Chapter 9: Boston's Back Bay
The shrill ringing of my telephone woke me up the next morning. I was thoroughly startled to find Lucas spooned behind me, but then I remembered the events from last night. Something had drawn us to each other and I felt as if I were in a trance-like state and when Luke kissed me, it was as if the world exploded and fireworks went off like the fourth of July.
Realizing that my phone was still ringing and Luke was beginning to stir, I picked it up. "Hello?" I mumbled into the receiver, wiping the sleep from my eyes. "Hello?" I said a little louder, when all I got was silence.
"Hey Haley." A deep voice replied on the other end that nearly stopped my heart. Nathan. He's the only person who could ever say my name that way.
"Nathan?" I asked, fully awake now.
"Yeah, it's me. I know this is kind of awkward, me calling you and all, but I was planning on coming up to Boston to see you." He began. "I just need to talk to you in person. I was planning to come after your visit with Luke was over, but after some events, I need to talk with him too. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind seeing me."
Nathan wants to come see me! I slowly detangled myself from Luke's arms and climbed out of the bed. "Um, sure. I guess it would be kind of nice to see you, catch up and everything. When do you plan on coming?"
"I can catch a flight today. Actually, I'm at the airport now, looking at flight schedules. The next flight that leaves is at 8:00 o'clock here. So if I take that flight, it'll be five hours, plus with your time difference, I'm guessing I'd be in Boston around four or five." He did the math.
"Four." I stated. "I can pick you up from the airport then. Wow, this is kind of weird. I haven't even spoken to you in like six years and now we're going to see each other."
"You're okay with that, right?" He asked, sounding slightly worried.
"Yeah." I replied. "I'm fine, it's just weird. Shouldn't I be mad and bitter and we'd be fighting or something?"
"I was kind of expecting that, but I'm really glad that you're not mad." I could hear the smile in his voice. "Actually, ever since I found out that Luke was going to visit you, you've been on my mind and I feel as if I need to see you, get closure or something."
"Yeah, I've been wanting to see you and get closure for the past six years." I sank down onto the couch and rested my head in my hands. "The closest I got was watching Luke's games on TV and you were there."
"Truthfully, you were with me throughout college and after, no matter what girl I was with at the time. The break-up was really hard for me too. It wasn't until I met Lexi that things started turning around." Nathan sighed on the other end. "Of course, things didn't work out so well with her either."
"Um, I'm sorry." I smiled, even though Nathan couldn't see me. "Well, I'll let you get on your flight. Do you have a place up here to stay?"
"Nah, I'll just stay at a hotel or something." He answered.
"Nonsense. You can stay here. Jake's got a spare couch downstairs with your name on it." I laughed, thinking he probably would be more comfortable in a hotel than on Jake's disaster that he calls a couch.
"All right, if you insist." I could hear the amusement in his voice. "I'll see you soon, Haley."
"Bye Nathan." I hung up the phone and stared at it. Did Nathan and I really just have that conversation or am I still dreaming? Is he really coming up to see me?
"Hales?" Another voice I new all too well and made my name sound kind of sexy.
I turned to see Luke stumbled out of the bedroom. "Morning." I greeted him.
He sat himself down beside me. "Why are you up so early?"
I held up the phone. "Rude awakening."
"Who was it?" He asked.
"Nathan." I replied. "He's coming up here today, to see me."
Luke was instantly awake. "What?"
"Nathan's coming here. He was planning to come up here after you came home, but he needs to talk to you about something, so he's coming up today." I repeated. "God, I can't believe it!"
"Me neither." Luke shook his head. "Guess he took my advice to heart this time."
"You told him to come see me?" I turned to him, wide eyed.
"Been telling him, Hales. Since he ended things with you. He needs closure or he needs you or something." He had a strange look on his face. "Right now, I'm hoping it's the previous." He turned to look me right in the eye. "So, are we going to talk about last night?"
