Nathan stared at her silently. He had heard bits and pieces of the whispered conversation Caitlin and Haley had in the other room. After seeing Caitlin storm out of the room without so much as a second glance backwards towards Haley or towards him, he assumed that number one, it was about him, and number two, the ending was not good.

He had been tempted to get up and go into Caitlin's room to check on Haley but opted to stay seated. This was a fight between two best friends and it was better not to get involved. He had learned the hard way with that earlier on in his high school career. He knew why Caitlin hated him so much and she had every right to but he couldn't help but goad her. She just ignited something in him, something that just made him want to piss her off.

He got a kick out of making her mad, even though he shouldn't have. He tried to kiss her, made her promise not to tell her best friend and then proceeded to beg for said best friend's help. It was a wonder that Caitlin didn't drop kick him out of the apartment. He admired her for her strength though he could see it was waning quickly.

He wasn't exactly helping much but there was nothing he could do. Sighing, he watched as Haley walked out of the bedroom, her eyes misty and her face one of shock. Something happened and this something, probably wasn't good. However, her demeanor changed when she came and sat next to him. Her posture took on one of comforting and it worried him a bit. She was the one that had just gone through a heavy emotional fight with her best friend and she wanted to comfort him?

That was Haley for you.

Giving her a small smile, he ignored the familiarity of the situation and asked quietly, "Are you okay?"

She shrugged it off and tried her best to smile, "I'll be fine."

He wasn't convinced. She was trying to be brave again. He knew that she wasnt completely comfortable around him yet, though she was quickly settling in. Then again, Haley never did let her guard down completely. It was like through their whole relationship, she was still scared that on some level, he was still the old Nathan, ready to hurt her at any moment.

That used to bother him and it still did but not as much. Now, he had no right to be bothered by it. She had no reason to trust him, even with the basic information that she knew. If she knew everything... Nathan sighed heavily. He didn't even want to think about it.

"You don't have to lie to me," he said as he looked at her, studying her.

"What do you want this to be, Nathan?" She asked suddenly, turning to him with questioning eyes, "What do you want from me?" She asked softly, her tone gentle.

He looked at her intensely before saying quietly, "Maybe you should be asking yourself that question."

She looked at him, surprised, "What?"

"What do you want this to be, Haley?" He repeated her earlier question, "What can this possibly turn out to be?"

She shrugged, "Maybe it'll turn out like the movies. Messy breakup, I comfort you when you need aide and then we'll fall in love all over again." There was a tone of humor in her voice though a part of her was still serious.

"Yeah, right," he said, unbelieving, "Because things always happens like they do in the movies."

"Yeah," she said softly before she slid off the stool, "Any plans for today?"

"Not really," he answered honestly, "I want to pick up my stuff from the hotel though. Can't exactly wear the same thing over and over again."

"Right," Haley nodded, "The hotel."

--

"What if she's there?" Haley asked softly as they sat next to each other in the cab, each on the far side of the seat.

Nathan looked out the window, his eyes numb and cold, "Then, she'll be there."

It was so odd, the way he was acting. One minute, he was a helpless and lost little boy and the next, he was back to his cold and distant. Haley couldn't figure him out and she looked at him intently, trying to piece together which side of him was represented now. She sighed heavily and asked, "Should I go up with you?"

"If you want."

Haley continued to look at him puzzled before she closed her eyes tiredly. This was too much on her. She tried to be strong for him, tried to help him, maybe even save that small part of the old Nathan that she knew still lied deep within the icy exterior. She didn't want him to crumble into nothing, perhaps truly become Dan, just like he feared. But, it was so hard. It was so hard to stare at him, look into his eyes and find absolutely nothing.

Yesterday, she had revealed a part of herself to him and today, she had done so even more but he rejected it. It almost seemed like he gave up or something pushed him over the edge of reality. But, nothing happened. Nothing she did at least.

She didn't understand him.

