent the night at his house," Quinn said slowly.
"Nothing happened. We just... Slept. Hence why I slept in so late," Haley said, looking at her still confused older sister.
"I thought you'd come up with a plan if you didn't like Adam. I didn't expect you to show up at his house and work things out right after," Quinn laughed, twisting so she could look at Haley better.
"Well... I just didn't want to waste anymore time," She said simply, "I want to be with him. Yeah, we still have to figure out some stuff, and I need proof that he's not going to just... Leave again. But I care about him a lot, and I know he cares about me. Why come up with this big extravagant plan to get back together when we can do the little things that we enjoy and work out way up?"
"Wow," Quinn said, smiling at her. "You're sure about this?"
"Yep," Haley replied, "I'm positive. You know Nathan... He makes me better."
"No, he doesn't, Hales," Quinn argued, frowning at her. "You're already the best."
Haley laughed, shaking her head. "I appreciate that, Quinn, but Nathan makes me want to do crazy things like cliff jumping, or I don't know... Become an author."
"So that's just it? We forgive him?"
"I don't know about 'we'... But I do. I can't be friends with him if I'm still holding onto that anger," Haley said, nodding at her and standing up slowly.
"You are such an adult, Haley..." Quinn laughed, shaking her head.
"Well... I am thirty, I figure it's time to be one," Haley agreed, winking at her. "Take it easy on Nathan, okay?"
"If you can forgive, I can also forgive," Quinn hummed, standing up as well, pulling Haley into a hug.
Haley smiled, before stepping away. "Okay, I am going to go get Macey and leave. I'll see you later though. Lunch on Monday?"
"Let's keep that plan tentative," Quinn hummed, "You might want to go with Nathan."
"Gives me a reason to turn him down every once and awhile. Plan on Monday," Haley joked, nodding at her.
"Okay, will do," Quinn laughed, rolling her eyes.
"Awesome," She responded, heading out of the room, calling for Macey.
xxxx
Nathan stepped up to the front door not long after Haley had left their house, humming softly.
He'd purposely waited until Haley had picked up Macey so that Nick could have more time with her.
But now time wouldn't be an issue hopefully.
He raised his fist and tapped on the front door in a random pattern of noises.
It wasn't long until his beloved college friend pulled opened the door, Nick standing next to him.
"Hi Dad!" Nick chirped, grinning up at him.
"Hey!" Nathan greeted, ruffling the boy's hair. "How was your night?"
"It was awesome! We played hide and seek for hours," Nick informed him, looking up at Clay.
"Hours and hours," Clay confirmed, stepping out of the doorway and gesturing for Nathan to enter.
"How was your night, Dad?"
Nathan smiled slightly at the question, "It was good," He informed him, clearing his throat. "Nicky, go gather up all your stuff. If we're out of here in ten minutes then we can stop and grab some lunch on the way home," He said, holding up ten fingers.
Nick nodded quickly, running off into the living room.
Clay waited until Nick was gone, before looking at Nathan. "Hey, sorry your plan didn't work."
Nathan furrowed his eyebrows, shaking his head. "What are you talking about? It totally worked."
"Uh... What?" Clay responded, sending him a confused look. "Haley said..."
"She slept over at my house last night," Nathan hummed, shoving his hands into his pockets.
Clay shook his head at that.
"I'm calling bullshit."
Nathan laughed, fishing his phone out of his pocket, bringing up a photo he'd taken of Haley after she'd fallen asleep the previous night.
"Check the time stamp."
"No freaking way!" Clay said, pulling the phone from his hands, his eyes wide. "She said it didn't work."
Dammit. Haley had talked to him first.
"Yeah, but did she mention she stayed the night at my house so it must have worked?" Nathan questioned.
"No... Why did you take this picture?" Clay asked, handing the phone back.
"Because she's cute and my camera roll has been lacking pictures of her. I swear... My phone has been moving way faster today. It's more chipper," He joked, laughing.
Clay shoved Nathan at that comment, laughing as well. "Now you can finally upgrade your phone."
Nathan smiled, letting out a deep breath. "She wants to get back together," He whispered.