"I'm not even sure what happened last night. I felt like I was dreaming or something." I rubbed my eyes. "What does it mean, Luke?"
"I don't know. I mean, I know that I'm crazy about you, have been since forever, but I never pictured myself really dating you, except for one time in middle school." Luke stared ahead almost deep in thought. "I have no idea what it means, but it felt right to me."
"You put more of it together than I did. I liked kissing you, no doubt about it, but it's been so long since I've even been on a date. I can analyze this all I want, coming up with reasons why it's right and why it's wrong, but I don't know how to choose whether I want it to be or not."
"Then Nathan is not the only one who needs closure." Luke placed a kiss on my temple.
"Since when did Nathan become a part of this?" I asked, slightly annoyed.
"He's always a part of it, Haley." Luke pointed out. "He's your first and only boyfriend. Now, I know I want to be with you. Last night proved that to me, but you won't know until you close the Nathan chapter of your life or decide to continue it. For six years that chapter's been open and now it's time to decided whether you close it or you add onto it. I'm willing to wait, Haley, until you decide. You don't need to answer me now or during this visit. Just having you in my life is enough for me, even if now I want more than that. But, you can't make that decision until you talk to Nathan and think on it."
"Why are you so good to me?" I leaned over and hugged him.
"Because I love you." He replied. "Not like that." He laughed, when I gasped. "Yet."
I giggled and pulled back enough to kiss him. "You deserved that." I grinned. "You up for coffee?"
"I'm always up for coffee." Luke stood up and stretched.
"Good, seeing as Brooke and I can't make good coffee to save our souls, we'll head down to this café that I go to everyday. You'll like it and they serve excellent coffee. Oh, and big bonus in the Lucas factor, it sells books too." I leapt to my feet.
"A shop after my heart." Luke joked, heading into the bedroom to get dressed. I laughed and followed him to get my own set of clothes.
Tada, I finally updated. My old computer crashed for the final time and it died! That's why there's been a lack of updates. I'm back, however, with a new computer and now I'll be able to finish this fic. So, review for your next chapter.
The shrill ringing of my telephone woke me up the next morning. I was thoroughly startled to find Lucas spooned behind me, but then I remembered the events from last night. Something had drawn us to each other and I felt as if I were in a trance-like state and when Luke kissed me, it was as if the world exploded and fireworks went off like the fourth of July.
Realizing that my phone was still ringing and Luke was beginning to stir, I picked it up. "Hello?" I mumbled into the receiver, wiping the sleep from my eyes. "Hello?" I said a little louder, when all I got was silence.
"Hey Haley." A deep voice replied on the other end that nearly stopped my heart. Nathan. He's the only person who could ever say my name that way.
"Nathan?" I asked, fully awake now.
"Yeah, it's me. I know this is kind of awkward, me calling you and all, but I was planning on coming up to Boston to see you." He began. "I just need to talk to you in person. I was planning to come after your visit with Luke was over, but after some events, I need to talk with him too. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind seeing me."
Nathan wants to come see me! I slowly detangled myself from Luke's arms and climbed out of the bed. "Um, sure. I guess it would be kind of nice to see you, catch up and everything. When do you plan on coming?"
"I can catch a flight today. Actually, I'm at the airport now, looking at flight schedules. The next flight that leaves is at 8:00 o'clock here. So if I take that flight, it'll be five hours, plus with your time difference, I'm guessing I'd be in Boston around four or five." He did the math.
"Four." I stated. "I can pick you up from the airport then. Wow, this is kind of weird. I haven't even spoken to you in like six years and now we're going to see each other."
"You're okay with that, right?" He asked, sounding slightly worried.
"Yeah." I replied. "I'm fine, it's just weird. Shouldn't I be mad and bitter and we'd be fighting or something?"
"I was kind of expecting that, but I'm really glad that you're not mad." I could hear the smile in his voice. "Actually, ever since I found out that Luke was going to visit you, you've been on my mind and I feel as if I need to see you, get closure or something."