The cab slowed to a stop and Nathan handed him a few bills before getting out of the vehicle. He walked briskly into the lobby, followed by Haley. In the elevator ride up, he never looked her in the eye, he merely stared forth, his eyes focused on the doors.

Haley watched him, utterly confused. When he opened the door to the room, she stood outside, feeling as if she would be entering somewhere forbidden, somewhere dark. Somewhere she just didn't want to go. This hotel room was a representation of everything dark in Nathan before and now. She did not want to travel into it. She wanted to help him but she just wasn't ready to face a few certain facts about him yet.

He looked back at her and nodded, "Come in."

"Nathan?" Brooke asked as she crawled off the bed, still dressed in her pajamas. "Haley?" Her eyes narrowed, "Guess it didn't take you too long to move on," she bit out, "He's all yours. Then again, maybe he always has been."

Haley stood by awkwardly as she waved hi to Brooke, trying her best not to react to the model's words.

"Nothing to say? What is this? Just a quick, pick up and run?" Brooke demanded as she walked up close to Nathan, "Is it? I know we're over and all but you could at least have the common decency to speak to me when spoken to. I was worried as hell, Nathan. Just because you break off a relationship doesn't mean you break off all the emotions. You could've called," she said angrily, not even caring Haley was there at the moment.

"Don't do this, Brooke," Nathan said tiredly as he turned his eyes onto her figure.

"Why? Because it's not conveinient for you? Because it makes you look bad in front of your beloved Haley?" Brooke shook her head bitterly, "I don't care anymore. I've had enough of you and your bullshit."

"Well, you don't have to put up with me and my bullshit anymore. It's over, remember?"

Brooke stared at him in disbelief, "You don't respect me at all, do you?"

"What?" He asked, his voice slightly frustrated.

"Here I am, pouring my heart out to you, again. And, all you can do is inch towards the door, so eager to leave. So eager to just forget about me, huh?" Brooke asked sadly, "God, you make me sick."

Haley watched the two with careful eyes, her attentive nature capturing every detail and analyzing every movement. She shouldn't even be here, she knew. She should've just backed away but she couldn't find a way to make her feet move. She simply stood there, watching the two exchange back and forth.

"I should go."

"Nathan, wait," Brooke said desperately, slowly breaking down, "I'm so confused and I don't know what I'm doing. If you leave then," she stopped herself, mentally berating herself. She wanted Nathan to leave. She wanted to be happy again and she wanted to be stronger. But, it was so hard. They were supposed to be over, but she couldn't make her heart accept it. Not when it felt like it was being stabbed into pieces right before her.

"I should go," Nathan repeated, not looking at the crying brunette.

Haley watched with teary eyes as Nathan closed the door on his ex- girlfriend who was now sobbing, clutching at her chest. She wanted to help her but it wasn't her place. Her hands lingered on the door knob as she watched Nathan walk towards the elevator, suitcases in hand. She sighed heavily before following him quietly, her mind whizzing with thoughts and analysis.

Nathan was a liar.

He was confused, contradictory, and a jerk. He said he wanted to change and yet, he was making the same exact mistakes he was in the past, except this time around, he didn't even seem to care. The level of coldness in his stance scared her. What had happened to him? What was going on in his head?

Shaking her head, confused, she stepped out into the street, watching him carefully before she finally said, "What's going on with you?"

Nathan looked back at her dully, "What do you mean?"

"Why are you acting like this? So, hot and cold. Make up your mind," her eyes narrowed, "You can't keep jumping back and forth."

He simply stared at her, his posture defeated before he shrugged and looked off in the other direction, "This is all that's left of me, Haley. I don't know what I'm doing anymore or what I'm supposed to be doing. If I'm messing up," he shook his head, "I don't even know."

"Yes, you do," Haley whispered, "You always know."

"Maybe, I do but I don't acknowledge it."

"Nathan, why are you being like this?" Haley asked, her voice growing desperate, "I thought-" she paused, "I thought after yesterday you were going to try."

