"What did I do to deserve this?" Haley muttered softly to herself as she inched her way closer to the window on the right side of the backseat of the cab. Nathan was sitting on the left and in between them was a gap, both literally and metaphorically.
Her eyes strayed over to his figure and she shook her head sadly. Maybe she was wrong to have said what she said but she was confused, angry and just plain aggravated. There was only so much verbal abuse she could take before she snapped and that was always Nathan Scott's speciality. Making her reach her boiling point.
She used to find that oddly charming.
Now, she didn't know what it was. A weird sense of deja vu remained in her stomach as she realized how similiar her situation was to her high school career. Around Nathan, she was always on edge with emotions, confused but in a good way. He could make her angry, happy, sad, all with a few simple words. He made her feel important and she used to love that about him.
When she arrived in New York after graduating, she was all about control and restraint. Despite the fact of the city's reputation of never sleeping, during the day, there was still a certain amount of manners and behavior expectations around the workplace. At night, that was when you could let loose and be whoever or whatever you wanted to be. Haley made it a rule to never lose control.
She remembered the last time that happened. And, what she ended up with was a broken heart and shattered mind.
It was not an experience she wanted to repeat.
She tapped her fingers lightly against the seat as she watched traffic pass by. Sighing, she wished the ride had been longer. Watching as the taxi slowed to a stop, she quickly handed the cabbie money and accepted the change before stepping out of the cab, looking up at the sky and the stores around her.
She looked everywhere except at Nathan.
"So, what is this place?"
"East Village," Haley replied simply, "There's a lot of great coffeeshops around here. Some interesting stores for you to check out if you want to do a little bit more shopping. A lot more abstract stuff, I guess you can say."
He didn't look impressed.
"I just thought-"
"Right," Nathan cut her off and walked a few steps away from the curb before looking up at the sky, "It's going to rain."
Haley stared up at the sky at his words, her brow furrowed, "I hope not. I don't even have a hat or anything. We better get indoors."
"I remember your hats," Nathan said as they walked.
She cracked a smile, "They were hideous. I know. I wasn't exactly Ms. Fashion Sense back then."
He nodded in agreement and tightened his hand around the Saks bag he was holding, "So, any old book stores around here?"
"Secondhand you mean?"
He was quiet as he looked at her and she caught the slightest bit of a nod.
"Yeah," Haley said uncomfortably, "It's not too far from here. I think about 2 blocks." She walked a little quicker then him, not liking the atmosphere she was surrounded in. He was so.. numb. She never liked it when somebody was so cold and unfeeling. She would've rather had him insulting her right now then being so blank.
It was disturbing.
And, it shouldn't have been. After all, wasn't this what she wanted? She blatantly told him that she wasn't interested in speaking to him anymore then she had to and here she was now, complaining about how he wasn't talking to her enough in the correct fashion. Maybe, she was the one that was screwed up and at fault.
Maybe, it was both of their fault. Or maybe there was no fault at all.
All the maybes swirled around her head as she finally came to a stop, not noticing that she was practically running down the street away from Nathan. She looked back at him and watched as he calmly made his way towards the shop, his eyes steely and his jaw tightened.
"Here it is," Haley said as she pointed at the stoor, her eyes downcast. This just wasn't right. She was 24, damn it. She was not supposed to be the same nervous and apologizing girl she was back in high school. How was it possible that within 2 hours of meeting with Nathan, he managed to get her to revert back to her old ways?
She hated it. She hated the control he had over her. And, she hated that she let him do it to her.
Pushing a bit more of the New York Haley into her voice, she said, "It's got some rare finds at a good price." As they entered the store, she asked, "Looking for anything in particular?"
"The Bell Jar," Nathan said quickly before disappearing into the rows of books.
Haley stopped in her steps, in complete disbelief before she asked, "What?!"
"The Bell Jar," he repeated, "Sylvia Plath." He raised an eyebrow, "Don't tell me you've never heard of it."
"Yeah, of course I've h-heard of it," she stumbled over her words, "But, I just.." she paused, at a lost for words, "You do realize what it's about, right?"
"Yeah, seemingly innocent girl comes to New York City, gets corrupted, goes to mental institution. Sounds like a good read."
Haley continued to give him a look of disbelief, "I just didn't think you'd like that type of book. Or reading period," she said, laughing slightly, "I remember when I had to practically force you to read books and now you're picking stuff up on your own. Very weird."
They both shared a smile before Haley cleared her throat and walked a little farther ahead, disappearing into a row of books. Her fingers skimmed the bindings of the books as she looked for the book. She never thought she'd be in this position. Looking for a book for Nathan Scott.