"Yeah, I've been wanting to see you and get closure for the past six years." I sank down onto the couch and rested my head in my hands. "The closest I got was watching Luke's games on TV and you were there."
"Truthfully, you were with me throughout college and after, no matter what girl I was with at the time. The break-up was really hard for me too. It wasn't until I met Lexi that things started turning around." Nathan sighed on the other end. "Of course, things didn't work out so well with her either."
"Um, I'm sorry." I smiled, even though Nathan couldn't see me. "Well, I'll let you get on your flight. Do you have a place up here to stay?"
"Nah, I'll just stay at a hotel or something." He answered.
"Nonsense. You can stay here. Jake's got a spare couch downstairs with your name on it." I laughed, thinking he probably would be more comfortable in a hotel than on Jake's disaster that he calls a couch.
"All right, if you insist." I could hear the amusement in his voice. "I'll see you soon, Haley."
"Bye Nathan." I hung up the phone and stared at it. Did Nathan and I really just have that conversation or am I still dreaming? Is he really coming up to see me?
"Hales?" Another voice I new all too well and made my name sound kind of sexy.
I turned to see Luke stumbled out of the bedroom. "Morning." I greeted him.
He sat himself down beside me. "Why are you up so early?"
I held up the phone. "Rude awakening."
"Who was it?" He asked.
"Nathan." I replied. "He's coming up here today, to see me."
Luke was instantly awake. "What?"
"Nathan's coming here. He was planning to come up here after you came home, but he needs to talk to you about something, so he's coming up today." I repeated. "God, I can't believe it!"
"Me neither." Luke shook his head. "Guess he took my advice to heart this time."
"You told him to come see me?" I turned to him, wide eyed.
"Been telling him, Hales. Since he ended things with you. He needs closure or he needs you or something." He had a strange look on his face. "Right now, I'm hoping it's the previous." He turned to look me right in the eye. "So, are we going to talk about last night?"
"I'm not even sure what happened last night. I felt like I was dreaming or something." I rubbed my eyes. "What does it mean, Luke?"
"I don't know. I mean, I know that I'm crazy about you, have been since forever, but I never pictured myself really dating you, except for one time in middle school." Luke stared ahead almost deep in thought. "I have no idea what it means, but it felt right to me."
"You put more of it together than I did. I liked kissing you, no doubt about it, but it's been so long since I've even been on a date. I can analyze this all I want, coming up with reasons why it's right and why it's wrong, but I don't know how to choose whether I want it to be or not."
"Then Nathan is not the only one who needs closure." Luke placed a kiss on my temple.
"Since when did Nathan become a part of this?" I asked, slightly annoyed.
"He's always a part of it, Haley." Luke pointed out. "He's your first and only boyfriend. Now, I know I want to be with you. Last night proved that to me, but you won't know until you close the Nathan chapter of your life or decide to continue it. For six years that chapter's been open and now it's time to decided whether you close it or you add onto it. I'm willing to wait, Haley, until you decide. You don't need to answer me now or during this visit. Just having you in my life is enough for me, even if now I want more than that. But, you can't make that decision until you talk to Nathan and think on it."
"Why are you so good to me?" I leaned over and hugged him.
"Because I love you." He replied. "Not like that." He laughed, when I gasped. "Yet."
I giggled and pulled back enough to kiss him. "You deserved that." I grinned. "You up for coffee?"
"I'm always up for coffee." Luke stood up and stretched.
"Good, seeing as Brooke and I can't make good coffee to save our souls, we'll head down to this café that I go to everyday. You'll like it and they serve excellent coffee. Oh, and big bonus in the Lucas factor, it sells books too." I leapt to my feet.
"A shop after my heart." Luke joked, heading into the bedroom to get dressed. I laughed and followed him to get my own set of clothes.
Tada, I finally updated. My old computer crashed for the final time and it died! That's why there's been a lack of updates. I'm back, however, with a new computer and now I'll be able to finish this fic. So, review for your next chapter.