"Is there a point to trying?" Nathan asked, his voice flat, "Every time I think I'm getting somwhere, I realize I only fall deeper into my own faults and I try and claw my way back out but I never can. I just keep sinking. I tried to ignore you, but I fell even harder into memories and you. I tried keeping the hope up that we could be something again but now, it's all shut out," his voice was strained. He couldn't bring himself to tell her about Caitlin. "I try to be a better man but I realize that I'm just like my father, maybe worse. So, I'm not trying anymore, Haley. There's no point in it." Nathan said, "Brooke will always hate me after this, so there's no point in apologizing. Caitlin will keep disliking me, so there's not point in making nice. I will still be like my father because I am his son, so there's no point when it's inevitable. And, you," Nathan looked her in the eye, "You will always walk away from me because you give up but, not this time. This time, I'm doing the walking away."

Haley watched in shock as Nathan moved farther and farther away from her. Where had all this come from and why didn't she notice it? She reached out, her hand holding on tightly to his arm as she said, "I'm not walking away."

There was a small spark in his eyes before it quickly died off, "I am."

"Nathan, don't do this. Don't mess this up when-" Haley's voice died in her throat as she held back the tears. "I can't just open up to you like that, Nathan. I can't just forget and go back to the way things were because it's not right. There's too much behind us to put it aside. But, we can try. I'm willing to try," Haley revealed to herself and him for the first time, "I don't want to lose you again," she whispered, the proclamation rolling off her lips.

He looked at her, his eyes serious as he cupped her cheek with the palm of his hand, "Shhh." Now was the time. Now was the time he should tell her about Caitlin, to reveal everything and then, maybe they could move on from there. She had just admitted the truth to him and it was only right for him to do the same. But, he couldn't.

He couldn't ruin it.

--

Haley's hand touched his as she slowly lowered his hand from her cheek. She squeezed it gently. Staring into his eyes, the shortness of breath and haziness of reality hit her. Was she really in a position to help him? Was she even helping him or was she just helping herself, helping herself reach that closure she so desperately needed? What was she doing? Did she even know anymore? This was just too confusing. How did she expect to help Nathan when she didn't know what to do as well. She was just as lost, except, she pretended to be strong.

She was a good liar.

Over the years, she had to learn. A shoulder bumped into her back and Haley snapped back to reality, noticing that they were in the middle of a New York City sidewalk. For the past few minutes, people had simply been moving past them, not even bothering to stop and watch the spectacle before them. She used to be like that. So caught up in her own life and going through the motions that she forgot how to live, how to appreciate the simple things.

Maybe she was still like that. She didn't know.

He looked at her, the vulnerability was obvious in his eyes. He wanted guidance, he wanted her to help him. She did offer after all. She was the one who wanted to try. But, what was she supposed to say? Goodness knows, she wished she knew the magic words to make everything better. To fix him.

He was broken.

She knew that. But, there was no easy fix. There was no guarantee that things could be fixed period. But, she still had to try. The thing was, how could she even try if she didn't even know the first step? The thoughts whizzed through her head rapidly as she struggled for clarity. Biting her lip, she whispered the first thing that came to her mind, "We need to go grocery shopping."

Nathan's eyes clouded with confusion at her words before he nodded, seeing her own confusion. A sense of understanding washed over him and he felt as if they had reached a mutual deal of sorts. Neither of them knew what to do first and neither one of them had the heart or the courage to make a first step, any step, in fear of messing things up even further. And, so for now, it was at a stalemate. Let things go as they were and maybe it would fix itself.

It never would.

He followed her steps and somehow, his hand found it's way to hers and she interlocked her fingers through his. Something small, something simple. It was a step.

Yet, both were too oblivious to realize it.

--

"I can't afford this," Caitlin sighed with a pout as she put the hanger back on the rack. Her eyes skimmed over the price tags before she whined, "I can't afford any of this."

"Talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity."

Caitlin turned around, not at all surprised at who was there. "Stalking me, are we?"

Brooke shrugged before she took the piece of clothing Caitlin was looking at only moments before off the rack, "I saw you through the window. Thought I'd say 'hi'."

