TOXIC

Chapter 6

A Truce Among Captives

7:45 am.......

Haley looked down at her watch for the hundredth time that hour, noticing the big hand had only moved five notches, since she'd last checked it.

Across the room Nathan was half asleep. Every few minutes he'd wake up, switch sitting positions on the hard cement floor, and then doze off again. Haley attempted the same thing for the past few hours, but she just couldn't seem to get to sleep. 

She was too damn cold.

Another violent shiver ran through her body, causing her to groan in frustration, and exhaustion.

Nathan glanced over at her this time, but didn't say anything, too annoyed by her presence, and in his own discomfort to care.

It was when Haley turned to sit up against the wall, that she noticed Nathan had pulled something from the corner of the room. It looked vaguely like one of the old rugs they'd used for last year's Christmas, and New Year's party's.

Apparently he had wrapped it around himself to keep warm. When he'd done this exactly, Haley didn't know. She inwardly cursed herself though, for not thinking of the idea sooner.

Across the room Nathan picked up her longing look, and smirked with evil glee.

"Cold," he asked, snuggling into the rug as he saw her shiver.

"I'm good," she shifted away from him in defiance.

"Cause ya know, all you have to do is ask nicely, and I might let you slide in with me," he patted his lap suggestively.

Haley squeezed her hands together until her knuckles turned white. Bit down hard on her jaw to keep from screaming at him in frustration.

Because she honestly couldn't for the life of her figure out why he had to be so shitty all the time. Why he had to make everything so damn difficult.

She gave him a disgusted look and rolled her eyes. Not to be outdone, Nathan let out a snort and mumbled something derisive under his breath, Letting Haley know that his feelings for her were mutual. Which made her even more angry with him, for being so completely childish.

"You're an asshole Nathan. You will always be and asshole. You know why?"

He tilted his head to the side disinterestedly, away from her. "Seeing as I can't go anywhere, and you're probably going to tell me whether I want to hear it or not. By all means, go ahead. Enlighten me."

"Because you don't have the desire or guts to be anything else," she said simply, and with outright sincerity.

Nathan flicked his eyes up and met hers. And for a split second Haley thought she might have hit a nerve. But as quickly as she saw it, it was gone, his ever present mask back in place.

 "Ooh semi-harsh comments from the peanut gallery." He grinned at her with amusement.

"Screw you Nathan," she muttered.

"Mmm......I'm gonna pass on that. But maybe, if you lose the Holier-than-thou-attitude, later on I'll let you blow me," he ran his tongue over his bottom lip, his eyes heavy lidded.

Haley snorted at him in revulsion Her voice rising. "Oh I bet you'd just love that. To see me down on my knees in front of you. Every rich boy's wet dream. Fuck the poor girl behind Daddy's back."

"Like you wouldn't kill for the chance to get in my pants. Or any of the Bayview Elites for that matter," Nathan hissed.

"Honestly, no," she said with conviction. "You guys were all made from the same mold Nathan. You charm your way into a girl's bed, use her up until she's dry, and then throw her away like last Thursday's rotting garbage. And I don't like to play that way."

Nathan watched her gleaming eyes, her serious face. "No you just don't play," he gritted out at her, contemptuously.

Haley let out sardonic laugh, when she looked up at him again. "Funny, that's all you ever seem to do," she turned around then, and went back to her corner to sit down, done with the perverseness of this conversation.

At that moment he wanted to hit her like he'd never wanted to hit anything in his life. Smack her hard across the face, make her cry out. The question exactly, was why? Sure, yeah, she'd pissed him off. So had tons of other people. Nathan wasn't really known for his patience and sensitivity. But in all of his years, he'd never wanted to hit a woman, not really. Not like he did right now. And that was what made him take a step back, because he knew, if he said one more thing, if he egged her on to say something else, and she responded like she'd been doing. Then he really would do it. And that made him feel like a true bastard. Even worse than his father.

So instead of saying what had popped into his mind, Nathan felt silent guilt. Not just for what he'd said tonight, but for all of the things he'd done to girls just like her in the past.  Because something about this girl made him feel sorry, made him want to apologize.

With a sigh, Nathan walked over to Haley, and let the rug he'd been using drop down in front of her feet.

She looked up at him confused, and he just shrugged. "I've got my jacket," he said quietly, retreating back to his side of the room.

Haley picked the rug up and wrapped it around her slowly, feeling somehow selfish and inconsiderate for using it for herself. She wanted to be angry, pissed at Nathan for his idiotic behavior.  Of course part of her was.

But she also didn't want to be spiteful. Because regardless of Nathan's overall unlikable personality, he did have a point. It wasn't his fault he'd grown up rich.

While she could blame him for his behavior, she couldn't hold his entire up brining, his family, his social status against him. It wasn't fair. People changed. In the last 2 years she had. Maybe, just maybe, he had too.

Picking up the rug, brining across the room, and sitting down next to Nathan, Haley pulled it up over both of them.   And instead of the cocky grin, or overly arrogant smirk she'd gotten thus far,  he looked grateful. As grateful as she'd probably ever seen him be, and for the moment that was enough to curb her doubts.

For the next few hours they could call a truce, she supposed. If only to make it out of the basement in one piece.

A/N: Feedback brings updates faster……I swear!!!