"Really?" Clay asked, "She didn't say anything when she was here."
"Yeah, probably not to you," Nathan laughed, "She couldn't let you know that my plan worked."
"I'm pretty sure you're lying," Clay hummed, rolling his eyes. "You're trying too hard to sell it."
"Okay, fine. She was less than impressed with me. But it's fine. She wants to be friends for now but she wants to get back together eventually. We just have to take things slow," Nathan informed him, grinning.
He wasn't planning on giving up the whole 'my plan worked' act so soon, but he didn't really care about it right now.
"So... What's the next plan?" Clay asked him, raising his eyebrows.
"I don't have one, or need one. I'm done scheming for now," Nathan laughed, shrugging. "I'm just going to ride this high for a little while."
"What if-"
"Don't you dare hit me with a what if question right now. If a what if arises, I will deal with it. But we aren't even putting that out there," Nathan cut him off. "Now, I'm going to go grab Nicky and get out of here. Where's Quinn?"
"She's in our room. She laid down after Haley left, which was like ten minutes before you got here," He hummed.
"Right. Well thank you and her for watching Nick. You guys are the best," Nathan said, looking over when Nick walked back into the entry way.
Nathan reached over, grabbing Nick's backpack from him and hanging it over one shoulder.
"See you on Monday," Clay said, nodding at Nathan.
"See you Monday," Nathan repeated back, sending Clay one more grin.
He rested his hand on Nick's shoulder, listening to the boy say a quick thank you and goodbye, before guiding him out the door.
xxxx
"Macey, go grab the door, will you?" Haley asked when there was a knock at the door.
She knew exactly who it was. Was it strange that she recognized his knock?
It made her heart start racing. Now that she was letting herself give in to Nathan Scott, there would be no turning back.
"You want me to answer the door?" Macey asked, sending her a confused look. "Why?"
"Just- go get it," Haley laughed, rolling her eyes at her. "I'm finishing up getting the snacks ready."
Macey let out a loud, overdramatic sigh and stood up from her seat on the couch, walking to the front door and pulling it open.
She gasped when she saw Nick and Nathan standing there.
"What are you doing here?" Macey asked them quickly.
"We thought we'd come crash movie night, if that's okay?" Nathan said, smiling down at her.
"We?" Nick asked, looking up at Nathan. "You're staying?"
"I mean, I can go-"
"No!" Macey said, reaching forward and grabbing onto both Nick and Nathan's hands, tugging them back into the house. "We want you to stay."
"Awesome," Nathan said, grinning down at the young girl, setting Nick's backpack in the entry way and kicking off his shoes.
"You're really staying?" Nick asked him again.
"Yeah, buddy. If that's alright with you?"
"It is!" Nick and Macey said at the same time, grinning at each other.
Macey tugged on Nathan's arm again until he leaned down. She wrapped him up in a tight hug quickly, pressing her face into his neck.
Nathan squeezed his eyes shut, hugging her back and smiling slightly.
This was his girl. He missed her so much. Things were about to be alright again, in both of their little worlds.
Once she released him, she turned to Nick.
"Come on, Nicky. We're watching downstairs," She hummed, rushing away, past Haley in the kitchen, and down to the basement.
Nathan laughed as he watched Nick follow, only offering a quick wave to Haley, before he was gone as well.
Haley looked over when he walked up to the bar, a smile forming on her face.
"Hey," He said, leaning against the counter top. "What can I do to help you?"
"I am just about done," Haley said, tapping the bag to get the remaining popcorn out of it and into the bowl.
He stood up straighter, grabbing the various bags off candy off the counter, piling them into his arms. "I think you went a little overboard on the candy."
"I know my daughter well," Haley laughed, shrugging her shoulders.
"And you got my favorite," He hummed, holding up the specific package.
"Just a random coincidence," She informed him, shaking her head.
"Of course, yeah, sure," He said, grinning at her. "I think... I think this is going to be a good night."
"Yeah?" She responded, looking at him again.
"Yeah," He said, clearing his throat. "Anything else you need me to grab?"