Caitlin nodded, her eyes studying Brooke's face. She was beautiful. Caitlin knew that, after all, she was a model. There was just something off about Brooke's appearance. Something too perfect. The make up had no flaws. There was nothing wrong with her appearance. That was what was off. Brooke was too done up.

The dark circles were gone as well as the tear stains. They were washed and painted away with precision and a good amount of expensive makeup.

Caitlin said nothing as she continued skimming the rack, "So, how've you been?"

"Decent," Brooke replied with a shrug, "More bored then anything."

"Don't make me get into my New York speech again," Caitlin said with a smile, "You should've called me."

"Didn't want you to think I was following you or anything."

"Right, and showing up at a store at the same time as me, unplanned doesn't raise that notion," Caitlin said sarcasticaly.

"Hey," Brooke defended, "Think what you want. I'm here now. And, so are you. That's what matters."

Caitlin's eyes gleamed as she saw the new placement of shoes, "So, what exactly are you shopping for?"

"Nothing really," Brooke replied lightly. "Anything that catches my eye, I guess."

"You have the money for it."

"And, you don't."

Caitlin shot her a mock glare, "Don't make fun of the average 9 to 5 worker."

Brooke smiled at her words, "I'm not. Just stating the obvious. I don't get why you don't try something else, something new. You're young, you're beautiful and could possibly be quite talented."

"Yeah, because everything works out like that," she rolled her eyes, "World's a harsh place."

"That's why it's good to have friends that support you," Brooke said softly as she kneeled down, checking out a pair of boots. "Haley's lucky."

Caitlin looked down at her before she sat down on the ottoman by the shoe rack, "You know that I'm here-"

"I do," Brooke said quickly, not letting her finish. "I don't know why though. I don't know you."

Caitlin nodded at the fact, "I don't know you either," she said truthfully, "Doesn't mean I don't want to."

She was silent for a few moments before she pulled a strand of her hair behind her ear, glancing at Caitlin with one of her famous 'Brooke Davis' smiles, "Thanks."

--

"Grocery shopping?" Nathan asked as he looked around at the wide selection of juices.

Haley couldn't help but grin at the way he spoke of it, "You know, that has to be the first time I've heard someone sound so depressed about grocery shopping."

"I'm not depressed," he defended, "I just," he paused before looking at her questioningly, "Grocery shopping?"

She smiled before shrugging, "I need to eat."

"Yeah, but-"

"And, in order to eat, I need to buy food."

"You're ruining my fun," he said, his eyes squinted.

"Yeah, sorry. Feel free to go back to your 'I hate the world' gaze while staring off at the cheeses," Haley pointed in the direction of the dairy department.

Unable to help himself, a small smile inched it's way onto his lips as he said, "I don't have a 'I hate the world' gaze."

She scoffed, "You've obviously never taken a good look in the mirror."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Take it whatever way you want," she said, a tone of humor in her voice.

"Haley James," he said, his voice warning in a light, joking manner.

"Oooh, first and last name. I feel special."

"Banter," Nathan said as he cocked his head to the side, "How I've missed you."

"Sarcasm," she said, mocking his head movement, "How I've missed you as well."

"Funny."

"You like it."

--

"How do you pack it all in?"

Without turning around, Haley raised an eyebrow as she gripped the bag of groceries tighter, trudging up the stairs of her New York City apartment building with Nathan in tow. "Meaning?"

"You obviously eat a lot," Nathan commented as he eyed the bags of groceries in his arms, "How do you pack it all in? It doesn't show."

"I'm gonna take that as a compliment and just leave it at that," Haley said with a laugh as she arrived at the door to her apartment. Balancing the bag on her knee, she struggled slightly with the door, opening the door only to hear laughter emitting from the other side. Curious, she pushed the door open to reveal Brooke and Caitlin sitting on the couch. In shock, Haley lost her balance and the bag of groceries came crashing down onto the ground, the items in the bag spilling into the hallway and the apartment. Silently cursing herself, Haley knelt down and busied herself with picking everything up while her mind ran over the possible outs she and Nathan could take to avoid the oncoming confrontation.