Did she fall into an alternate universe somehow within the past 24 hours because it sure seemed that way. Bending down to her knees, she whispered, "Plath," a few times as she looked for the book. Finally, finding it, she smiled and grabbed the book, slapping it against the palm of her hand as she walked back to find Nathan.
Almost bumping to him as she walked out of the row, she smiled sheepishly before handing him the book, "Got it."
"Thanks," he said genuinely.
This felt different yet right at the same time. He was so much nicer.. so much softer and less cold towards her right now. She found it almost amusing how he could change his attitude in an instant. Only a few minutes ago, he was all coldness and glares and now, he was thanking her and smiling at her.
Somehow she didn't realize that she was behaving the same exact way.
"So, have you read this?" Nathan asked as they walked to the cash register.
"Yeah, I definitely recommend it. It's actually one of my favorite books. Plath is a fantastic author."
He nodded before becoming silent though it wasn't awkward or uncomfortable, the silence in between them. It was mutual. It felt almost comforting.
Through her confusion, she had given up purposely disliking him and being against him and they had settled into a comfort zone. Before, when that had happened, her defenses came up and she pushed him away. This time, she barely even realized that it had happened again.
Walking out into the street, she sat down on a bench as she waited for Nathan to come out of the store. Fiddling with her purse, she barely even noticed someone sitting down next to her until they nudged her.
Looking up, she saw Nathan with a curious look on his face. "Sorry, I've just been a little lost in thought lately."
He nodded before shrugging, "Happens to everyone, I think." He sighed, "So, where are those great coffeeshops you were talking about?"
Her eyes lighting up, she jumped up and smiled, "Right this way."
Laughing, he raised an eyebrow, "Should I be worried that you're getting all happy at the mention of coffee?"
"Coffee is good," she defended jokingly.
"Not that good."
"Oh, to me and I think most New Yorkers, it's an addiction type of deal."
"Right, right," he said unconvinced as they walked towards the coffeeshop.
And, yet again, there was that comfortable silence.
As they walked down the street, there was a synchronocity in their movements. Their pace, steps, and direction all coordinated. To any onlooker, they would've looked like a couple that had been together for years, completely comfortable to the point that they mirrored each other's movements.
But, they weren't. They weren't anything like that. The truth was, they weren't comfortable with each other because they both were trying too hard. But, when they let go a little and just moved naturally, the coordinated. They worked. They clicked.
It was too bad they couldn't see that.
Walking into the coffeeshop, Nathan held the door for Haley as she walked in though she paid no attention to the small gesture. She was too busy figuring out what she wanted to order. Sitting down in a comfy chair, she waited for the waitress to come. As they both looked over the menu the small cafe/coffeeshop had to offer, a small smile remained on both their faces, though neither noticed it.
They were almost painfully oblivious.
After placing their orders and waiting a few minutes for the waitress to deliver, Haley took off her jacket as she happily sipped away at her caramel macchiato. Nathan added two creams and two sugars to his black coffee. Both did this silently.
Finally settling in, Haley looked up at him, "It's good, isn't it?"
"Not bad," he said, nodding slightly.
"Not bad?" She raised an eyebrow, "This stuff is like heaven. It's better then any coffee you could ever make I bet."
He laughed, "You're not much better."
"Excuse you," she said defensively though she was smiling, "I worked 4 years at a cafe. I know how to make coffee."
He leaned in closely, as if he was about to say something secretive, "Ever realize on the days you make the coffee, nobody orders it?"
Scoffing, she squinted her eyes at him as she sipped her macchiato, "Well, I'm still better then you."
"Very mature of you, Ms. James."
She laughed before shaking her head and shrugging, never making a comment. Hearing a buzzing noise, she looked at Nathan expectantly, "Umm, I think that's your cell."
Looking into her eyes, he quickly broke the gaze and reached into his pocket for his phone, "Ohh." Answering it, his eyes widened as the voice from the other end came through, getting up and walking towards the back of the cafe, he began to talk.
Sighing, Haley closed her eyes as she enjoyed her coffee. A few minutes later, Nathan returned with a frown, all traces of his good-naturedness gone. He sat down and gulped down the rest of his coffee.
"Who was that?"
"My girlfriend," Nathan answered in a monotone.
She felt a stabbing pain in her heart at those words. And, she shouldn't have. She really, really shouldn't have. Looking down at the table, she said quickly, "Oh."
"I need to get back uptown."
"Gotcha," Haley said as she pushed the coffee cup away from her and towards the center of the table. She got up as Nathan left a twenty dollar bill on the table. She was about to argue when he stopped her.
"Don't worry about it."
"Right," she said as they walked out of the cafe.