"I have some fancy juice boxes in the fridge," She said, holding up the two bowls of popcorn. "I can grab them though," She said, adjusting one of the bowls so that she was carrying it in her arm, the other head tight in her hand.
"Hales, come on," He laughed, stepping to the fridge quickly and grabbing them. "Shall we?"
"We shall," She hummed, heading down the stairs into the basement.
Nathan followed behind her slowly, letting out a breath he didn't know he had been holding.
Nick and Macey looked over at them from their beanbag chairs that had been pushed together in the middle of the room, blankets and pillows surrounding them.
"Hi!" Macey chirped, waving over. "Sorry, Momma. Nick took your seat."
"That's okay," Haley laughed, setting a popcorn bowl down in front of them, ruffling Nick's hair. "I'll sit on the couch with Nathan."
Macey and Nick exchanged an excited look, that did not go unnoticed by either parent.
Nathan stepped over, dropping a bunch of different bags of candy on top of each kid, causing giggle to bubble through them.
"You two better have picked a good movie," He said, smiling at them.
"We're watching Nick's favorite movie," Macey said, nodding up at him.
"Let me guess... Cars," Nathan said, nodding at them.
"No! That's my old favorite movie. My new favorite movie is Tangled," Nick said, shrugging his shoulders.
"This is in fact news to me," Nathan said, nodding at him. "I still like it nonetheless."
Haley smiled at the interaction between the three of them.
This felt right. She had zero regrets about the previous night, and if she did, they were all gone now because this was what they should be doing.
"Well, let's get it going before it gets too late," Haley said, picking up the remote, selecting the film from the options, taking a seat on the couch.
Nathan sat down next to her, keeping a respectful distance of about four inches, of course.
Haley looked over at him, biting her lip lightly when the movie started to play.
She offered him some popcorn, forcing herself to relax and focus on the movie instead of him.
xxxx
When the credits started to roll. Nathan looked over at the snoozing woman next to him, a smile on his face.
He suspected this is how many of Haley and Macey's movie nights ended.
In fact, he was pretty positive that he was the only one awake, given how Macey's hand had been resting in the popcorn bowl for about twenty minutes, and Nick had stopped moving as well.
"Hales," He whispered, reaching over and gently shaking her shoulder, brushing his thumb lightly over the back of her neck.
Haley lifted her head sleepily from her spot against the back of the couch, blinking at him. "I fell asleep," She whispered.
"Yeah, you did," He laughed, squeezing her shoulder, before removing his hand. "So did the kids."
"Macey always falls asleep," She laughed, sitting up a bit straighter, pushing the blanket off of herself and standing up slowly.
"What's the plan?" Nathan asked, standing up as well.
"I'm going to wake them up so thy can brush their teeth, and then they'll probably just sleep down here. I can turn on another movie and set a timer on the TV so it turns off once the movie is finished," Haley said, shrugging her shoulders.
She walked over to Macey, letting out a sigh. "Oh god, this girl drank three juice boxes. Yeah, she needs to brush her teeth," She laughed, shaking her daughter softly.
Nathan walked over and did the same to Nick until he woke up.
"Are we leaving?" Nick asked, frowning at him.
"No," Nathan said, shaking his head. "You just fell asleep, and you need to get ready for bed."
"Oh. Okay," Nick said, allowing Nathan to pull him up to his feet.
Macey, on the other hand, did not wake up so easy.
"Come on, Macey," Haley laughed, no longer talking in a whisper. "Get up."
"Macey, if you wake up now I'll bring you breakfast tomorrow morning when I come pick up Nick," Nathan said, looking over at her.
Macey shot up, and he received a disapproving glance from Haley at his compromise.
"I like that," Macey said, grinning at him. "Come on, Nick, let's go brush our teeth!"
She grabbed his hand, running off to grab Nick's bag.
"You know, bribery isn't always the best," Haley laughed, turning to Nathan.
"It got her up," He replied, looking down at her and smiling. "Just gets me back on her good side faster."
"You never left her good side," Haley said, beginning to pick up the popcorn that was scattered all over the ground.
Nathan stepped over to the staircase, flipping on the switch near it so that they had more light than the credits still rolling.