She could run. He would be confused. Okay, cancel that. She could shut the door. He would be confused and demand why. Nope, wouldn't work either.

Mentally slapping herself, Haley continued to look down as she gathered her purchases, grateful yet cautious when Caitlin appeared next to her, picking up things left and right as well.

"Sorry if we startled you," Caitlin said with concern in her voice as she walked into the kitchen with the items she had gathered, "I didn't expect you back so soon."

"I didn't expect you back at all," Haley muttered as she walked into the kitchen, sending her a questioning look, "What's she doing here?" She said in a hushed whisper.

"We met up by accident at a store and I invited her back here for some snackage."

"You know that," Haley nodded towards Nathan who was awkwardly standing outside the door, his eyes affixed on Brooke as he clutched the bags of groceries to his chest, "was going to be here."

"No, I really didn't," Caitlin said, slightly frustrated, "What? Am I not supposed to invite my friends here now?"

"You're not friends," Haley said, almost shrieking, "You barely even know her."

"I could say the same for you, except I'm not inviting strange men over to sleep in the same space as me," Caitlin retorted, her arms crossed.

"I don't want to fight," Haley sighed, "I'm sorry. I just didn't expect her here and I really don't want to deal with," she waved towards the living room, "This."

"We'll leave," Caitlin said after a few moments before she looked at Haley seriously, "You can't keep running away."

Haley looked at her before shaking her head, "Don't be so quick to think you know everything about me," she said, the annoyance obvious in her tone, "You don't."

Noticing the defense Haley was putting on, Caitlin raised her hands in defeat before backing away, "Fine, I don't and I won't." She walked into the living room, looking at Brooke, "I think it's time for us to leave now."

"Yeah," Brooke said, nodding as she followed Caitlin out the door, saying to Nathan with venom in her voice, "Not even 24 hours and she already has you domesticated."

Nathan's eyes turned cold as he looked at her coldly before walking into the apartment, closing the door with a click. He set the bags of groceries on the counter as he looked intently at Haley who was leaning against the counter, her head in her hands.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine," Haley lied flatly as she pushed the hair out of her face. Forcing out a smile, she said, "Just a little surprised is all."

"Is Caitlin okay?"

"I don't know," Haley answered honestly, "I'll deal with her later." She began to put things in the refrigerator, the stress taking it's toll on her petite body. Caitlin was mad, frustrated.. Haley didn't know what she was anymore, it just wasn't pleasant and she had every right to be. Haley did invite Nathan to stay over without Caitlin's consent and it was true, she barely even knew Nathan anymore. It had been so long and he had changed so much. She shouldn't have been so quick to attack Caitlin about Brooke. There was tension on both parts and Haley sighed in disappointment. She hated it when Caitlin was right and she hated it when it felt like someone else knew her more then she knew herself. She was so confused and Caitlin seemed to have all the answers. While before, that comforted her, now it only annoyed her.

She was supposed to be in control. She was supposed to know what to do and say. But, she didn't know.

There was a gap in between them now and that bothered Haley greatly. Caitlin was her best friend and she had been for over 5 years. Now, they were fighting and they were angry with each other. It was serious. Haley knew that.

Caitlin was only looking out for her but sometimes, she was just so overprotective. Haley slammed the refrigerator door shut, leaning her back against it as she closed her eyes, barely even noticing Nathan was still in the same room as her.

She felt him step closer and turn her around, his rough hands travelling over her smooth skin before they moved in rhythmic circles, easing away her tensions. Haley closed her eyes even tighter as Nathan continued to give her a massage.

It wasn't sexual though it certainly did feel good. It was merely a form of comfort. Nathan knew that Haley would never ask for help but he was giving it anyway, voluntarily. It was almost ironic, a few hours ago, he was asking her for help and here he was, giving it to her instead.

It was funny how things never turned out the way you'd expect.