At the table, a still warm, lip-stick stained, cup of coffee remained in the middle.
She never finished it.
Her eyes strayed over to his figure and she shook her head sadly. Maybe she was wrong to have said what she said but she was confused, angry and just plain aggravated. There was only so much verbal abuse she could take before she snapped and that was always Nathan Scott's speciality. Making her reach her boiling point.
She used to find that oddly charming.
Now, she didn't know what it was. A weird sense of deja vu remained in her stomach as she realized how similiar her situation was to her high school career. Around Nathan, she was always on edge with emotions, confused but in a good way. He could make her angry, happy, sad, all with a few simple words. He made her feel important and she used to love that about him.
When she arrived in New York after graduating, she was all about control and restraint. Despite the fact of the city's reputation of never sleeping, during the day, there was still a certain amount of manners and behavior expectations around the workplace. At night, that was when you could let loose and be whoever or whatever you wanted to be. Haley made it a rule to never lose control.
She remembered the last time that happened. And, what she ended up with was a broken heart and shattered mind.
It was not an experience she wanted to repeat.
She tapped her fingers lightly against the seat as she watched traffic pass by. Sighing, she wished the ride had been longer. Watching as the taxi slowed to a stop, she quickly handed the cabbie money and accepted the change before stepping out of the cab, looking up at the sky and the stores around her.
She looked everywhere except at Nathan.
"So, what is this place?"
"East Village," Haley replied simply, "There's a lot of great coffeeshops around here. Some interesting stores for you to check out if you want to do a little bit more shopping. A lot more abstract stuff, I guess you can say."
He didn't look impressed.
"I just thought-"
"Right," Nathan cut her off and walked a few steps away from the curb before looking up at the sky, "It's going to rain."
Haley stared up at the sky at his words, her brow furrowed, "I hope not. I don't even have a hat or anything. We better get indoors."
"I remember your hats," Nathan said as they walked.
She cracked a smile, "They were hideous. I know. I wasn't exactly Ms. Fashion Sense back then."
He nodded in agreement and tightened his hand around the Saks bag he was holding, "So, any old book stores around here?"
"Secondhand you mean?"
He was quiet as he looked at her and she caught the slightest bit of a nod.
"Yeah," Haley said uncomfortably, "It's not too far from here. I think about 2 blocks." She walked a little quicker then him, not liking the atmosphere she was surrounded in. He was so.. numb. She never liked it when somebody was so cold and unfeeling. She would've rather had him insulting her right now then being so blank.
It was disturbing.
And, it shouldn't have been. After all, wasn't this what she wanted? She blatantly told him that she wasn't interested in speaking to him anymore then she had to and here she was now, complaining about how he wasn't talking to her enough in the correct fashion. Maybe, she was the one that was screwed up and at fault.
Maybe, it was both of their fault. Or maybe there was no fault at all.
All the maybes swirled around her head as she finally came to a stop, not noticing that she was practically running down the street away from Nathan. She looked back at him and watched as he calmly made his way towards the shop, his eyes steely and his jaw tightened.
"Here it is," Haley said as she pointed at the stoor, her eyes downcast. This just wasn't right. She was 24, damn it. She was not supposed to be the same nervous and apologizing girl she was back in high school. How was it possible that within 2 hours of meeting with Nathan, he managed to get her to revert back to her old ways?
She hated it. She hated the control he had over her. And, she hated that she let him do it to her.
Pushing a bit more of the New York Haley into her voice, she said, "It's got some rare finds at a good price." As they entered the store, she asked, "Looking for anything in particular?"
"The Bell Jar," Nathan said quickly before disappearing into the rows of books.
Haley stopped in her steps, in complete disbelief before she asked, "What?!"
"The Bell Jar," he repeated, "Sylvia Plath." He raised an eyebrow, "Don't tell me you've never heard of it."
"Yeah, of course I've h-heard of it," she stumbled over her words, "But, I just.." she paused, at a lost for words, "You do realize what it's about, right?"
"Yeah, seemingly innocent girl comes to New York City, gets corrupted, goes to mental institution. Sounds like a good read."
Haley continued to give him a look of disbelief, "I just didn't think you'd like that type of book. Or reading period," she said, laughing slightly, "I remember when I had to practically force you to read books and now you're picking stuff up on your own. Very weird."
They both shared a smile before Haley cleared her throat and walked a little farther ahead, disappearing into a row of books. Her fingers skimmed the bindings of the books as she looked for the book. She never thought she'd be in this position. Looking for a book for Nathan Scott.
