She knocked hesitantly on the door of The Palace, feeling like a stranger. It had been like that during her entire walk through the Bay. Like she had been away for a century. She heard the door being unlocked from within and braced herself. Maybe he wouldn't realise that she was that nervous.
But it was Alex that answered the door and a smile was exchanged between the pair. They had broken up a few months before the incident with the boatshed yet their friendship had remained almost intact. He had been one of her few visitors on the inside. He, Irene and Nick.
"Welcome back"
He hadn't been expecting to see her quite so soon. She must only have been out a couple of hours.
Hayley smiled, grateful that he wasn't behaving coldly towards her. Dani had hardly acknowledged her when they had passed on the beach.
"Is Noah in?"
"He's taking a shower"
Alex stood back, beckoning her to enter. She wiped her feet on the mat as she steped in, not that it would have made any difference. She barely recognised the place beneath the mess that cluttered the worktops. It was as if they hadn't tidied in weeks.
Alex gathered the previous nights pizza boxes from the table and cleared a chair of the stack of books that had built up on them. Something to do with Seb, but since Kirsty dumped him and he had moved out of Alf's he hardly bothered with his studies.
"I'll get you a coffee"
He filled the kettle.
"You settling back into Irene's alright?"
"Yeah, she's been great... not quite the same as here though..."
She looked around, remembering the time she and Noah had first found the house. It had been all their dreams come true. Exactly what they had been looking for. The months they had lived there with Josh had been the happiest days of her life. Then things just fell apart. The moment she had kissed Josh she knew things would never be the same again.
"Has Noah... said anything... about me?"
Alex paused. He couldn't lie
"He's been pretty quiet... we haven't had a word out of him all day... I reckon that says something though"
Hayley nodded. Perhaps it was a good sign. At least he wasn;t behaving like she didn't exist.
It was only a couple of minutes before the bathroom door slid open and Noah stepped out, top half undressed but with a towel draped around his shoulders. He stopped dead as he saw Hayley, no sure how he was meant to react. He too hadn't thought she'd be so soon to visit. He disguised his surprise as best he could but seeing her again was incredible.
"Hayley... hi"
She smiled anxiously. It was like they hardly knew each other.
"So how are you doing?"
He picked up a shirt from its position on the back of the sofa before returning to the kitchen.
"Good... you?"
"Yeah, not bad"
Alex looked between them
"I'm just going to go and... tidy up... through here"
Alex sauntered off into the lounge room, swiftly changing his mind about the labourous task of cleaning the place up, and instead returned to the TV.
He could tell Noah and Hayley had a lot to discuss and the best thing to do was to leave them be. Noah had been on edge all morning about her getting out. He couldn't help but feel jealous of Noah, and couldn't deny his still-strong feelings for Hayley. The split had been Hayley's choice, and it was inevitable after it became obvious Hayley still had feelings for Noah. What he couldn't understand was why Noah couldn't see how lucky he was.
But it was Alex that answered the door and a smile was exchanged between the pair. They had broken up a few months before the incident with the boatshed yet their friendship had remained almost intact. He had been one of her few visitors on the inside. He, Irene and Nick.
"Welcome back"
He hadn't been expecting to see her quite so soon. She must only have been out a couple of hours.
Hayley smiled, grateful that he wasn't behaving coldly towards her. Dani had hardly acknowledged her when they had passed on the beach.
"Is Noah in?"
"He's taking a shower"
Alex stood back, beckoning her to enter. She wiped her feet on the mat as she steped in, not that it would have made any difference. She barely recognised the place beneath the mess that cluttered the worktops. It was as if they hadn't tidied in weeks.
Alex gathered the previous nights pizza boxes from the table and cleared a chair of the stack of books that had built up on them. Something to do with Seb, but since Kirsty dumped him and he had moved out of Alf's he hardly bothered with his studies.
"I'll get you a coffee"
He filled the kettle.
"You settling back into Irene's alright?"
"Yeah, she's been great... not quite the same as here though..."
She looked around, remembering the time she and Noah had first found the house. It had been all their dreams come true. Exactly what they had been looking for. The months they had lived there with Josh had been the happiest days of her life. Then things just fell apart. The moment she had kissed Josh she knew things would never be the same again.
"Has Noah... said anything... about me?"
Alex paused. He couldn't lie
"He's been pretty quiet... we haven't had a word out of him all day... I reckon that says something though"
Hayley nodded. Perhaps it was a good sign. At least he wasn;t behaving like she didn't exist.
It was only a couple of minutes before the bathroom door slid open and Noah stepped out, top half undressed but with a towel draped around his shoulders. He stopped dead as he saw Hayley, no sure how he was meant to react. He too hadn't thought she'd be so soon to visit. He disguised his surprise as best he could but seeing her again was incredible.
"Hayley... hi"
She smiled anxiously. It was like they hardly knew each other.
"So how are you doing?"
He picked up a shirt from its position on the back of the sofa before returning to the kitchen.
"Good... you?"
"Yeah, not bad"
Alex looked between them
"I'm just going to go and... tidy up... through here"
Alex sauntered off into the lounge room, swiftly changing his mind about the labourous task of cleaning the place up, and instead returned to the TV.
He could tell Noah and Hayley had a lot to discuss and the best thing to do was to leave them be. Noah had been on edge all morning about her getting out. He couldn't help but feel jealous of Noah, and couldn't deny his still-strong feelings for Hayley. The split had been Hayley's choice, and it was inevitable after it became obvious Hayley still had feelings for Noah. What he couldn't understand was why Noah couldn't see how lucky he was.