He walked back over, beginning to help her clean up the room.
"I have to say, I've missed you helping me clean up. Macey would make this big of a mess whether Nick was here or not. In fact, it's probably less messy because Nick is here," She laughed, placing the garbage in the nearly empty popcorn bowl.
"Maybe we can make it a weekly thing, hm?" Nathan suggested, nodding over at her.
She smiled, nodding at him. "I think we could do that," She agreed, picking up the other bowl, stacking the two in one another.
Nathan grabbed any remaining wrappers he could see, before following her up the stairs.
By the time they'd finished throwing everything away and cleaning up, Nick and Macey were ready to go back downstairs.
After making sure they were comfortable, turning on another movie that they'd just fall asleep to right away, and Nathan promising that he'd be back in the morning for breakfast, they were finally settled down for bed.
Nathan followed Haley up the stairs once again, shoving his hands into his pockets once they reached the top.
"This was fun," Haley said, sitting down on one of the stools at the bar.
"I agree," Nathan hummed, raising his hand to rub the back of his neck.
"Sorry for falling asleep," She apologized, rolling her eyes. "You'd think after sleeping for like ten hours, I'd still have more left in me."
"Don't worry about it," He laughed, shaking his head.
"Are you going to stay?" She asked him, hopping off the stool.
"I was going to ask you if that was still alright," He said, shrugging.
"I already made up the guest bedroom for you," She hummed, grinning at him.
"You're so funny," He said, reaching forward and grabbing her hand, pulling her into a tight hug.
Maybe it was a little more than friendly, but it was definitely using his willpower to hug her rather than kiss her.
Haley's arms wound around his waist, her head resting against his shoulder. Her eyes fluttered shut at the familiar smell of him. She turned her face, pressing her nose into his shoulder.
They stayed like that for a couple of minutes, neither of them saying anything. Just holding onto each other.
"Yes, I want you to stay," She finally said, pulling back and smiling up at him. "But remember, no funny business. We're friends."
"Same to you," He laughed, nodding. "I need to get my stuff from my car."
Haley nodded, leading him to the front door, before up looking at him. "Okay... Well... You know where to find me," She said, pulling open the front door.
He nodded, heading outside into the warm air.
For some reason it felt way more intimate to be staying at Haley's house.
Probably because this is where they spent most of their time together.
This was also the place where their relationship ended.
Nathan stepped back inside after grabbing his stuff. He walked down the hall to Haley's bedroom, pausing just before the door frame and letting out a nervous breath.
This was fine. They did this last night.
He stepped into the bedroom, pinning a smile onto his face as he saw Haley sitting on the end of her bed, waiting for him.
"Hey," She greeted, standing up slowly.
Nathan looked around her room. It was all pretty much the same. There was a different bed spread but besides that... It looked untouched. Except for the TV hanging on the wall across the bed.
He looked over at her, raising his eyebrows.
"Don't say anything," She said, shaking her head at him and smiling.
"A TV, huh? Who could have come up with such a genius idea?" He asked, stepping over to her.
"Very funny. I bought it the week we broke up," She said, shrugging her shoulders.
"Oh," He said, looking over at it again. "Sorry about that."
"Yeah," She responded. "I was right though. I never watch it. Macey does sometimes but usually only when she's sick."
"I guess I stand corrected. Don't worry, I'll watch it," He hummed, grinning at her.
"I bet you will. Probably while I'm trying to sleep," She teased him.
"Definitely. Not tonight though," He said, shrugging slightly.
"I appreciate it," She hummed, heading into the bathroom.
Both of them got ready for bed quietly. It wasn't awkward, thankfully. It was just quiet. It was a familiar routine.
And when they got into bed, Haley didn't hesitate to rest her head on Nathan's chest, her hand finding it's place on his stomach.
He smiled, looking down at her and pressing a light kiss to the top of her head.
"I've missed this so much," She informed him, tracing her fingers lightly over the muscles in his stomach through his shirt.
"Me too. This might be one of the things that I've missed the most," He replied, squeezing her close to him. "Goodnight, Hales."
"Goodnight, Nathan."