Did she fall into an alternate universe somehow within the past 24 hours because it sure seemed that way. Bending down to her knees, she whispered, "Plath," a few times as she looked for the book. Finally, finding it, she smiled and grabbed the book, slapping it against the palm of her hand as she walked back to find Nathan.
Almost bumping to him as she walked out of the row, she smiled sheepishly before handing him the book, "Got it."
"Thanks," he said genuinely.
This felt different yet right at the same time. He was so much nicer.. so much softer and less cold towards her right now. She found it almost amusing how he could change his attitude in an instant. Only a few minutes ago, he was all coldness and glares and now, he was thanking her and smiling at her.
Somehow she didn't realize that she was behaving the same exact way.
"So, have you read this?" Nathan asked as they walked to the cash register.
"Yeah, I definitely recommend it. It's actually one of my favorite books. Plath is a fantastic author."
He nodded before becoming silent though it wasn't awkward or uncomfortable, the silence in between them. It was mutual. It felt almost comforting.
Through her confusion, she had given up purposely disliking him and being against him and they had settled into a comfort zone. Before, when that had happened, her defenses came up and she pushed him away. This time, she barely even realized that it had happened again.
Walking out into the street, she sat down on a bench as she waited for Nathan to come out of the store. Fiddling with her purse, she barely even noticed someone sitting down next to her until they nudged her.
Looking up, she saw Nathan with a curious look on his face. "Sorry, I've just been a little lost in thought lately."
He nodded before shrugging, "Happens to everyone, I think." He sighed, "So, where are those great coffeeshops you were talking about?"
Her eyes lighting up, she jumped up and smiled, "Right this way."
Laughing, he raised an eyebrow, "Should I be worried that you're getting all happy at the mention of coffee?"
"Coffee is good," she defended jokingly.
"Not that good."
"Oh, to me and I think most New Yorkers, it's an addiction type of deal."
"Right, right," he said unconvinced as they walked towards the coffeeshop.
And, yet again, there was that comfortable silence.
As they walked down the street, there was a synchronocity in their movements. Their pace, steps, and direction all coordinated. To any onlooker, they would've looked like a couple that had been together for years, completely comfortable to the point that they mirrored each other's movements.
But, they weren't. They weren't anything like that. The truth was, they weren't comfortable with each other because they both were trying too hard. But, when they let go a little and just moved naturally, the coordinated. They worked. They clicked.
It was too bad they couldn't see that.
Walking into the coffeeshop, Nathan held the door for Haley as she walked in though she paid no attention to the small gesture. She was too busy figuring out what she wanted to order. Sitting down in a comfy chair, she waited for the waitress to come. As they both looked over the menu the small cafe/coffeeshop had to offer, a small smile remained on both their faces, though neither noticed it.
They were almost painfully oblivious.
After placing their orders and waiting a few minutes for the waitress to deliver, Haley took off her jacket as she happily sipped away at her caramel macchiato. Nathan added two creams and two sugars to his black coffee. Both did this silently.
Finally settling in, Haley looked up at him, "It's good, isn't it?"
"Not bad," he said, nodding slightly.
"Not bad?" She raised an eyebrow, "This stuff is like heaven. It's better then any coffee you could ever make I bet."
He laughed, "You're not much better."
"Excuse you," she said defensively though she was smiling, "I worked 4 years at a cafe. I know how to make coffee."
He leaned in closely, as if he was about to say something secretive, "Ever realize on the days you make the coffee, nobody orders it?"
Scoffing, she squinted her eyes at him as she sipped her macchiato, "Well, I'm still better then you."
"Very mature of you, Ms. James."
She laughed before shaking her head and shrugging, never making a comment. Hearing a buzzing noise, she looked at Nathan expectantly, "Umm, I think that's your cell."
Looking into her eyes, he quickly broke the gaze and reached into his pocket for his phone, "Ohh." Answering it, his eyes widened as the voice from the other end came through, getting up and walking towards the back of the cafe, he began to talk.
Sighing, Haley closed her eyes as she enjoyed her coffee. A few minutes later, Nathan returned with a frown, all traces of his good-naturedness gone. He sat down and gulped down the rest of his coffee.
"Who was that?"
"My girlfriend," Nathan answered in a monotone.
She felt a stabbing pain in her heart at those words. And, she shouldn't have. She really, really shouldn't have. Looking down at the table, she said quickly, "Oh."
"I need to get back uptown."
"Gotcha," Haley said as she pushed the coffee cup away from her and towards the center of the table. She got up as Nathan left a twenty dollar bill on the table. She was about to argue when he stopped her.
"Don't worry about it."
"Right," she said as they walked out of the cafe.
At the table, a still warm, lip-stick stained, cup of coffee remained in the middle.
She never finished it.